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by: Doug Dorst  List Price: $25.95 Amazon.com's Price: $17.13 You Save: $8.82 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 813.6 EAN: 9781594489877 ISBN: 1594489874 Label: Riverhead Hardcover Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 448 Publication Date: July 17, 2008 Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover Studio: Riverhead Hardcover Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: Mix one part gritty police procedural with one part ghost story, add a splash of teen angst and a hefty dose of black humor, and you have Doug Dorst's brilliant debut novel--a delicious blend of Paul Auster, Kevin Brockmeier, and Joss Whedon. In Colma, California, where the dead outnumber the living, a rookie cop who saves the life of a troubled teenager is either the savior of the city, or a man on the brink of losing his mind. Alive in Necropolis is brimming with fascinating characters (both the living and the dead), none more so than the young cop trying to get a handle on his place in the world. Dorst defies conventional storytelling--at once grim and playful (his two epigraphs quote Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim and Hanson's "MmmBop"), he weaves the supernatural seamlessly into this "straight" story and the result is effortlessly imaginative, funny, and poignant. Fans of Auster, Jonathan Carroll, and Haruki Murakami will want to make room on their nightstand for their next new favorite. --Daphne Durham Product Description: A fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peace—and maintain a grip on reality—in a town where the dead outnumber the living. Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grownup relationships—including a shaky romance with an older woman; a growing alliance with his cocky, charismatic partner, Nick Toronto; fading college friendships; and an aching sense of responsibility for a local rich kid who Mercer rescues from a dangerous prank in the cemetery. But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead. And as Mercer delves deeper into Featherstone’s story, it appears that Mercer’s own sanity is beginning to slip—either that, or Colma’s more famous residents are not resting in peace as they should be. With all the playful sensitivity of Haruki Murakami and the haunted atmosphere of Paul Auster, but with a voice all his own, Doug Dorst has crafted an irresistible, compelling debut. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - I fear.....that this book is being unfairly characterized because reviewers are choosing either to give it 5 stars or 1 star. It is really neither - that's why we also have 4, 3 and 2 stars to choose from. Was the book all it was cracked up to be? No. Was the book different than what you would have expected given its cover and plot summary? Yes. That's not always a bad thing, although in this case the story was more depressing (yet funny - go figure) than I was looking for. But it was still a rather ... Read More Rating:  - "Big-hearted"-- yes!I loved this book and I agree with the NY Times reviewer who called it 'big-hearted.' Dorst never stoops to make fun of his characters, all of which (even the ghosts) seemed so real and well-defined. The interactions among the cops were both funny and--dare I say--touching. Dorst masterfully introduces the ghosts and their culture without sacrificing character. One of the best of 2008, for sure. Looking forward to his next book. Rating:  - It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. Alive in Necropolis is a decent enough book. Those who said it followed in the footsteps of Buffy the Vampire Slayer obviously only read the back cover- it was mostly a drama about a guy figuring out who he is, with a minute bit of fantasy worked in. I kept reading, hoping the book would get better and be more of the sci-fi/fantasy novel promised but it did not. In fact, the fantasy/ghost part of the book is wrapped up in just a few pages, which was disappointing after a fairly decent build-up. ... Read More Rating:  - Misnomer, or association misleadSigh. This book had a lot going for it in the beginning, A really cool title, a nice jacket, and words in readable English. But then the words started come together as sentences and stuff stopped making sense. I had hoped that it would be more of a suspense/detective/horror novel, rather than what it was: and that is a cop who sees dead people and this cop has horrible relationship issues with everyone he knows and meets, and that it's really more about the year in the life of a guy who shouldn't ... Read More Rating: - Oh, the Irony!There are two different characters in the book, one a movie director and one an author, who have each created works that the main character complains "Go nowhere". That's the exact feeling i had after finishing this book. It was technically well written. The authors dialog, particularly between the police officers, was snappy, the setup of the novel is really good. But after finishing, I'm left empty. There was incredibly little growth in character, the losers were still losing, the ... Read More 
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