A “suspenseful, atmospheric tale. . .punctured by a gut-punch twist” (Entertainment Weekly), A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a story of survival, courage and hope amid the ruins of our world. My name’s Griz. I’ve never been to school, I’ve never had friends, and in my whole life I’ve not met enough people to play a game of football. My parents told me how crowded the world used to … how crowded the world used to be, before all the people went away. But we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.
Then the thief came.
“This unputdownable story has everything — a well-imagined post-apocalyptic world, great characters, incredible suspense, and, of course, the fierce love of some very good dogs.” — Kirkus (starred review)
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Never mess with a boys dog ! That is something everyone should know, right ? This boy, Griz, loves his dog and will do anything to get it back. That’s not the whole story just the stick that poked and poked till things got way out of hand.
The story is about a boy who lives on an island with his mother, father and two sisters. In this post apocalyptic world were very few survived including animals., The old world is only known through books now, technology, communities, and safety are things long gone. Humans must now forage, hunt and go a Viking to find useful items to help make living easier.
When a stranger arrives on their island after so many years of being alone they meet him with fear, distrust and excitement. he comes bearing news and gifts and leaves with a dog. This dog belongs to the boy, Griz.
This is where the adventure begins, Griz follow determined to reclaim his dog. His aventures take him to a world he has never seen, far from home, far from the protection of his island and it’s isolation.
What a journey ! It was a slow start but slowly building, a bit too slow. I struggled to get through the first 3/4 of the book, the last 1/4 was a rollercoaster ride. Oh and there is a wowzer of a twist. It was griz’s tiring same old line, and extreme focus and drive it took away from the other happenings. There was another thing that just bugged me. The lack of feelings, signs of love, emotions for his dogs. I was projecting sure but it read so dramatically yet the character was so cold and calculating. Overall I liked it, and think it would make a great movie.
4.5 stars
Over a period of three generations humanity almost petered out, as the world population became cursed with a mysterious infertility. Griz and his family are some of the few survivors not affected by this blight; he was born many years after society collapsed. They live on a remote Scottish island, with little knowledge of how the ways of the world since the technical revolution; there are still many history books from the 20th Century and before, but since the collapse of the world began, record exists mostly via word of mouth. The 21st Century has become the new Dark Ages.
One day, a traveller arrives, on his boat. Brand appears friendly, but he has a hidden agenda. Because of Brand’s actions, Griz sets off down to the mainland to track him. His only company is his dog, Jip.
Griz’s exact age is not mentioned, but one gets the impression he is around fourteen. The story consists of the dangers, joys and discoveries of his journey, and is written in the first person, with Griz addressing a boy from the old world whose picture he found. A large part of the narrative addresses the difference between the world as it was and as it is now, and his thoughts about it, which I loved. It flows well, in a conversational, easy-read style.
On the whlle I enjoyed this book, though now and again I felt it could have benefited from a more ruthless edit; some of the description is a bit skip-read-worthy, and I spotted a couple of errors (including my pet peeve, the use of the word ‘I’ when it should be ‘me’). Half-way through, Griz meets up with a French woman, with whom he travels. She can’t speak English, but they find ways to communicate. Everything she says to him in French is spelled out phonetically, as Griz would have heard it, which became irritating; much of the time, I couldn’t work out what she was supposed to be saying, even when I read it out loud. A little would have been fine, but there was too much.
The other aspect I was not keen on was lack of speech marks, an affectation made popular by Cormac McCarthy. Sometimes it works well, and is actually more effective; this was the case earlier on in this book, but not later, when there is more dialogue; now and again I had to re-read to differentiate between spoken word, inner thoughts and general narrative. As McCarthy himself says, it’s not just a matter of taking the quotation marks out.
As the book nears its hugely unpredictable end, there are two great twists about which I didn’t have a clue. And, despite all the ‘if only I had known’ foreshadowing – which other reviews complained about but I liked – the book actually ends fairly positively.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes character-driven post apocalyptic novels, as there is plenty off that stuff-we-love about lost civilisation and survival, though if you like your post-apoc more action-packed, this probably won’t be your thing. Despite the elements I was not so keen on, I was anxious to keep turning the pages to see what would happen, which is much of what it’s all about, really. I’m glad I discovered it.
I was a little hesitant to read a story about a boy’s dog being stolen in a post-apocalyptic world. I always worry about what is in store for the animals. I can only say it was worth the risk to read to the end of several twisted outcomes that I did not see coming.
Once started, I could not put it down. I like the fact that Griz and his family are self-educated with books they find while out “Viking” or scavager hunting for useful items so the old world is not forgotten, but drastically changed with all our technology gone in a world with very few surviving humans and animals.
What I found most interesting was the way Griz writes in a journal and addresses an old photo of an unknown boy as “You, who are dead now”. Which would often have me thinking how much we take for granted today as he would speculate the use of our technology, our homes, and how we had lived.
Very moving and profound. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read about the relationship between man and his dog companion. Well worth the read.
Beautifully written, a startlingly lovely portrayal of the world if it were drastically depopulated. Griz, the narrator, is a beautiful character with a lovely voice.
Could not recommend enough.
I know I’m late to the game, but I recently discovered Netgalley and signed up to review. I wasn’t too sure how many books I’d get approved for, and when I spotted the cover for A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, I was immediately drawn in. Reading the synopsis pulled me in further. I have a soft spot for dog fiction. Even though I typically try to limit how many post-apocalypse themed books I read, I knew I needed to give this one a shot. This was the very first book that I was approved to read through the website, which I think made it a bit sentimental.
The narrative in this book is great. It’s been some time since I’ve read a book told in diary form and specifically talking to the reader, but as it turns out, I’ve now read two back-to-back. (The other was Will Haunt You by Brian Kirk, which was a phenomenal read for you horror fans out there.)
The story follows a young boy a number of years after the world began its demise. The “apocalypse” in this tale was a fantastic twist on the genre and it made me stop and think about how it’s something that could very well happen.
The boy and his family live on a small island somewhere near the United Kingdom.
Then one day a boat is spotted and a stranger arrives. The man is worldly, enthralling, but also different. Leaving the boy with a sense of unease towards the stranger, his beard and his smile.
When the boy wakes up and the stranger has left with his beloved dog, the story begins, as the boy gives chase.
Overall this was a fantastic telling of the lengths a human will go towards their pet. But as most of us dog owners know, our pets are more than just pets, they are family.
The boy has to overcome a number of obstacles, setbacks and roadblocks along the way, as he tracks his dog and the stranger that stole it.
I found there was a few bogged down moments in the middle of the book, which slowed the story and added details that didn’t move the plot along.
However, C.A. Fletcher rights this quickly, which leads us to an ending that I didn’t see coming, but it wrapped everything up and brought the entire story to a phenomenal close.
This tale I think will situate itself nicely with many YA, post-apocalyptic novels, while also separating itself purely with how it is written and the themes shared within.
4/5 stars for an enjoyable romp across an unfriendly landscape.
I listened to the audio format and could not have made a better choice. What excellent narrators for an original and what should be known as a “must-read” for post-apocalyptic fiction fans.
I first read this book last year and from the start couldn’t put it down. The writing is beautifully descriptive where you feel you are living the story with Griz.
Griz lives in isolation with his family on Scotland’s western isles. He knows the world used to be crowded but all the people went away. A theft drags Griz to the mainland, what will they find there?
You will keep this tale with you long after completion. Truly inspirational survival story. Especially in these virus packed times.
A complex survivalistic story with heartbreaking moments and such well thought-out worldbuilding. I love the details such as the main character knowing from photos what a crowd of people looks like but not what that smells like or sounds like, or the fact that dialogue in French is spelled out phonetically because that’s how the main character understands it, leaving the reader to also kind of have to guess what the other person is saying as if we’re understanding as little as the main character is.
I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down.
Best book I’ve read this year!
Was looking for a mental escape from my COVID imprisonment. This story definitely fit the intended purpose. The ending had me gasping in surprise. Well written, beautifully plotted, well drawn characters, fully formed world. Very easy to recommend.
A post apoloyptic book that is nothing you would expect. Incredibly beautifully written, a heartwarming feel good story that is a joy to read. Can’t recommend it highly enough!
I could not put this book down. It really captures your imagination. What would you do? What would that be like? How will he get out of this situation and would I be this brave, smart, tough. Fascinating story that I hated to see end.
The best…
This novel has everything I love about a story: fully realized characters, beautiful writing, and utterly believable, even frightening, world-building. I promise you’re going to love it.
Epic in scope, enthralling, and full of human warmth.
Griz lived on an island with his family in the time after the Gelding. They were alone there. There were few people anywhere, because people no longer had children. Even man’s best friend who had always been with us, was rare in those days. But Griz was lucky. He had two dogs. And they were his best friends. One day, a man arrived on their island on a boat with red sails, stealing Griz’s female dog, Jep. Griz and his dog, Jip, set out on a journey to get the dog back. He is not prepared for what he finds on the mainland, a place to which he has never been.
This was a slow read, but a good one. It is interesting to see how this author, C.A. Fletcher sees the future of mankind and of the earth. Since this book is written in the first person, you will really get to know Griz. You’ll love Griz! This character is well-developed and noble. If you are a dog-lover, you’ll enjoy the dogs, too! Lots of surprises fill the second half of the book.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.