Review of “Diary of a Service Beast” by McKenzie Catron

Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)

Diary of a Service Beast: Casket and Crypt's Not So Beastly Adventure is a unique and imaginative children's book with a Gothic, mythological tinge by McKenzie Catron!

This book is a fantastical rendition and reimagining of the author's other children's book, Diary of a Service Dog, which we also had the pleasure of reviewing. In fact, the two books are almost identical clones or mirror-images of each other in terms of their writing, general premise, and formula.

However, the difference is that Diary of a Service Beast reimagines the characters, the relationship between them, and the important role of service animals within the guise or skin of fantasy and mythological characters/elements. That's quite a wild and unique combination!

It's a conversion from realism to fantasy!

McKenzie (the author) is represented by the character named Casket. Meanwhile, Grimm (McKenzie's service dog) is represented by the two-headed dog character named Crypt. This book really has a special charm, especially if you're into more dark, Gothic, somewhat-macabre imagery and content like Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. No, there's no gore or violence, which is great (especially considering this is a book for kids).

We'd like to pay special attention to the character of Crypt. Crypt is a “service beast”--a two-headed dog akin to Orthrus from Greek mythology. As a side note, did you know that Cerberus had a two-headed brother named Orthrus? Yeah, neither did we! And we pride ourselves on knowing a lot about mythology.

Despite being beastly and having the fearsome appearance of a two-headed Dobermann (think Mr. Burns's attack dogs from The Simpsons) compounded by red eyes, Crypt has a special kind of cuteness and adorableness. We'd compare that cuteness to being sorta like a British bulldog or a pug. They may not look like the archetypal dog, but they're beautiful and lovely in their own way.

The illustrations (by Anna Dmyterchuck) do a fabulous job at portraying Crypt's cuteness in unique ways. On the inside cover and during the party scene, he is portrayed as wearing white bowties on both of his necks, a great contrast to his grim and dark appearance.

During the bedtime scene, he is shown rolling on his back with one of his tongues out, inviting tummy rubs like a household pup or kitten.

During the healing scene, Crypt is shown giving nose kisses and cuddling up to Casket to comfort her. You can see the contentedness and softness of Crypt through the expression of his eyes.

Speaking of eyes, Crypt's heads—similar to King Ghidorah's heads—seem to have their own unique personalities, differentiated mainly by their eyes. Crypt's right-head is slightly more stout, kinda like a shorter sibling. The right-head has a distinct scar over his right-eye, which appears to be wounded. So, we get the impression that Crypt has been through a lot, a seasoned veteran of being a service beast. Perhaps he fought off a cyclops or a hydra or something.

Casket is also a bit of a unique character. She kinda reminded us of Elsa Janeway from The Devil's Conquest by KM Taylor. She is a multifaceted character who seems to transform, a little bit like a shapeshifter. There are times when she is a mermaid. There's a time when she looks like royalty or even a goddess. And there are times when she looks like a normal fantasy female prepared to go on an adventure.

Check it out on Amazon!