A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I came into this with a distinct feeling that I was gonna get a twist on Harlan Ellison’s A Boy and His Dog, since both are so close in title and they’re both dystopias.

Upon reading it, it is fairly close, too, as long as you blur your vision and focus on the outlines.

The good stuff is in the details, however, and there are no telepathic dogs.

What we DO have is a great little coming of age story that underscores the necessity of being KIND and TRUTHFUL even if you’re living in a post-disaster dystopia. Don’t lie and cheat others. Being good is a SURVIVAL trait.

And frankly, I LOVE this little message.

And since a lot of it was sprinkled with references to some wonderful SF classics between The Road and The Day of the Triffids and even A Canticle for Leibowitz (among others), it’s also a commentary on all of them. I LOVE that, too, and the direction it also took the message.

No spoilers, but the twist is quite enjoyable if not entirely necessary. The strength of this tale is in the journey, not the destination OR the way the journey is re-colored with the discovery. It’s dark, either way, but the positive message is a real joy to me.

I’m pleasantly surprised.



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