Staff Pick
The debut novel from Malaysian/Australian MC and spoken word poet Omar Musa, Here Come the Dogs is a gritty coming-of-age tale written in poetry and prose. With vigor and virility, Musa channels the emotional, political, environmental, and personal brutality of characters and country into a visceral, ambitious work of fiction. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
The debut novel from Malaysian/Australian MC and spoken word poet Omar Musa, Here Come the Dogs is a gritty, raw coming of age tale written in poetry and prose. With a background in both hip hop and the slam circuit, Musa has opened for the likes of the late Gil Scott-Heron, Pharoahe Monch, and dead prez, in addition to winning both the Australian and Indian Ocean poetry slams. Melding the personal and the political, Here Come the Dogs is a novel of hip hop, graffiti, basketball, drugs, street culture, prison, and violence – one which confronts issues of identity, immigration, nationalism, race, loyalty, and personal growth.
With its three main characters, Solomon, Aleks, and Jimmy (each struggling in their own way), Here Come the Dogs offers a coarse, candid look at a contemporary Australian youth subculture. With a thumping soundtrack of both domestic and foreign hip hop all but rumbling from the page, Musa couples his rich, original imagery with lyrical verse and poetic prose. With intensity, vigor, and virility, Musa channels the emotional, political, environmental, and personal brutality of characters and country into a visceral, ambitious work of fiction (albeit one that may not stray too far from the truth). Here Come the Dogs has fervor and feeling in abundance, demonstrating Musa's versatile worplay whether on mic, stage, or page. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In small-town suburban Australia, three young men from three different ethnic backgroundsone Samoan, one Macedonian, one not sureare ready to make their mark. Solomon is all charisma, authority, and charm, a failed basketball player down for the moment but surely not out. His half-brother, Jimmy, bounces along in his wake, underestimated, waiting for his chance to announce himself. Aleks, their childhood friend, loves his mates, his family, and his homeland and would do anything for them. The question is, does he know where to draw the line?
Solomon, Jimmy, and Aleks are way out on the fringe of Australia, looking for a way in. Hip hop, basketball, and graffiti give them a voice. Booze, women, and violence pass the time while they wait for their chance. Under the oppressive summer sun, their town has turned tinder-dry. All it'll take is a spark.
As the surrounding hills roar with flames, the change storms in. But it's not what they were waiting for. It never is.
Review
"At once tender, beautiful, gritty, and raw." The Guardian
Review
"Omar Musa's writing is tough and tender, harsh and poetic, raw and
beautiful; it speaks to how we live and dream now. This novel broke my
heart a little but it also made me ecstatic at the possibilities of what
the best writing can do. His voice is genuine, new and exciting; his
voice roars." Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap
Review
"This stunning novel has such swaggering exuberance that it will make
most other fiction you read this year seem criminally dull. You have
been warned." Irvine Welsh
About the Author
Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He has opened for Gil Scott Heron and performed at the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City. He attended University of California Santa Cruz. He has released three hip hop albums and two poetry books, and he received a standing ovation at TEDxSydney at the Sydney Opera House. He lives in Australia.