Carmichael's Dog

Carmichael, a successful science fiction writer plagued by demons, finds his ability to love reawakened by a dog

Carmichael, a crabby science fiction writer, is possessed by hundreds of demons who occupy his mind and body, goading him to acts of envy, pride, lust and anger. His forgiving wife Nicole doesn't suspect that her philandering husband is infested with fiends. Nor does Carmichael himself, although he owes his intolerant fits and inspired novels to the beings cavorting within him. Only his perceptive dog, Furfante, whom Nicole bought as a temporary replacement for their college-bound son Davy, realizes that Carmichael is possessed. When the dog proves himself a talented quadruped exorcist, the demons conspire to plant murderous impulses in Carmichael so that he'll kill Furfante. Narrated by Odvart, clownish demon of sloth, this ribald fantasy is a disarming allegory on the modern egocentric personality. Its convoluted, oblique humor will certainly not appeal to every taste, but Koster (author of the Tinieblas Trilogy) sprinkles this clever romp with literary allusions and wicked commentary on family politics, the redeeming powers of love and art, the self-pity of middle age and the waywardness of a damned human race.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rich but chaotic novel from the author of ``The Tinieblas Trilogy'': The Prince, The Dissertation, and Mandragon. Koster offers one of those stories about a novelist writing a novel. Here, it's the science-fiction writer Carmichael, author of the internationally famous Vama, which has been travestied in movie form and is one of the sources of Carmichael's discontent. Carmichael is also famous as a curmudgeon who loses himself in the wild fantasies of his stories and, if interrupted, is likely to bite even his loyal wife Nicole. Meanwhile, he's openly unfaithful with a wide variety of women--one of the many demons that possesses him, certainly the one most in evidence, is lust--but will become tender and downright sweet when in pursuit of a new love; no woman can resist him. Then, however, Carmichael tosses one and all aside and returns to his sprawling, all but impenetrable novel, another science-fiction tale where the characters, demons also, take over the narration at times and comment on hapless Carmichael. They have names like Orcis, Hifni, Agla, or Odvart. Then there's the puppy Nicole acquires; Carmichael hates all dogs, but this one is unique, confounding the curmudgeon with its love. Koster is funny, and when he settles down can create characters in a few lines. But he offers almost no story: just wordplay and lust and observations on how hard it is to write a novel. This one in particular, perhaps. A sort of cross between J. P. Donleavy and William Burroughs: good in small doses, but likely to leave most readers in the dust. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.