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)

One of the finest audiobooks I've listened to rece

This is one of the finest audiobooks I've listened to recently.

- Post-apocalyptic setting -> check;
- 1st person storytelling -> check;
- Superb narration -> check;
- Interesting storyline -> check;
- No damn zombies -> check;
- Old, deaf dog companion -> check;
- Cold, nutjob partner reminiscent of Mike from Breaking Bad -> check.

I can't recommend this enough as I was never so fired up midway through the first chapter of any book ever read or listened!

Meh

This book has such great reviews I worry that there was something I missed. The good: This is a quiet story, a simple story. I really like that. There are some great characters in the book that are flawed yet lovable and draw you into this world. But for me there were a number of things lacking. There is very little dialogue in this book. I love dialogue and I kept finding myself, hours into the auidobook, thinking, "OK, when is the story going to begin?" When there actually was conversation between the characters, it created the best, most memorable parts of the book, for me there just wasn't enough of it. Also, without giving away any spoilers, the end of this book is too perfect for me. Peter Heller tied up an apocalyptic story and put a bow on it.

Excellent Book!

Rather than strictly a discussion of surviving after the end of the world, Higg, the main character, thinks back on all that he had "before" and all that he has lost. In the process, the listener evaluates just what is important in life and why. Certain parts of the book are very touching. They make the tears roll down or the laughter emerge. The performance by Mark Deakins really made this a fantastic listen. As he jumped back and forth between characters in dialogue, I was amazed that it was the same person reading all parts, especially dialogue between Higg and Bangley. I was mildly disappointed with the ending, or I would have given the story 5 stars. Still, it was an entertaining book.

great book

This is a great book, surprisingly optimistic and beautiful for the post-apocalyptic genre. It is very well written and moves along. Deakins is a good narrator. Highly recommended.

The sensitive side of the post apocalypse!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, The book was well written, had me thinking of Hemmingway at times. I enjoyed the prose like writing style.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Hig. He is a sensitive guy despite what he has been thru and done. Hig human side gives other not so nice people too many chances for the situation he and the world is in.

Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other books narrated by Mark Deakins. Mark did a great job and was very easy to listen to. I was reading and listening to the book with whisper-sync and I preferred to listen to him over my inner voice. His voice gave more depth to the story than mine and added to the story. This is the kind of book audiobooks were made for.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a few parts that the writing truly touched me.

Any additional comments?

Overall, the book was great. The writing style was perfect for this story and framed the story and characters great. I really enjoyed the book and went thru it quicker than I liked. Although I do not re-listen to many books, this one is on my list.

Interesting premise. Awkwardly performed.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dog Stars to be better than the print version?

I usually enjoy a good audio performance as much, if nor more than a print version. Not so in this case.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I thought that the premise of two men living in an abandoned, post-apocalyptic subdivision full of McMansions (and their contents) made for an interesting survival story.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mark Deakins?

David Pittu

If you could take any character from The Dog Stars out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The only one worth having to dinner would be Jasper, the dog. And only if we could switch up his diet for the evening.

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.