A story of ambition, politics, and cruelty, leading up to the first Soviet launch of a living being into orbit. That being was a young dog that had been abused for much of her life then was sent to her needless death in an effort to meet a ridiculous deadline imposed by Khrushchev. I had a lot of difficulty reading this, not because this story is poorly told. Quite the opposite. Rather, Laika's death was a senseless waste, an outcome of the political and engineering struggles and personal costs

A lot of people complain about the manipulative nature of humans writing about canines who will die in the course of a story. And some people openly admit that they appreciate the particular kind of pain that comes from these "dying dog" books. But "Laika" is not, I do not think, a book that sets out to use Laika for emotionally manipulative purposes. On the contrary, the author makes it clear she's already been used enough (used to death) and Abadzis instead sets out to complicate and dignify t...

“Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog.” -Oleg Georgivitch Gazenko, 1998If you think this is just another sad dog story…don’t bother to read on. This graphic novel is about a man that escaped the Gulag, a little dog that is caught on the streets of Moscow, and Sputnik II, the second Soviet Satellite that was la...

i knew what would happen and i still read it. it was worth it but dang.

Dead dog books used to be a dime a dozen. Time was a kid couldn’t walk into a bookstore without getting whacked over the head with “Old Yeller”, creamed in the kisser by “Sounder”, and roughed up royally by “Where the Red Fern Grows”. Recently, however, dogs don’t die as often as all that. You could probably concoct some magnificent sociological explanation for this, citing changes in the political and emotional landscape of our great nation leading to the decrease in deceased literary pups, but...

Do you ever get excited about something and then not fully think through what it is you are about to experience? For example, let's say there was a dog who was the first living being in history sent into space. And you didn't really know anything more than that. Except maybe you knew the dog didn't come back. But you didn't really stop to think about it. Or what that actually meant.So I was in tears by the end of this book. A few have criticized this as being emotionally manipulative but it seem...

Augh! What the heck was I thinking...reading a book where I KNOW the dog dies at the end?!?I've spent my entire life avoiding Old Yeller for just that reason.But, Laika's story intrigued me, so I gritted my teeth, and mostly enjoyed the ride. In 1957, buoyed by the success of Sputnik, Khrushchev ordered up another spectacular stunt...a second satellite launch, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. The second satellite would carry a passenger - a dog named Laika. With l...

Books with dogs tend to manipulate. That’s just the nature of the literary and cinematic landscape. Old Yeller. Where the Red Fern Grows. Homeward Bound. It’s like a rule. And rather than subvert this, LAIKA‘s pretty up front about the fact that it will in no way deviate from the script. It relishes in its formulaic, heart-melting prison of manipulation and contrivance.Really, unless you’re a fan of being manipulated, the book’s only saving graces are that it offers an eye into Russia’s Cold War...

This graphic novel should have been about Laika, the dog that was sent to space. In reality it was about the humans that sent her there, she was just a side-character in their narratives and I did not like that. The only thing I appreciated about the humans was seeing their regret after the mission: they realized their mistake and also how horrible it had been to sacrifice a life for nothing. Also, the drawing style wasn't really to my taste.

Okay, let's get two things out of the way. One, this is a graphic novel. Two, this is a dead dog book. The latter's not a spoiler--we're all reasonably intelligent people, we've heard of the Sputnik program even if we weren't around to personally witness its impact on the world. The dog dies, okay? That's not an acceptable reason to give this book a pass. (I'm talking to you, Ruth.) As for the former, well, if you're going to read one graphic novel this year, make it this one. This is a tremendo...

This is a heartbreaking story from start to finish. This poor dog that is so sweet and no one wanted. For some political reason, the Russian person in charge decided it would be good to send a dog in a flight orbiting the Earth knowing the dog would die. I had no idea this even happened. I know about Sputnik and everything that went with that, but I didn't know about Sputnik 2 and that they sent a dog in space. It did not get good press at the time. I appreciate stories like this and learning ab...

This is the story of the dog then went into space on board Sputnik II in 1957. It's a combination of fiction and history, and I'm not exactly sure how to separate them, though I liked it so much it didn't really matter to me.I enjoyed the art - the drawings, coloring, and layout had a unique feel to it that was very evocative.I thought the story was great too. I see some reviews are saying the way a dog was used is a cheap manipulative trick. I didn't feel that way, as it wasn't just to tug at t...

In 1960, science-fiction author Robert Heinlein reported in his article “Pravda means Truth” (reprinted in Expanded Universe), that while traveling in the USSR, he met Red Army cadets who told him that there had recently been a manned space launch. This launch capsule, the Korabl-Sputnik 1, experienced a mechanical failure when the guidance system steered it in the wrong direction. This made retrieval of the capsule impossible, and the Korabl-Sputnik 1 was stranded in orbit around the Earth.The

When I started working in a schoool, I thought that my strong immune system would keep me healthy even though all first-year teachers spend the whole year sick from new germs. Was I right? Not at all. It was the same with Laika. I knew that everybody else cried when they read this book, but I thought that somehow I'd be prepared, not that I'd find myself bawling into a bowl of pho on Clement St. And yet. Laika is the story of the first dog to go up in space. It's not a spoiler to tell you that s...

I'm not crying, you're crying!

Oh, that poor pup. Two topics that reliably get me welling up; dogs in peril, and memories of the space age. So when Korolev tells Laika "You will fly further and longer and higher than any living being from this Earth ever has", it doesn't matter that I'm not sure about Abadzis' art style; I'm putty. Good dog.

You got a soft spot for animals? Prepare a box of tissue before reading this book. I still remember how I learnt about the space race between USSR & the U.S.A and the first living creature that was sent to the outer space was a dog. This is the story of the said dog, named Laika. Some would not stand the things they did to Laika that was told in this graphic novel but for me, I love how the story is told by a third person, an outsider looking in. It neither approve nor heavily condemned their ac...

Laika is an historical fiction based around the Soviet space program, and the space dogs experiments in the early 1950s. Author / artist Abadzis constructs a heartwrenching prequel for Laika, a stray dog before coming to the aviation test center. We also get the (true?) back story of some of the scientists in the Sputnik program. As this is an historical event, I am assuming many of you know the tragic outcome of this story (and the many others like it - the dogs that have no names and known sto...

And I thought "Lassie Come Home" was sad. This was a new level. I don't know that I can recommend this to dog lovers - it's just sad. I hate how helpless...ah, well, it's no use to wail about it. The artwork left a lot to be desired - must everyone be ugly?

I was prepared to be sad but not THIS sad.