First off, I'm not a dog lover. A couple of really naughty poodles have spoiled that experience for me, but I used to be. Reading, Mr. Duperre's fantastic novel of suspense and psychological drama has brought back a glimmer of what I used to love about our four-legged companions. But, don't get me wrong, this is not just a love letter to the canine order, this book is so much more. If anything, I might give this book a 4.5, because the casual reader might not know what they are getting into when they start the novel. There is so much genre overlap in this book, that it is hard to describe. In the middle of the novel the reader might be very confused and lost in the mix of sci-fi, suspense, fantasy, horror, and yes, poignant psychological drama of a man caught in a very nasty mid-life crisis. Then, you would be dragged right into the very experience of the narrator, thus revealing the book to be a genius piece of writing. The way that Robert Duperre explores the narrator's pain and anguish, is fully detailed and truly sympathetic. His mystical journey essentially creates the perfect metaphor for what happens to any of us psychologically who enter this dark realm of the soul. I would say that the truly frightening "monsters" of this novel are not half as scary as the ennui and depression that the main character suffers in the first quarter of the novel. There is also the promise of more, as it becomes evident that Duperre is creating a rich cosmology from which, hopefully, he will be pulling more threads into the skein of his stories. Disturbing, hopeful, and rewarding, Silas is a wonderful achievement.
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