When was the last end-of-the-world novel you've heard of that can be plausibly described as "lyrical"? Yet, Peter Heller's beautifully written work describes the aftermath of a global viral epidemic that leaves a tiny percentage of people left on the planet. The main character, a pilot, along with his faithful dog, flies on patrol from an abandoned airport, listening on his shortwave radio for any survivors. After years of loneliness, he must overcome his isolation - and the enemies that still lurk in the world - and learn to reconnect. If you enjoyed Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD, you'll enjoy this one, but there's a lot more hope and faith in humanity here. Beautiful, sparse, and understated - something that Ernest Hemingway might have come up with - THE DOG STARS is a winner.

Brilliant and surprisingly beautiful. The infrastructure collapses and it's kill or be killed. Hig flies around the Colorado wilderness in an airplane with his dog, looking for attackers. His only other companion is a volatile gun nut with an itchy trigger finger. I wasn't sure I was up for a 300-page book filled with gory descriptions of extreme survival that I've come to expect from post-apocalyptic lit. It definitely starts out with McCarthyist violence. But then makes an unexpected detour (thank God) from the daily blood-and-guts battle for basic needs when Hig undertakes a dangerous and uncertain emotional journey motivated by grief. As his discoveries unfold it's nearly impossible to put down.

I listened to this audiobook and the narrator was magnificient. Never did I feel the story was disjointed. We are witness to a slice of time without lots of backstory or predictive future. One of my all-time favorites.

At first, I was annoyed with disjointed writing. But couldnt put the book down. Kept wanted to know what was going on. Very good read.

In the near future, a virulent strain of flu has devastated much of the world; holed up at a small Colorado airfield, Hig has only his much-loved dog, Jasper, and a well-armed survivalist named Bangley for company. Together, they defend their territory from dangerous invaders, but Hig longs for more, and spends much of his time out walking or flying his Cessna in search of the faint voice he heard over his radio. Author and outdoorsman Peter Heller is known for reflective and pulse-pounding nonfiction, but it's the evocative descriptions of nature - through Hig's hunting, fishing, and flying - that drive his emotionally intense first novel, which is "perhaps the world's most poetic survival guide" (Publishers Weekly). Fiction A to Z January 2013 newsletter.

Obviously a fascinating topic... my high rating of this book goes to the quality of the writing. I promise subtle emotions will be felt during this 'quiet' telling of a loud subject.

On IO9's list of best SF&F of 2012

Darn scary story - if this doesn't send you screaming into the flu clinic nearest you, nothing will - yikes!

I really liked it - did not want to put it down.

Pretty good story. An easy read. The writing is intentionally disjointed, I guess to express grief. This story has been told before, and been told better (I Am Legend). This book does describe well the attachments to pet companions.