Reviews

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

livyalusk's review against another edition

5.0

If there's one thing I love most in a book, it's a unique character voice. This book is a perfect example of that.

What could possibly make it better? It was set in my favourite kind of setting: an apocalypse. I'm so fascinated by how people try to rebuild when everything falls apart.

I honestly could've taken any page for these pictures, because the words were almost always so beautiful.

I only wish I had a better attention span, because I found it so hard to focus in the calmer parts of this story.

loveablepuddle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

e_gracereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I actually loved this book. It was heartfelt and funny and tense in all the right places, and one of those books to remind you how indomitable the human spirit is. 

psoglav's review against another edition

4.0

My rating: ★★★✫

pizzaplantsandpages's review against another edition

DNF

dembury's review against another edition

5.0

A definite standout in the field of soft post-apocalyptical fiction! "A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" follows a world where some unknown event caused most of the worlds population unable to have kids. Now an estimated few thousand survive, and they are all going quietly about their days in their own pockets of the world. Grizz, our main character, has barely ever seen anyone else than immediate family, but an encounter with a thieving stranger sets Grizz off on a quest- to get his dog back.

In many ways it's a very quiet and introspective story, unlittered with tons of dialogue or any big explanations of the past. Rather, Grizz spends a lot of time talking about books, the way he imagines the world used to be, how it might look in the future, and all the different aspects of humanity and what makes one human. But don't be fooled: it's not a dry or dull book! There were so many suspenseful moments I found myself tempted to just flip ahead pages to see how things were going to turn out. I'm fascinated with how C.A. Fletcher was able to craft such a riveting story without relying on the traditional means; he's got a real talent for foreshadowing and details that really create a wonderful reading atmosphere!

This honestly isn't a book I usually would have picked up, but am super happy I did. It's a truly unique story and I'd recommend it to fans of "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel or "Chaos Walking" by Patrick Ness.

PS- Usually I can call a decent amount of plot twists but there was one in particular (not the first one but the second one) that made my jaw DROP.

valdez's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

sypec's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It takes some time to gain momentum. But once the momentum gains, the interesting moments get increasingly more interesting. This being said there is only so much book left to expand on these moments - but when the book finished you understand why. 

Good book, great journey, Interesting read.

carolyn0613's review against another edition

5.0

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a deceptively simple story of Griz who lives with his family on a remote Hebridean island about 100 years after the population of Earth has all but died out. Only a few people can have children and this caused the long slow decimation of the population. Griz and his siblings have never visited the mainland and the family survives in the same way that generations of people survived - subsistence living. This is however supplemented with viking - sailing to other uninhabited islands and scavenging leftovers from the old world. One day a stranger sails in, looking to trade. He wants Jess, one of Griz's two dogs. Griz refuses but wakes up the next day with the stranger sailing off with Jess aboard. Griz does the only thing possible, he chases after him into the unknown. This is the start of his tale of adventure, terror, heartbreak and redemption.

This is an amazing book with so many layers. It is written beautifully and the descriptions of Britain 100 years after nature takes over are wonderful yet written in a very matter of fact style. I loved the character of Griz and his relationships with his dogs, his family, the people he meet along the way. But mostly about the dogs. Buy it, read it love it, buy it for other people. I was lucky to be given an ARC by NetGalley but I've already bought the hardback for my daughter. It's the best book I have read in a long time.

mvonpaige's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0