The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The world as we know it ended nine
years ago. That’s when the pandemic
swept the country and killed everyone Hig knew and loved except Jasper: his
co-pilot (literally), best friend, and dog.
Hig and Jasper have survived by keeping isolated at a small airport in
Colorado. He and his only human
neighbor, a man very talented in the ways of weaponry, live in abandoned homes
around the runway. Hig patrols the skies
by air to protect themselves from other survivors. This is the story of Hig’s restlessness. His need to see who else is out there. His need to fly past the point of no return.
Yes, it’s a post-apocalyptic
story. Yes, some humans have degenerated
into a savage state looting and killing for necessities. Yet, I didn’t find this story depressing or
disturbing. It is an almost lyrical look
at how one man, one very human man, copes with the loss he has suffered and
continues to suffer. He is an eternal
optimist and a just plain nice guy so you want him to succeed and you want what’s
best for him. This is a novel about
friendship, survival, being human, and the need to know what’s out there beyond
the next ridge.
