The Dog Stars

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RIDLEY SCOTT AND STARRING JACOB ELORDI, MARGARET QUALLEY, AND JOSH BROLIN • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The River: In this "end-of-the-world novel more like a rapturous beginning" (San Francisco Chronicle), Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. His gripping story is "an ode to friendship between two men...the strong bond between a human and a dog, and a reminder of what is worth living for" (Minneapolis Star-Tribune).

Hig's wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a mercurial, gun-toting misanthrope named Bangley.

But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.

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.

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!

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!

DogStars??

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

I did enjoy the book. Although at times my mind wandered because, well because it does, but I really didn't like the method in which sentences were put together. I was easy to understand but kind of choppy. The story was told well but not all that interesting. Kinda nerdy.

Would you recommend The Dog Stars to your friends? Why or why not?

I wouldn't recommend it.

How could the performance have been better?

Too, monotone. The voices of the different people were easily identifiable, tho.

Did The Dog Stars inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

NO