Plain and simple, The Dog Stars is a beautifully written masterpiece. Set in a post-apocalyptic America in which 99% of humanity has been killed off years earlier by a mutant flu strain, The Dog Stars is the story of Hig, a man who has lost everything but still manages to survive. Hig has set up a refuge of sorts at an abandoned airfield, where he and his survivalist neighbor maintain a safe perimeter by means of Hig's Cessna, his dog Jasper, and neighbor Bangley's superior skills with weaponry. 
 Their existence is stark but by no means horrible. Besides fending off marauders a few times a year, they keep up an acceptable level of subsistence. Nature has reasserted itself, despite global warming's slowly creeping impact, and Hig seeks refuge in hunting and fishing trips up into the nearby mountains. 
 When Hig suffers one loss too many, he sets off on what may be a fool's errand, risking the status quo with its margin of safety in order to make a final attempt at human connection. 
 I won't go further, as I don't want to give away the plot. I will say that I found the writing in The Dog Stars stark and lovely, evoking a barren landscape and the torment of living with sorrow. 
 (See my blog for further thoughts on The Dog Stars.)