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)

Disappointing. Summary sounded great. Plodding.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, after listening to it, my reaction was disappointment. I had looked forward to it after reading summary. There was not enough action. Too much intra and retrospective thinking by story teller. Main character went back in his thoughts so often in the story that it was easy to lose track of where you were in the real time of the story. When there was action it was well written and enjoyable. Liked the relationship and contrast between the two characters who lived at the air strip. All characters were extremely well written. Story is scary in its reality.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Mentioned above more action and less going back in time to tell the story from different time periods. Some of this is fine, but to go back and back and back again was confusing. I generally love and read complex books.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hig's return with the 2 deer in the sled and his defense against the attackers.

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

A movie and/or TV series would be possible with a less complex story, i.e, not so much retrospective thinking. Several interesting possiblities for Hig in movie role would be: James Franco, Matt Damon, or Will Smith. TV might be someone like: Joshua Jackson.

Any additional comments?

Would like to see a sequel to this book. With more action.

Yes! Amazed how much I cared about these people.

Yes. Yes yes yes. This book succeeds in every way The Road failed for me. Set in Colorado after disease has wiped out most of the population, Hig has learned how to keep a small bit of his humanity while reluctantly doing what it takes to survive. Others aren't so reluctant, including Bangley, with whom he's formed an uneasy partnership.

The story hooks you from the beginning and builds nicely to the end, and Heller does a great job of developing characters you really care about. Then there's Jasper, Hig's beloved old dog, who made me come home and hug Garth every day after listening on my commute. I was, at the end, amazed how much I cared about these people (and dogs) and the bonds they formed. The writing is superb. About the only negative I can think of is the writing style Heller uses: Somewhat fragmented, perhaps the way inner dialog streams through our protagonist’s head. I barely noticed it while listening, but did see some reviews that a few readers were somewhat frustrated by it in the beginning, but after they stuck with it for a while it flowed naturally and worked well.

Things for my own remembrance follow.

*

(On constellations): I name one for a scrappy, fish-loving dog.

*

I still dream Jasper is alive. Before that, my heart will not go.

*

My favorite poem, the one by Li Shang-Yin:

When Will I Be Home?

When will I be home? I don't know.
In the mountains, in the rainy night,
The Autumn lake is flooded.
Someday we will be back together again.
We will sit in the candlelight by the West window.
And I will tell you how I remembered you
Tonight on the stormy mountain.

Heavenly

Would you listen to The Dog Stars again? Why?

I would listen to The Dog Stars again just to hear the beautiful descriptions of the Colorado wilderness. The main character embodies a true naturalists view of the Rockies even in a post apocalyptic world. So many books of this genre fail to show any beauty in the world when we humans mess it up.

What did you like best about this story?

The first person narrative can feel very narrow in a story but this author balances both story and character in a way rarely heard. Kudos to the author, I hope to read/listen to more of his work in the future.

Which scene was your favorite?

Early in the story when the character goes into the mountains to hunt for food and reminisces about the trout that he used to catch. It set the tone for a survivor who is not totally destitute but realizes that the world will never be the same. The wistfullness of his memories felt very real.

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

I would just put a high profile actor, ie. Decaprio, Tatum, you get the idea on the poster. I think this story would be a beautiful role for any male actor.

Beautiful.

I spent every night for weeks with this book. Refusing to revisit it at any other time other than bedtime, in the dark and under my covers. This could be the greatest narration of any book I’ve ever purchased here on Audible. A perfect match. The combination of Mark Deakins performance and of course Peter Heller’s writing transporter me into that world with the characters. Heller’s writing is different. He has a way of keeping things slow, often making a single word a sentence, and I loved it. A little slow moving at the start I thought but then as I became invested in things it was a story I looked forward to returning to. There were really no weaknesses here. His descriptions were dazzling and not overdone, he didn’t waste any of my time. It might’ve felt that way to some but only until they realize how rich his words really are. From then on you find yourself enjoying every detail. I will def be looking into more from Peter. Great story! The same can be said for the narrator Mark Deakins. What a perfect union this was. Like Brady and Edelman! If you’re looking into picking this book up I think it will scratch that itch your looking for. It’s not action-packed, but you’ll feel you’re along for the ride for sure.

Must read

Any additional comments?

This is one of the very best of the recent disaster novels. Don't miss it if you like the genre at all.

Wonderful "read"

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

In the top 20%

What did you like best about this story?

Love stories about survival after the near end of the world - this one delved deeply into the human emotional side

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

The protagonist

Who was the most memorable character of The Dog Stars and why?

The protagonist - his self reflection and evolution as a survivor

Any additional comments?

The author should pay more attention to having an editor review the manuscript for logical errors - any character this clever would not have made some of the mistakes in the book

Remarkable story telling

I really liked this book from the start! Very copmpelling story line and characters. I have read and thourougly enjoyed another Peter Heller book, "The River ".

Pleasantly Surprised

I got this title due to an interview with Peter Heller that I heard on the radio. I've always had a soft spot for "End of the World as We know it" stories. I read "Earth Abides many years ago and many times since and love it. "Dahlgren" by Delaney, while freaky as all get out, kept me riveted even though I didn't understand half of it. And of course, there's "The Change" series by S.M. Stirling. If you're looking for something along any of these stories lines, forget it. The plot is pretty basic but it's the presentation of the characters and setting the I found remarkable. Heller's love for poetry saturates his writing. It's like he can't help it. The book reads like one big poem with lots of stream of consciousness thrown in. Don't let that turn you off though. Mark Deakins, the reader, goes through this book so smoothly that it took me a while to realize exactly what Heller was trying, and succeeding, to do. The book is entirely written in the first person from the viewpoint of the main character named Higg. Heller conveys Higg's thoughts, feelings, emotions and motivations beautifully without being overly verbose. Like poetry, it is language stripped down to it's barest essentials but with full meaning. No small feat.
It may be that this could be a difficult book to read. I'm glad that I listened to it on an audio book.

Beautifully written

This is a beautifully written story. You very much get inside the character's head. The very brief "love scene" is important to the story and so beautifully written out. Not crude or graphic in the least. I would absolutely read something written by this author again.

Great story and the aviation details were accurate

I'm a big fan of the post-apocalyptic genera and I work in the aviation industry. The characters fit well into the story and acted like you would expect. The drama was great and the situations were beliveable and exciting. But, what I found most pleasing was that the author is obviously an aviator. All to often aviation is used in a story by someone without all of (or many of the wrong) facts and it kills the book for me. The aviation details in this book are, for the most part, spot on. That might not mean much to most people, but it made the book all the more fun for me.