''Fluke'' is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

novelist

James Herbert James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 l ...

. First published in 1977, it concerns a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

named Fluke.

Plot

The novel starts with the birth of Fluke, a dog who soon realizes that he used to be a man, the book follows Fluke's efforts to find out what happened to him and why he is a dog. Soon he starts to remember bits of his previous life and remembers he had a wife and daughter. The story follows Fluke's journey to reunite with his family. Along the way, he makes friends with a red dog named Rumbo. Rumbo is killed when a car in a scrap yard the dogs live in falls on him. Fluke appears in numerous Herbert novels. Rumbo started life as a human, like Fluke. Towards the end of ''Fluke'' Rumbo comes back as a Red Squirrel, he later appears in the James Herbert Novels ''The Magic Cottage'' and ''Once''.

Adaptations in other media

Fluke was adapted into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

in 1995, starring

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

and

Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker, who rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in ''Full Metal Jacket''. His other film roles include the title character ...

.Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide 2014 Samuel L. Jackson provides the voice of Fluke's dog friend, Rumbo. Based on James Herbert's bestselling novel

References

1977 British novels Novels by James Herbert Novels about dogs British novels adapted into films New English Library books {{1970s-novel-stub