A really gripping fresh storyline- Griz lives in a world where few people and animals are fertile, and the population has dwindled, as such Grizs world is his family and his dogs- when one dog is stolen he sets out with one of his dogs to find her.l, encountering a haunting view of the world that once was on his way. This felt really modern and fresh- something completely new- and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I tried three times to get into this book but I struggled. I'm not sure if it was the writing style or the fact that it just wasn't for me, but it wasn't grabbing my attention like I had hoped. The story itself sounds intriguing, and I encourage those who like post apocalyptic series to give it a try anyway! Although I didn't finish it, the premise of the book is an interesting one and I for one would have liked to know how things progressed. I just think it's one that might not be everyone's cup of tea, and I'm not sure if that's just down to the writing style and the way the story is presented, as it seems like a very interesting but heartbreaking story.

I did not read all of this book. I did no get on with the writing style. The concept was intriguing but the narration for me, could have been better.

An intriguing post-apocalyptic novel which pulled me in from the start. I admit a big part of the attraction for me was the Scottish setting and what the author’s vision of a post-catastrophic-event Scotland would look like. I found the characters interesting with the main focus on the intrepid Griz, his love of his dog (which drives the story) and the intriguing John Dark (I don’t think that’s a spoiler). This novel has some beautiful writing and I’ve highlighted many passages. I also enjoyed getting onto the wavelength of someone for whom the post-apocalyptic setting is all they’ve ever known. I suspect this will be a big seller and rightly so and I fully expect a film to be made. Highly recommended. PS. If you love dogs you’ll enjoy it though not necessarily in a nice fluffy way!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for ARC.

This book is set in the days after what they call The Gelding happened. When the population plummeted until there were few people still alive; spread thinly around the world. Our hero Griz's family live together with their animals on a remote island in Scotland. They spend their time scavenging things to make their lives more comfortable and to aid farming, hunting and fishing enough to keep alive. One day, a stranger lands and says he has things to trade. He wants one of Griz's dogs, Jess, and says he has a part for their windmill. Griz's father says no trade but next morning, it transpires that the stranger has taken the dog and sailed away. Griz races to the shore just in time to see him in the distance and makes the decision to follow him to retrieve Jess. Taking Jess's brother Jip along for the ride, what follow next is a journey of discovery and awakening as Griz's determination to save Jess despite all the danger it puts in the way.
It's hard to say much more about this book without giving away any spoilers. In fact, saying anything about anyone in the book has its danger with regard to that too so I'm sorry if I'm going to be too oblique. Even though, the thing I am trying not to mention actually was a bit on the "whatever" side for me rather than have much impact at all, I am trying to respect those who might react with a bit more umpf!
I did enjoy Griz's story, the places visited, the people met, the danger encountered. Especially trying to guess the phonetically spelled French, most of which just confused me more! I loved the author's description of places I knew which had descended into ruin through Griz's eyes.
Told in the form of a journal written to someone I'll leave you to discover, it's a great journey to follow and there's an ending, a pretty good one at that too, but when I finished the book I wasn't satisfied. There was something missing for me but I'm not sure I can say what it was. I honestly don't know. I did enjoy it; the journey, the characters, the dystopian world as created, but I wanted more from it. Did the author rely too much on the thing or did I just not connect to Griz as much as I thought I had? I'm not sure. Maybe there was a point I missed along the way... I think this could be a book for the re-read pile.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Griz's family live on an island in the Outer Hebrides, about a century after most humans have become infertile. They survive by fishing, farming and scavenging what they can from other islands and the mainland. Griz has never seen more than a handful of people.

But then a trader arrives, charms the whole family - and steals one of their dogs on the way out. Griz isn't going to stand for that. Dogs are family, after all. But the long journey over the mainland will turn the whole world upside down.


In one of those strange coincidences that often show up in publishing, this is the second book I've read recently featuring apocalypse by infertility. The other is a quieter meditation on what being human means; this is much more action packed and covers a wider area, allowing us to see the effects a lack of humanity would have on the world more clearly. I loved the little comments here and there from Griz, wondering whether we found things strange and exciting or were just used to them - things like cars and music players.

None of the other characters really stood out for me, but they weren't the point of the book anyway. There was an excellent twist near the end, one that really took me by surprise. However, I didn't like the formatting; speech isn't marked out at all, no quotation marks or even dashes, and sometimes one character's dialogue runs straight on from another's so I had to go back and reread a couple of times to untangle it. It took me right out of the story every time. Luckily, Griz is alone for huge swathes of the story, so I was able to ignore it.

This story will stay with me for a long time.

I do like a bit of dystopian fiction -as does Griz, the main character in this post-apocalyptic novel. It was a fairly gentle apocalypse, as apocalypses go. People just stopped having babies.

Griz and family live on a Scottish island. They are some of the few, scattered remnants of humanity, scavenging the knowledge and basic technology left behind when everybody else died off. There's not much left. There are books, and Griz is a reader - of everything.

The family have already known tragedy - a lost sister, a damaged mother - and then Griz's dog, Jess, is stolen, and Griz sets off to the mainland to get Jess back.

It's a great journey, across a deserted country, with recognisable landmarks poking up out of the vegetation that's taking over. The poignant remains of humanity are noted. This is a book with emotional intelligence. Griz meets new people, makes mistakes, learns things, and is a most satisfying central character.

I really loved this book.. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read it.

Since the Gelding, the world is a place of few people. Griz’s family live on a remote Scottish island, self-sufficient and just about managing, although the tragedy of their lost daughter Joy has forever broken the mother.

One day Brand arrives, a trader in a ship with red sails. Friendly and laden with good things, the family welcome him in… yet when Griz wakes the following morning, the red sails are disappearing into the horizon and Griz’s beloved dog is gone.

And so begins Griz’s journey – to chase Brand and retrieve Jess the dog. An adventure to the end of the world, where discoveries along the way are harsh yet heart-warming, and ultimately a search for joy.

The story is set in a very recognisable environment, with vividly detailed scenery and all the paraphernalia of everyday life that we know – yet all touched by decay. This feels a very different apocalyptic read, highly recommended, a real page turner.

This is a very well written book. I am sorry but it was just not for me. I found it depressing and hard to keep reading. It was not a version of the end of the world that I liked. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

What a beautiful book! Despite the setting of a post-apocalyptic world where few have survived, here is a story of hope and courage and loyalty. It’s hard to describe this book in detail without giving important stuff away, so I’ll make do with Griz’s own introduction:

<i>“My name's Griz. My childhood wasn't like yours. I've never had friends, and 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, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.

Then the thief came.

… And there may be no law left except what you make of it, but if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you. If we’re not loyal to the things we love, what’s the point? That’s like not having a memory. That’s when we stop being human.”</i>

So begins Griz’s life-changing journey through the ruins of our world to find Jess. But this is no soppy story; rather a powerful and compelling tale of deep loyalty, unexpected courage and the wonder of discovery. We hear the story through Griz’s own words, written as a kind of diary along the way, revealing to us thoughts and feelings as well as events and so making it very very personal.

I found myself in turn fascinated, rigid with suspense and tension, chuckling, and moved to tears. I was lucky to be given an advance electronic copy to review, but as soon as this is published there is no hesitation – this will be purchased as a ‘real’ book to have and to hold, to lend to friends and to keep on my bookshelf to treasure.

This book was so heartwarming and cute but so sad and heartbreaking. I don't normally go for post-apocalyptic stories, as they aren't really my style, but this one ended up entertaining me quite a bit, which is a positive surprise. It was written, though, in a very weird say, at least for me, which kind of ruined some parts of it.

This was an enjoyable post-apocalyptic read, which could be crossover Sci-Fi/YA/General Fiction. After an epidemic incident known as “The Gelding” which left almost all of the world infertile/barren, Griz and his family are part of an incredibly small population still left on earth. They only have ever had each other, so when a mysterious stranger arrives it’s a momentous occasion. But this stranger steals Griz’s dog a bitch called Jess (which is incredibly rare) and Griz goes on a journey to save her with his male dog Jip. This was a really enjoyable read and Griz is a great character. To see the world through his point of view, which is practical, child-like and ultimately hopeful is an uplifting experience. I really was drawn to him as a character. The plot was good, although I did feel it lagged in some places and I was dying to get on to the next bit of action. The ending though!! OMG! Really didn’t see that twist coming.
Great read.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Only gripe would be the rather repetitive narrative trick of "if only I'd known then how awful forboding" etc etc.

The thing about this book is, this book gets dogs. I'm not sure I've ever read another story that captures the experience of living with one of those wonderful creatures so accurately. Most of my time reading it was spent with a small brown terrier curled up next to me, and her fearlessness, her loyalty and her love are all here in Jip.

It's a post apocalyptic story, and a pretty good one, with a different and more interesting take than the other legion of post apocalyptic stories I've read. There are secrets and twists and spoilers as well (and I'm not going to ruin them, so don't even ask - but if you pay close attention to what the story outright TELLS you it's doing, they might not be such a surprise in retrospect...). Some of it shades into YA territory, not least the central thrust of an adolescent boy leaving home and finding his own way in the world, but not strongly enough to put a grown man like me off reading it.

But yeah, it's all about the dogs. If you like dogs, this will resonate with you and you'll love it. If you don't, maybe you should read it and perhaps you will see the error of your ways.

I fear I am about to upset the apple-cart, having read so many good reviews of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World. It just wasn't for me. This post apocalyptic story (if that is a correct description - it's not dystopian) is depressing. It is very well written but I came close to abandoning before finishing on a number of occasions. After cataclysmic events the tale unfolds around 100 years post 'the event' when the world's population is apparently reduced to around 7,500 (of what used to be 7.5 billion before 'the Gelding'). No electricity, no computers, no communication, no hope.

If this is 'the end of the world' I'll take a rain-check...

A thought provoking and compelling dystopian tale with plenty of action to raise your pulse and a brilliant ending.

Excellent dystopian tale told from the perspective of young Griz. A must for anybody who has enjoyed Station Eleven. Thought provoking and great characterisation.

An interesting and compelling tale of a quite different dystopian future - one set a little while after whatever disaster befell, where the survivors are going on living. This is Griz’s story, and it’s told beautifully.

This was a dystopian story based around the gradual demise of human beings. It was a fascinating read, a well structured story with lots of action and great characterisation.. Plenty of tension to raise your pulse rate and a brilliant conclusion.

An important post-apocalyptic story that teaches us to always be kind, loyal, and hopeful.

With countless books being published every single day, the cover art quality of a book published by an author I haven’t heard of is very crucial in grabbing my interest; that’s not exactly what happened with this book. Don’t get me wrong, the cover art is certainly pretty but what grabbed my attention immediately was something of a rarer occasion: the title of the book. After that, I heard that the novel is perfect for readers of Station Eleven and The Girl With All the Gifts, I haven’t read the latter but I’ve read and loved Station Eleven last year, and I just knew that I have to read this book as soon as I can. Plus, I find it adorable that there’s a warning on spoiler stated at the beginning or the back cover of the ARC. No need to worry, just like always, I’ll make sure to take extra care in my review to make sure it’s spoiler-free.

“And those that remain are still with us now, here at the end of the world. And there may be no law left except what you make of it, but if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you. If we’re not loyal to the things we love, what’s the point? That’s like not having a memory. That’s when we stop being human. That’s a kind of death, even if you keep breathing.”

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World follows Griz as he takes on a journey to save his stolen dog. It’s a post-apocalyptic story that centers on survival, courage, hope, love, humanity, family, and most importantly the importance of being grateful. Just like Station Eleven, even though it’s a post-apocalyptic story and the setting can be considered bleak and lonely, the tone and the messages delivered was hopeful and heartwarming. Fletcher shows that even though the world has pretty much ended, it doesn’t mean that we have to lose sight of what truly matters. On contrary, maybe somewhere along the way, we have lost sight of them due to the constantly hectic lifestyle and situations that life forced on us. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World teaches us to pay more attention to our surroundings. Don’t wait until the end of the world for the small things to shine again. Even the simple act of listening to music, reading, drinking tea, or walking around with your dogs and friends shouldn’t ever be taken for granted. I, for one, highly appreciate this kind of story.

“Reading is another way we survive. It helps to know where we came from, how we got here. And most of all, for me, even though these low and empty islands are all I have ever known, when I open the front cover of a new book, it’s like a door, and I can travel far away in place and time.”

Regarding characterizations, although there wasn’t a lot of characters in this book, every character—dogs included—has an important role to play in Griz’s journey. For the entirety of the novel, Griz was the only character with a POV to read. Due to the fact that the novel was mostly told in a diary/book written by Griz about his journey, it did results in quite a lot of self-introspection, especially in the first half of the book. Admittedly, there was one section in the second quarter of the book where I found the book to be a bit too slow because Griz was pretty much alone. This means that there was close to zero dialogue or interactions with other side characters. However, this was only a minor con which was soon redeemed in the halfway point of the book when Griz met another side character.

Fletcher’s prose was one of the most important strengths in providing the compelling nature of the story. The prose was simple, beautiful, and full of meaningful passages. It’s written in a first-person narrative but added with a little touch of second person narrative. He did a great job in writing how much the world and its inhabitants have changed or how they still stay the same.

“Better a brain than a fist. A brain can hold anything, from giant things, like distant stars and planets, to tiny things we can’t see, like germs. A brain can even hold things that aren’t and never were, like hobbits. A brain can hold the whole universe, a fist just holds what little it can grab. Or hits what it can’t.”

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a powerful melancholic story that shows how incredible loyalty and friendship can be. Displaying humanity at its best and worst, the message “simplicity taken for granted” was absolutely well delivered and this wonderful tale of survival and friendship in a bleak setting shouldn’t be missed. If you love a post-apocalyptic story that gives a feeling of joy, calmness, well-placed tension, you can’t go wrong with giving this book a go. Was it a poignant read? Well, the title speaks for itself. I’ll conclude with saying that reading this book did leave a smile upon my face several times and I consider it a MUST read for any reader who love reading about the friendship between human and dogs. I’ll leave the rest for you to read and find out on your own.

P.S:
I want to praise the team at Orbit—I believe this one applies only to the UK edition—for the superb package and design delivered within their physical ARC of this book. The photos, the compass, and the book itself, I only realized how awesome everything was after having read the book. Great job!

Official release date: April 23, 2019 (US), April 25, 2019 (UK)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)