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)

a must-listen

This novel is like a symphony. The language flows like a melody, alternately slowing and speeding as is appropriate for the narrative. It simultaneously is and isn't about living in the apocalypse -- it's about trauma and emptiness and the search for something that you don't know what it is until you find it. The story itself isn't as interesting or exciting or gritty as some other post-apocalyptic novels, but to be perfectly honest, I did not care (because as I said, that's not really what it's about). This novel is a journey through the psyche and can speak to your soul, if you let it.

Lots of reflection

The story is interesting and the language is well chosen. The sex is more detailed than necessary but the rest of the book is enjoyable.

The creativity of describing a very often written about scenario. Armageddon of the earth but with a new twist

One of my favorite books. No dislikes. Great characters and setting. 5 stars from me.

A bit slow but entertaining

A cool idea but not super gripping. A lot of inner monologue and slow to develop but an interesting story overall. Some suspenseful moments break it up.

Poetic post-apocalyptic story

This is my first time reading a book by Peter Heller. The story is gripping and horrific at times but also beautiful and poetic. I find it highly realistic of how society could collapse under a super flu. The collapse would be violent, stark, and horrible but eventually, a decade out, humanity would re-emerge. It has similarities to Station Eleven, which is a masterpiece in my opinion. I plan to read more books by this author.

Slow-paced, poetic post-apocalypse novel

Any additional comments?

Good, literate post-apocalypse book. It's got its share of violent, tense scenes, plus heartbreak, but it's told in a calm, weary way. If you want lots of action, you won't like it. If you prefer thoughtful, poetic books, you probably will. I liked it. But I've read so many post-apocalypse books that this one doesn't really stand out.

Lost and Found in Post Apocalypse America

Much more than On the Beach or a Boy and His Dog or other better-known post-apocalypse fiction, The Dog Stars offers a realistic vision of life after ~ the life we live and the life we feel.

This is a story of life leavened by sadism, by courage, by terror, by loss, by hatred, by madness and, ultimately, by the many types of love. A remarkable debut novel ~ watch for more from Peter Heller!

A Lyrical Post Apocalyptic View

I am on a roll that started with The Girl With All the Gifts. This is the fourth post apocalyptic book I have read in the last 12 months. Which is 4 more than I've read in the last 20 years.

The Dog Stars covers much the same ground as Station Eleven, or I guess I should say that the other way around since The Dog Stars came out first. It was perhaps better written. Heller's MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop shows. He writes almost lyrically. His magazine background shows as well. The writing is tight and he doesn't use any extra words. So much so that many of his sentences are just a single word. That can be annoying when reading, but I listened to this so I did not have that problem. And the narration was wonderful.

The plot revolves around a guy's guy - a carpenter, outdoorsy Colorado guy who loves to hunt, fly his Cessna and most of all fish. His best friend is a dog and his companion is someone even more macho than Hig is. The author soften's Hig up a bit by confessing that he writes poetry and he clearly loved his wife. But Hig's response and reaction to the events occurring around him are definitely from a guy's perspective, so it was sometimes difficult for me to relate or wonder at his response.

But Heller does a wonderful job of capturing the loneliness Hig deals with constantly. It is so thick you can physically feel it. He portrays Hig's lonely existence so well, that this is the first book of this type I have read where I found myself thinking that the 99.9% of the population that died got the better end of the deal. There seemed very little in his world that encouraged him to live. Especially after he loses his best friend. The chapter retelling that loss is one of the best pieces of writing I have seen in a very long time.

There really wasn't a climactic end to the book, no resolution, no closure. I know that books in this genre can't have "happy" endings, but I always feel like I must have missed a couple of pages at the end, because the words just stop. And that is the only way you know the story is finished.

I recommend this book. Especially in audio format. It is well worth reading.

Great story and wonderful first novel!

What did you love best about The Dog Stars?

The descriptions of Haggs feelings in the post-calamitous world. The characters gave a rational feeling to a world long past normalcy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jasper (the dog)! He allowed Higg to realize his humanity and his companionship was expert and silent. Every character brought something important to the story but Jasper made the tragedy personal.

Which scene was your favorite?

The night in the mountains when Jasper died.

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

Many books and stories have been written about the post-calamitous world but none, that I have read, is as personal, heart-felt, and poetic as The Dog Stars. When the story is done; I miss Jasper as much as Higg and am only sorry for him being gone.

Any additional comments?

This is a good book and an absolutely great first novel.
Waiting for more!

Nicely written!

What did you love best about The Dog Stars?

Peter Heller's a talented writer. His poeitc flow evokes colorful, creative images while navigating through tense scenes that keep you "on the edge of your seat". His characters are real and I felt attached to them, especially Jaspar the dog. Following Hig, the main character is truly being in his head and relating to all his emotions and his thoughts.

Heller is an outstanding writer that reminds me of a cross between Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy. I look forward to reading more of his fiction.

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

Spoiler alert... the demise of a main character left me feeling extremely sad.

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?

Great ability to reflect the writers poetic flow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A passionate survival

Any additional comments?

Encore!