Lives of the Monster Dogs is a dreamlike fantasy with little overt social commentary. What resonates with the reader is the love between a young woman and a dog with human speech and intelligence. Nonetheless, through the negative example of Augustus Rank, creator of the monster dogs, the novel engages issues currently debated by scientific ethicists and animal rights activists.

The monster dogs were originally the product of military research. Initially, Rank allied himself with the Prussian Prince Wilhelm (later Wilhelm II), who saw in the creation of dog soldiers an army "impossible to defeat, its members fierce, numerous, and disposable (for more could always be made)." Like a great deal of present-day military hardware, the monster dogs, after a long period of development, were obsolete as weapons of war. They do, however, have sufficient destructive power to annihilate the entire village of Rankstadt.

Rank and...