A Boy and His Dog A Boy and His Dog

1 boy , dog

1.1 plot
1.2 reception
1.3 film adaptation

a boy , dog
plot

vic, aged 15, born in , scavenges throughout wasteland of former southwestern united states. vic concerned food , sex; having lost both of parents, has no formal education , not understand ethics or morality. accompanied well-read, misanthropic, telepathic dog named blood, helps him locate women, in return food. blood cannot forage himself, due same genetic engineering granted him telepathy. 2 steal living, evading bands of solos , mutants. blood , vic have antagonistic relationship, though realize need each other.

at movie house, blood claims smell woman, , pair track abandoned ymca building. there, meet quilla june holmes, teenage girl downunder, society located in large underground vault. before vic can rape her, blood informs pair roverpak (a gang) has tracked them building , have fight them off. after killing number of them, trio hides in boiler , set structure on fire. vic has sex quilla june, , though protests @ first, begins come on him. blood takes instant disliking her, vic ignores him. vic , quilla june have sex repeatedly, eventually, quilla june attacks him , takes off return underground community. vic, furious @ deception, follows her, despite blood s warnings. blood remains @ portal on surface.

downunder has artificial biosphere, complete forests , underground cities, 1 of which, named topeka, after ruins of city lies beneath, fashioned in surreal mockery of 1950s rural innocence. vic captured ruling council (the better business bureau). confess quilla june sent surface lure man downunder. population of topeka becoming sterile, , babies born female. feel vic, despite crudeness , savage behavior, able reinvigorate male population. vic first elated learn impregnate female population, initial enthusiasm turns horror.

quilla june reunited vic , plan escape. vic uses fact quilla june s father secretly desires sex distraction, incapacitating him, can escape.

on surface, vic , quilla june discover blood starving , near death, having been attacked radioactive insects , other things . quilla june tries vic leave blood, , take off her. knowing never survive without blood s guidance, and, more importantly, knowing blood not survive without care , food, vic faces difficult situation. implied kills new love , cooks flesh save blood. novella ends vic remembering question blood eats: know love is? , concludes, sure know. boy loves dog.

reception

the novella won nebula award best novella upon release in 1969 , nominated 1970 hugo award best novella.

film adaptation

the 1975 science fiction film directed l. q. jones controversial alleged misogyny; script included lines not in ellison s original stories , authors such joanna russ found objectionable. film s final line blood: d had marvelous judgement, albert, if not particularly taste. ellison disavowed addition moronic, hateful chauvinist last line, despise. ellison did, however, accept ending remained popular fans, saying: have kept original last line original story, think more human , beguiling sort of punchline l.q. jones used. l.q. knew doing in terms of market, suppose.