Another time, another world. Port Alveridge, nestled on the edge of the sparkling Esparrow Sea, is a town divided. Cats and Dogs who once fought ancient battles now live as uneasy neighbours in segregated districts, with the town ruled for the greater good of Felines.
Into this hotbed of simmering rivalry steps an orphan hound — Arthur Snout — deposited on the steps of the Alveridge County Orphanage. A small, unhoundish loner, Arthur is bullied by the other houndlings. And their nickname of 'Lonely Dog' soon sticks. Lonely Dog has a special gift, however, a gift for music that crosses boundaries, styles, and even species…
Torn from his new rough-and-ready family: from Old Rolph — orphanage headmaster, father figure and secret music-lover; from a childhood sweetheart — Kelzie, whom Lonely Dog loves more than anything; from Bronson — biker gang leader who protects him — Lonely Dog flees for his life to the hinterlands, where he unwittingly becomes the star of an outlawed late-night pirate radio show.
With Bronson jailed and shadowy offshore Feline powers marshalling for a war that threatens to destroy all Hound-kind, Lonely Dog must return to Port Alveridge and face his destiny. Can a shy, reluctant hero — armed with nothing but his 'Houndsound' — change the course of Alveridgean history?
