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The Last Dog on Earth
Every dog has its day…
And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from Peckham, the day the world ends is his: finally a chance to prove to his owner just how loyal he can be.
Reg, an agoraphobic writer with an obsession for nineties football, plans to wait out the impending doom in his second floor flat, hiding himself away from the riots outside.
But when an abandoned orphan shows up in the stairwell of their building, Reg and Lineker must brave the outside in order to save not only the child, but themselves…
And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from Peckham, the day the world ends is his: finally a chance to prove to his owner just how loyal he can be.
Reg, an agoraphobic writer with an obsession for nineties football, plans to wait out the impending doom in his second floor flat, hiding himself away from the riots outside.
But when an abandoned orphan shows up in the stairwell of their building, Reg and Lineker must brave the outside in order to save not only the child, but themselves…
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2017
About the author
Adrian J. Walker
13 books406 followersAdrian J Walker was born in the bush suburbs of Sydney, Australia in the mid '70s. After his father found a camper van in a ditch, he moved his family back to the UK, where Adrian was raised.
His second novel, The End of the World Running Club, is a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance. It is being published by Del Rey UK, in May 2016.
His third novel, Colours, is the first part in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy and is available now.
His second novel, The End of the World Running Club, is a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance. It is being published by Del Rey UK, in May 2016.
His third novel, Colours, is the first part in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy and is available now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
June 9, 2017
There are great ideas on this book:
- the main character being an agoraphobic, remembering snipets of his previous life, his inability to be touched... most of them just feed your curiosity and want to keep you reading
- Lineker, the dog: the chapters alternate between Reg's and Lineker's narrative, which offers two sides of a story and also provide feedback on things we won't have otherwise. Also, the chapters narrated by Lineker are more profound, tangling with things like Death, life, human ways to see things and act... while also having some funny parts
- the post- apocaliptic world. Why is London destroyed? What is going on? Why humaity is living in pockets of "civilisation"? What is going on?
As I've said, all these main ideas are great. Then... why the low rating? Because you keep on reading and it seems like most of the time you ain't getting nowhere. Lots of narrative but the story doesn't quite move along, and at some time I completly lost interest in it. Plus, things like Reg keeping the tag on the girl's neck where it says she is a target... is so obvious that even another character points it out at some point. The fact that he keeps leaving his poor dog behind when running for his life. The fact that he seems to thawn a bit to the little girl but he doesn't really evolve in the same way that the story keeps on dragging... He changes locations but doens't seem like the story offers much in way of little snippets of info to keep you hooked... maybe, IMO, with a bit of a make over this would be a great reading.
- the main character being an agoraphobic, remembering snipets of his previous life, his inability to be touched... most of them just feed your curiosity and want to keep you reading
- Lineker, the dog: the chapters alternate between Reg's and Lineker's narrative, which offers two sides of a story and also provide feedback on things we won't have otherwise. Also, the chapters narrated by Lineker are more profound, tangling with things like Death, life, human ways to see things and act... while also having some funny parts
- the post- apocaliptic world. Why is London destroyed? What is going on? Why humaity is living in pockets of "civilisation"? What is going on?
As I've said, all these main ideas are great. Then... why the low rating? Because you keep on reading and it seems like most of the time you ain't getting nowhere. Lots of narrative but the story doesn't quite move along, and at some time I completly lost interest in it. Plus, things like Reg keeping the tag on the girl's neck where it says she is a target... is so obvious that even another character points it out at some point. The fact that he keeps leaving his poor dog behind when running for his life. The fact that he seems to thawn a bit to the little girl but he doesn't really evolve in the same way that the story keeps on dragging... He changes locations but doens't seem like the story offers much in way of little snippets of info to keep you hooked... maybe, IMO, with a bit of a make over this would be a great reading.
December 22, 2017
The Last Dog on Earth is the second novel by British author, Adrian J. Walker. By 2021 London is virtually empty, the political upheavals having caused most people to vacate. Electrician Reginald Hardy stayed: he prefers his own company, doesn’t like to be touched, and is perfectly happy in his little flat, keeping an eye on the surrounding area with his 12x binoculars and following his daily routines. And he has Lineker, his Heinz 57 variety dog, whose company is preferable to that of any person he knows. Lineker is deliriously happy with this arrangement.
But then a truck stops outside Reginald’s flat: soldiers (he thought they’d all left) and children. Worse still, another truck turns up with a mob of those purple-clad nasties. Shouted words lead to bullets and people die before the Purples clear off elsewhere, leaving behind an apparently mute seven-year-old girl. Lineker is excited; Reginald is not. Responsibility for another human being is the absolute last thing he wants. Eventually, Reginald has to compromise: he will escort little Aisha in the direction of the soldiers’ destination, then get back to his own peaceful life. Lineker is thrilled to partake of adventure, but things don’t go quite to Reginald’s plan.
Walker employs two narrators: the mild-mannered Reginald and the utterly foul-mouthed (but superbly entertaining) Lineker. It is soon apparent that Reginald has suffered a great loss, and that he is perhaps somewhere on “the spectrum”. Lineker, meanwhile, is a wonderfully imagined character, a quite convincing version of “this is what dogs think”. As long as they are not too offended by his copious use of the f and c words and his musings on some rather base topics, dog owners (and even those not of that persuasion) will delight in Lineker.
Walker’s version of near-future London is eminently believable, and Lineker’s perspective of life is refreshing. Walker gives both his main characters and some of the minor ones insightful thoughts and wise words: “I am not a hero. Altruism does not exist. There are the things a man wants to do and there are the things he must do, and the things he must do must be done because if he does not then the consequences linger. That is really all there is to altruism: the avoidance of bad feeling.”
As the story progresses, the reader gradually learns of the events that had such a profound effect on Reginald, and led to his owning Lineker, who believes for some time that he is the last dog on earth. Walker adds a few other quirky characters to be enjoyed: a topless sunbather and her always-cooking mother; several pet dogs of various breeds; a charitable barge-owner; a wolf who speaks in capitals; and a few nasties who eventually get their just deserts. Funny, sometimes sad and ultimately uplifting, this is a marvellous read.
But then a truck stops outside Reginald’s flat: soldiers (he thought they’d all left) and children. Worse still, another truck turns up with a mob of those purple-clad nasties. Shouted words lead to bullets and people die before the Purples clear off elsewhere, leaving behind an apparently mute seven-year-old girl. Lineker is excited; Reginald is not. Responsibility for another human being is the absolute last thing he wants. Eventually, Reginald has to compromise: he will escort little Aisha in the direction of the soldiers’ destination, then get back to his own peaceful life. Lineker is thrilled to partake of adventure, but things don’t go quite to Reginald’s plan.
Walker employs two narrators: the mild-mannered Reginald and the utterly foul-mouthed (but superbly entertaining) Lineker. It is soon apparent that Reginald has suffered a great loss, and that he is perhaps somewhere on “the spectrum”. Lineker, meanwhile, is a wonderfully imagined character, a quite convincing version of “this is what dogs think”. As long as they are not too offended by his copious use of the f and c words and his musings on some rather base topics, dog owners (and even those not of that persuasion) will delight in Lineker.
Walker’s version of near-future London is eminently believable, and Lineker’s perspective of life is refreshing. Walker gives both his main characters and some of the minor ones insightful thoughts and wise words: “I am not a hero. Altruism does not exist. There are the things a man wants to do and there are the things he must do, and the things he must do must be done because if he does not then the consequences linger. That is really all there is to altruism: the avoidance of bad feeling.”
As the story progresses, the reader gradually learns of the events that had such a profound effect on Reginald, and led to his owning Lineker, who believes for some time that he is the last dog on earth. Walker adds a few other quirky characters to be enjoyed: a topless sunbather and her always-cooking mother; several pet dogs of various breeds; a charitable barge-owner; a wolf who speaks in capitals; and a few nasties who eventually get their just deserts. Funny, sometimes sad and ultimately uplifting, this is a marvellous read.
May 8, 2019
This was the May group read for the group Apocalypse Whenever https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/967
This is the second time we (this group) has read this author. I have enjoyed each time. He writes these amazing, not terribly likeable people and they have great growth and by the end you are on their team. This was just so good. I loved the perspective from Lineker. the dog. He is outstanding. He also has a foul mouth. I imagine most dogs do. The things that happened in this book are terrifying. It was a bit too real for comfort. You will yell at Reginald in the beginning, but by the end you are weeping for him. I might have cried once or twice, I definitely wrung my hands. I get worried and I put the book down, rub my hands, my face, take a deep breath and jump back in. I highly recommend this. I also recommend his other novel The End of the World Running Club
This is the second time we (this group) has read this author. I have enjoyed each time. He writes these amazing, not terribly likeable people and they have great growth and by the end you are on their team. This was just so good. I loved the perspective from Lineker. the dog. He is outstanding. He also has a foul mouth. I imagine most dogs do. The things that happened in this book are terrifying. It was a bit too real for comfort. You will yell at Reginald in the beginning, but by the end you are weeping for him. I might have cried once or twice, I definitely wrung my hands. I get worried and I put the book down, rub my hands, my face, take a deep breath and jump back in. I highly recommend this. I also recommend his other novel The End of the World Running Club
September 21, 2017
In a weird moment of book related synchronicity, I finished one book that has a dog as a character only to immediately start another that also features a dog front and centre. The Last Dog on Earth, the latest from Adrian J Walker, is exactly what it promises to be; the tale of one man, his dog and the end of the world.
Lineker is most loyal mutt you are ever likely to meet. He will do anything for his human companion, Reg. He implicitly trusts the man he shares his life with. In fact, I’d go further, he idolises Reg. Lineker thinks humans are so consistently amazing in everything that we do, so how can Reg be anything other than perfect? It turns out dogs are far cleverer than we give them credit for. In their own unique way, our four legged friends are a philosophical bunch. They understand most things; their brains are like sponges when it comes to input.
The sad truth of the matter is that Reg is a bit of a mess. The world outside his tiny flat has gone to hell, but he is almost entirely oblivious. A personal trauma has left him all but broken and he copes with this by choosing to be alone. He wants nothing more than to avoid all human contact. As long as it is just Lineker and him, Reg is ok. I always find myself fascinated when an author captures those minute details that define a character. Even the simplest gesture or turn of phrase can speak volumes. Reg is very precise and his dismay whenever that precision is questioned or ignored feels palpable. It is just another well realised example of the coping mechanisms he has developed in order to survive.
At the heart of The Last Dog on Earth is the dynamic that exists between Lineker and Reg. The story is told from each of their perspectives as alternate chapters feature their point of view. We get to see how both interpret events differently. Lineker is all boundless enthusiasm and excitement (he is a dog after all) while Reg is introspective almost paranoid. I particularly love the way the character of Lineker comes across. I know we’ll never know exactly how our pets think, and I fully appreciate that we anthropomorphise their actions, but there is a part of me that hopes the way Lineker thinks is exactly what goes through the minds of all dogs.
I have a special place in my heart when it comes to the end of the world. Rather than focusing on a huge apocalyptic event, The Last Dog in the World looks at societal collapse due to the rise of the political extremism. What with the current state of affairs in the UK and elsewhere, it makes some of the content feel eerily plausible. Snippets of the unpleasant rhetoric spouted by the story’s villains sounds like it could be coming right out the mouths of our politicians. I never expected a book about one man and his dog to be quite so topical.
Scattered throughout the narrative there are genuinely emotive moments. Reg and Lineker both slowly change as they leave the safety of their quiet little life. I’m always impressed when fiction manages to be so affecting. Reg’s history is also explored, and the reasons he is the way he is are ultimately revealed. You get a real sense of what makes this forlorn shadow of a man tick. In all honesty, faced with the things he has had to face, I don’t imagine I would have fared any better. Sometimes we can be so damaged by the outside world the only option, when it comes to self- preservation, is to retreat from everything and everyone. The only lifeline Reg has in his life is his dog. Watching how he desperately clings to that single connection is riveting.
The Last Dog on Earth caught me completely unaware. I had no expectations going in as I’ve not read any of Adrian J Walker’s other work. I was impressed. The story was great, the characters are memorable and there is plenty of insight into the nature of humanity and how we view ourselves and others.
Lineker is most loyal mutt you are ever likely to meet. He will do anything for his human companion, Reg. He implicitly trusts the man he shares his life with. In fact, I’d go further, he idolises Reg. Lineker thinks humans are so consistently amazing in everything that we do, so how can Reg be anything other than perfect? It turns out dogs are far cleverer than we give them credit for. In their own unique way, our four legged friends are a philosophical bunch. They understand most things; their brains are like sponges when it comes to input.
The sad truth of the matter is that Reg is a bit of a mess. The world outside his tiny flat has gone to hell, but he is almost entirely oblivious. A personal trauma has left him all but broken and he copes with this by choosing to be alone. He wants nothing more than to avoid all human contact. As long as it is just Lineker and him, Reg is ok. I always find myself fascinated when an author captures those minute details that define a character. Even the simplest gesture or turn of phrase can speak volumes. Reg is very precise and his dismay whenever that precision is questioned or ignored feels palpable. It is just another well realised example of the coping mechanisms he has developed in order to survive.
At the heart of The Last Dog on Earth is the dynamic that exists between Lineker and Reg. The story is told from each of their perspectives as alternate chapters feature their point of view. We get to see how both interpret events differently. Lineker is all boundless enthusiasm and excitement (he is a dog after all) while Reg is introspective almost paranoid. I particularly love the way the character of Lineker comes across. I know we’ll never know exactly how our pets think, and I fully appreciate that we anthropomorphise their actions, but there is a part of me that hopes the way Lineker thinks is exactly what goes through the minds of all dogs.
I have a special place in my heart when it comes to the end of the world. Rather than focusing on a huge apocalyptic event, The Last Dog in the World looks at societal collapse due to the rise of the political extremism. What with the current state of affairs in the UK and elsewhere, it makes some of the content feel eerily plausible. Snippets of the unpleasant rhetoric spouted by the story’s villains sounds like it could be coming right out the mouths of our politicians. I never expected a book about one man and his dog to be quite so topical.
Scattered throughout the narrative there are genuinely emotive moments. Reg and Lineker both slowly change as they leave the safety of their quiet little life. I’m always impressed when fiction manages to be so affecting. Reg’s history is also explored, and the reasons he is the way he is are ultimately revealed. You get a real sense of what makes this forlorn shadow of a man tick. In all honesty, faced with the things he has had to face, I don’t imagine I would have fared any better. Sometimes we can be so damaged by the outside world the only option, when it comes to self- preservation, is to retreat from everything and everyone. The only lifeline Reg has in his life is his dog. Watching how he desperately clings to that single connection is riveting.
The Last Dog on Earth caught me completely unaware. I had no expectations going in as I’ve not read any of Adrian J Walker’s other work. I was impressed. The story was great, the characters are memorable and there is plenty of insight into the nature of humanity and how we view ourselves and others.
July 31, 2017
I always worry when I come across a book that involves my favourite animal, the dog. I worry because if the dog dies it really can make me hate the rest of the book. I know that is a bit daft but that is how I roll.
The dog in this book is, well how can I describe this adorable hound? - foul mouthed springs to mind. I know dogs can't talk but the dog in this book has his say, he doesn't talk out loud per se but his thoughts are put to paper and his thoughts and actions are full of expletives, like it would make a sailor blush.
Lineker, our four legged friend (yes he is named for the footballer and crisp seller) lives with Reg, an agoraphobic in a flat in London. They have a good life together but the world outside is changing and not for the better.
Rioting, violence, the world is about to come to an abrupt nasty halt and Reg finds that his safe haven might not be so safe after all.
A young girl shows up on his doorstep, orphaned, scared and lonely. Against everything Reg decides to brave the outside and try and get the girl to wherever safety lies, what he finds outside is very different to the world he remembers.
This is an enjoyable read, the near future setting is quite close to the bone, the kind of future if the world keeps going the way it is, well I hope it never happens. My favourite part of the book though was Lineker, the world through his eyes, the smells (quite graphic) and his colourful language were a breath of fresh air. Now I find myself looking at my sweet innocent dog wondering if she is swearing at me!
This is a great quirky read full of humour and the horrors of a world gone to hell.
Thanks to Del Rey for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2019
Brilliant. Darkly light-hearted and playful apocalyptic. Despite its grim setting, The Last Dog on Earth is a pleasure to read.
The protagonist, Reg, is broken in a way that I can relate to; it was fascinating to watch him deal with his flaws. And his co-narrator, Lineker, rounds out the storytelling with much-needed energy and humor.
The protagonist, Reg, is broken in a way that I can relate to; it was fascinating to watch him deal with his flaws. And his co-narrator, Lineker, rounds out the storytelling with much-needed energy and humor.
September 1, 2020
Despite the grim subject matter, set in a world frighteningly within touching distance. This is such a joyous book. There are two narrators. Reg, broken and alone except for his dog. And Lineker, the hyperactive sweary dog. The difference in tone between the two narrators really sets this book apart and kudos to Adrian Walker for getting the "thoughts of the dog" spot on (in my opinion). If, like me, you are the owner of a mad mutt you will love this book. If you hate swearing be warned.
May 9, 2019
This is a really good book. At first it is funny and then it get dark. It can be a little scary, as in “could this really happen?” I enjoyed the dog, Lineker’s perspective on people and the world and his snarky, foul mouthed attitude.
June 11, 2018
This book was truly awful! I bailed at 33% as I couldn't take any more of the dark, post-apocalyptic world that contained not a shred of human decency. And that dog had a foul mouth....
November 23, 2019
**Spoiler Alert**
I am a dog lover. But you don’t have to be one to appreciate Lineker, the philosophical, working class mut, in The Last Dog on Earth. Lineker, as a protagonist, is a real treat. He curses like a boss throughout a majority of the book, sometimes to make a deeper ideological point about freedom or sex—I adored his crassness. He lives with his master, Reginald Hardy (Reg), in a ruined London, after a global fascist regime, composed of The Purples, overtakes the country.
Reg is a recluse who does not want to be touched, and he and Lineker seem to thrive in their flat. But juxtaposed against his hermitic ways are the desires of his pal, Linker, who wants to chase squirrels and explore the outdoors. Instead Lineker is content with observing birds and embroiling himself in scents, until Reg reluctantly leaves home, and they encounter the brutality of The Purples—humiliation, pain, and death.
Now, Reg, despite making some poor choices, is not unlikeable at all. I was expecting an anti-hero you want to punch in the face from Walker, as in his book, The End of the World Running Club, but no. As the novel reveals Reg’s backstory, I grew to appreciate his quirks and understand why he is so flawed. Reg learns to rehumanize himself by reluctantly taking in a young girl, Aisha, who is hiding from the regime. Along the way to reunite Aisha to her family, Reg meets a woman named Chris. The struggles and challenges teach Reg how to open his heart again and redefine what it means to have a family.
Lineker also experiences amazing growth. His philosophical debates about the differences between domesticated animals and wolves drive a major conflict for him. The theme of belonging to The Howl, a term that defines the connection to untamed nature comes up repeatedly. There is a brilliant, funny, side character, a wolf set in his dogmatic way of thinking, a brute that mirrors the fascists in the novel. The wolf is entertaining but also the challenges Lineker to grapple with where he belongs in the natural order.
The novel also contains a carefully crafted antagonist, Hastings. She is terrifying not just because of her behavior but also because of her insane hatred of those the regime oppresses. She also owns a female huskie who serves as an opposition and temptation for Lineker.
Towards the end of the novel, Lineker experiences the worst from the regime but defines who he is as a dog. That struggle and the choices he makes are a highlight for me, even far more than Reg finding human connections because Lineker is able to analyze the murderous depravity of man and humanity’s redemption from a dog’s point of view, an objective perspective. Priceless.
And the ending, oh I hate spoilers, but the ending is masterful. Both Lineker and Reg experience utter oppression and dehumanization, pushing their limits, especially for Reg, who makes a monumental sacrifice, despite his phobias. Reg endures a terrible ordeal to help Aisha, Chris, and his friends escape a Nazi-like death camp. Lineker also makes a notable sacrifice, again to save his master and friends from death. I won’t say more, other than there is a wonderful climax and closure for all the characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and appreciated this approach to a post-apocalyptic narration. The points of view from Lineker to Reg were seamless. Walker’s figurative language, as ever, was beautiful. Overall, a well-deserved 5 stars for Adrian J. Walker. I look forward to reading all of his work.
I am a dog lover. But you don’t have to be one to appreciate Lineker, the philosophical, working class mut, in The Last Dog on Earth. Lineker, as a protagonist, is a real treat. He curses like a boss throughout a majority of the book, sometimes to make a deeper ideological point about freedom or sex—I adored his crassness. He lives with his master, Reginald Hardy (Reg), in a ruined London, after a global fascist regime, composed of The Purples, overtakes the country.
Reg is a recluse who does not want to be touched, and he and Lineker seem to thrive in their flat. But juxtaposed against his hermitic ways are the desires of his pal, Linker, who wants to chase squirrels and explore the outdoors. Instead Lineker is content with observing birds and embroiling himself in scents, until Reg reluctantly leaves home, and they encounter the brutality of The Purples—humiliation, pain, and death.
Now, Reg, despite making some poor choices, is not unlikeable at all. I was expecting an anti-hero you want to punch in the face from Walker, as in his book, The End of the World Running Club, but no. As the novel reveals Reg’s backstory, I grew to appreciate his quirks and understand why he is so flawed. Reg learns to rehumanize himself by reluctantly taking in a young girl, Aisha, who is hiding from the regime. Along the way to reunite Aisha to her family, Reg meets a woman named Chris. The struggles and challenges teach Reg how to open his heart again and redefine what it means to have a family.
Lineker also experiences amazing growth. His philosophical debates about the differences between domesticated animals and wolves drive a major conflict for him. The theme of belonging to The Howl, a term that defines the connection to untamed nature comes up repeatedly. There is a brilliant, funny, side character, a wolf set in his dogmatic way of thinking, a brute that mirrors the fascists in the novel. The wolf is entertaining but also the challenges Lineker to grapple with where he belongs in the natural order.
The novel also contains a carefully crafted antagonist, Hastings. She is terrifying not just because of her behavior but also because of her insane hatred of those the regime oppresses. She also owns a female huskie who serves as an opposition and temptation for Lineker.
Towards the end of the novel, Lineker experiences the worst from the regime but defines who he is as a dog. That struggle and the choices he makes are a highlight for me, even far more than Reg finding human connections because Lineker is able to analyze the murderous depravity of man and humanity’s redemption from a dog’s point of view, an objective perspective. Priceless.
And the ending, oh I hate spoilers, but the ending is masterful. Both Lineker and Reg experience utter oppression and dehumanization, pushing their limits, especially for Reg, who makes a monumental sacrifice, despite his phobias. Reg endures a terrible ordeal to help Aisha, Chris, and his friends escape a Nazi-like death camp. Lineker also makes a notable sacrifice, again to save his master and friends from death. I won’t say more, other than there is a wonderful climax and closure for all the characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and appreciated this approach to a post-apocalyptic narration. The points of view from Lineker to Reg were seamless. Walker’s figurative language, as ever, was beautiful. Overall, a well-deserved 5 stars for Adrian J. Walker. I look forward to reading all of his work.
August 24, 2021
3 Stars
Review:
I don't feel like trying to be eloquent, so here are some lists.
----------Things I liked:
- The dog POV! It was fun and interesting to see someone's take on how dogs view the world, how different their view of things and people might be compared to ours. I think dog lovers will love this aspect, but do be warned that the dog is foul-mouthed.
- The great character growth. Reg had emotional trauma in his past, it changed him, made him push people away and not care about anyone other than himself. He wasn't the most likeable in the beginning, and one thing he did was particularly awful. But he really grew and changed by the end, and I came to like him and also understand him as I learned his story.
----------Things I Disliked:
- It was sometimes hard to tell what was taking place in the past and what was the present, but that could be partly due to the audiobook.
- The book was slow. It seemed like there was so much focus on what it's like to be a dog that the actual story was lacking.
- I still don't have answers to or understand a lot of things about the situation of the world.
- The ending is satisfying but also somewhat open.
----------Things I Neither Liked nor Disliked but Others Might Want to Know:
- Does the dog die? *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
- This was a heavy book. Themes about tragedy, trauma, and healing. The main character has agoraphobia (I don't think any specific word is used in the story, but it's in the description). Trigger/content warning for mentions of *SPOILER* *END SPOILERS* The healing element was nice though. The book ended with hope.
- There was a relationship that formed near the end, but it was so small in the overall story that I wouldn't even call it a romantic side plot.
----------Audiobook:
- I enjoyed the audiobook narration. There were two narrators, Jonathan Aris and David John. Both sounded natural and suited the characters, and voices for different characters were different enough. Reg's POV wasn't always super emotive in dialogue but was still natural enough. Lineker's POV was like he was talking to the reader, and it was very emotive and well-acted.
----------Overall:
Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to really get into this. It's slow-paced, but I can see some people loving this, especially if you like dogs and character-focused stories.
*Rating: 3 Stars // Read Date: 2020 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes dogs, animal POVs, slow-paced stories, post-apoc, agoraphobia / mental illness rep, and characters who start unlikeable but grow.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
I don't feel like trying to be eloquent, so here are some lists.
----------Things I liked:
- The dog POV! It was fun and interesting to see someone's take on how dogs view the world, how different their view of things and people might be compared to ours. I think dog lovers will love this aspect, but do be warned that the dog is foul-mouthed.
- The great character growth. Reg had emotional trauma in his past, it changed him, made him push people away and not care about anyone other than himself. He wasn't the most likeable in the beginning, and one thing he did was particularly awful. But he really grew and changed by the end, and I came to like him and also understand him as I learned his story.
----------Things I Disliked:
- It was sometimes hard to tell what was taking place in the past and what was the present, but that could be partly due to the audiobook.
- The book was slow. It seemed like there was so much focus on what it's like to be a dog that the actual story was lacking.
- I still don't have answers to or understand a lot of things about the situation of the world.
- The ending is satisfying but also somewhat open.
----------Things I Neither Liked nor Disliked but Others Might Want to Know:
- Does the dog die? *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
- This was a heavy book. Themes about tragedy, trauma, and healing. The main character has agoraphobia (I don't think any specific word is used in the story, but it's in the description). Trigger/content warning for mentions of *SPOILER* *END SPOILERS* The healing element was nice though. The book ended with hope.
- There was a relationship that formed near the end, but it was so small in the overall story that I wouldn't even call it a romantic side plot.
----------Audiobook:
- I enjoyed the audiobook narration. There were two narrators, Jonathan Aris and David John. Both sounded natural and suited the characters, and voices for different characters were different enough. Reg's POV wasn't always super emotive in dialogue but was still natural enough. Lineker's POV was like he was talking to the reader, and it was very emotive and well-acted.
----------Overall:
Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to really get into this. It's slow-paced, but I can see some people loving this, especially if you like dogs and character-focused stories.
*Rating: 3 Stars // Read Date: 2020 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes dogs, animal POVs, slow-paced stories, post-apoc, agoraphobia / mental illness rep, and characters who start unlikeable but grow.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
December 23, 2017
[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.]
Hmm, bit of a tough one, I don’t really know why it took me so long to finish it, because it’s not a particularly long book?
The topics are both hopeful (a man who embarks on a journey with his dog, to help a child he doesn’t want anything to do with at first, with their relationship developing along the way) and bleak (a maybe not so unbelievable future, unfortunately, considering the current state of affairs in the world, with political parties rising to power and starting to test people to see if they’re ‘of the right type’, rounding up people and putting them in camps ensue...). Probably not the kind of thing I’ve wanted to read recently, which may explain in part the lull I was in regarding this novel, but the latter theme is interesting nonetheless!
So. Great moments throughout the book. Having both Reg’s and Linekeer’s narratives side to side. The dog’s musings about life, what it means to be a dog, how he perceives the world (the smell of fear or grief of happiness, etc.), how he sees us humans and is both awed yet unable to comprehend us. The dire landscape of London, or rather what’s left of it, after a series of attacks coupled with the raise to power of the ‘Purple’ political party. Reg’s progress, from agoraphobic to forced out of his cocoon to actually choosing to stay out, and why he retreated so from the world.
However, I still never really connected with the characters in general. At times they’d have reactions that made me pause and wonder how they had survived so long in such a city, because let’s be honest, ‘fight or flight’ is OK, but ‘stay where I am, paralysed with fear, while bullets fly around me’ is not exactly conducive to long-term survival. I also wished we had had more of the bigger picture, instead of snippets about what happened to the world/London. (I know that wasn’t the focus, the point was the characters and their developing relationships, but it still bothered me.)
Although I do tend to agree with Lineker regarding how people who acknowledge how shitty they are, are the ones who may become the kindest, whereas the monsters keep thinking of themselves as being better, and never question themselves. It... makes sense.
Conclusion: As mentioned, possibly it wasn’t the right moment for me to read this book. I didn’t really enjoy it in spite of finding good, interesting points in it. But I don’t even really know why. I’d say, clearly a matter of ‘in the eye of the beholder’ here, rather than plenty of faults on the novel’s part.
Hmm, bit of a tough one, I don’t really know why it took me so long to finish it, because it’s not a particularly long book?
The topics are both hopeful (a man who embarks on a journey with his dog, to help a child he doesn’t want anything to do with at first, with their relationship developing along the way) and bleak (a maybe not so unbelievable future, unfortunately, considering the current state of affairs in the world, with political parties rising to power and starting to test people to see if they’re ‘of the right type’, rounding up people and putting them in camps ensue...). Probably not the kind of thing I’ve wanted to read recently, which may explain in part the lull I was in regarding this novel, but the latter theme is interesting nonetheless!
So. Great moments throughout the book. Having both Reg’s and Linekeer’s narratives side to side. The dog’s musings about life, what it means to be a dog, how he perceives the world (the smell of fear or grief of happiness, etc.), how he sees us humans and is both awed yet unable to comprehend us. The dire landscape of London, or rather what’s left of it, after a series of attacks coupled with the raise to power of the ‘Purple’ political party. Reg’s progress, from agoraphobic to forced out of his cocoon to actually choosing to stay out, and why he retreated so from the world.
However, I still never really connected with the characters in general. At times they’d have reactions that made me pause and wonder how they had survived so long in such a city, because let’s be honest, ‘fight or flight’ is OK, but ‘stay where I am, paralysed with fear, while bullets fly around me’ is not exactly conducive to long-term survival. I also wished we had had more of the bigger picture, instead of snippets about what happened to the world/London. (I know that wasn’t the focus, the point was the characters and their developing relationships, but it still bothered me.)
Although I do tend to agree with Lineker regarding how people who acknowledge how shitty they are, are the ones who may become the kindest, whereas the monsters keep thinking of themselves as being better, and never question themselves. It... makes sense.
Conclusion: As mentioned, possibly it wasn’t the right moment for me to read this book. I didn’t really enjoy it in spite of finding good, interesting points in it. But I don’t even really know why. I’d say, clearly a matter of ‘in the eye of the beholder’ here, rather than plenty of faults on the novel’s part.
September 26, 2017
Let's get one thing straight, right off the bat.
This is not simply a book. It's a journey, and a terrifying one at that.
When the credits had finished, and the story had truly ended, i drove in silence for 25 minutes contemplating the experience Adrian J. Walker has created.
I really needed to understand.
The Last Dog On Earth, a tale told by Reginald Hardy (Human), and Lineker (Dog) may seem like an odd concept, but it works. It works so absolutely beautifully.
It is magnificent tapestry, woven with humour, grief, and terror
Reg, the straight laced, agoraphobic, wannabe writer, hiding in his London flat, as the country collapses, is accompanied by his cockney, foul mouthed canine companion, Lineker.
Circumstances which Reg is desperate to avoid takes him on a unavoidable, perilous, and hellish journey.
His transition through the book is heartbreaking, yet heroic.
The story would be classed as a dystopian nightmare, with the country controlled by an ultra right wing party, bent on eliminating undesirables.
The hint of Nazi Germany felt strong, but i saw subtle references to the potential of modern instances of culture hate.
The horrifying acts, simple people will carry out in the name of a ideal, is so frightening.
Some of the scenes made me feel very uncomfortable, and terrified at the thought that this is a scenario that has occurred before, and could again.
I'm not talking about graphic violence in the slightest, because Adrian J. Walker is far too clever to need to resort to extreme descriptions.
Immense and epic doesn't even come close.
Adrian J. Walker is a literary genius.
The characters are mind blowing, in there complexity, and depth.
The dialogue is incredible, and Linekers bad language is about as colourful as a million rainbows.
But this is an author who has respect for his readers, and every fuck, and every cunt is perfected justified. Without these, the story would end up among the utter shite that those good ole Christain folk from the US, insist on shitting out.
Much credit also needs to be shown to the narrators Jonathan Aris & David John.
What a wonderful collaberation this whole project is.
This is not simply a book. It's a journey, and a terrifying one at that.
When the credits had finished, and the story had truly ended, i drove in silence for 25 minutes contemplating the experience Adrian J. Walker has created.
I really needed to understand.
The Last Dog On Earth, a tale told by Reginald Hardy (Human), and Lineker (Dog) may seem like an odd concept, but it works. It works so absolutely beautifully.
It is magnificent tapestry, woven with humour, grief, and terror
Reg, the straight laced, agoraphobic, wannabe writer, hiding in his London flat, as the country collapses, is accompanied by his cockney, foul mouthed canine companion, Lineker.
Circumstances which Reg is desperate to avoid takes him on a unavoidable, perilous, and hellish journey.
His transition through the book is heartbreaking, yet heroic.
The story would be classed as a dystopian nightmare, with the country controlled by an ultra right wing party, bent on eliminating undesirables.
The hint of Nazi Germany felt strong, but i saw subtle references to the potential of modern instances of culture hate.
The horrifying acts, simple people will carry out in the name of a ideal, is so frightening.
Some of the scenes made me feel very uncomfortable, and terrified at the thought that this is a scenario that has occurred before, and could again.
I'm not talking about graphic violence in the slightest, because Adrian J. Walker is far too clever to need to resort to extreme descriptions.
Immense and epic doesn't even come close.
Adrian J. Walker is a literary genius.
The characters are mind blowing, in there complexity, and depth.
The dialogue is incredible, and Linekers bad language is about as colourful as a million rainbows.
But this is an author who has respect for his readers, and every fuck, and every cunt is perfected justified. Without these, the story would end up among the utter shite that those good ole Christain folk from the US, insist on shitting out.
Much credit also needs to be shown to the narrators Jonathan Aris & David John.
What a wonderful collaberation this whole project is.
August 4, 2023
The Dog Lives. The Girl lives. The Man lives. There, now all the tension is gone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2019
Neither of the two main characters, Lineker or Reginald, is likeable. Lineker, the Dog, is a foul-mouth philosopher. Reginald, the owner, is a socially awkward hermit and coward. The story essentially retells the Nazi holocaust, but set in 21st century London. One annoyance is that the theme—that fear and ignorance are dangerous, prejudice is bad, and love is good—is too explicit and dominant throughout; from beginning to end, Lineker’s narration is just a lecture on human nature, and on the choice between being an ally or Nazi.
Here is my scoresheet for the The Last Dog on Earth:
1) Story (2/5)
2) Writing (4/5)
3) Originality (3/5)
4) Characters (2/5)
5) Set pieces (3/5)
6) Suspense (3/5)
7) Ending (4/5)
8) Relationships (romantic or otherwise) (4/5)
9) Dialogue (2/5)
Here is my scoresheet for the The Last Dog on Earth:
1) Story (2/5)
2) Writing (4/5)
3) Originality (3/5)
4) Characters (2/5)
5) Set pieces (3/5)
6) Suspense (3/5)
7) Ending (4/5)
8) Relationships (romantic or otherwise) (4/5)
9) Dialogue (2/5)
September 18, 2020
This is an odd book. But I was fully in. There is a ton of cussing. I mean a ton. And big cuss words. For real.
The fun thing about this book is that it is told from alternating perspectives: a man who has been traumatized AND his dog!! The dog is the big cusser.
It’s post apocalyptic.
I really liked it.
The fun thing about this book is that it is told from alternating perspectives: a man who has been traumatized AND his dog!! The dog is the big cusser.
It’s post apocalyptic.
I really liked it.
December 11, 2017
Another post-apocalyptic romp told through the eyes of a man (Reg) and his dog (Lineker). Reg seems to identify people by names from the England 1990 World Cup team.
This is post nuclear war scenario and, again, as in the End of the World Running Club, Reg and his dog go through a journey on which they meet lots of characters and have lots of adventures and the sad story of Reg's past is also revealed.
I do enjoy this sort of book which would loosely be identified as science fiction. Did not think as well written as the End of the World Running Club but enjoyable.
This is post nuclear war scenario and, again, as in the End of the World Running Club, Reg and his dog go through a journey on which they meet lots of characters and have lots of adventures and the sad story of Reg's past is also revealed.
I do enjoy this sort of book which would loosely be identified as science fiction. Did not think as well written as the End of the World Running Club but enjoyable.
June 27, 2019
I'm finding that I love books that have a character and their dog pitted against the rest of the world. And I've been looking for a book that's set in a post-apocalyptic future; that has a character and their dog, just doing their thing until something happens, that they have to go on this grand adventure...I found it. And I love it!
Here are some things I liked/disliked:
Lineker, I LOVED his point of view, sarcastic, blunt, philosophical and oh the swears! He's such a potty mouth and it's a nice change of pace rather than the lovey dovey shit or the unending sadness that's usually presented in dog pov books ( The Plague Dogs/ A Dog's Purpose). I love his character arc, and it was nice to see a dog that questioned the god-like status we humans seem to hold over our canine companions. I do wish we got a bit of an idea what Lineker was... since I was going back and forth trying to figure how big this dog was ( at one point Aisha picks him up...she's like 8 and then he's used to for attacking purposes), just saying he's a terrier isn't enough. There are multiple sizes and ranges to terriers!
Reginald Hardy, his point of view was a hit or miss for me. It went from exciting and I needed to know what he thought about the whole experience to his POV becoming quite dull. He also goes through a ton of changes throughout the course of the novel, it was nice to see the progress.
Aisha, much of her back story is kept in secret since she isn't much of a talker. I was indifferent to Aisha, to be honest. So I didn't think much about her character, she was just kinda meh.
The world-building- we experience this through Lineker and Reg's point of view, and since both were locked away for years, it all unfolds through their eyes. A lot of it is left in the dark. We do get a peek at some things, but most of it is guess work. I would've liked to have seen more.
The other thing was, I would like to know why Captain Hastings had such a magnetic pull over dogs... It was almost supernatural really. This wasn't really well explained and I wish we got more. Though this bitch needs a lesson in dog training...cause what she does is just rude.
Conclusion: It's a lovely novel about hope, accepting yourself and others for who you/they really are and choosing to try and do good in the world. I enjoyed it immensely.
P.s. Squirrels are cunts.
Here are some things I liked/disliked:
Lineker, I LOVED his point of view, sarcastic, blunt, philosophical and oh the swears! He's such a potty mouth and it's a nice change of pace rather than the lovey dovey shit or the unending sadness that's usually presented in dog pov books ( The Plague Dogs/ A Dog's Purpose). I love his character arc, and it was nice to see a dog that questioned the god-like status we humans seem to hold over our canine companions. I do wish we got a bit of an idea what Lineker was... since I was going back and forth trying to figure how big this dog was ( at one point Aisha picks him up...she's like 8 and then he's used to for attacking purposes), just saying he's a terrier isn't enough. There are multiple sizes and ranges to terriers!
Reginald Hardy, his point of view was a hit or miss for me. It went from exciting and I needed to know what he thought about the whole experience to his POV becoming quite dull. He also goes through a ton of changes throughout the course of the novel, it was nice to see the progress.
Aisha, much of her back story is kept in secret since she isn't much of a talker. I was indifferent to Aisha, to be honest. So I didn't think much about her character, she was just kinda meh.
The world-building- we experience this through Lineker and Reg's point of view, and since both were locked away for years, it all unfolds through their eyes. A lot of it is left in the dark. We do get a peek at some things, but most of it is guess work. I would've liked to have seen more.
The other thing was, I would like to know why Captain Hastings had such a magnetic pull over dogs... It was almost supernatural really. This wasn't really well explained and I wish we got more. Though this bitch needs a lesson in dog training...cause what she does is just rude.
Conclusion: It's a lovely novel about hope, accepting yourself and others for who you/they really are and choosing to try and do good in the world. I enjoyed it immensely.
P.s. Squirrels are cunts.
September 28, 2018
I can't look at my dog Rosie 🐕🐶 the same! Is she swearing at me all the time like Lineker 😱😲😮. I'm atrocious for swearing and being vulgar myself, so in fairness, if she does, it's no one's fault only my own 😁😄😂😃😜😝😉. I am personally not offended or judgemental of swearing, so I didn't mind Lineker's "colourful as a rainbow 🌈" language, but I can see why people might not like the language used by him and have issues with it. My dog's life revolves around eating, shitting 💩 and sleeping 😴💤 too. And walking! 🐾
I enjoyed the split narrative between the two main characters, but I loved looking at the world 🌍🌎🌏 through loyal, loveable Lineker's eyes 👀 and his foul, potty 🚽 mouthedness. Comical, funny dog! He was probably the most interesting out of the two main characters for me. His take on things is definitely funnier anyway!
It was an enjoyable, entertaining read for me, quirky and funny, but sad and poignant too with a lot of depth to it. Poor old Reg, a difficult character to like (but by design, I think, an anti-hero type character), so damaged by the outside world, he rereats from everything and everyone, the only lifeline being his doggy (I could do this easily in an apocalyptic world, I think 😱!!!) It is also a pretty bleak look at humanity in a world gone to shite 💩!
I like any book 📖 or film 🎥 that deals with a post apocalyptic world and the way our crazy 😜😝 world is at the moment with politics, religion, wars, power in the wrong hands 👐, etc., it's not all that far fetched, worse case scenario, that society could collapse around us! It has before and could again. Humanity sucks sometimes, like in this book 📖! But the human and animal spirit of survival will always be strong 💪 👏 💜 👌 👍. I like a book with a dark and a light 💡 side. The book might have ended a little quickly though.
I enjoyed the split narrative between the two main characters, but I loved looking at the world 🌍🌎🌏 through loyal, loveable Lineker's eyes 👀 and his foul, potty 🚽 mouthedness. Comical, funny dog! He was probably the most interesting out of the two main characters for me. His take on things is definitely funnier anyway!
It was an enjoyable, entertaining read for me, quirky and funny, but sad and poignant too with a lot of depth to it. Poor old Reg, a difficult character to like (but by design, I think, an anti-hero type character), so damaged by the outside world, he rereats from everything and everyone, the only lifeline being his doggy (I could do this easily in an apocalyptic world, I think 😱!!!) It is also a pretty bleak look at humanity in a world gone to shite 💩!
I like any book 📖 or film 🎥 that deals with a post apocalyptic world and the way our crazy 😜😝 world is at the moment with politics, religion, wars, power in the wrong hands 👐, etc., it's not all that far fetched, worse case scenario, that society could collapse around us! It has before and could again. Humanity sucks sometimes, like in this book 📖! But the human and animal spirit of survival will always be strong 💪 👏 💜 👌 👍. I like a book with a dark and a light 💡 side. The book might have ended a little quickly though.
June 21, 2022
Sometimes I expect to really love a book, and it disappoints me. This one was the opposite situation; I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this book when I picked it up, I'm just a sucker for a story with an animal in it, but I ended up loving absolutely everything about this book!
I was laughing from the very first page and Lineker, the titular "last dog on Earth" and one of the protagonists, kept the laughs coming through almost the entire book. Of course, it did get dark and touched on some pretty heavy topics, but at the same time it never depressed me, which can happen if I read dark and gloomy subjects. But the author struck such a wonderful balance between Lineker and his owner Reg, the other point of view in this tale. The development of both characters throughout the course of the story was such a compelling journey. A beautiful story, really.
This one may not be for everyone, especially if the idea of a foul-mouthed dog isn't your brand of humor. I have to admit though, reading the one-star reviews that complained about how vulgar the dog was really made my little heathen heart giggle.
I was laughing from the very first page and Lineker, the titular "last dog on Earth" and one of the protagonists, kept the laughs coming through almost the entire book. Of course, it did get dark and touched on some pretty heavy topics, but at the same time it never depressed me, which can happen if I read dark and gloomy subjects. But the author struck such a wonderful balance between Lineker and his owner Reg, the other point of view in this tale. The development of both characters throughout the course of the story was such a compelling journey. A beautiful story, really.
This one may not be for everyone, especially if the idea of a foul-mouthed dog isn't your brand of humor. I have to admit though, reading the one-star reviews that complained about how vulgar the dog was really made my little heathen heart giggle.
September 7, 2017
I was really excited to read this as I loved The End of the World Running Club, but I really didn't enjoy this at all. There were so many great ideas but the lead character wasn't particularly likeable and was quite flat until right at the end. And Lineker? Why the need for such foul language? The way he was written just irritated me from the off.
I just couldn't maintain an interest, I kept putting it down and finding other things to do.
I'll still recommend it to people who like the genre, but with a definite "not for me" slant.
I just couldn't maintain an interest, I kept putting it down and finding other things to do.
I'll still recommend it to people who like the genre, but with a definite "not for me" slant.
March 24, 2018
Proceed with caution.
This is the second book this month that I have reviewed before finishing. I don't think there is any chance that I will finish this one.
If listening to a foul mouthed cockney mongrel talk about his love of piss and shit and fetid breath, sounds entertaining to you, then go ahead and read this book.
To me, the whole experience of chapter 1 felt like I was trapped in a confined space with a football hooligan.
Not my idea of fun.
This is the second book this month that I have reviewed before finishing. I don't think there is any chance that I will finish this one.
If listening to a foul mouthed cockney mongrel talk about his love of piss and shit and fetid breath, sounds entertaining to you, then go ahead and read this book.
To me, the whole experience of chapter 1 felt like I was trapped in a confined space with a football hooligan.
Not my idea of fun.
September 14, 2020
The story started out really slow for me and I found it a bit boring. The title doesn't make much sense because at no time in this story does the dog ever seem to be the last dog on Earth. He talks about his other dog friends constantly. There was no big build up to anything in the story at all. Great narration though. I kept going with this book mainly because of the narration and the personality of the dog.
August 19, 2020
Look if you had told me the pitch for this book, or giving me the cross "It's like A Dog's Purpose meets The Road," I likely would have passed as that sounds kinda dumb. In the end, I am glad I read this book which I did base entirely on the strength of the author's last book "End of the World Running Club," which I learned about the same way most did on its way to becoming an international bestseller. I heard about it in a Stephen King tweet.
Running club was a powerful novel that hit a couple of my sweet spots. End of the World novels are my absolute favorite subgenre of fiction that crosses science and horror fiction at times. I don't entirely now why the darkest of dark stories set in the most awful of times appeal to me but they do.
I am also a dog person. I love dogs, certainly more than people. I miss my doggie Barney all day long when I am away from him and I am far more likely to say hi to a dog than I am a person by a long shot. So in some senses, this book was somewhat calibrated to hit me emotionally. That said there was one major road block for me but we'll chat about that later.
It is the story of a London writer named Reg and his dog Lineker who survive a small nuke attack on London that is never really explained. I actually like that the details of the disaster were kinda unimportant. They have been surviving for three years in solitude in a London high rise when they find mute survivor named Ashley. Reg doesn't want to help her at first but of course, events send them in a different direction. This becomes a tale of survival and one that packs quite a few emotional touches that are predictable but well executed. I am not going to spoil the end but if you were wanting to go in 100% cold this is a good place to stop.
Reg and Lineker both grow attached to the young girl they rescue, and of course the dog and his person get separated, nothing about this story is surprising, but I will Walker makes it all work. I felt Reg's pain at losing his dog, I felt Lineker's pain at losing his people and I felt both their concerns for Ashely the young girl. Walker shows again that he can make the post-apocalypse environment one you can emotionally invest in. This is the best strength of this book.
There is however a huge Elephant in this room we have to talk about. It ultimately is the reason you will either be able to be in or out on The Last Dog on Earth. My wife Cari has the hardest time with a suspension of disbelief and normally I get annoyed with her about that. Anything in space or giant monsters she just has no interest in. Normally I have a very healthy relationship with fantasy and almost nothing is a no-go for me. This novel tested my suspension of disbelief when a good part of the narrative is told the first person through the dog's eyes.
I already am not a huge fan of the first-person narrative as it takes me out of the story and often causes me to look to close at the prose. Why is this character writing this story? Why would they say this or that? Why be nervous I mean this character is clearly around to write this story down? In this novel, the POV switches back and forth between Reg and his dog telling the story. Reg's part is a journal and for the most part, I was able to get past the first person and just sink into the narrative. All the reg parts worked for me.
Now all the Lineker parts really tested me. There were several funny parts, and Walker does fun stuff with dog humor. It is quite a tonal shift from the Reg chapters. Lineker does have a really good arc. Walker did as good a job as he could do with these chapters. I just spent too much time nitpicking if a dog would be thinking about this or that, would a dog know these words? any words? OK, this is user error on the reader. So the real question is this - Is the first-person narrative by a dog a deal breaker?
Overall I enjoyed this book, I got major feels in certain moments but I could have easily skipped the Dog POV and maybe it would have been a better experience for me. That said I think Walker delivered on his concept. Thumbs up on this book.
Running club was a powerful novel that hit a couple of my sweet spots. End of the World novels are my absolute favorite subgenre of fiction that crosses science and horror fiction at times. I don't entirely now why the darkest of dark stories set in the most awful of times appeal to me but they do.
I am also a dog person. I love dogs, certainly more than people. I miss my doggie Barney all day long when I am away from him and I am far more likely to say hi to a dog than I am a person by a long shot. So in some senses, this book was somewhat calibrated to hit me emotionally. That said there was one major road block for me but we'll chat about that later.
It is the story of a London writer named Reg and his dog Lineker who survive a small nuke attack on London that is never really explained. I actually like that the details of the disaster were kinda unimportant. They have been surviving for three years in solitude in a London high rise when they find mute survivor named Ashley. Reg doesn't want to help her at first but of course, events send them in a different direction. This becomes a tale of survival and one that packs quite a few emotional touches that are predictable but well executed. I am not going to spoil the end but if you were wanting to go in 100% cold this is a good place to stop.
Reg and Lineker both grow attached to the young girl they rescue, and of course the dog and his person get separated, nothing about this story is surprising, but I will Walker makes it all work. I felt Reg's pain at losing his dog, I felt Lineker's pain at losing his people and I felt both their concerns for Ashely the young girl. Walker shows again that he can make the post-apocalypse environment one you can emotionally invest in. This is the best strength of this book.
There is however a huge Elephant in this room we have to talk about. It ultimately is the reason you will either be able to be in or out on The Last Dog on Earth. My wife Cari has the hardest time with a suspension of disbelief and normally I get annoyed with her about that. Anything in space or giant monsters she just has no interest in. Normally I have a very healthy relationship with fantasy and almost nothing is a no-go for me. This novel tested my suspension of disbelief when a good part of the narrative is told the first person through the dog's eyes.
I already am not a huge fan of the first-person narrative as it takes me out of the story and often causes me to look to close at the prose. Why is this character writing this story? Why would they say this or that? Why be nervous I mean this character is clearly around to write this story down? In this novel, the POV switches back and forth between Reg and his dog telling the story. Reg's part is a journal and for the most part, I was able to get past the first person and just sink into the narrative. All the reg parts worked for me.
Now all the Lineker parts really tested me. There were several funny parts, and Walker does fun stuff with dog humor. It is quite a tonal shift from the Reg chapters. Lineker does have a really good arc. Walker did as good a job as he could do with these chapters. I just spent too much time nitpicking if a dog would be thinking about this or that, would a dog know these words? any words? OK, this is user error on the reader. So the real question is this - Is the first-person narrative by a dog a deal breaker?
Overall I enjoyed this book, I got major feels in certain moments but I could have easily skipped the Dog POV and maybe it would have been a better experience for me. That said I think Walker delivered on his concept. Thumbs up on this book.
October 23, 2017
The Last Dog on Earth by Adrian J Walker is a post-apocalyptic set in 2021. “Hell!” I hear you say. “That’s not far in the future.” As you know, things can escalate very fast, especially when it comes to politics. People become hot under the collar, extreme in their views and, in the worst-case scenario, society could collapse.
This story is told from two different viewpoints: a mongrel dog named Lineker and his owner, Reginald Hardy.
Lineker swears a lot, and some readers may not approve of this, but I thought it worked well and added rather than detracted from my enjoyment of the story. Obviously nobody knows exactly what it’s like inside a dog’s brain, but if a dog of Lineker’s personality were to use human words, then he would use the f-word and the c-word without compunction, in particular with regard to cats, squirrels, foxes, and disagreeable humans. Even though he relates his insights and his plot narration in the English language, I would not class this as an anthropomorphic exercise. He is always very much an authentic dog of huge personality. Also, I felt that the author obviously knows his dogs well; he includes a great deal of interesting background information about their relationship with humans from the earliest times, when wild dogs first became domesticated.
Reginald worked as an electrician before the apocalypse, which comes in useful for fixing his recalcitrant generator, as well it equipping him with a skill that post-apocalyptic society can use. The trouble is, he’s a loner who can’t abide any sort of physical contact with other humans, even a quick handshake; thus, the fact that majority of people have left London and that he has the immediate neighbourhood all to himself, is a total boon, and he’s not in a hurry to leave it, until a starving orphan girl turns up on his doorstep, refuses to leave, and then asks for his help with something that involves him having to leave his flat. Lineker and the girl bond straightaway, and so it’s two against one when it comes to the final decision about this.
What follows is an adventure to end all adventures, triggering a rollercoaster of emotions. I found myself laughing, near to tears, my stomach in knots, breathless with anticipation, and, most important of all, I really cared for the three main characters. As for the baddies, they were spit-worthy and you wanted the worst for them. At the same time, you could understand their motivation, however twisted it might seem.
A highly recommended read, except for for the anti-swearing brigade of course!
June 12, 2019
Love does not divide, you see; if you let it, it multiplies, and in the end how far it multiplies is down to you. I believe you can call the whole world by its real name, if you only let yourself.
Reg is our protagonist. A very English fellow. 'E's an electrician. Live's wiv 'is dog, Lineker. Reg don't much like people, keeps to 'imself and is very 'appy that way, thank you very much. Ok, I'll stop now.
This one felt a bit like what would happen if Trump got his way, albeit it in England. Things would turn to the deepest shade of shit quickly. People would be rounded up, en very masse, and assessed for their desirability. If you voted for him you'd be desirable, probably, possibly, maybe? If you didn't vote for him, into the van, definitely.
Lineker, the very straight talking doggo, breaks up the all too plausible horror of a hateful London, to make for an interesting journey to save a child and hopefully free the people. Reg is a bit of an anti-hero. He doesn't want to leave the secret safety of his home. He's quite happy to let a child starve right outside his door. Reg is... I don't want to say selfish, because at the end of the world who wouldn't be most interested in saving themselves and not accidentally tripping into their own downfall.
Reg is probably a very realistic representation of what many of us would be like if the Trumps were self-policed. Our own individual survival would win out. I don't know. Who could say for sure how privileged Westerners would behave if the walls crumbled? Not me. But we're a pretty selfish lot, even those of us who think we aren't. I liked that Reg was flawed. I liked that Reg tried to keep Lineker safe, but Reg's own safety had to rate somewhere too, even if to El Doggo's detriment. Dogs are pretty good at survival, so I wasn't worried... too much.
Lineker is possibly the most insightful and mindful being on this planet. I love his musings on the universe. On humanity. On The Howl. Even without Reg's contribution every second chapter, I would have bought Linekers story without a second thought. And swearing dogs are fucking brilliant, orright.
My Rating: 4 fucking foul-mouthed dogs out of fucking 5, for fucks sake.
Reg is our protagonist. A very English fellow. 'E's an electrician. Live's wiv 'is dog, Lineker. Reg don't much like people, keeps to 'imself and is very 'appy that way, thank you very much. Ok, I'll stop now.
This one felt a bit like what would happen if Trump got his way, albeit it in England. Things would turn to the deepest shade of shit quickly. People would be rounded up, en very masse, and assessed for their desirability. If you voted for him you'd be desirable, probably, possibly, maybe? If you didn't vote for him, into the van, definitely.
Lineker, the very straight talking doggo, breaks up the all too plausible horror of a hateful London, to make for an interesting journey to save a child and hopefully free the people. Reg is a bit of an anti-hero. He doesn't want to leave the secret safety of his home. He's quite happy to let a child starve right outside his door. Reg is... I don't want to say selfish, because at the end of the world who wouldn't be most interested in saving themselves and not accidentally tripping into their own downfall.
Reg is probably a very realistic representation of what many of us would be like if the Trumps were self-policed. Our own individual survival would win out. I don't know. Who could say for sure how privileged Westerners would behave if the walls crumbled? Not me. But we're a pretty selfish lot, even those of us who think we aren't. I liked that Reg was flawed. I liked that Reg tried to keep Lineker safe, but Reg's own safety had to rate somewhere too, even if to El Doggo's detriment. Dogs are pretty good at survival, so I wasn't worried... too much.
Lineker is possibly the most insightful and mindful being on this planet. I love his musings on the universe. On humanity. On The Howl. Even without Reg's contribution every second chapter, I would have bought Linekers story without a second thought. And swearing dogs are fucking brilliant, orright.
My Rating: 4 fucking foul-mouthed dogs out of fucking 5, for fucks sake.
November 26, 2017
In three pages, I completely loved Lineker. I have rarely enjoyed a character so quickly. Reg’s actions made me feel angry towards him as he does the wrong thing and I willed him to do the right thing. I yelled aloud at one point: it's excellent writing. It’s a brilliant first third that made me laugh, cry and smile, with three great characters and only the unnecessary bad language to irritate me.
Then we’re off on a mission, which is where the cracks start appearing. The more detail added to the world, the more the novel loses focus. Reg’s past pops up out of nowhere in far too much detail. Lineker’s side story adds nothing. The whole thing becomes little adventures that don’t really come to anything.
Then we suddenly hit ‘three months later’. Suddenly, there are new locations and new characters that barely rise above being names on a page. The final third does not feel like a legitimate ending to the story. Instead, it feels more like an overly-ambitious sequel hurriedly tacked on. By the end, I was disappointed at where such awesome characters and the story in general had ended up.
Then we’re off on a mission, which is where the cracks start appearing. The more detail added to the world, the more the novel loses focus. Reg’s past pops up out of nowhere in far too much detail. Lineker’s side story adds nothing. The whole thing becomes little adventures that don’t really come to anything.
Then we suddenly hit ‘three months later’. Suddenly, there are new locations and new characters that barely rise above being names on a page. The final third does not feel like a legitimate ending to the story. Instead, it feels more like an overly-ambitious sequel hurriedly tacked on. By the end, I was disappointed at where such awesome characters and the story in general had ended up.
September 23, 2019
What to say about this book.. I got a free ARC copy from Netgalley a while ago and hadn’t got round to reading it. The blurb is a really bad match to the book, sounds boring and gives away some of the more subtle elements of the story. For example, I would never describe Reg as ‘agoraphobic’, his character has so much more depth and it isn’t something you really work out until part way in.
In the Brexit madness this is a perfect/terrifying read - never have I read something so funny, so moving, so entertaining and so politically spot on. Much of the humour comes from the dog - you might miss some of this if you have never loved a mad mongrel, or understand the human/dog bond. Started as a funny holiday read, ended as a philosophical apocalyptic BNP nightmare. I laughed out loud on trains, relentlessly read bits aloud to people and cried at the end.
In the Brexit madness this is a perfect/terrifying read - never have I read something so funny, so moving, so entertaining and so politically spot on. Much of the humour comes from the dog - you might miss some of this if you have never loved a mad mongrel, or understand the human/dog bond. Started as a funny holiday read, ended as a philosophical apocalyptic BNP nightmare. I laughed out loud on trains, relentlessly read bits aloud to people and cried at the end.
February 14, 2018
The audio book was recommended to me by a friend. A very enjoyable listen from two great narrators, set in the aftermath of London devastated by bombs. The back and forth monologues from Reg (sorry...Reginald) and his dog, Lineker - yes, the dog talks, at least to us - will keep you hooked, regardless of who is talking. In fact Lineker is probably the more interesting of the two main characters, the author really does somehow get inside the head of a dog.
January 10, 2023
The perfect book for me, one of two books I've ever read that have made me sob. I've teared up and felt emotional while reading, but never sobbed quite as much as I did for this.
It made me want to go home and cuddle my dog. It also made me want to go full Guy Fawkes. 10/10, love both of those feelings.
Felt like a privilege to read!
It made me want to go home and cuddle my dog. It also made me want to go full Guy Fawkes. 10/10, love both of those feelings.
Felt like a privilege to read!
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