The last man on Earth about “The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller.

Postapo literature is still good and great, although the first glance does not bring good associations: contemporary culture has been flooded with more or less unpublished and secondary books and films that seem to suggest straight away that the imagination of the creators ends with a band of blunt zombies with huge appetite for human meat. ”The Dog Stars” only at first glance makes the impression of carbonless paper: a lonely man and his dog, on depopulated Earth after the epidemic, desperate search for other survivors - it would seem that all this was already, that the reader can not be surprised and moved. Nothing could be more wrong.

If you are looking for a dynamic action, chilling in descriptions of fights and shootings, and against them - Real American Hero who, like Chuck Norris, overcomes all threats including deadly microbes, put the book aside and find something with a guy shooting with Zombie rifle on the cover. Heller's literary debut will be liked only by those who appreciate deep humanistic reflection and in prose they look for thoughts, not cheap, simple entertainment. Because ”The Dog Stars” don't belong to the easiest books. At the first moment, the specific structure of the text is cast: dialogues are inserted into descriptions, punctuation is treated in a very free way, favoring intuitive treatment of gaps between particular sentences, and short descriptions of the right action separate the multi-page streams of the main character's awareness. We see the devastated world with the eyes of Higa - the Last Man, maybe not in a literal sense, but certainly in a philosophical meaning. There is no room for objectivity - reality is seen as the one and only, the narrator is trapped in the space he describes and we become prisoners as well. Together with Higia we breathe, we miss, we suffer after losing a friend. Heller pictures the emotions of his character in an amazing way and makes the empathic connection with him almost inevitable. When we notice this trap, it is too late: we share with the protagonist all his pain and all hope.

The attempt to rebuild the world from before the epidemic is not about the the desire to restore the old order of things: Big Hig knows that it is impossible. However, he tries, to reorganize the surrounding reality in such a way that it ceases to be a foreign territory, a strip of no man's land has become a home: what is known, tamed, or safe. What to defend. Ultimately, it turns out that this is not enough. Man, as a social being, is not able to satisfy his needs alone or even in the company of one companion. Heller does not play with subtlety: it's also about sex and touch, about smell, about closeness, about a handshake, about a voice coming from a distance. All this means that Hig must set out with his Beast on a journey from which he may not be able to return.

The novel read with the necessary attention, leaves no room for a deep reflection on the subject of humanity and what constitutes it. The last man knows that he must survive, that he must protect his life and his companion, but he is aware of where the border runs, which he can not cross. In his right mind, he is really keeping him in the memory of who he was when he did not have to fight for his existence. Shreds of favorite poems, small pleasures of everyday life, rare moments of relaxation, memories of lost loved ones - all this makes Hig able to pay homage to a deceased friend and sacrifice everything in the name of a dream about another human being. The reader is left alone with the question of whether he would be able to risk everything for the idea, or can he say that his dreams are worth more than the animal's desire to survive at all costs. Are we able to give ourselves this sense and purpose in a place lack of any sense? Would we remain real people a step away from the annihilation?

Peter Heller made his debut on the publishing market with an amazing book, which by many was hailed as outstanding. Apocalypse probably never was so beautiful, but also never hurt more. This is definitely a must read.

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