A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World
Ratings2
Average rating4.8
15
Ratings2
Average rating4.8
THE MOST POWERFUL STORY YOU'LL READ THIS YEAR. 'Fletcher's suspenseful, atmospheric tale imagines a near future in which our world is in ruins . . . an adventure saga punctured by a gut-punch twist' Entertainment Weekly 'You'll remember A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World long after you finish reading' Peng Shepherd, author of The Book Of M 'Truly engrossing . . . brings hope and humanity to a cold and scary world' Keith Stuart, author of A Boy Made of Blocks 'I promise you're going to love it' Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches 'Epic in scope, enthralling, and full of human warmth' M. R. Carey, author of The Girl with all the Gifts THE WORLD HAS ENDED. AT LEAST WE STILL HAVE DOGS. My name's Griz. I've never been to school, I've never had friends, in my whole life I've not met enough people to play a game of football. My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, before all the people went away, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs. Then the thief came. He told stories of the deserted towns and cities beyond our horizons. I liked him - until I woke to find he had stolen my dog. So I chased him out into the ruins of the world. I just want to get my dog back, but I found more than I ever imagined was possible. More about how the world ended. More about what my family's real story is. More about what really matters. 'This un-put-down-able story has everything - a well-imagined post-apocalyptic world, great characters, incredible suspense, and, of course, the fierce love of some very good dogs' Kirkus (starred review) 'A story that is as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking' Fantasy Hive 'A stunningly gorgeous read: masterful storytelling, searingly beautiful prose, and a world so meticulously rendered you'll forget there's a real one going on beyond the pages. A book of the year contender - in any year' Micah Yongo 'Extraordinary and quite magnificent . . . 10/10' Starburst A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World is the most moving apocalypse story you'll ever read. Perfect for readers of Life of Pi, The Girl with all the Gifts or Station Eleven - Griz's tale mixes sadness and hope in one unforgettable character's quest amid the remnants of our fragile civilisation.
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Contains spoilers
"You can fall out of your own safe life that quickly, and nothing you thought you knew will ever be the same again."
I’m going to spoil this up front for everyone concerned before reading. Here’s my doestshedogdie.com report: The dog does not die.
New year, new amazing 5 star book! Teeeeechnically I started this in 2023, but the only date that counts is the date you log it as read, right? Right. If the rest of my 2024 reads could be this good, I’d be a happy camper.
The world has ended long ago, so long ago that Griz only knows it from tales passed down, and from what he finds when scavenging. His family lives on an island (maybe in the Scotland region? Being not from that side of the planet, I’m fuzzy on actual geography, but the setting/feeling sounds right), and very rarely sees other people. They’re a very close family, especially Griz and his two dogs Jess and Jip. A strange man arrives with a ready smile and a quick tale, and suddenly Griz is one dog less. What follows is Griz’s quest to get his dog back across a post-apocalyptic Britain. John Wick would approve.
First, to get out ahead of the complaints, this is a bit of a slow burn. Rather than it being a fast paced thriller of a sci-fi book, this takes place in the form of a journal Griz keeps of his journey, where we get to read his thoughts, his musings, and what he understands about the remnants of the world around him. It’s quiet in many places and doesn’t feature many characters (what with most of the population being, y’know, dead and all). But it was just so damn atmospheric and bittersweet, reading about how things have changed and how Griz approaches the world. This was all the slow parts about Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel that I liked best, wrapped up into one neat little package without all that pesky interpersonal drama getting in the way.
Major plot twist spoilers (seriously, don’t click this unless you’ve finished the book): And that 80% twist? I absolutely didn’t see it coming. I was really curious about the hints dropped by Griz all throughout the book, but I wasn’t expecting what was delivered. I guess I take book titles too literally.
I will say, what is it with the stylistic choice to not use quotation marks to indicate dialogue? This isn’t the first book I’ve read like this, and I still dislike the decision. But the book was just so damn good for me that I’m willing to overlook it just this once.
Just a really fantastic book to start my 2024. Read this if you like the idea of a quiet, introspective, post apocalyptic John Wick without killing.
