The Dog Stars

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss - and what he is willing to risk to rediscover, against all odds, connection, love, and grace.

Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1956 Cessna, Hig flies the perimeter of the airfield or sneaks off to the mountains to fish and to pretend that things are the way they used to be. But when a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life - something like his old life - exists beyond the airport.

Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return - not enough fuel to get him home - following the trail of the static-broken voice on the radio. But what he encounters and what he must face - in the people he meets, and in himself - is both better and worse than anything he could have hoped for.

Narrated by a man who is part warrior and part dreamer, a hunter with a great shot and a heart that refuses to harden, The Dog Stars is both savagely funny and achingly sad, a breathtaking story about what it means to be human.

©2012 Peter Heller (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Richly evocative yet streamlined journal entries propel the high-stakes plot while simultaneously illuminating Hig's nuanced states of mind as isolation and constant vigilance exact their toll, along with his sorrow for the dying world.... Heller's surprising and irresistible blend of suspense, romance, social insight, and humor creates a cunning form of cognitive dissonance neatly pegged by Hig as an apocalyptic parody of Norman Rockwell...a novel, that is, of spiky pleasure and signal resonance." ( Booklist)

"In the tradition of postapocalyptic literary fiction such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Jim Crace's The Pesthouse, this hypervisceral first novel by adventure writer Heller ( Kook) takes place nine years after a superflu has killed off much of mankind.... With its evocative descriptions of hunting, fishing, and flying, this novel, perhaps the world's most poetic survival guide, reads as if Billy Collins had novelized one of George Romero's zombie flicks. From start to finish, Heller carries the reader aloft on graceful prose, intense action, and deeply felt emotion." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Leave it to Peter Heller to imagine a post-apocalyptic world that contains as much loveliness as it does devastation. His likable hero, Hig, flies around what was once Colorado in his 1956 Cessna, chasing all the same things we chase in these pre-annihilation days: love, friendship, the solace of the natural world, the chance to perform some small kindness, and a good dog for a co-pilot. The Dog Stars is a wholly compelling and deeply engaging debut." (Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted)

Excellent

Would you listen to The Dog Stars again? Why?

Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I intend to listen to this book again in a few months. This book is haunting - and hopeful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dog Stars?

The death and subsequent burial of Hig's dog (and its aftermath) was heartbreaking.

Which scene was your favorite?

The initial encounter of Hig, the old man and his daughter. Wonderfully suspenseful and comic at the same time.

Any additional comments?

A little Cormac McCarthy, a little Hemingway. Well worth another listen.

Unusual but I liked it.

Narrator is excellent. Not your usual apocalyptic tale of survival. If you're looking for tons of shoot em' up this book won't satisfy. If you're looking for something different in this genre then it's well worth the credit.

excellent performance and compelling story

Beautifully written and narrated. I loved every bit of it! The characters and relationships are complex and interesting.

Fantastic Story

Great story! First time I read it. Second time I listened to it. Just a great survival story.

I wanted to Cry

I was engrossed in the story right from the start and finished the 11 hours or so in 3 days. A great story of survival and relationships formed in a post apocalyptic Colorado, told in the eyes of the main character Hig. I’ve listened to 100’s of audiobooks and this is my favorite fiction to date. I will definitely be checking out other titles from this great author and storyteller.

Great reader! Slow start but it grows on you!

I really enjoyed this book. It was assigned to me for a class but I would have read it regardless.

I want more!

I can't believe it ended. there has to be more. I miss it. what am I going to do without this book.

Moving story of survival and the human spirit

Moving story of survival and the human spirit. It pulled me in with believable characters that I found myself actually caring about. It is written in such a way that I believe it could have a sequel some day... That would be wonderful to see what could happen next.

Good book with great characters

I really enjoyed the way this book developed. After a fairly slow start, the characters really developed and you find yourself rooting for them. At one point I didn't know if I felt sorry for the main character or whether I wanted to be him. If you like gory, zombiesque post-apocalyptic books, than this isn't the one for you. Yes, disease has killed off almost all humans. Yes, violence is present and bad people try to to what bad people do. But this book is more about an emotional journey of a handful of characters that you really grow to like.

i love this book

Where does The Dog Stars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top quartile

What did you like best about this story?

the poetry of the author

Which character – as performed by Mark Deakins – was your favorite?

Hig and Bangly are tied, then Jasper, then Pops and Cima

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

if I had had time, yes

Any additional comments?

would love to hear a sequel