The Dog Stars

Home. There’s nothing like a beautiful dystopic novel to restore one’s confidence in the indomitable human spirit. I read Peter Heller’s debut novel, The Dog Stars, just after the infuriating political morass involving the fiscal cliff. I was ready to spend time in another society. Along came the world Heller creates: one in which 99.7% of the population has been killed by a super-flu. The people still living do what is necessary to survive, and find love or a home where they can. There is a longing for connection, and a pressing need to protect oneself from those who are set on doing harm. Protagonist Hig is a pilot, who still has fuel for a 1956 Cessena, and he flies with his dog Jasper to keep the perimeter secure for the compound where they live with the competent and gruff Bangley, who is quick to kill anyone who threats their protected home. In our world or in Heller’s all we really need is love, and after Jasper dies, Hig flies beyond his comfortable range to make a new human connection and by the end of the novel he learns the meaning of “home.” Readers who haven’t tired of post-apocalyptic fiction should consider reading this heartwarming novel about hope and love, and what home can become. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase The Dog Stars from amazon.com.