Zane lives in a future flooded with wireless data. A biochip in his ankle keeps his computers (and, by extension, his parents) in constant awareness of his activities, mood, and blood pressure. He can't even pass gas without the Scent-o-Com adjusting the ingredients of his breakfast. After receiving the Gizzard, a gadget that synchronizes these feeds, Zane's earpiece picks up a little something extra: the voice of his dog, Hugo. And it's not just Hugo on Zane's ears are bombarded by a veritable zoo, and their chief complaint is Dr. Gristle, an experimental veterinarian hoping to harness their abilities for government use. This very funny book occasionally strikes notes of unexpected poignancy, as when Zane dubs a dog-racing track "the saddest place on Earth." The plot, however, moves in confusing fits, with characters materializing from nowhere and major events rushed to conclusion. Lynch, perhaps better known for daring YA works like Inexcusable (2005), may not be entirely successful combining cautionary tales of both virtual reality and animal abuse, but the planned sequel could help fill some of the gaps.

In this oddball futuristic conspiracy-adventure, Zane becomes the Dr. Dolittle of the digital age when he's suddenly able to communicate with his dog, Hugo. Hugo and Zane's friendship is the heart of the tale, and the tenderness of their relationship, along with a hefty dose of dry situational comedy, balances some horrifying glimpses at animal experimentation in the name of progress.

Lynch's latest, the first in a science-fiction series that can be described as a dystopian comedy, introduces protagonist Zane, who lives in a world where computer technology has all but eclipsed human relationships. He does have a dog, though, an engaging fellow named Hugo, who is being treated by a famous veterinarian named Dr. Gristle. After Gristle injects an experimental computer chip into Hugo, Zane receives a gadget that allows him to communicate not only with his own dog, but with all the animals Gristle has "chipped," and learns that the veterinarian is an evildoer seeking to control and exploit them. Moreover, Hugo and his friends want Zane, the one person who can understand their plight, to help them. The author manages to keep the reader chuckling as he skewers such topics as work-obsessed parents, electronic Big Brother and greyhound racing. Despite the tip-top humor and its overall likability, however, the narrative, which runs in several directions at once, lags in spots. Additionally, the story doesn't resolve; it pauses, leaving the reader unsatisfied and curious for more. (Science fiction. 9-12)

Setting this adventure in the future, Lynch (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Inexcusable) plays on themes dear to middle-schoolers: the bond between children and animals, the mistrust of authority, the double edge of technology that offers shortcuts but erodes independence. Zane, the narrator, lives surrounded by monitors, and he wears an anklet at all times: “[It] connected into the very me with a wire that goes right under my skin and on into the who knows what depths of me.” So he feels sympathetic when his dog, Hugo, returns from the vet implanted with a chip that lets people “read [his] heart and mind,” and then engineers a trip to the WildArea, the one place where nature is still allowed to take its course. Convinced by Hugo, Zane sets about trying to free the animals in thrall to the vet. The action doesn't let up long enough for readers to start questioning some plot holes; perhaps these will be closed in a planned sequel. Ages 9–12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

Gr 4-6 Zane lives in a future in which everything is networked and microchipped. His bedroom talks to him, reads his temperature, and informs him when he will next need to go to the bathroom. His parents are wired, tooboth are network broadcasters with studios at homealthough Zane never sees them unless he makes an appointment. His best pal is his dog, Hugo, who wears a microchip installed by the family vet that allows him to talk when Zane wears a special earphone. But Hugo tells Zane things he isn't supposed to knowfor example, that Dr. Gristle has been performing twisted techno-experiments on an entire lab full of animals, and that the boy is the only one who can rescue them. Techno-savvy kids will chuckle at this goofily satirical look at how adults use technology to keep their children "safe," and how that technology can also turn around andliterallybite them. Walter Minkel, Austin Public Library, TX