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greensgreens's review
1.0
The Dog Stars is trite and dull. The casual misogyny is infuriating, as is the underwhelming prose. There's nothing special about this book; don't waste your time.
chexymix's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mitchjjt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
skydude's review against another edition
4.0
If I can say one thing about a Peter Heller book, he will have a passage that will make me cry about fly fishing.
cyndakeel's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death and Blood
hollandvk's review against another edition
4.0
It is gory and gruesome like any good postapocalit novel, but it also has moments of humor, poignant memories and appreciation of being alive. My favorite passage in the book is when the narrator describes hiking through a ponderosa forest and hugging the pines, sniffing in the sweet vanilla-like aroma of the bark. Life is terrible. He is lonely, always alert against threats, and forced to kill. Yet, there are moments to be appreciated. Life is still worth living. Peter Heller's previous experience as an outdoors journalist and use of broken sentences contributed to my enjoyment.
pecosedie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD read by Mark Deakins
From the book jacket: Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. He lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1957 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.
My reactions
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am not a great fan of post-apocalyptic novels. And yet, here I am reading/listening to another one. S*I*G*H
Heller’s writing is both poetic and spare, with short sentences that come at the reader like staccato gun fire. This gives the novel a feeling of impending danger, of uncertainty and fear. I wanted to rush through it, and yet, I wanted to take my time to understand what was happening and how these characters were dealing with this different world.
In contrast to Emily St John Mandel’s [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451446835s/20170404.jpg|28098716], Heller does not envision communities of survivors helping one another. Instead one or two people “maintain the perimeter” – shooting first and asking questions later. It is a “kill or be killed” kind of world. And Hig, with his poet’s soul, and his longing for peace and quiet, for nature, and his long-dead family and friends, is never at ease in it.
Neither am I. I found the violence hard to take. Even with Hig’s obvious recoiling and reluctance to participate, he did participate. He had to, even if he didn’t like doing so. I felt a little like that – I had to finish reading even if I didn’t like it.
Mark Deakins does a fine job performing the audio version. Deakins’s narration and skill with voices was such that I was never confused about who was speaking. After listening to the entire book, I picked up the text to check a few things before writing this review. I understand now some of the reviews that criticize the book for lack of quotations.
From the book jacket: Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. He lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1957 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.
My reactions
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am not a great fan of post-apocalyptic novels. And yet, here I am reading/listening to another one. S*I*G*H
Heller’s writing is both poetic and spare, with short sentences that come at the reader like staccato gun fire. This gives the novel a feeling of impending danger, of uncertainty and fear. I wanted to rush through it, and yet, I wanted to take my time to understand what was happening and how these characters were dealing with this different world.
In contrast to Emily St John Mandel’s [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451446835s/20170404.jpg|28098716], Heller does not envision communities of survivors helping one another. Instead one or two people “maintain the perimeter” – shooting first and asking questions later. It is a “kill or be killed” kind of world. And Hig, with his poet’s soul, and his longing for peace and quiet, for nature, and his long-dead family and friends, is never at ease in it.
Neither am I. I found the violence hard to take. Even with Hig’s obvious recoiling and reluctance to participate, he did participate. He had to, even if he didn’t like doing so. I felt a little like that – I had to finish reading even if I didn’t like it.
Mark Deakins does a fine job performing the audio version. Deakins’s narration and skill with voices was such that I was never confused about who was speaking. After listening to the entire book, I picked up the text to check a few things before writing this review. I understand now some of the reviews that criticize the book for lack of quotations.