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Read an Excerpt PRAISE FOR JERRY Jay CARROLL “Jerry Jay Carroll’s sequel to his clever debut novel, Top Dog, leaves the door open to yet a third book in the series; the ending alone will leave readers beg- ging for more … The novel’s best passages—which should not be read late at night—come when Bogey is stalked by rapacious pig-faced assassins. Equally entertaining (at any time of day) is Carroll’s giddy, cynical take on political campaigns.” —New York Times “A stylish, funny combination of parable and moral tale … Imaginative, seduc- tively written, and a pleasure to read.Top Dog is a first rate entertainment.” —Richard North Patterson “A witty, adult and imaginative fable.” —Martin Cruz Smith “If Kafka and Tolkien shared an office on Wall Street, this is the novel they might have written.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A captivating romp.” Grade: A —Entertainment Weekly “The Shaggy Dog meets J.R.R. Tolkien in this entertaining debut effort. The premise is wildly silly and metaphorically transparent and has absolutely no right to succeed on any level, but Carroll—through a combination of rea- sonably swift pacing and gruffly funny internal monologues—pulls it off.” —Kirkus Reviews “Carroll’s tight, colorful prose proves zesty and absorbing. His characters ring oddly true. And his plot has touches of that Tolkienesque irresistibility, that thing that keeps you up past bedtime turning pages to learn what hap- pens next.” —San Francisco Chronicle “I stumbled upon this gem while wandering the shelves of a half-price book- store. I’m so happy I picked it up. Love finding random awesomeness. Anyway, it is a great adult fairy tale. It’s a light-hearted, comical examination of good and evil … The main character is very likable and had me laughing out loud several times which is rare for me. —Elise at GoodReads “Top Dog is an excellent example of what great fiction should be: creative, amusing, completely immersive, yet containing the seeds of some very serious ideas. It makes for some wonderful reading, and in the end, is actually quite thought provoking as well. A very intelligent, playful and ultimately serious read. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something out of the ordi- nary this summer.” —Amazon review “This is a book that makes you step back and re-evaluate your priorities, while entertaining you at the same time. I enjoyed the mixture of fantasy and “real- world” settings, though the comparison made me wonder which world is in fact the more fantastic. For anyone who enjoys a little off-beat fantasy or even a morality tale, this is a worthwhile read.” —Amazon review “Cleaning up some bookcases, I ran across this novel and its sequel, Dog Eat Dog. Am reading through them again, enjoying it just as much as the first time. Yeah, yeah, alternate worlds have been done to death, but being changed into a dog? Not a wolf, not a dragon, a dog. These two books are sheer pleasure, and if you can’t separate that from reading great literature, shame on you …” —Amazon review by Lao T. Sue “Top Dog is one of those books I keep buying for myself (because I give it to people who never heard of it) and for others. It’s one of the most creative and entertaining books I’ve ever read. In fact, it can be read as pure entertainment so it’s easy to overlook how deftly the writing and plotting are done. It’s a fan- tasy, sort of, but if you’re not a big fan of fantasy, don’t worry; neither am I. It’s much more than that. It’s a fantasy only in that certain fantastical elements are used to tell the story. No swords and sorcery … well, some sorcery, but it’s really a story about the nature of Good and Evil and the constant battle between Them, and how one not-so-good guy gets roped into having to make a choice.” —Amazon review by Richard Best “Vastly entertaining tale. Very amusing, which is often a rare commodity in the SF/Fantasy genre. I identified with the dog. I enjoyed his ability to com- municate with animals and through mental telepathy with the powers that be, but not with the Two Legs. I liked the concert of a human trapped inside an all too real dog’s body. I would recommend this to anyone, just not a SF/ Fantasy fan.” —Amazon review “The writing is witty and original, the hero is certainly not the classic hero type, and the book ends before you realize it, it’s that good! Now I’m sorry I haven’t bought the second book already … have to wait till I get it! So—go get Top Dog, you’re going to love it! —Amazon review by Dr. Zoidberg “A roller-coaster ride through an astonishing world. Jerry Jay Carroll effort- lessly plants you in the middle of a breathtaking adventure—completely implausible and yet thoroughly believable and engaging, thanks to his gifted writing. It reminded me of the opening moments of the film “The Fugitive”—you begin on the edge of your seat and never get off it through the rest of the book. Michael Crichton’s (later) book Timeline borrows much of Carroll’s theme: an unexpected trip to another era, where brutal reality is confronted and life and death decisions are commonplace. Couldn’t put this one down. His sequel Dog Eat Dog is even better.Inhuman Beings, while writ- ten in an entirely different genre, is also outstanding. I say, order everything Carroll’s written and take them all on vacation with you. You won’t be sorry.” —Amazon review by C. Bef “After reading (and very much enjoying) this author’s bookInhuman Beings, I had to go out and find more of his writings. This story, the prequel to his cur- rent Dog Eat Dog, had me smiling and reading with a sense of glee. The story may be one we’ve heard before, but never quite told with the hero (anti-hero?) having such a unique perspective. And Jerry Jay Carroll is one of the most entertaining storytellers to come along in the past few years.” —Amazon review by Edward Alexander Gerster “This is a witty book which delighted me from cover to cover. I found myself missing Big and the other characters in the book long after I finished. I’m thrilled Jerry Jay Caroll has come out with a sequel.” —Amazon review “I started reading this in a bookstore, and before I knew it I was three chap- ters deep. Had to buy it then. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and have loaned it to several friends. Not a single person’s come back and said they didn’t like it.” —Amazon review by Dectra “If you’re looking for a fantasy that stands out for its originality, I would rec- ommend Top Dog.” —Evelyn C. Leeper, New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. “When I read Jerry Jay Carroll’s genre-blending Inhuman Beings earlier this year, he jumped immediately onto my list of favorite new authors. Even so, when I saw that Dog Eat Dog was a sequel to Top Dog, Carroll’s debut novel, I was doubtful. Could that weird mix of satire and fantasy be pulled off a second time, without seeming stale or self-derivative? Yes, it turns out: Dog Eat Dog is every bit as fresh, entertaining and funny as its predecessor.” —Victoria Strauss “Wall Street corporate raiders are about the last thing you expect to show up in classic fantasy world. But that’s just the beginning of Jerry Jay Carroll’s Top Dog, a very clever and urbane take on the hoary old-style fantasy. Yes, it has all the trappings of Tolkien—evil sorcerers, good sorcerers, battles, vil- lages. And yes, I’m probably not going to spoil much of anything if I suggest that good tends to prevail in these types of stories. What Carroll does that’s really different is to ensure that getting there is all the fun. That’s because the voice of William B. (“Bogie”) Ingersoll is such a joy to read and so refreshing to hear.” —Rick Kleffel, the Agony Column, Bookotron.com “Dog Eat Dog, the sequel to Jerry Jay Carroll’s Top Dog manages to be funnier, more topical and just as exciting as its predecessor. While you could probably read it without having read Top Dog, let’s just pretend that you’ve done the right thing and read that novel first.Dog Eat Dog begins with Bogie back in the world, but not the corporate raider we’ve known from the past. He’s reformed, he takes in stray dogs, has discovered his moral compass and knows where true north lies. But don’t take this to mean that he’s become boring. Bogie is just as scurrilously funny as ever, and no less cunning … It’s no matter what genre paradigm is at work in Carroll’s novels anyway. No matter what he’s writing, his wit and crackling prose pretty much overshadow everything else that’s going on. As much as anything else, Dog Eat Dog is political satire, one wherein the candidate in the lead is running with the help of Satan himself … As ever, Carroll’s prose is what keeps the readers coming back for more. He’s so darn funny and endearing, it’s almost unnerving. He’s no slouch when it comes to wrangling a bang-up plot, either … Carroll is a real find, and in these days of the great National Humor Shortage, we need all the laughs we can get.” —Rick Kleffel, the Agony Column, Bookotron.com “A thoroughly enjoyable book for those fans of fantasy that have grown up (if not matured).
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