On August 28th, Ridley Scott’s adaptation of The Dog Stars will arrive in theatres. It stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, and others; and the screenplay was written by Mark L. Smith. Based on Peter Heller’s debut novel, it’s one of my most-anticipated movies of the year. Well, it recently became one of my most-anticipated movies of the year, because it’s been quite easy to forget that it’s on the way — it has not been getting much attention in the various online spaces I spend time in.
I read a review copy of The Dog Stars in 2012, which Headline kindly sent me, and had a rather mixed reaction to it. Here’s the first paragraph from my review:
“I have rather mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it were superb, others not so much. It was bittersweet, heart-wrenching, evocative and engrossing. It was also a little boring, over done and eccentric. I almost gave up on it before the end of part one. But I’m glad I stuck with it. Should you read it? Probably. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before, and yet also highly familiar. It’s rather uneventful for long periods of time, and yet I was hooked.”
Re-reading my review, I was reminded of the things I liked and didn’t about the novel, but it’s also not surprising that Heller has remained an author I always look out for — his prose is excellent, and he has a real gift for making the mundane engaging. While I haven’t read all of his subsequent novels, I have nevertheless enjoyed each of the ones I have — and have made a habit of buying all of them, fully intending to read them. I think he has continued to improve as an author, and his books are always enjoyable reads.
Based on what I wrote in my review (which was more critical than I remember), I have a feeling this is going to be a very good adaptation: some of what didn’t work for me in the novel will probably not come through on screen (some of the slower, less-gripping moments). So, I have high hopes — not least because it’s directed by Ridley Scott — and will be watching it as soon as I can.
The Dog Stars movie opens on August 28th, via 20th Century Studios; the novel is published in the UK by Headline and in North America by Vintage.
Heller’s latest novel is The Orchard, published by Vintage in North America and in the UK.
Civilian Reader 