Listen free for 30 days

  • Fifteen Dogs

  • Written by: André Alexis
  • Narrated by: André Alexis
  • Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,230 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Fifteen Dogs cover art

Fifteen Dogs

Written by: André Alexis
Narrated by: André Alexis
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $7.99

Buy Now for $7.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

"I wonder," said Hermes, "what it would be like if animals had human intelligence."

"I'll wager a year's servitude," answered Apollo, "that animals - any animal you like - would be even more unhappy than humans are if they were given human intelligence."

And so it begins: a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs overnighting at a Toronto veterinary clinic. Suddenly capable of more complex thought, the pack is torn between those who resist the new ways of thinking, preferring the old dog ways, and those who embrace the change. The gods watch from above as the dogs venture into their newly unfamiliar world, as they become divided among themselves, as each struggles with new thoughts and feelings. Wily Benjy moves from home to home, Prince becomes a poet, and Majnoun forges a relationship with a kind couple that stops even the Fates in their tracks.

André Alexis' contemporary take on the apologue offers an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness. By turns meditative and devastating, charming and strange, Fifteen Dogs shows you can teach an old genre new tricks.

©2015 André Alexis (P)2016 ECW Press

What the critics say

"[Alexis] devises an inventive romp through the nature of humanity in this beautiful, entertaining read.... A clever exploration of our essence, communication, and how our societies are organized." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Alexis manages to encapsulate an astonishing range of metaphysical questions in a simple tale about dogs that came to know too much. The result is a delightful juxtaposition of the human and canine conditions, and a narrative that, like just one of the dogs, delights in the twists and turns of the gods' linguistic gift." (Publishers Weekly)

"...I'm far from being a dog person, but as a book person I loved this smart, exuberant fantasy from start to finish." (Jonathan Gibbs, The Guardian)

More from the same

What listeners say about Fifteen Dogs

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    742
  • 4 Stars
    301
  • 3 Stars
    129
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    24
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    688
  • 4 Stars
    239
  • 3 Stars
    85
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    13
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    646
  • 4 Stars
    239
  • 3 Stars
    102
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    19

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

Listened it in less than two days. An audible page-turner that is positively addicting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Listen to this book! It was amazing!!!

This book was so refreshing. Many authors follow a tried and true format, this was like nothing I've ever read. The only negative was the narrator's voice. He was hard to listen to on a few words throughout the book, but that couldn't take away from the story. Loved hearing about the Toronto neighbourhoods and I loved the images the author painted. I can't recommend it enough!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but...

I love the idea of this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more through reading. Unfortunately for me, I had a hard time with the narrator's voice; I tend to turn bass off and treble up in order to hear spoken word best, and unfortunately the deep, rich voice of the nareator/author did not work well for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, unique, and entertaining!

I’ve been meaning to read this Canada Reads winner for quite some time and I am so glad I finally did!

It is thoroughly entertaining, thought-provoking, and completely unique.

If you love Toronto, dogs, and are amused by Greek mythology, I guarantee you will love this book.

If you like 2 out of 3 of the above, you’ll still really like it, trust me :)

#Audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good

I didn't really think I would like this story, but it captured me and I couldn't stop listening. The story was amazing and the narration was perfect. This gem was worth the listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

it will leave you feeling terrible

the book was free....I want my money back.
The perspective on humanity is disheartening. yuk.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Don’t understand hype

I may have missed something - but I really didn’t find the book all that inspiring or interesting. I found it pretty depressing. Cool that it was set in Toronto though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mind opening, but you might not like what you see

This book gave me a crazy perspective from a dogs point of view. Not a happy story but mesmerizing all the same. I can’t get it out of my head, but it doesn’t feel good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

One of the most unique and thought provoking books that I’ve ever come across. I’ll never look at my dog (or humans) the same way again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

it's an excellent unique listen

The story flows like poetry and keeps you hoping until the end. This might not be for everyone, but it was stuck in my head between listens. I love when writers are the narrators of their own story. I imagine the poetry comes from his unique view of his own work. 👍

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful