A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

Would I Recommend It?
YES!

Thoughts?
The last 60 pages absolutely and totally catapulted it into a 5 star rating for me. I was really enjoying the book and had already thought it to be one of my favorites and was only holding back on a full 5 stars because at times the descriptions of the world that Griz was traveling through was a bit cumbersome for my imagination to picture it just right. But those bits of negative thoughts totally and completely vanished as the story wrapped up into its wonderful ending.

Descriptions of items that are normal and everyday to us, in the now, being discovered by someone in the future who has never seen them before, however, were wonderful. Like the discovery of a museum. And statues at a stadium. Lots of neat book references throughout and Griz is saved by a book–both of which, us bookworms, usually are automatically drawn to loving.

I wasn’t looking for this book. It found me as I browsed the buy one get one half off tables at Barnes and Noble. I grabbed one book I knew I wanted and was searching to complete the half off deal and the fiery orange color coupled with the title of this book grabbed my attention. I’ve been feeling a bit “end of the worldish” as each and every one of our days have been filled with smoke so thick that we can’t venture outside. My own home in July was part of Level 3 evacuation due to the first big fire within our region. And then it just all went catastrophically worse from there as our summer months sped on by without the ability for us to go outside to enjoy it. There is actually yet another Level 3 fire evacuation about 5 miles away from our house as I write this. It seems never-ending. There was and is something appealing to me about reading a story about what might be of our world in the After. C.A. Fletcher did an excellent job of it in this story. There is one question he raised in the book and right now my answer to him is: no. I had forgotten to notate the page so can’t quote him verbatim, but he asked if humans of today would be sad to see all of our structures and buildings destroyed and eaten by nature. To this I say, “no.” Good for you nature. Perhaps if us humans were too careless (as we are currently being) then nature should have it’s way with us and take it back to the way it was.

So many good insights sprinkled throughout the book that I love having my brain ponder over and chew on.

The story is also a bit of a thriller at times. The kind that makes you gasp aloud or have all your muscles cringe in fear and disgust and mostly, worry. He has a good style for creating suspense, but also quickly resolving it so that we can go back to not having to grip the pages of our book too tightly.

Those who are for religion might not appreciate this book. It’s not the main focus of the book, but it certainly does not shed a good light on religion when it is mentioned.

Favorite Quotes:
“I hadn’t listened to anything but my heart and my anger and I hadn’t used my head.” – page 112

“I lose myself in stories. I find myself there too.”

“It came to me that I hadn’t known I had been being less than I could have been until then, when I saw there was so much more of the world for me to be myself within.” – page 108

“Maybe I was too scared to do all the right things. Maybe doing most things right is good enough.”

“Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was a very good day. Until it wasn’t.” – page 207

“We worked together more or less in silence and she was able to show me with deliberate movements what we were going to do. […] But it was strangely calm and intimate way to spend time with another person. – page 208

“It’s a wonderful book, about science–which we’ve lost–and hope–which we haven’t.”

Book:

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

Author:

C.A. Fletcher

Genre:

Fiction, Sci-Fi, Futuristic, Dog Lovers Delight

My Rating:

5 Stars