Book Review: The Left Hand of Dog - Si Clarke

I have to say, I did not get on with this book. The central conceit is that a sci-fi fan is abducted by aliens and their universal translator converts everything into understandable slang. So we get lots of warp factors, ansibles, dilithium crystals, and Hitchiker’s references. It makes the whole thing feel a bit cheap. OK, maybe it is a little silly when an author comes up with some technobabble instead of saying "make the jump to light-speed" - but readers appreciate the effort.

It's a daft enough story but the chuckles are few and far between.

Much like the Wayfarers books, it wears its heart on its sleeve. I found that a delightful and refreshing aspect which is rarely seen in sci-fi.

But, in the end, I found the plot a bit too derivative to enjoy, and the shoe-horned references quickly became tiresome.