A lovely heartwarming book that I'd happily put into the hands of any customer, especially one who brings in a dog!

From the start this novel had me asking an important question, and not in a good way. Why did this boy learn to read or write in an age were it seems totally unnecessary? That kept me not being able to fall into the story from the start, but then there was the flat, dull one-dimensional story telling by Griz, our protagonist , not leaving room for excitement. All done after the event, it leaves much chance of surprise behind and there’s little to no tension to any of it. Every time Griz needs something, it just happens to be there. There’s no needing to find it and set out on any type of quest to locate necessary items.

Then there’s the phonetic French spoken by one of the few humans left. Often it left my scratching my head trying to work out what it meant, further breaking me out of the story. If there was more explanation of what was being said, then maybe this would have worked but having it in the dialogue and leaving the reader as unaware as Griz was an interesting (again, not in a good way) choice.

The further I read into it, the more I wondered how this book got so well reviewed. By about the 1/3 mark, I was bored and struggled to continue to read. Towards the end with the big reveals (which I saw coming), I still felt as though I had missed the point. I w

Sample book courtesy NetGalley

Pretty good, but not good enough for me to buy and read.

Quotes:

<i>That autumn I read all those books, some of them twice (that’s when I started calling dad’s obsession with technical manuals and science books ‘liebowitzing’, after one called A Canticle for Liebowitz, about monks in a devastated far future trying to reconstruct your whole world from an electrical manual found in the desert).

He asked me what the worst one was, and without having to think about it I told him about this one called The Road about a dad and his son travelling across what I think is America.</i>

This is the beginning of a very promising story. The writing is superb and contains so many subtle wisdoms that I wanted to highlight. Quotation marks aren't used when someone is talking, which could either reflect the fact that a ten-year-old is writing and narrating the story, or reflect the sparse atmosphere of the setting. This writing style is also used in The Road by Corman McCarthy, which unsurprisingly has a similar feel to this book (plus The Road is mentioned in the fifth chapter!) I definitely will be finishing this book in the future.

***5 stars***

Special thanks to netgalley for providing me with an arc for this AMAZING book! (arc I was approved for months ago, but only now got to read) I absolutely loved it!

There are a million post apocalyptic stories out there and more often than not, I end up disappointed by them. But "A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" is a gem that stands out in this genre.

”Of all the animals that travelled the long road through the ages with us, dogs always walked closest.”

The story follows Griz, a teenager who lives with his family and their two dogs, Jip and Jess, on a small island in Scotland. Set in a time after a plague that has left the world sparsely populated, seeing other people is strange to Griz and his family. So one day, when a traveler happens upon their island and the family, he is welcomed into their home. In the morning, Griz finds that the stranger is gone and he took one of his dogs. So Griz doesn’t hesitate one moment and goes right after this man. He’s stolen his dog, so it becomes his mission to rescue and bring Jess back.
A journey full of obstacles ensues.

I don't want to give any more away from the plot because it is all just so absolutely engrossing, thrilling, heartwarming and original and you have to read it on your own. I was hooked from start to finish! I loved Griz as a character and was surprised by the twist at the end. I also LOVED LOVED LOVED the author's take on the human psyche in an post apocalyptic world, it was all very refreshing to read.

As a dog mom, I especially admired and adored Griz's conviction to get back Jess. This is an ode to loyalty and love. A masterpiece.

I just put this book on my birthday wish list because I have to read more. With one of the best first-sentences ever, I just knew this would be a good one. "Dogs were with us from the very beginning."

This book grabbed me from the beginning and I would look forward to when I had time to read again. The adventure it takes you and the ups and downs that you share with the main character are like the best roller coaster. The main twist at the end was suggested at just enough so it was enjoyable but looking back there was enough clues so it wasn't out of nowhere. I would love to read more by this author but I don't feel this story has any sequels.

I can't really say if this is my cup of tea or not. I just found myself not very interested in it. Maybe I'd be more interested in the full story but this preview wasn't very interesting to me.

I got a free preview of this book, and I regret that post apocalyptic writing is not my favorite type of writing. I do like other books from this publisher though, so I will keep on trying.

Very moving and profound. This is definitely one of the best books I've read about the relationship between man and his dog companion. Well worth the read.

This book follows Griz, who loves in a post-apocalyptic world and when a stranger comes and steals Griz’s dog, Griz will do anything to get her back. This is the start of a voyage going into the big, strange world.

I finally picked this up on audio, after getting a sampler on netgalley without realizing it was a sampler. I did really enjoy this one, I liked the writing and the main character Griz. I liked all the reflections upon our world, since Griz lives in a world where one can only see the aftermath of everything we built and had. I loved Griz’s love for dogs, and I was very intrigued to see where the journey would take us. The story is told of the POV of Griz, but like Griz is writing it down so there is a lot of foretelling of what will happen (since it has already happened for Griz). I don’t mind this way of writing a story like this, but all the foretelling got tiring after a while, because sometimes it ruined the surprises that were coming. However, the end really surprised me, and there were things there I felt I should have seen coming, but I was too distracted by everything else! I did enjoy the story, but it did also remind me of a lot of other post-apocalyptic story. Every story of course has something original, but it still felt like something I had seen or read before. 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with a preview of this book.

I really enjoyed it; the story and the characters intrigued me, I always like apocalyptic-type stories and I thought the writing was quite good.

I might definitely pick up a copy of this book to know what comes after !

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

Fletcher’s “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World” shares a title with Harlan Ellison’s classic “A Boy and His Dog.” This resemblance at first dissuaded me from giving Fletcher’s book a try. Both stories concern a post-apocalyptic world and a young kid on his own trying his best to survive. But, nowadays, post-apocalypse stories are a dime a dozen and most feature moaning dead people roving in herds. So, really, the question becomes what does this new novel offer about the post-apocalyptic world we haven’t already heard about, particularly when it comes to the bond between a Boy and His Dog.

For one thing, decades ago, the apocalypse was always the result of nuclear Armageddon such as when Taylor leaves Ape City and rides along the beach until he finds the crown of Lady Liberty poking up through the sand. We still have thousands of nuclear warheads, but they generally don’t bother anyone much anymore.

Fletcher has civilization ending because of the “Gelding,” a worldwide infertility crisis that lays waste to humanity in just a couple of generations. But, not unthinkable. In developed societies now, fertility rates are way down and there are theories about the negative effects of the use of modern pesticides in our food supply and the consequences for generations to come. The dinosaurs were wiped out pretty quickly and what gets us might just be things we least expect.

In any event, In this novel, the post-apocalypse world is sparsely inhabited. Griz (that’s the kid’s name) can wander for days and never see another soul. For the most part, that loneliness and solitariness is reflected in the mood and pacing of the novel which is often quiet and reflective as Griz wanders the empty towns and countrysides.

Furthermore, this setting of scarcity and sparseness allows reflection on what matters and what’s important.

What really makes this lengthy soliloquy work is the narration in the form of journal entries to an imaginary friend. It gives the narrative a kind of authenticity.

Let me tell you, a raging debate took place in my mind when deciding whether or not to place a request to read this book. On one side we have the fact that the book description sounds right up my alley, and I’m almost always looking for a good post-apocalyptic story, especially one that seems to be trying to do something new and avoiding the over-saturated realm of dystopian fiction. On the other hand, the book description references a dog being stolen….and I would NOT be ok if something happened to the dog. And let’s be real, this is a tragic world we’re entering, chances are good something would happen to the dog! But in the end, I let my better angels persuade me that fear of pet-related tragedy wasn’t a good enough reason not to read what otherwise sounded like an awesome book. And I’m so glad I did!

Generations have passed since the end of the world as we know it. But while everything is different, much is still the same, like the love of Griz’s small family and the special connection between Griz and his dogs. In a world gone quiet, made up of brief sailing trips to scavenger for more supplies, the dogs provide crucial support not only in their rabbit-catching abilities but in the happy-go-lucky, loving relationship that has always marked the special bond between dogs and humanity. So when Griz wakes to find one dog has been stolen away, he knows what he must do. What follows is a harrowing tale of endurance in the face of impossible odds, small beauties to be found in emptiness and tragedy, and the special place family, be that human or dog, holds in what could otherwise be a bleak existence.

There was so much to love about this book that it’s hard to know where to start. I think one thing that really stood out to me was the world itself. From the very first page, the emptiness and quiet of this new world was apparent. What also stood out was the fact that our narrator, Griz, has come on the scene several generations after the event that struck down the world we know. That being the case, Griz is piecing together the remnants of a foreign world and society, to varying levels of success. The reader is often left guessing as to what exactly Griz is referencing or describing, since he doesn’t always know the purpose behind the things or places he discovers. There was also a character who spoke a different language and the way this was handled was especially clever. The determined and curious reader will have a lot of fun unpacking these bits.

Griz is also a very effective narrator. The story is written in first person told from a Griz who is relating his story from some period in the future. That being the case, there are often references to the fact that some choice or another will have some impact down the line that past-Griz wouldn’t have known about but that present (and narrating) Griz now reflects upon through different eyes. As for the character, Griz was a lovely combination of being innocently naive while also supremely capable in the face of numerous challenges. There is a sense of sadness woven throughout the story, but Griz’s reflections throughout are poignant and often hopeful in the face of some very sad things. I often found myself wanting to highlight various quotes throughout and will definitely be going back to note a few to reference later.

The story is also both what I expected and much more. There is a lot happening throughout, but it also read at a slow, measured pace, giving ample time to focus on, again, the beautiful, quiet reflections of Griz. I really enjoyed how well-balanced the story felt. There is real danger to this world, and we get a few really great action scenes to highlight this fact (but not necessarily the danger you would expect, which, again worked in favor of keeping the story feeling new and original). But there was also time spent highlighting the strangeness of human interactions and relationships in a world where very few humans even exist.

I won’t spoil anything, but there’s definitely an interesting twist towards the end. I ended up guessing it, but I still think it was done very well. In fact, it’s the kind of follow through on a surprise that I wish we had seen in another book I reviewed recently. If you read this one, you’ll know what other book I’m talking about! I also won’t give away what happens with the dog. I will say that there were tears on and off throughout the book, but I still left it feeling incredibly satisfied and immediately passed it off to my friends and family. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, this is definitely one worth checking out!

Rating 10: I loved this book, heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time.

I'll be very brief since there are so many existing reviews. This is a very good read. Recommended for scifi and speculative fic fans.

I really appreciate the comp copy for an honest review!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this taster so much I have gone and bought the book. I'm so looking forward to reading it very soon.

I'd like to review this book, but I couldn't get it to download/format properly on my e-reader. I'll look for it in the store instead.

For those who love their animals, you will love this apocalyptic tale of how a kid goes after a thief that has stolen his dog. I know if I was in his shoes, I would definitely do the exact same thing.

This story is written as if you are reading a journal. He tells of how the world was wiped out of humans and only a few remain, living on the outskirts of islands, trying to do everything they can to survive on their own. Their nearest neighbor is 100 miles away, so when a man in a red beard arrives to trade with them, the boy is skeptical. In fact, his intuition is going off that there is something not right with this stranger.

Then the next day, Griz discovers that the stranger has stolen one of his dogs!

Very intriguing story. What I loved the most about this book was Griz's love for books and stories. When they scavenge, they also scavenge for books. It's exactly what I would be doing in a post-Apocalyptic world.

Very creative take on the post apocalyptic world. Families are everything. You'll do anything for family, and dogs are part of the family...