I keep the Beast running. I keep the 100 low lead on tap, I foresee attacks. I am young enough, I am old enough. I used to love to fish for trout more than almost anything.
We don’t know much of what happened, but in the first few pages of Dog Stars we learn that most everyone has died. Pretty much alone Hig, the survivor, explores the foothills of the Rockies by a small 1956 Cessna airplane fighting off attacks from other, more desperate, survivors with the help of his crazy neighbor and his loyal but old dog. That’s pretty much all you need by way of set up. The important thing to know is that this is no Hunger Games and this is no Cormac McCarthy throwback. Heller’s novel is an intensely human exploration of loneliness and the inner life. His mix of introspection and action is breathtaking – and I mean that. There are times when you are crying and other times when you are turning pages as quick as you can to follow the action.
One of the great elements of Lemuria’s First Editions Club is that we really love to pick first novels. The idea being that on one hand we have the “cred” to know who is going to grow as an author and on the other hand that we are able to help someone who could use a little help.
Above that we try to pick author’s who don’t fall into the typical first novel traps. I think a lot of first novels have pacing problems. The plot seems to stop and start, rush ahead and slow down. In this respect Dog Stars almost can’t be a first novel – my prediction is that when we ask Heller he’ll admit to having those first two or three “failed” attempts in a drawer somewhere.
When I first read Dog Stars back in the spring the style was off-putting. Opening the first page illustrates my points – short choppy little sentences here on the first page. I’m a Hemingway fan and this was even too much for me. I put it down, gave up. But my friend Liz, from Random House, urged me on. I committed to starting over again and when I got the Dr. Pepper scene I knew it was going to be a great book. “Fuckers tried to kill me. For Coke.” Anyway, as soon as I finished Dog Stars I raced to work and pitched the book to Knopf as an event for Lemuria and a First Editions Club selection. They liked the idea and here we are. Enjoy!
Peter Heller is a longtime contributor to NPR, and a contributing editor at Outside Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, and Men’s Journal. He is an award winning adventure writer and the author of four books of literary nonfiction. He lives in Denver.
Dog Stars is our First Editions Club pick for August and is published by Knopf. First Printing: 60,000.
Click here to reserve a signed copy: $24.95.
Peter Heller will be signing and reading Tuesday, August 21st at 5:00 and 5:30.
All photos courtesy of Peter Heller.
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