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)

Great book, probably better listened to than read

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

This book is a great character driven drama set in a post apocalyptic world that is utterly believable. The author wrote this as if it were poetry, and poetry plays large in the pace of the book and the ultimate outcome of the story. Lots and lots of people have complained that this book is really hard to read as it takes great liberties with punctuation. Mark Deakins does an outstanding job reading it and you get to enjoy all the great things this book has to offer without the hassle of trying to figure out the prose.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Higg is my favorite character, he seems real. I feel like I understand him, and he grows as a character while driving the story forward.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

** Spoiler alert ** there is a very sad moment when Higg's dog dies. It is the moment when the story changes, when Higg is driven to find meaning and search for hope in a hopeless world.

A great book & a great apocalypse book

What did you love best about The Dog Stars?

A fascinating tale told by the slightly fever-addled brain of our narrator. One of those gritty realistic apocalypse tales with a lot of survival details, but not quite as dark as The Road. It was suspenseful and excellently written.

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

How the character of Bangly was developed and revealed throughout the story. He was such an unlikeable character at first I was almost rooting for him to die, but that changes through the book. Also he is just your typical gun nut waiting for the apocalypse to really shine, so that was interesting to see played out.

Any additional comments?

This is not a PG-13 book. Definitely rated R or worse due to sexual content more than violence, so not good for kids. (Which is a shame)

Be Prepared to Cry (but in a good way)

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

This book has it all - outstanding writing, deep character development, a story that grabs you, great narration. While some elements of the story are a little over the top, this didn't bother me given the great writing and characters, it is fiction after all.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Big Hig (and Jasper of course). Big Hig is the person I would hope to be in a post-apocalyptic world. Savvy enough to survive but still with morals the ability to care for another living being with a fragile hope that things will get better. And Jasper, as his faithful, loving companion. As a dog lover, I appreciated the way that Peter Heller described the bond we have with our dogs and their importance in our lives.

What does Mark Deakins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I've listed to 100+ audiobooks and I have never heard a narrator so perfectly reflect a character as Mark Deakins as Big Hig. He IS Big Hig. For the written version, I've read some criticisms of the book's "stilted" language. This is not the case with the audiobook as this format helps convey his emotional landscape - that of a man who has lost everything, trying to take solace in the fact that he is still alive while slowly and painfully trying to move forward. I can't imagine enjoying the book as much in written form. The audio version brings such dimension to Big Hig's character and his broken world.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Big Hig's experience of grief. I made the mistake of listening to this while shopping and had to run to the ladies room before I seemingly cried for no reason in the middle of a Target. I have never have a heard such a perfect description of the experience. While the loss of the character saddened me immensely, it perfectly conveyed what each of us feels during these times - the joyful memories, tragic reality of loss and comfort that although they are gone, in spirit they are always with you.

Any additional comments?

Best Audible book of the year - BY FAR. You won't be disappointed. While listening, I was able to clean out 2 closets - a task I had been avoiding all year. I think that says it all!

Unique mixture of armed survival and poetic calm.

Every reader will find his or her private place in this book. The basics of life are examined and carefully aligned.

Great book

What other book might you compare The Dog Stars to and why?

The Stand is what I compared to, other than the Flu completely different books.

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

Lost

Any additional comments?

Great book, sucked me in brought a tear to my eye just rating the book.

Compelling

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

great narrator

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

Jasper

What does Mark Deakins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the way you can sometimes only appreciate someone when they're gone

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the search for Bangley

Beautiful prose that didn't satisfy

I will agree with those that said this book was beautifully written for a first novel. The writing was really well done- great descriptions. I also agree that compared to The Road, it was hopeful and inspiring. However, for me, they ending was a bit predictable and hard to believe and I found the reader a bit monotone. I think it may be more of "guy lit" instead of "chic lit" if there is such a thing. I didn't feel satisfied with the time I spent listening to this book and wouldnt recommend it. Just my humble opinion.

A little depressing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Don't kill everyone.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

No real surprises. Could've been more imaginative.

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

First listen.

Could you see The Dog Stars being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, not movie material.

Any additional comments?

Not the best end-of-the-world story.

Great experience

A fun ride. A much more intimate look at an apocalyptic world than others. There's a point a long the way that I really wanted him to pick up the pace. It was worth hanging on until it did. Deakins did a great job on a fun flight.

Great listen

Just a all around good listen even the slow parts managed to hold my attention long enough to get back to the action