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Modern Dog Magazine
Winter 2005/2006
Books
by
Linda Wilson
Haint: A Tale of Extraterrestrial Intervention and Love Across Time and Space
Its original premise
gives this futuristic novel an unusual twist: man's best friends were not originally of this Earth. After traveling through
the universe, they arrived on Earth before humanity existed and evolved into beings destined to help us, love us and guide
us.
Dealing with such issues as free will, reincarnation and the state of the soul, Haint is a bittersweet story that
chronicles the plight of the last remnants of humanity as they and their canine companions make their final stand in the apocalyptic
future. Its theme is best summed up by Truman Capote who wrote "Love having no geography, knows no boundaries."
copyright
Modern Dog Magazine
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SciFi Wire
12:00 AM, 20-JULY-05
It's A Dog's World
In Haint
SF writer Joy Ward told SCI FI Wire that she has a longstanding attachment to dogs—so much so she named her first
novel Haint, after a Weimaraner she once owned. She currently owns three Weimaraners. "Dogs are honest and straightforward,"
Ward said in an interview. "They are also great teachers in how to love unselfishly. If you listen, dogs will teach you about
nature and how to interact with other humans. I may be in charge, but that doesn't mean I can't learn from the dogs in my
life."
Haint is subtitled "A Tale of Extraterrestrial Intervention and Love Across Time and Space" and is about the
relationship of the species, told from the dog's perspective, when an alien spaceship lands on Earth seeking dogs instead
of humans. "Dogs were the first non-human species that decided to join humans in a shared destiny," Ward said. "However it
happened, dogs and humans joined up somewhere deep in our history as a species, and they have remained part of the human scene
ever since. Dogs willingly seek us out and want to be with us. And it's not just for the food or the homes. They seem to want
to be with us, even when we starve and abuse them. Something in them drives them to be with humans and helps them get past
the abuse to some extent."
Several questions are explored in Haint: How can the human race become more interdependent?
How can dogs help humans survive and not take themselves too seriously? And how can humans understand the nature of evil and
better question their assumptions of themselves and their places in the world?
"I guess, to some extent, I'm commenting
on today's world by talking about the future, because the future in Haint is a direct result of how we're living today," Ward
said. "In much of the developed world, we have gotten to the point that we have forgotten the value of the 'pack.' We have
enough money or enough stuff or enough whatever that we think we are not dependent on those around us. We think we'll take
care of ourselves and our families. The problem is that we as a species just can't survive like that, because we have pushed
nature to the tipping point. The glaciers are melting. The frogs are mutating, and skin cancer is rising. All the signs are
there that the generations after us are in for a nasty time of it. Haint is a snapshot of what waits.
"But Haint is
also a postcard of hope," Ward added. "By listening to and learning from dogs, the most unselfish species, humans find a way
to get past their own failings and band together to survive. Through canine and canine-type love and selflessness, humans
have hope. Although there are a number of themes that run through Haint, perhaps this is the strongest. If we can get past
our 'monkey minds,' as Haint calls them in the book, maybe we can learn how to survive."
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch
This summer, why not try
supporting your local author
By Bill McClellan
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Jul. 24 2005
LET ME MAKE a
suggestion for your summer reading. Read a local book this summer.
The idea makes extra sense for book clubs because
the author might even be willing to make a personal appearance and discuss his or her book. This is
especially true of
less-established writers, and we are fortunate to have quite a few of them. Some have been published by small publishing houses,
and some
are self-published.
How can you find them? You can check with local bookstores. You can depend on word
of mouth. After all, these writers are our neighbors. Or you can get on
the Internet. Be innovative. You might be surprised
at how good some of these books are. Let me mention a few that seem intriguing this summer.
"Haint: A Tale of Extraterrestrial
Intervention and Love Across Time and Space"
- Author Joy Ward is a dog-lover, and Haint, the lead character in this novel,
is a Weimaraner. (Ward has three of them.) The story takes place in the not-too-distant future after global warming has killed
off most people.
This is from the news release: "In a world torn apart by cataclysmic climate changes, survivors learn
to answer to the immortal questions as they join together based on their love of various dog breeds." The release also quotes
Randy Grim, founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis: "What if they (dogs) are further evolved and closer to the Divine Source
than humans? This fascinating
tale of adventure, dog packs and human survival depends on just this concept."
It
sounds particularly suited for those of us who like dogs and science fiction and are not afraid to mix the two.
E-mail:
bmcclellan@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8143
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