#88. SIRIUS By Olaf Stapledon

Published : 1944
Pages : 194
Overall Mark : 8/10

Sirius is Thomas Trelone's great experiment - a dog with the intelligence of a human being. Sirius is a remarkable creature. His inquiring mind ranges across the spectrum of human knowledge and experience. But Sirius isn't human and he is tortured by conflicts that cannot be resolved. Probably the finest novel with a nonhuman protagonist ever written, Sirius is a moving and powerful study of alien intelligence and sensibility.

OLAF STAPLEDON (1886-1950)
Educated at Balliol College, Oxford and Liverpool University, Olaf Stapledon worked for a shipping office in Liverpool and Port Said before lecturing for Liverpool University. He served in the Friends' Ambulance Unit in France from 1915 to 1919 and then lectured again for Liverpool University. His books include the classics Last And First Men and Star Maker.

VERDICT
This story of a super-intelligent dog is intriguing in its approach to the dichotomy faced by the dog, as he is less than human but more than beast. This question, and how both Sirius and those around him answer it, makes for a great read that is possibly one of the most unusual morality tales of our time.