Review by Booklist Review
Fletcher's first novel follows Griz, one of the few survivors in a world where the mysterious Gelding dramatically reduced the world's population. Griz's idyllic island life with his family is disturbed after Brand, a charming drifter who arrives by red-sailed boat, visits them and provides them with an evening of stories and rare treats from across the ocean. The next morning, Griz awakens to discover Brand has stolen Jess, one of their beloved pets and one of the increasingly rare female dogs. Griz, along with the family's other dog, Jip, go on a quest that takes them into the mainland of the now deserted world, where they face challenges ranging from wild animals and fever to the well-founded suspicions of other surviving wanderers, such as a Frenchwoman Griz refers to as John Dark. Along the way, more is revealed about this depopulated world, about Brand's origins, and even about Griz himself. Fletcher's narrative, while light on world-building, has a propulsive and engaging rhythm and should please fans of postapocalyptic dystopias, young adult and adult alike.--Nell Keep Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Teenager Griz, his two dogs, and the rest of his family live on a small island off the west coast of Scotland. His family has been there since the Baby Bust, a global epidemic of infertility that left the earth almost entirely depopulated. They lead a simple life of farming and fishing until a traveler arrives to trade scavenged equipment for food. The family is suspicious but lets the man ashore. Griz wakes up the next morning from a drugged sleep to see the stranger's vessel sailing off with their supplies and one of his dogs. Griz and his remaining dog Jip leap onto his small boat and give chase. But things don't go quite as expected, and he and Jip end up on the mainland of Britain, which is not as empty of people as he'd been led to believe. Griz is still determined to get his dog back, however, and the many dangers and surprises might slow him down but won't stop him. VERDICT Less violent than Harlan Ellison's classic A Boy and His Dog or Adrian Walker's more recent The Last Dog on Earth, this latest by Fletcher (The Oversight) still provides plenty of excitement and danger in a well-developed posthuman world that isn't quite devoid of hope (or dogs) yet.-Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Since the Gelding rendered most humans infertile, the global population has dwindled to a mere few thousand. Griz has never had neighbors or been in a crowd, though he and siblings Ferg and Bar are familiar with the concepts from photographs, homeschooling, and handed-down stories. Griz directly addresses readers about his family, his dreams, and life on an island, somewhere near what might have once been England. "In my whole life, I haven't met enough people to make up two teams for a game of football," says Griz, who scavenges and explores on land and sea. When a stranger steals Jess, one of Griz's beloved dogs, what's to be done but go after them? Griz is comfortable taking care of himself, though he is grateful to encounter John Dark, who speaks a different language and helps Griz after a nasty encounter with a boar. Action builds as Griz closes in on Jess, the stranger, and other "Baby Bust" survivors. While not as tightly crafted as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, this tale may gain traction with similar readers. Griz's casual acceptance of a depopulated world makes the plot believable, though the pacing early on may feel slow to some readers. VERDICT For high school -libraries seeking independent teen heroes in dystopian settings.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
At the end of the world, what matters more than loyalty?Teenage Griz is one of only a few thousand people left in the world after the "soft apocalypse" of the Gelding, a mysterious event that left the vast majority of the world's population unable to have children. Scattered families and other small enclaves live on, but most days, out on their tiny island off the coast of Scotland, Griz's family sees nobody but themselvesand their dogs. Griz's dogs are Jip and Jess, and when a strange traveler with long red hair shows up and snatches Jess in the middle of the night, Griz doesn't even stop to think before going after them with Jip. The hunt that begins that night will take Griz and Jip through the ruins of the old world and bring them face to face with the best and worst of humanitywhat it was and what it still is even after civilization has ground to a halt. Fletcher's debut novel paints an engrossing picture of our familiar world after it's been left to crumble and populates this haunted landscape with thoroughly compelling characters. The hunt for Jess propels this story forward like a rocket, and Fletcher does a masterful job keeping the stakes high and the suspense crackling while still creating plenty of space for readers to get to know Griz and explore this fascinating not-quite-empty world.This un-put-down-able story has everythinga well-imagined post-apocalyptic world, great characters, incredible suspense, and, of course, the fierce love of some very good dogs. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
