The Dog Stars
By Peter Heller
- Release Date: 2012-08-07
- Genre: Literary Fiction
Description
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • 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.
Reviews
A keeper
5By kistygimmeeRead twice now….just as compelling the 2nd time around!Unexpected and a good read
5By enob1918I didn’t prepare before reading and almost stopped near the beginning thinking this will be a depressing story I don’t want to read through. But it got better and better.The Dog Stars
5By Masanobu CortézA similar world, less dark, less shattered than Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”, but dark nonetheless, with the faint fragile hope of healing, like a momentarily guttering flame before it rises up again to grow and give more light. Keepin’ this book. As the various ravages of “Overshoot” tear through the fragile complexity of industrial civilization and this book proves, at least in it’s essence to be prophetic, I will read it again with pleasure.Excellent read!
5By BoorussMy favorite book from Peter Heller so far.Couldn’t read it fast enough but didn’t want it to end.
5By Jory ColvinFantastic read about life after catastrophe. A well written story that I could not put down. An interesting setting that makes you realize how beneficial a secure perimeter is in a survival scenario. I would rate this right up there with “one second after” and the “going home” series.Loved it!
5By lllydollySo unusual, weird punctuation and stream of consciousness writing....just wonderful!Anything by Peter is good!
5By MandoDoesItHe is definitely a skilled writer, and very different! This is one of my favorite books!Beautiful!
5By Shakira without the ShaLoved seeing the world through Hig's eyes. Beautifully written.Highly Recommended
5By Dug goAll I really ask of a book is that I can't stop reading even when I know I should! This a great story beautifully written. Period.A good read
5By NvonineI definitely enjoyed the book.Perfect.
5By aficianadoNature, love, fear, friendship, art. I really loved it. I was sad that it had to end.The Dog Stars
5By tutankuamenWhat a beautiful book. Every year I choose a personal favorite read. The Dog Stars is my favorite book for 2013. It made me feel nearly every emotion in the book, so to speak. It is unforgettable.Fantastic read
5By BookReader2013abcBrilliantSecond time around
2By KatintheGardenI just reread this. It was sadder since I knew what was coming but even better than the first time. Instead of 'flying along' in the 'I can't wait to read what happens next' mode, I was able to listen to the lyrical language of the protagonist. Pause with his 'Buts'. And enjoy Hig's journey, not just the end.The Dog Stars
5By Poli&&::Wonderful book. Unique style and storyThe Dog Stars
3By RubenRemusA page-turner about manly men who have suffered deeply, and yet somehow find the strength to live on, to fish, to demonstrate mastery with guns and airplanes, to have a best canine friend,and, of course, to bed down beautiful women. Way too Hemingwayesque in rhapsodizing about fishing. I suppose, for some, fishing really is a spiritual/poetic quest. I find this attitude self-indulgent and the writing uninteresting. The prose style felt derivative - of Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy. It reads fluently, and is not annoying, but still... Bottom line: This book did not move me with the force of literature. The tone and content are too serious to be considered "light entertainment," but this book is mere entertainment, nonetheless.Post Apocalyptic
4By Mountain Mama 3This post apocalyptic fiction shows a violent world, where the survivors seem to have lost their humanity. Against the odds, the main character manages to keep his intact (mostly). The author's stylistic choice is unusual. For instance, dialogue isn't put it quotes, so sometimes it's a struggle to figure out if the characters are actually speaking, or if I'm reading internal thoughts. The main character's brain has been fried due to the plague, so the reader is supposed to allow the narrator to get away with it. Most of the time it works, but sometimes I found it annoying. Grief, love, loss, violence, hope . . . it's all here. I took away a positive message about the indomintable human spirt.The Dog Stars
5By Levering1Wild and imaginative. Who would know The End would look like this? There's terror and optimism and wonder in this terrific novel about love, human nature and the endless curiosity of being human. I loved it.Weak ending
3By HoustonhearEnjoyed the book right up until the last page. What a REALLY weak ending. . .
