Warriors Review: The Pit by James Rollins

Warriors is an anthology filled with–appropriately–warriors. From the hedge knight Dunk in The Mystery Knight by George R. R. Martin to the Roman consul Marcus Regulus in The Triumph by Robin Hobb to the interstellar diplomat Ruth Patrona in Seven Years From Home by Naomi Novik, the anthology is packed with all kinds of warriors–both from fantasy settings and science fiction settings.
James Rollins, however, takes his story to a place very different than the others.
He takes it into a dog-fighting pit.
That in and of itself is not the odd part though. What makes The Pit different from the other novellas is the fact it is told from the point of view of a dog.
Stolen from his loving family as a pup, Brutus ends up training and fighting in the pits for a blood-thirsty master who is cruelty personified. The entire story is told from Brutus’s point of view. From the emotions evoked by his litter mates to the smells of fear and death in the pit, Brutus gives an accounting of his life and what it means to live in such a dark, terrible world.
In my opinion, it is an unusual story because it is a story of pain. I really enjoyed the other stories in Warriors told from alien characters, but this story hit a bit too close to home. The part Michael Vick played in dog fighting several years ago enraged a great many people–including me–and reading The Pit brought all of those feelings back. It’s probably what Jim intended. It is a powerful piece, one where the writer works hard to convey the feelings of those dogs and what becomes of them after spending months and sometimes years being abused physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Of course The Pit is well written. Jim is one of the easiest writers to read, one of the finest in his thriller genre. He has a smooth style, one that speeds the reader through the story. He uses flashbacks to round Brutus out, learning about his past and the terrifying reality that he has become.
I only have one problem with the novella: It’s ending.
I can’t talk about that though, now can I?
Overall, The Pit is a creepy, sad piece, honest in its brutality.