The Book of the Dun Cow

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




Amazing Allegory, September 3, 2008
By J. Norvell (Tulsa, OK)
The Book of the Dun Cow is an amazing allegory, extending Aesop's original fable about Chaunticleer the Rooster. As with any fable or allegory even, it illustrates good v. evil clearly. The complications of the plot center around the moral and personal failings of the main characters, animals in this case. Spiritual comparisons are easy to find, and moral lessons are abundant. I enjoyed it thoroughly and intend to use it in my high school classroom.



A compelling story where animals are the gatekeepers to hell. , January 11, 2008
By Christian Engler (Woburn, Massachusetts)
Winner of the 1980 National Book Award in the category of Science Fiction (soft cover division), Walter Wangerin, Jr.'s The Book of the Dun Cow, is a work like no other.

In a fanciful plot set-up where the sun revolves around the earth, thereby enabling the animal inhabitants to have a humanness and clarity of voice, thought and feeling all their own, life is as it is for all human beings in present day times: work, family, eating, play time, et cetera. But with the casual facade of everydayness, the animal citizens of the coop and of the fertile land which they occupy, there is something evil and unloosening hidden deep in the crust of the earth and yet slowly trying to break free and unleash an apocalyptic nightmare beyond the scope of their thinking prowess.

The dark force is Wyrm, and his leader minion is Cockatrice, along with his vile helpers, the serpent-like Basilisks. But for every evil creature, there is the good warrior against evil, starting with the lead rooster, keeper of the coop, Chauntecleer and his band of animal citizens: Pertelote, Chauntecleer's wife, Tick-tock, the black ant, Beryl, the nanny hen to Chauntecleer's three children, Mundo Cani Dog, a drifter animal whose sacrifice is the climax of the whole story, to a whole bombardment of other animal characters who play a vital role to the defeat of evil and livelihood of peace and tranquility.

With each passing chapter, the intensity of realization of what the animals must confront, in conjunction with the Lord of Heaven darkening the skys in order to open the animal's eyes conveys an unspoken terror that all living things have a purpose which thus leads to choices: good or evil. The Book of the Dun Cow states that message in no uncertain terms, and its affect is chilling, for evil must be pushed down and stopped, and the destiny of those chosen to do that is more-often-than-not less than desirable, at best.

Walter Wangerin, Jr., a Protestant minister and family man knows Scripture well, and he is able to convey it in a manner of not just simplicity but in the commonness of everyday living, paying bills, watching the kids, going to work...His message, in the framework of a science fiction novel, offers something accessible yet honest: Truth and all the baggage that goes along with it.



Simply outstanding, August 23, 2007
By G. Holmes
The Book of the Dun Cow is a masterpiece. I was completely pulled into Wangerin's world of roosters who rule not only their coop, but the surrounding area and it's animals.

This story has everything - comedy, tragedy, flawed characters who nonetheless rise to the occasion (mostly) and do the right thing against terrible evil.

The one small thing I found annoying, contra some other reviewers, was Mundo Cani dog - he was just *too* annoying, and I couldn't sympathize with him much because he brought so much abuse on himself by wallowing in self-pity. But that is a *very* minor point in the midst of a truly great book.



It's Different..., December 11, 2006
By Scott (Texas)
This ain't your hyped-up alien conspiracy book, or your crazy new fad dieting book. This here is something truly different. At first glance, it seems to be a typical talking barnyard animal fable, but when the Cockatrice is born from a creature beneath the Earth, the whole barnyard atmosphere is instantly tossed asunder. I was disappointed to see that author Walter Wangerin didn't in fact invent the snake/rooster monster that is the Cockatrice, but it's neat how he weaved a lesser-known mythological creature into his barnyard tale.

The Cockatrice may be the most evil villian in any book I've ever read, even more so than Dicken's Quilp, so naturally I thought, "Hey, this book is pretty good." I even like the hero of the book - the plain, ordinary rooster Chauntecleer. He's pretty sour for a hero, always mad about something. It's funny.

Even though the violence in this book is extraordinarily plentiful, and Chauntecleer's dream about the river is as heavily powerful and frightening as drama can get, the book manages to end in a light-hearted comical routine between Chauntecleer and a wacky weasel. Strange, strange, strange.

The whole Earth is left with a literal scar after the events in this book take place, and I can definitely see how one can interpret this particular scenario Biblically. Biblical themes abound in the text, but I found the Earth's scar example to be the most obvious. Also of note - The Dun Cow herself seems to be some kind of representation of the Holy Spirit.

One thing I really like about this book is it makes you want to read the sequel without putting any kind of "To Be Continued" message at the end. Of course, it leaves the possibility for a sequel open, but doesn't demand that the possibility be met.

Overall, an awesome book. The worst thing I can say about it is there's a typo in the table of contents, and I wasn't too crazy about Mundo Cani Dog. Everything else is gold.



Astonishingly Beautiful, November 23, 2006
By William R. Anglin (Buford, Ga United States)
I've been a fan of Walter Wangerin Jr.'s writing for many years and somehow put off reading "The Book of the Dun Cow" until recently. One of his most highly acclaimed works, the book weaves a hypnotic tale of the war between good and evil as experienced by a number of memorable characters...all of them animals (barnyard and otherwise). The main character is the rooster, Chauntecleer...the leader of his group of loyal animals. His stunning journey from "keeper of the coop" to spiritual leader and warrior is at the center of this amazing tale. I suspect that some readers, like myself, might be somewhat reticent to read a book populated with talking barnyard animals...but...the grandeur of this tale coupled with Wangerin's amazing talent transform it into a true work of art. I actually realized somewhere around pages 140ff. that the story had become so powerful that, for lack of a better word, the experience of reading had become mildly "electrifying". This is a stunning example of what a writer of Wangerin's caliber can do with a simple story.
This is not just one of his best works...this is a true -masterwork-.
I'm currently reading the sequel..."The Book of Sorrows" and am still amazed. Walter Wangerin, Jr. is just one of those authors that you just can't help sharing with others!