Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. Now his 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 … 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.
The ebook edition contains a reading group guide.
more
This was a refreshing take on the post-apocalypse genre. In desolate America, Hig is a quite-generic, decent man who loves his dog and just wants to live an okay life. He’s not looking to rebuild society, or protect a child, or discover the cause of the disease. He’s just trying to keep his plants alive and sometimes enjoy himself.
There are, of …
You’d think no one would want to read about a pandemic that almost wiped humanity off the face of the earth right now, but I’m glad I did. Bleak? Yes. But so powerful and hopeful and all-around beautiful. When stripped away, humanity at its most brutal, and most heroic.
Peter Heller is becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved The Dog Stars and can see why it received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist. How The Dog Stars became a national best seller. This is a post apocalyptic story and this alone might (will) turn off a lot of readers. But in the hands of a skilled author the story and …
Gorgeously written; a heart-stopping tale of what-if? told in a love letter to nature–during an apocalypse. Hard to imagine, but just about perfect on all levels.
“The Dog Stars” was published in 2012 by Knopf. Peter Heller’s novel portrays a non-paranormal post-apocalyptic world. There was nothing particularly complicated in the way the world died. A flu pandemic killed everyone. No monsters, no aliens, just a simple, well-known virus.
Of course, not everyone died. Hig survived. He lives at a small rural …
This book made me re-think my life and values. The story assured me I need to constantly remind myself of what’s important in life, and what is not.
One scene broke me into tears for 45 minutes. I had to put the book down and step away. Without including this emotional breakdown, I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured the story and its valuable …
If you like the post-apocalyptic genre but get tired of poorly written, poorly conceived, stories, The Dog Stars is for you. Great literature, not just page filling pulp. This is a really great book!
Wonderfully written. A very touching relationship between the protagonist and his dog in the midst of an interesting story.
Do not let the ultra-terse tone put you off this book as it almost did me. The economy of words and fractured sentences tell a mesmerizing tale all their own. Perhaps more so in that this book, although published in 2012, is almost (and darkly) prophetic of our present fractured, pandemic-soaked times.
Full review: …
Loved this book…recommend highly
It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I fell for the characters and didn’t want the book to end. I had a distinct voice in my head for each of the characters, which doesn’t always happen, but makes it easier to connect to them. Dystopic, but not as hopeless as “THe Road”.
How people survive the most challenging of situations. Couldn’t put it down. I wouldn’t have replied wonderful characters, but unique and real
Not my usual genre, but beautifully written, original, and thought-provoking.
A very harsh and grim story. Lots of needless profanity.
Thought provoking dystopian novel of life after a flu pandemic….. apropos for this years COVID epidemic. I enjoyed hearing this story, which is great, but I can understand how the lack of punctuation would be very distracting to the reader.
Dog Stars is one of my favorite books. Timely now, as the book covers the years after a flu epidemic wiped out most of the earths population is well written, an easy read filled with deep emotions.. Hig, his dog Jasper, and a strange soul named Bangley live in the small hanger of a deserted airfield.
A random transmission through the radio of …
First half was hard to relate to. 2nd half was redeeming
I read this a few days after finishing Peter Heller’s The River. I was amazed that the voice is so completely different from The River. I’m a sucker for a good well-written dystopian, and this one did not disappoint.
The best post apocalypse novel that I have ever read.
I am about half-way through this book, and I do plan to finish it, but it got so depressing that I had to stop reading for awhile. It’s written in a stream-of-consciousness style, and I didn’t find it hard to follow, but some people did. Apocalyptic stories are seldom uplifting and so far this one has been difficult. it’s been unbearably sad, so …