Griz lives with his family on a small island off the coast of Scotland. It is all he knows, all he has ever known. Aside from his elder siblings, Ferg and Bar, his weary father, an ailing mother and a family on a neighbouring island, he seldom sees anyone. New people are few and far between. After a terrifying catastrophe known as the Gelding, the world’s population dwindled to almost nothing. Except for a few rare cases, women could no longer bear children and over time, bustling cities emptied and the world turned quiet. Survivors bore their loss and evolved, working the land, hunting, gathering, trading, living as their ancestors did.

Now Griz and his family keep mostly to their island, safe, only venturing across the sea when they need to restock. According to Griz’s mother, something strange, something rotten lives out there and trips to the mainland must be taken with caution. But not all danger lies beyond, some is closer than they think. A wayward stranger arrives on their island and they are weary, careful but as the traveller treats them to stories and treasures, their trust grows. He is new and exotic, and the tales he shares about the world, the people he has met, are fascinating. Addictive, to a family who have seen so little. But stories don’t make this stranger safe and good. The next morning, Griz wakes to find him gone and one of his beloved dogs gone too. Distraught, he instantly sets off after the thief, determined above all else to find Jess. But the stranger and the world he is about to discover are far more dangerous than he ever could have predicted.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is an exquisite tale of discovery, love and determination, it marries so many emotional elements. It’s about a young boy who is utterly intent on his mission to find his dog but he finds so much more out there in the world. Griz has a vulnerability about him which, combined with his big-heart and determination, make him a character you can’t help but adore. As a huge dog lover and owner of 3 lovely and completely bonkers woofs, Griz and his love for Jess hit a cord with me.

This is a powerful journey not only for Griz but for the reader. We are snatched from the comfort of our lives and deposited in a lonely, broken, desolate world, to accompany a boy on his brave march through it all. The author creates a rich, detailed story with very poetic, emotional prose. Often nail-biting, heart-breaking, heart-warming, shocking and profoundly beautiful, this is a book that will engross hordes of readers. Wonderful!

Rich. Emotional. Stunning.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/05/02/a-boy-and-his-dog-at-the-end-of-the-world-by-c-a-fletcher/
A Boy and His Dog is one of those books that surpassed my expectations. This is a well written story that conjures up a remarkable sense of tension but more than that, as a reader who has read plenty of post apocalyptic books it felt refreshingly different.

Why did this feel so original to me. Well, firstly the nature of the adventure. This is a very personal endeavour by a young character determined to retrieve a much loved pet. He’s not going off to search for bounty, he’s not trying to find a solution to world problems, he’s not on the run from a pack of savages. This is the case of a knee jerk reaction that could quite simply go right or wrong. Secondly, this isn’t a story packed with zombies, there are no people with special powers caused as a result of some sort of nuclear fallout and it doesn’t involve huge swathes of people who have turned into cannibals. This story has a much more personal feel and that’s an aspect that I really enjoyed.

I won’t discuss the world building too deeply. People have basically lost the ability to reproduce and each successive generation having virtually died childless the human race almost came to extinction. A few small pockets of people remain – living almost in isolation and without the benefit of modern technology. I like this aspect of the story and think it’s a great device because all the horror and the shedding of civility has been played out in the earlier years prior to this story. What we now find instead is a story of people trying to survive, trying to come together occasionally to make alliances and attempting to hold on to the last hope of survival for the human race.

The story is told by Griz in the form of a journal. This is a lovely way of telling the story, not only does Griz have a wonderful voice but this form of narration allows some introspection which wouldn’t take place if we were simply inside his head following events as they take place. Griz and his family live on a small island off the coast of Scotland. They have the use of a number of boats retrieved before everything fell completely into ruin and with a combination of fishing and foraging they manage to eek out a living. One day a stranger approaches the island, his small boat immediately identifiable on the horizon by it’s unusual red sail. Brand is a rather larger than life character, full of easy smiles and confidence. He wants to trade with Griz’s family but makes a show of breaking bread first. Come the morning and that distinctive red sail is sailing away from the island and one of Griz’s dog’s is missing.

I loved what happens next. Griz, with no plan, no thought other than going after Brand and retrieving his dog Jess, jumps aboard his own boat and sails off. These actions feel real. Griz, put simply, reacts, maybe not in the best way but certainly one that rings true. There is no forward thinking and this is perhaps as well because as a young adult Griz has little chance of a one to one test of strength with Brand. Basically, mistakes are made, regretted and made again!

Now begins the adventure. I won’t elaborate further though because there are a few twists to this story, that I certainly didn’t see coming and don’t want to hint at here. You’re on your own I’m afraid.

Another aspect that is really well done here and just lovely to read about is Griz’s simple wonder and amazement whenever he comes across something unusual or never before seen. And you have to remember that he’s seen very little. Eating a peach – who knew that finding ripe peaches could be such a joy. It makes you reflect on all the things you take for granted. There’s such a simplicity to life in this world that the smallest things can create joy and wonder. Of course there are dangers too. Not so much in the usual way you would expect from a post apocalyptic style book but nonetheless just as life threatening. Nature once again holds sway, buildings have become crumbling ruins, roads and infrastructure have been invaded by trees and plants and wrecks and ruins can be difficult to navigate and often hold unexpected and nasty surprises.

There’s a loneliness here. Griz isn’t used to being without his family and to an extent regrets some of his hasty decisions but his other dog keeps the lack of secondary characters from becoming too unbearable. Jip is a great little character in himself. A feisty terrier, really chipper and curious. He keeps Griz and the reader in high spirits, always chasing rabbits and suffering alongside Griz whenever he’s feeling low. Thankfully, just as the tale was poised on the brink of maybe becoming too much of a one man story things changed.

I don’t really have any criticisms. The author did a great job with the pacing and tension, just pulling things back from the edge whenever they started to suffer a little. Maybe one aspect of the ending was a little unexpected – not necessarily in a bad way but at the same time not a direction I was expecting. There was also a tiny bit of a rushed feeling but this didn’t spoil the read for me at all.

At the end of the day I think A Boy and His Dog has all the signs of becoming a much loved book. The age of Griz and the whole adventure feel will hold an appeal for many. For older readers it will probably have a nostalgic feel from their youth when they thought they were invincible (or more to the point didn’t always consider the consequences), for younger readers it’s a great introduction to this style of story. It has a young protagonist who is absolutely determined to win the day and it’s a book that is packed with emotion. It made me want to cry at one point, it made my jaw drop with surprise at another and it had a conclusion that I just couldn’t have imagined. Now, just to be clear, there are a few sections of the book that are a little darker with some slightly unsavoury characters but this isn’t the overpowering feeling of the book.

If you think of the isolation of The Road, the great narrative voice of The Girl With All the Gifts and then combine them into an adventure without bucket loads of bloodshed, fighting and gore and you will almost have the beginnings of understanding where this book is coming from.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Griz lives on a remote Scottish island, with his parents and older siblings Bar and Ferg. He had another sister, Jess who died in an accident and his mum has never recovered from the loss. There are barely any people left on earth - most people became infertile and the population has all but died out. This all happened a long time ago and Griz and his family have never known life to be any different. Griz also owns two dogs - Jess and Jip. There are not many dogs left in the world either, having suffered the same fate as humans. They live a simple life, scavenging what they can find from other islands nearby (which they call "a-viking") and growing food.
One day a man called Brand arrives on a boat - he brings stories from the mainland of deserted towns and cities and offers to trade with the family parts for a windmill. But the man is a thief and when Griz wakes up the next morning, he finds his family have been drugged by the man and the man has gone, taking Jess with him. Seeing the boat on the horizon, Griz makes the decision to chase after the man, taking Jip with him.
What follows is a true adventure story. Griz has no idea how to navigate this world he finds himself in, but is resourceful and plucky. Starting in Blackpool, Griz follows Brand (and Jess) across the country with the sole purpose of getting his dog back.
As soon as I read the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it. Billed as a "must-read" for fans of Station Eleven and The Girl with all the Gifts (both big favourites of mine), this certainly falls into the dystopian genre. Quick disclaimer: I'm not a dog person. I've never owned a dog and despite my son being desperate for one, I have never relented. But I do understand the love people have for their pets and this is played out especially well in this book. The love and loyalty between Griz and his dogs (particularly Jip who is with Griz on the journey) is heart-warming.
The story itself is written by Griz, addressing a girl in a photo he once found, who is long since dead. He tells her (and us) about the journey he goes on and paints a vivid picture of how everything looks now and the dangers he encounters. The text is quite dense and I must admit it look a little while for me to get involved in the story as I found it a little slow. There is very little dialogue in the book and it made me realise how much I like conversation in a novel! But as the story progressed, Griz won me over and I found the story tense and exciting. I also developed a soft spot for Griz as soon as I found out he is a lover of books and reading!
A great addition to the post-apocalyptic genre, full of adventure and excitement.

A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic novel following Griz as he tries to rescue his dog Jess from a stranger who has stolen him. The way the world has come to have such few people is nothing new in the post-apocalyptic novel world, in fact, I read a book early this year which used infertility as to how the world was coming to an end, and Dan Brown used it in one of his books too.

The book is told from Griz’s point of view as he looks back over what happened to him and what he learned on his adventure trying to get his dog back. He is mainly talking to a photograph of a boy he found in an abandoned house, but it does feel like he is talking to the reader as he mentions what it must have been like before the Gelding. Afterward, the world not only lost people it also went back in time as technology disappeared and food became sparse and people had to hunt for their food.

I don’t really want to give any more away than what I have. What I will say is that the book is an adventure. There aren’t many characters in it, just like there aren’t many people left in the world. It has plenty of poignant moments and moments which might make you look at your own life and the world we currently live in.

The book is extraordinary. You can tell how much heart, blood, sweat, and tears went into creating this story. It is quite simply beautiful. It is not so much about life in a post-apocalyptic world but more about Griz, his dog, and the people and places he encounters. If you are an emotional person you might want to keep tissues at the ready throughout too.

The world isn’t going to end how you think it’s going to end. There isn’t going to be some cataclysmic extinction event that wipes us all out but one thing is certain, if you’re reading this, you’re already history. This is the premise of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, a fantastic work of speculative fiction by C. A. Fletcher.

Griz lives at the end of the world on a small island off Scotland with just family and dogs for company. When a lone traveller called Brand arrives on the island and steals their dog Jess, Griz embarks on a journey, prepared to sail to the ends of the world to retrieve this beloved hound.

The world is empty in Griz's tale. Over a century prior, the Gelding occurred and human beings (and dogs) stopped being able to reproduce; the population of the earth dwindled from billions to thousands within two generations. There were exceptions, of course, but in two decades on this future Earth, Griz has never met enough people to make up two teams for a game of football.

As Griz lands on the mainland in pursuit of Brand, it is fascinating to trace the journey through overgrown and derelict landmarks, recognisable only for the great metal structures that humans have erected.

I wish I could divulge more about the story and what happens to Griz on the journey but I really can't. The absolute charm of this novel lies in everything Griz discovers and everything we learn about Griz. I can tell you that Earth in the future is quiet, except for the birdsong, and that very little of what we regard as important will survive us.

I can also say that this book is incredible. I predict that it is one of those books that transcends all others to become a much beloved, often reread, dog-eared book that you can't help but recommend to other people. In fact, in the days since I've read A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, I've told everyone I know about the book and am having to curate a waitlist of friends waiting to read my copy.

I was very fortunate to win an advanced review copy of this book in a competition with Orbit books. The copy in itself was a gem, from the message on the cover to the old postcards dispersed throughout. I definitely think the real cover on the book is superior but reading this ARC was like finding eggs in an Easter egg hunt; it was such fun to read.

I give A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World a superb five out of five stars and recommend it to anyone who has ever loved a dog. I also recommend it to both adult and young adult lovers of superior speculative fiction and especially to fans of good plot twists.

*I received a ebook sampler of this novel for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2/5

Griz lives on a remote island, there he hears stories from his parents of how life used to be, life before the people left. Despite this they don't feel alone, not with dogs as their companions. But then a strangers comes and changes everything. Join Griz as he fights to get his dog back and discover the truth.

I loved the concept behind this novel, it was unique and exciting. I haven't read many samplers before, but I know that perhaps the most important question I need to answer is, did it make me want to read more? And if I'm honest no. Although I liked what I read and it was certainly well throughout and skilfully written it just didn't capture my attention in the way I hoped it would. However even from the short part I read I could feel the depth and emotion that went into writing this, the strong connection between Griz and his family was evident, a vital connection given their current situation.

Overall this holds lots of promise, I look forward to hearing other readers thoughts on this novel, one I'm sure many will love. I would recommend this novel to fans of post apocalyptic novels.

I absolutely loved this book, the best I have read in a long time. It was so different from anything I have read before, the characters were well drawn and totally believable, the story was so well told. I can see it being made into a film but I hope, hope hope, it lives up to the book.

I think there are quite a few readers who have wrongly concluded that due to its beautiful imagery and title it is a work of children's literature, but that couldn't be further from the truth. C.A Fletcher's dystopian debut (under this nom de guerre) will touch readers of all ages and all persuasions with its movingly powerful message and lyrical narrative. In this post-apocalyptic landscape, we journey with Griz, a young boy who has led a sheltered life on a remote Scottish island with barely a glimpse of others or the world beyond; that is until his beloved dog Jess is stolen and prompts Griz to venture outside for the first time in his life where makes some truly shocking discoveries,.

It is indeed a simple story, but this is one of many occasions when a simple, heartfelt plot holds so much power. It's such an emotionally involving tale and one that plays on the love we all have for our furry companions on whose love we can rely unconditionally. What I loved the most was the philosophical questions posed and the way these principles were raised in the story by Griz and explained in an accessible fashion. This adds plenty of food for thought to the novel for readers to ponder.

Fletcher also explores the tenuous distinctions between what we may perceive to be beautiful or ugly, good or evil, but, as is shown, nothing is really ever that black and white. The stark descriptions of returning to a world where we must scavenge in order to survive are haunting. I absolutely adored Griz and one of the lines I feel sums up his thoughts and beliefs the most is this gem: "... if we aren't loyal to the things we love, what's the point?" and he's right on the money there. Despite the messages of heartbreak and grief and the poignant moments throughout there are also countless moments of hope and messages of empowerment.

All in all, this is a captivating, exquisite story told by a true master storyteller who knows how to write so that both the plot and the characters deepen effortlessly as you read. I'll call it out now as a book that'll stand the test of time. An unforgettable, exceptional work of fiction. Unreservedly recommended. Many thanks to Orbit for an ARC.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a beautifully written book set in a completely different world to what we are living in. The human race is dwindling and has reduced rapidly over the years to almost become extinct. People are unable to have children and have reverted back to a life without technology. Griz lives with his family, mum, dad, brother, sister and two dogs - Jess and Jip, on a small island off Scotland and having been born after all this, isn't aware of the world that relied on technology to survive. It's amazing reading about Griz learning about things we currently take for granted, in books he finds in deserted houses and libraries. Mobile phones to Griz seem almost like a made up fantasy!

What would you do if another human turned up after many years of not seeing many and charms you with tales of stories of other islands and inhabitants? Griz is charmed by the stranger but this changes when he finds that the next morning he has robbed them and stolen Jess....

This story really touched my heart. Having two dogs myself I could feel the pain and heartbreak that Griz feels when he learns Jess has been taken and immediately sets out on his boat to get her back with only Jip for company. The journey we are taken on with Griz is an eye opener for someone who has lived quite a sheltered life and he gets glimpses of what the world was like before he was born. Griz is still quite young but very adept at surviving on his own as this is just part of his life and I really enjoyed reading about this. It's not something I could probably do!

I became so invested in this story through the wonderful but simplistic eyes of Griz and had to take a moment when I had finished.

Hi and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World! First of all: massive thanks to Orbit for the gorgeous proof copy, to Tracy Fenton for inviting me and to C. A. Fletcher for writing this glorious story.

So what’s it about? In a nutshell: at one point most humans became infertile and as a result humankind has gone all but extinct. There’s only a handful of people left and they just make do. Along with men, dogs have suffered the same fate; it is said this must be because dogs have walked alongside men for the longest time and have always been the closest.

Griz’s family lives on a remote island: dad, mum, older brother, older sister, Griz and 2 dogs, Jess and Jip. Griz had a little sister once but she fell in the sea and Griz never saw her again. They’re in sporadic contact with another family who live on a nearby island, but that’s it in terms of human contact. Until one day a man in a boat with red sails moors on their island. His name is Brand and he says he’s a trader, he seems kind and Griz is happy to have found a bit of a kindred spirit, someone to discuss books and history with. Except that Brand is not a trader, he’s a thief and he steals what is just a commodity to him but priceless to Griz: Jess, a fertile bitch.

Griz doesn’t stop to think, but just acts and jumps in the family’s boat in hot pursuit of Brand and more importantly: Jess. The other family dog, Jip, tags along. Here’s where this became a tough read for me. As a rule I don’t read books with animals in a prominent role, because I can’t take animal cruelty, I can’t stomach animals suffering. However, when the invite for this blog tour came, the synopsis spoke to me so loudly it was practically shouting and I signed up anyway, completely ignoring any misgivings. And so I suffered while reading this story, I really did. The entire time Griz is trying to find Jess, the reader has no clue what happened to her, whether she’s okay, and I couldn’t stop worrying about her. At the same time, I was terrified something bad would happen to Jip. The story got so intense for me, I had to take mini-breaks, little breathers to catch my breath and calm my heart. And I’m not even a dog person! I suspect that if you have a dog, especially a terrier, it’s probably ten times worse! But rest assured, there’s no cheap violence or cruelty here. Quite the opposite, there is so much love in these pages.

Although desperate to get Jess back, there’s this whole world Griz knows nothing about and therefore also a need to explore. Since there aren’t a lot of people left, Griz doesn’t encounter many along the way. But the encounters that do happen will change life forever.

A glorious book that made me well up and stress out, but in the very best way. This is one of those books that touches your soul and lingers in your heart and your mind for a long time after turning that last page. I read it about a month ago, but Griz and Jip and Jess are still with me in spirit.

Highly recommended!

I have been on a dog book binge of late having read war dogs the dog who saved the world and now this book, I think my next book will have to be about cats! This book is quite touching and although I'm not a fan of end of the world stories (real life is quite dramatic enough) I found myself wondering about what a gilded world would look like, CA Fletcher obviously so my a.lot of time thinking about this and has done a great approximation of what this unpleasant land would be like, I liked this book so much I bought the Audible version to listen to and enjoy whilst walking

I'm not sure if I can actually do this book justice with my meagre review but I will bloomin well try. In this magnificent story we follow Griz who takes on the most epic journey to save his beloved stolen dog Jess. For anyone who has a bond with their furry companion be it dog or cat it's not too far a stretch to imagine yourself going to the ends of the earth to do what you need to for them.

This is a post apocalyptic story where fertility is scarce and finding a good canine companion even more so. So when a traveller comes to Griz and his family on a little island off the coast of Scotland (where seeing other people is just unheard of) Griz is fascinated by his charming visitor Brand. Griz's world is incredibly small. He lives with his mother, father, sister Bar and brother Ferg and his 2 dogs Jess and Jip, so any new face is something to be fascinated by.

Brand tells them tall tales of where he has been and offers a trade; a dog for a much needed windmill converter. Brand is gently but firmly turned down and at first takes it with good grace and offers them a parting drink and a treat of marmalade (which is so rare it's a mere fairy tale to Griz and his family).

Waking up in a nauseous fog the next morning Griz realises that Brand has drugged his family and stolen food, belongings and his beautiful Jess. Without pausing to stop Griz heads out in his boat Sweethope and his other dog Jip.

Oh my heart! This has now become my top read of 2019. Fletcher is an author to watch, I can honestly say that I've not been blown away by a book like this in some time.

What is such a beautiful simplistic storyline becomes so so much more. Griz meets several people on his travels (but due to a vastly diminished population he's fortunate to see anyone at all). In meeting them he sees both the beauty and ugliness in humanity and what being human means to different people.

I was gripped by Fletcher's world. The descriptions of a world in which is being very quickly reclaimed by nature was incredible to read. People have to scavenge to survive and in doing so can become something that we would all like to think we wouldn't.

I adored Griz and became incredibly invested in him. He was a noble narrator and in his journey he observed and became introspective as to why he took a certain course of action (or didn't act when he should have).

One of the most important messages that Fletcher leaves us with is this: even when all seems lost, when you think that you have nothing more to fight for it doesn't mean you have to lose who you are and more importantly to show kindness and love in the face of hatred and evil.

Fletcher has managed to encapsulate both extremes of humanity in one story: that of loyalty, love and friendship juxtaposed with treachery, deceit and violence. In doing so you get all the feels of the emotional spectrum in this book.

Anyone who is an animal lover will immediately connect with the beautiful bond that Griz has with his dogs. The relationship is so pure and beautiful it literally brought me to tears and made me wish that every animal has a Griz for them out there.

I may have made this obvious by now, but this is a blinding 5 star read for me.

Great title for a great book!

The end of the world came gradually, with what was known as the Gelding. Humanity lost its ability to reproduce and the Lastborn generation, known as the Baby Bust, just grew older and older until they finally died out. Only a tiny fraction of a percentage of the population was still able to have children, and they now live in isolated areas, far away from the abandoned mainlands.

Among the survivors are Griz’s parents and their children, who live with their pets and livestock on an island in the remote Outer Hebrides, subsisting on what remains of the society who once lived there. Electricity, manufacturing, and communications are all gone. Books, however, endure. Books that Griz reads avidly to learn about the human civilisation that has vanished, and all the wondrous stories and possibilities it once held. Though their lives are marred by tragedy, Griz and family live peaceably on their island until an unusual event rocks their quiet world and changes everything. At last, Griz and Jip the dog are impelled to venture on a perilous journey into the world beyond …

One of the many delights of this novel is that it manages to take a standard trope of dystopian science fiction - as seen in the likes of P. D. James’ Children of Men and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale – and puts a fresh spin on it, creating an intelligent, erudite, and enthralling page-turner that hooks the reader from the get-go and never lets up. Particularly gripping are the suspenseful hints dropped from time to time as to what might be about to happen to Griz and Jip, generating anxiety for their fate and forcing the reader to suppress the urge to read ahead.

Another wonderful element for the discerning book lover is how classic literary works with relevance to Griz’s situation are woven seamlessly into the narrative – from Walter M. Miller Jr.’s A Canticle for Leibowitz, to Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, to C. S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy, among others. Thematically, this use of past literature perfectly enhances this terrific novel, with its emphasis on how essential stories and storytelling are to our humanity (and how they can also be twisted to serve the darker side of our nature); the importance of memory and hope; and how to use our stories, memories, and hope to light our way through the darkness.

At times, Griz and Jip’s journey feels reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road – though, again, the novel holds its own with a powerful, distinctive evocation of the empty, eerie, ruined yet still recognisable landscapes and cities of Scotland and England, and the dangers contained therein. Telling the story from a first-person POV, Griz is an immensely likeable, thoughtful, and sympathetic protagonist, a headstrong young person who makes mistakes but has compelling motivations and a good heart, while Jip is too adorable for words. Highly recommended, with a brilliant ending which shines a whole new light on the events of the book and makes one want to read it all over again.

Arwen Evenstar

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This book was entirely unexpected.

When I read the blurb I imagined a different story to what I got.

However, I was pleasantly surprised.

I'll admit this novel took me longer to read than most books I've read.

It's a slow burner.

The build up took it's time and ultimately, the wait was worth it.

There's a brilliant twist near the end that I can almost guarantee you won't see coming.

Fletcher has written a poignant tale, it makes you think about what you have and what others may have to live without.

Our futures remain unpredictable and this is showcased brilliantly here.

A classic book in the making.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a distinctively written post apocalyptic narrative. The novel opens up with a brief introduction to why the end of the world has occurred and its impact on civilisation.

The story is written in a journal-like format by the protagonist, Griz. The first chapter did not draw me in, possibly because of the writing style, and I didn't engage with the rest of the book until the final few chapters. It took me an extensive amount of time, longer than usual for a book of this length, mainly because it is full of drawn out, descriptive paragraphs.

Conclusively, it was dull & boring to the point that I wanted to give up on the book several times.

There are many books out there with dystopian situations that predict one or the other forms of gloom to descend on to the planet. This has such a situation but that is not what the book is about, it is just the background. The world as we know it has ended and Griz is introducing us and familiarizing us with their daily routine in this new lonelier world. He lives with his family on an island and they survive together as a team. 

It seems rosy enough and everyone is reasonably happy in their daily routine, until the arrival of a stranger in their midst. This one incident breaks the usual 'monotony' of their lives and in one breath an irreversible decision is taken. Griz sets off to get something back as well as the festering adventure in his heart. He is older than his age having lived vicariously through multiple books and his narration (directly to us) reflects this situation. It is a treacherous journey with more than one thing to go wrong, it has vivid imagery of the adventures and the lives of the people who once lived in the 'before'. Most situations described are almost fleeting instances in the bigger picture but they stay as individual anecdotes in the whole tale. There are things placed in the book that took me by complete surprise which I would not deign to call simply 'twists' and they enhanced the story. I really enjoyed the book and the only reason I cannot give it a full five stars is because I wanted more. The ending left hope within me and I think just one book to round up the tale would not go amiss.

I really enjoyed the adventurous tale this book promised to deliver, although there were elements that weren't quite polished off to breath-taking finesse. Fletcher gives us a really simple but effective plot in a world that raises many questions (but doesn't really answer nearly enough of them!) Once things got going and we went out into the world beyond what Griz knew, the pages a-turned with suspense, action and intrigue, into a pleasant read on the whole. Still, amid the gorgeous descriptions of post-apocalyptic British landscapes, a few more answers would have gone a long way!

A boy and his dog at the end of the world by C. A Fletcher is a beautifully written and moving story about Griz living in a post-apocalyptic world with his Mother and Father, his brother Ferg and his sister Bar and his two docs Jip and Jess.
When a traveller comes to visit, calls himself Brand, friendly and willing to trade. The family takes him in. But all is not as it seems when Brand steals one of the dogs Jess. As Jess is one of the family. Griz on a life changing journey, to seek Brand and get his beloved dog back. Griz goes on a journey far away from the island boundaries that he has lived all is life and he is used too. Goes to places he never knew existed and meets more people that he has never seen in all his lifetime. But not everything smells of roses. He learns of people that think they are saving the world by stealing girls and dogs and turn them into breeders. They do this to trying to resurrect the world like what it was.
When I heard the positive vibes that I have heard from this book I had to request it. Not the usual book I normally read but I am so glad I did. This is a beautifully written novel that draws you in from the first page. Not only a story about a post -apocalyptic word but also of love loss and sacrifice. I highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for a copy of this book.

The most haunting post-apocalyptic novels are those that are rooted in realism, foretelling human extinction at the hands of climate change, nuclear war, or in this case, mass-infertility on a global level. “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World” tells of a slow-burner of an apocalypse where the majority of the human race were unable to produce children, and our species has long since become near-extinct. As a result, nature has risen up to reclaim the remains of our world, and C.A. Fletcher fills his novel with some wonderfully evocative visuals of locations such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, desolate and overgrown. With most dystopian novels set in the United States, it was refreshing to read about recognisable English landmarks that had become eroded over centuries - even more refreshing was the writer's decision to set the story in the North, and out of London – another area overused in post-apocalyptic fiction.

Written as a memoir, the novel allows readers to immediately establish a bond with the lead character, Griz, as he explains the status-quo of this bold, new world and his strong relationship with his family and his dogs. This dedication to protecting what remains is what drives the narrative as one of his dogs is stolen by a travelling trader, and Griz instinctively chases the thief from his home in the Outer Hebrides to the mainland of the United Kingdom. What follows is a dazzlingly beautiful odyssey through the remnants of our civilisation that grips the reader throughout. C.A Fletcher paints such a vivid picture of this forgotten world - particularly the section of the book set within the ruins of Blackpool – that it leaps off the page and into the mind's eye. At times, it reminded me of the awe I felt when playing the videogame The Last of Us, and some of the setpieces as Ellie and Joel trekked across an overgrown and abandoned America.

Griz is a brilliant protagonist – brave, loyal and eager to learn – and its genuinely heartwarming to read his thoughts about how we lived our life. The book itself is written to a photo of a boy he once found, making it seem like he is writing directly us – the people of his past. It is an effective narrative technique, and it also allows him to foreshadow events and point out upcoming tragedies – of which there are many. One sequence midway through the book was so sad that I had vicious flashbacks of that horrible moment in The NeverEnding Story where the horse drowns in the quicksand. That still traumatises me, and this sequence was almost as bad. In his foreword, Fletcher explicitly asks readers (and reviewers) to avoid spoiling moments from Griz's journey – and I will respect that request as the book deserves to be experienced exactly as I did – with all the ups-and-downs and the shocks and twists intact. It is a brutal book at times, but also a joyous one.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, and I was genuinely sad to come to the end. Fletcher plays with reader's expectations perfectly throughout the book, making them question motivations and behaviours of characters all the time. I felt like a plaything in the author's hands, as his prodded at me with each subsequent shock reveal. My only real criticism came from the use of phonetic French midway through the book, which relied on two things – one: me being able to translate the phonetic French to real French and two: me being able to speak French. Luckily, it wasn't an essential element to the story but I did spend a fair bit of time scratching my head over some of the sentences – which I guess put me in the same position as the characters in the book. That said, everything else about this novel was perfect. The characters were fantastic, the relatonships were believable and were the emotional core that the whole novel was build upon. I was invested in Griz's journey so much, and enjoyed the way that the memoir format felt like he was telling his story to me directly.

Nothing short of incredible, “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World” is one of the finest examples of dystopian fiction that I have ever read. I cannot recommend this book enough, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books from C.A. Fletcher. It is one of those books you need to experience now before it blows up and everyone is talking about it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got picked up by Netflix or a film studio in the very near-future. Go pick up a copy, you won't be disappointed!

This is a totally engrossing book full of humanity, believable and well built up characters. The stories surrounding post apocalyptic Worlds are well versed, but this is told from a different perspective, where the main character, Griz, is writing into a book for us as he travels. It’s a story of adventure across unknown lands, and the people and circumstances that occur along the way. Very well written, not my normal genre at all, however it just flows, and engages, seamlessly. A great surprise!