The Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog

In this sweeping epic, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Dog's Purpose tells the story of the first dog

Thirty-thousand years ago, humanity stood at a turning point. The last glaciation of Europe was about to commence, forcing modern humans out of the trees and onto the steppes, where they would be both predator and prey.

In one tribe, the Kindred, a boy is born with a crippled foot. His name, Malcrus (shortened to Mal) translates roughly to “he who brings a curse with his leg and must be put to death.” The wily political maneuvers of the boy's mother keep him alive, though he is shunned, unable to join the hunt, and finally banished.

Struggling to survive in the wilderness, Mal saves a wolf cub, naming her “Dog.” The two become inseparable, living together, playing together, and learning to hunt together.

This is not the only alliance forged. Other tribes of men have heard of this boy who lives with a wolf, and when he brings them gifts of food, he becomes accepted as something like a wizard.

A savage tribe of manhunters, the Valley Cohort, raids the other peoples at will, terrorizing them. The Cohort are warriors — they practice with their weapons and can easily defeat the hunter-gatherers. Mal realizes all are doomed unless they can defeat the warriors, but that will take an alliance between the other tribes. It's implausible — but Mal has a plan... and a wolf.