The plot (in a spoiler-free nutshell): A very, very old dog is searching for his master, waiting more than a hundred years for him at the very location that he lost him, and recalls the events of their life together that led to that moment.

The author: Damian Dibben, author of a children's trilogy, The History Keepers (swiftly being inserted into my oh so long TBR list). Also a big dog lover, I presume.

It's a bit like...'midnight in a tall forest, stiff parchment paper, a whisper of pine sap'. That.

What? A dog is the narrator? That's ridiculous! Well, yes it is, but reading this book will make you question why every novel doesn't have a dog as its narrator.

You should read it if...you want to be led on an epic adventure through several of the most remarkable periods in our history across some of the greatest European cities - London, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, and the very greatest of them all...Portsmouth!

You shouldn't read it if...you like your historical fiction to be full of raunchy sex scenes. There's the odd bit of butt sniffing, though.

The best bit: The Battle of Waterloo as told through a dog's eyes, having no particular allegiance to either side, and despairing at the waste of both human and animal lives, is some of the most heart wrenching prose on the topic of war. Not an easy read by any means, but important all the same.

Book hangover severity: The novel ends with a life affirming page that is impossible not to be permanently moved by. He's a wise old dog, is our champion.

Sounds like a truly epic tail then? Sorry, I couldn't resist that one!

Rating 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶/🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Final thoughts: At once both poignant and touching, and exhilarating and thrilling, this is a remarkable story about loyalty, the brutalities of the human race, redemption, and most of all the preciousness of life. By the end I was reaching for the tissues (for heaven's sake, who do men always make me cry?)

Tomorrow was published on 3rd May 2018 by Penguin UK - Michael Joseph. Thank you to Damian Dibben, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the ARC

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this. What a fabulous book. Was hooked from beginning to end. I enjoyed it, as it was so different to what i usually read. I am a dog owner, which attracted me to reading this title in the first place and just reiterates that our four legged friends are the most wonderful, loving creations ever made. Strongly recommend this historical charming novel ❤

I found this book fascinating, entertaining and moving. It's like living in different places and ages and see thing by the point of view of a dog.
All places, events and characters are well researched and the style of writing is great.
A very good book, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Penguin UK and Netgalley

‘It began, this journey of many lifetimes, in an ordinary way: he and I went to pick oysters on the shore.’

Our narrator is a dog. A dog who has lived for longer than 200 years. A dog who has been searching for his lost master for over 100 years. While the dog searches for his master, and having new adventures of his own, he remembers some of their earlier adventures together. These adventures take us from 1602 until 1833. So, how did dog and master become separated? How is it that they’ve lived such long lives? Why is the dog so certain that his master is still alive?

‘If we lose one another, my champion, wait for me on the steps. Just here, by the door.’

The dog’s name is Tomorrow, his master’s name is Valentyne. Their adventures take them from 17th century London, through the court of King Charles I, through Versailles, Amsterdam and 19th century Venice. Tomorrow makes friends along the way, especially with Sporco an abandoned pup he finds in Venice.

I found this novel utterly engrossing. Tomorrow’s faith that he would find his master kept me turning the pages. Trying to understand the reason behind Tomorrow’s longevity was one of the hooks that kept me reading, as was trying to understand the relationship between Valentyne and Vilder. A dog’s perspective has me wondering even more about the passage of time (and what we learn during our existence) as well as humankind’s capacity for war. Tomorrow does not speak to people, we are in his head observing his thoughts. Occasionally this is tricky, but it worked for me. After all, if you can believe that a dog can live for longer than 200 hundred years then understanding his thoughts is comparatively easy.

But while this is a story about a dog, it is more than that. Part of understanding the longevity enjoyed by Tomorrow and Valentyne is the fiction of ‘how’ but it is also about ‘why’. Is such longevity desirable? By whom? ‘Tomorrow’ is a quirky novel and Tomorrow is an unlikely, likeable narrator. If you are looking for historical fiction with a difference, you may enjoy this novel as much as I did.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This was a fascinating idea for a story and the historical span of the book was very rewarding. The author really brings the different periods of history to life with his well researched details. From the frost fairs of London, to Venice and Vienna, we follow Champion and Sporca. Alchemy has been used to lengthen life and Champion searches over centuries for his lost master. I loved Champion and Sporca’s journey and point of view. The story lacked pace in places and was over wordy. Still, an enjoyable read.

As the description above details this book belongs firmly in the category of "historical fiction". Our story is told from the viewpoint of the aforementioned 217 year old dog, and what a story it is.

Having grown up in the 90s my first thought upon reading a short description was "What? Homeward Bound mixed with How to Stop Time (by Matt Haig)?" But I was suitably interested to send a request, and I'm very glad I did. The author has brought together a great story of friendship and love here, and describes the special bond between a dog and his master flawlessly.

While the book is not exactly a page turner, I was completely engrossed by it. The story line grabbed me immediately, and the writing here is very strong. Our protagonist may be a dog, but he is more developed than the characters of some best sellers I have read recently. The supporting cast is equally interesting, and I can't think of one character I disliked. Over the course of the book we say hello and goodbye to a lot of "people"and it was hard not to feel regret at the loss of each character.

Overall this book is filled with solid and memorable characters, fun, laughter, betrayal, and as is the norm with historical fiction, heartbreak. I loved it, and highly recommend to fans of the genre, or those looking for something a little different.

https://donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/tomorrow-damian-dibben/

I am not fond of dogs and was sceptical about this book which has a dog as narrator (this must be a first!), but I found it quirky and compelling. With the aid of an implanted drug concoction, the dog and his master have become immortal.
One day in the 17th century the dog is told to sit on the steps of a church in Venice by his master and wait for him to come back. He doesn't return and the dog waits and then searches for him for 200 years. The sweep of history unfolds; great events, places, people and battles are described in real time and in flashback as the dog re-lives his life. With the "help" of a shady character called Vilder, who also has the drug implanted, accompanied by his dog friend Sporco, the dog is reunited with his master, Valentyne. There were some places where it dragged and I skimmed bits, but prose is lyrical and stylish and the musings on life and history are interesting. The doggy character is all too human at times. I could have done without the canine romance scenes, though!

What an amazing book! Have to admit being somewhat sceptical when reading the blurb about how much I was going to enjoy a book narrated by a dog... but it is brilliant.

Our canine narrator is separated from his master and must endure a poignant and painful wait for over a century - he and his master (an alchemist) lead an eternal life. We flit back and forward through time, during the period before the separation and after, as the dog searches for his master and struggles against the villain of the story, also seemingly immortal. It's only towards the end of the story that the dog Tomorrow and his master Valentyne are named - however this in no way stops the reader from becoming deeply invested in the characters and their story. I've elsewhere read comparisons to 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell' - I'd say these comparisons are fair, the style and feel of 'Tomorrow' is similar; I loved that book as I do this - a truly extraordinary read and highly recommended.

With such an appealing front cover,for a long suffering dog owner,this sounded a fantastically quirky read,and so it proved to be,but in all honesty,it took a long time for the action to liven up.
Tomorrow is the titular dog,and the book relates his extraordinary life and journey through the many centuries of his life,as he searches for his missing master.
Thanks to an elixir that grants long life, Tomorrow is the grand age of 127 years and is immortal. He has been faithfully waiting and searching for his master for over 100 years, ever since they became separated in Venice,whilst his master,Valentyne, was visiting a cathedral.
When they were together, dog and master travelled extensively across Europe and other continents,and have been involved in wars,Royal plots,and great scientific discoveries. They have pursued love and happiness,experienced heartbreak and loss of friends,because they are immortal, death and betrayal,but in the end,the question is posed,is everlasting life worth living?
Tomorrow is a very insightful dog,and shows great loyalty to his master and to the other dogs he meets throughout his long life. He accepts that his friends die,but the sadness does threaten to overwhelm him,until a new adventure comes along. He is streetwise,but lonely. Friendships are by necessity brief,with fleeting glimpses of what a stable home life could be like.
I felt sorry for Tomorrow, and I really became involved in his strange lifestyle . The book is slow at first,but really gathers pace over the last 100 pages or so. An interesting read about a loyal four footed friend,with a wet shiny nose!! I have posted this review to Goodreads today.

The word "Tomorrow" actually refers to the name of the dog in this story, who throughout the book is searching for his master "Vallentyne" a physician by occupation. As the story covers many many years and many great events it must be accepted that the dog lives a very long time. The purpose of this novel and where it really succeeds is to describe events in Europe over a span of approx 150 years. It's a bold and bawdy journey and gives full reign for the author to explore the great happenings in a continent under constant change with many battles being fought. From the Freezing of the river Thames in the 19th century to famous battles at that time (Waterloo) being present at the dramatic execution of Charles 2nd, and finishing at the dawn of the Industrial age with the first sighting of steam trains. And as we absorb the colourful and constant change of time and location we meet the players who will forever be associated with certain events namely; Napoleon, Franz Schubert, Duke of Wellington, James 1st and his successor Charles 2nd.

What drew me to the story was reliving events through a dog's point of view. As we move backwards and forwards in time from the palace of James 1st to the artful ambience of Vienna and Venice and the blood soaked plains of Waterloo the story telling is furious and very enjoyable with a constantly flowing descriptive prose...."The king lay down, positioned his neck on the block, trying to get comfortable. The executioner apologized as he tucked a few more stray hairs into the cap, then raised the axe and struck. Blood pumped from the boned neck and a groan went up"....."the trickery of it, the pointlessness, humans and animals born simply to suffer, for the pain to invariably worsen with age, for anguish to thicken and veins clog, until they were skidding down to death"......."Perhaps because decay is the most virulent form of life, or perhaps because nothing speaks more of the phenomenon of being, than the absence of it".........

The only downside of the back and forth time capture narrative is the confusion that can sometimes arise when trying to pinpoint a particular city and time. The is a very slight criticism in a story that I enjoyed told in a very colourful and bold manner. Many thanks to the good people of netgalley and publisher Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

What a strange and beautiful book. Dibben does an excellent job of bringing us close to uncomfortable events and the vagueries of history through the pure and suitably inadequate narration of the dog. Valentyne is a sort of alchemist, blessed and cursed with a scienticfic, enquiring mind long before science was considered a suitable field of study (point of fact, during the middle ages maths and science were considered akin to witchcraft.) He discovers he secrets of immortality and sets off across the centuries with his chosen companion, a dog which he calls ‘his champion. What follows is a sometimes bizarre mixture of The Last Family in England, The Time Traveller’s Wife and historical fiction. I can see why some people might have trouble connecting with this novel because it is rather avant garde but I found it stunning. Highly recommend.

4.5 Stars
So, when I first read the description I thought "this book is not for me". It was an historical fiction novel (great so far) from the point of view of a 217 year old dog who has followed his owner through the centuries. I could not have been more wrong with my first thoughts on this title and I am so pleased I have read it. I raced to finish it because I needed to know what was going to happen and then felt that familiar sense of loss at having finished it!
The writing was incredible and had me hooked from the first page.
The themes are as relevant to us now as they ever have been - humans bent on their own destruction at war, contrasted with the beauty of humanity through art, architecture, music and literature. It explores family, friendship, love, loss and social justice, to name a few of the topics touched upon. Reading it, I was reminded of this quote:
Tomorrow and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Only, in this instance, the candle is anything but brief and that's the point. What difference it would make to our limited days if they were suddenly unlimited.
Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin UK, and Damian Dibben for this thought-provoking ARC, provided for the purposes of an honest review.

Sorry but I could not get into this book at all.
Will try again at a later stage

An outstanding, intensely moving saga sweeping through the eras of The Renaissance, English Civil War to Napoleonic Europe and end at the period of the Industrial Revolution. This is a book which doesn’t fit into a specific genre – it is based on a fantastical premise, provided by ‘alchemistry’ but the emotions, thoughts, events, philosophies and some (famous, named) of the characters are very real.

The story is told through the eyes of a loyal dog, a dog who lives for his master and who is parted from him, cruelly. He waits for 127 years in the place they agreed to meet should they be parted, but his master never comes...

The descriptions of warfare, brought this so true to life for me (not technical details, more emotional ones, particularly of the Battle near Waterloo); I usually jump pages when battles are being described, not so here. I cried a few times, I so wanted man and dog to be reunited. The resourcefulness of the dog and his colleagues along the way felt like real relationships. I loved the way this was written – the almost poetic language, the ‘message’ the book held; about life, philosophy, attitudes to carrying on, loyalty, love and forgiveness.
I read this in 2 days – compulsively! The only part I found less than perfect was concerning Vilders, near the end (I felt it could have been condensed). But perhaps this just proved that Valentyne is a better person than me! I will be seeking out other works by this author.

Such an interesting premise, I've read a cat narrated novel this year, but this is my first dog narrated novel.
I loved the idea of history as seen through the eyes of man’s best friend, and the fact that it spans such a broad sweep of time only made it appeal more, although this could put off some readers.
The book also makes extensive use of flash forward/back, which may grate for some, but I personally liked how they built up both the story and the characters’ histories. There were several well executed twists and revelations peppered throughout, alongside some oblique references to famous people and events which are enjoyable to pick out, but the narrative did seem to become a bit flabby in the middle, dragging out sections which could have been condensed. The ending was a little underwhelming, but this book was far and away the most original concept I've come across in a long time.
This book is a marmite book, love it or hate it. I loved it.