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)

Airplanes, a dog, post-apocalyptic survival

What made the experience of listening to The Dog Stars the most enjoyable?

Heller clearly is a poet and he brings a dreamy, verse-like style to this book, which I'd describe as a mashup of "The Art of Racing in the Rain" with "The Stand." It hit all my buttons: airplanes, dogs, apocalyptic survival, a sap-free romance and middle age. Best thing I've read all year.Also worth noting: I have a hard copy of this book and the physical writing style as it's laid out on the page is a bit jarring. Sort of like looking at e.e. cummings' work for the first time. In this audio format, the book finds it's perfect home. Mark Deakins really is main character Higg.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably Pops. I won't say much about him in order to avoid spoilers.

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

Higg, the main character.

If you could rename The Dog Stars, what would you call it?

"I, Aviator" or "The Omega Pilot" (Not really. It's perfectly named, as is.)

Not for me

Post-apocalyptic novels are not my preferred genre. Perhaps that's what why it didn't strike a chord. Descriptions are bountiful and action, in my opinion, rather scarce. I found it long in parts. I kept waiting for something to happen.

At least by the end of the book I felt satisfied enough that something changes in the status quo of the protagonist's life and the reader's (listener) as well as the protagonist's perception shifts to give place to a deepened understanding.

Not one to say this, but perhaps a book better enjoyed when read rather than listened to. At the bookstore, I happened to flip through the book and realized that it's supposed to be read in a staccato, bits of thoughts on the protagonist's part. Doesn't have the same flow/effect when listened to.

A stark, bleak future where humanity lives on

The majority of the Earth's population has been wiped out by a flu apademic and for those who remain life is brutal and unforgiving. Only the strongest survive and it is a case of kill or be killed.

The story tells how one man tries to cling on to his humanity in a society where any weakness can be fatal.

This is at times a stark and brutal story. The short staccato sentences conveys this very well.
Having said that, there are some very touching moments and the overall sentiment of the book as that regardless of how bad things are and irrespective of how unlikely it might be, humanity and its need for love and friendship will win through.

The prose exhibits both the harshness of Cormac McCarthy while at the same time using the sort of lyrical prose found in books by John Steinbeck such as Of Mice And Men.

At times the story can become a little maudlin and the introspection can drag on a bit. Also, the romance plot line near the end seems a bit over the top and sentimental for my tastes.

Still, a good read and reasonable narration.

A literary post-Apocalypse story?

Maybe not literary, but pretty damn close. There is a haunting quality about this novel that I love. Once again, I found myself wishing the author -- in this case, Peter Heller -- would get on with it. It takes awhile for the story to pick up steam, but it's all about style. By the time things start to happen, I actually give a damn about the characters and really want to know what happens to them. It's my fault, I suppose...I'm an impatient reader. But I've learned that patience can be virtue when it comes to good writing, and The Dog Stars is proof.

I would give this a 4.5 if that were possible, but it's not. The one and only true dig I have is that the damn thing ends too soon. There's a little twist at the end that leaves a huge question mark as to where things will go. Perhaps Heller will one day write a sequel.

Not a Nail Biter...

but still well worth a listen. What would the world be like after a pandemic? What would you miss? How would your values change? Even though this book is set in a depressing scenario, it is not necessarily depressing. It looks at how one man copes over the long haul. Worth the credit.

I need to do a better job of walking my dog!!

What made the experience of listening to The Dog Stars the most enjoyable?
I am a dog person and this book really struck a cord with me.

Who was your favorite character and why?
Jasper steals the show. He is true to what he is. A loyal devoted companion with a very important job to do.

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?
Mark Deakins never gets in the way of the story. He lets it just flow and happen.

If you could rename The Dog Stars, what would you call it?
Always bring your dog when you go for a soft drink run.

Mediocre story...great narrator!

This was an interesting story. I purchased it because of the reviews, however, it wasn't a great story. I enjoyed the book, taking us on a journey through the world after most of the population has died. The author made all encounters with other humans, violent, which I don't think would actually happen in such a time. Each person was only in survival mode, killing anyone that ventured near. I would have liked to see more interactions with survivors instead of just killing. I know that there would be factions of survivalists, but except for the main characters and the Mennonites, everyone was out to kill each other.

I enjoyed the relationship with the two main characters, that made things interesting, to have such different men, but who really had a friendship. I think the entire part of the story at the Grand Junction airport was a little weird, didn't seem to fit well. The writing was well done, narrator was excellent, but I just didn't like the story as much as I thought based on previous reviews.

I'm sure that there will be a second book, as even though the ending was good, there were a couple of possible stories waiting to evolve.

Excellent read

This is lovely story in spite of the fact that it is a rather sad, post apocalyptic tale It is filled with beautifully descriptive words from the mind and mouth of the protagonist whom I learned to care for a lot. The reader's voice is melodic and warm and was a perfect choice to deliver these words.

excellent.

wistful and poetic yet exciting and shocking at key times. narrator is spot on perfect.

A Pleasant Surprise

Would you listen to The Dog Stars again? Why?

This book was my first by Peter Heller. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well-written, with good a good plot. I did not see how, from the book summary, I would stay alert as I listen while commuting but I did not want to shut off my ipod. Kept me involved from beginning to end.

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

The significant scene when he goes out with his dog up the mountain.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the entire book.