They have been borrowing a page from Netflix, in that they are releasing Trilogies in a much quicker succession than many of us have become accustomed to. Instead of having to wait as long as a full year, Quirk Books has managed to release an entire trilogy in the course of one year! I'm still debating on whether or not I like the idea, at the moment I think I prefer the 12 month wait over getting it all at once. How do you feel about it?
For this Trilogy, written by Ben H. Winters, the second and third book (not yet released) are coming out fairly close to each other. So instead of feeling like you have a full year to read a book (and possibly discover some other great authors/books while you wait) you might only have 3 - 6 months. I can't say I'm too keen on the idea. I like giving myself time to digest a book, trying something different in the meantime, then going back to read the next in the series. Sometimes I pity that person who hasn't read Harry Potter yet and now might be feeling overwhelmed looking at all 7 books staring them in the face, begging to be read! Such pressure!
In any event, here you have a trilogy that promises to be thrilling, chilling, and equally as mysterious. Just from the titles alone and the cover art I can guess they are a bit dystopian. Having only one policeman for an entire town or world I'd think it pretty bleak to say the least!
I received the first two books last week from the publisher to read and review (without bias of course) and will probably receive the third as an ARC. Since it is scheduled to be released in July there is a bit of pressure for me to read the first two rather quickly. They aren't very long so I think that can be managed. While you all wait for my reviews to come, below is a short description (from Amazon) of each book:
The Last Policeman
Winner of the 2013 Edgar® Award Winner for Best Paperback Original!
What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?
Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.
The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares.
The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond “whodunit.” What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?
Countdown City
Now Detective Hank Palace returns in Countdown City, the second volume of the Last Policeman trilogy. There are just 77 days before a deadly asteroid collides with Earth, and Detective Palace is out of a job. With the Concord police force operating under the auspices of the U.S. Justice Department, Hank's days of solving crimes are over...until a woman from his past begs for help finding her missing husband.
Brett Cavatone disappeared without a trace—an easy feat in a world with no phones, no cars, and no way to tell whether someone’s gone “bucket list” or just gone. With society falling to shambles, Hank pieces together what few clues he can, on a search that leads him from a college-campus-turned-anarchist-encampment to a crumbling coastal landscape where anti-immigrant militia fend off “impact zone” refugees.
Countdown City presents another fascinating mystery set on brink of an apocalypse--and once again, Hank Palace confronts questions way beyond "whodunit." What do we as human beings owe to one another? And what does it mean to be civilized when civilization is collapsing all around you?
World of Trouble
Critically acclaimed author Ben H. Winters delivers this explosive final installment in the Edgar Award winning Last Policeman series. With the doomsday asteroid looming, Detective Hank Palace has found sanctuary in the woods of New England, secure in a well-stocked safe house with other onetime members of the Concord police force. But with time ticking away before the asteroid makes landfall, Hank’s safety is only relative, and his only relative—his sister Nico—isn’t safe. Soon, it’s clear that there’s more than one earth-shattering revelation on the horizon, and it’s up to Hank to solve the puzzle before time runs out . . . for everyone.
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