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Necropolis
In a future where death is a thing of the past, how far would you go to solve your own murder?
Paul Donner is a NYPD detective struggling with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Then he and his wife get dead--shot to death in a "random" crime. Fifty years later, Donner is back--revived courtesy of the Shift, a process whereby inanimate DNA is re-activated.
This new "reborn" underclass is not only alive again, they're growing younger, destined for a second childhood. The freakish side-effect of a retroviral attack on New York, the Shift has turned the world upside down. Beneath the protective geodesic Blister, clocks run backwards, technology is hidden behind a noir facade, and you can see Elvis at Radio City Music Hall ever night. In this unfamiliar retro-futurist world of maglev Studebakers and plasma tommy guns, Donner must search for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution, aided by Maggie, his holographic Girl Friday, leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift's origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation.
Paul Donner is a NYPD detective struggling with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Then he and his wife get dead--shot to death in a "random" crime. Fifty years later, Donner is back--revived courtesy of the Shift, a process whereby inanimate DNA is re-activated.
This new "reborn" underclass is not only alive again, they're growing younger, destined for a second childhood. The freakish side-effect of a retroviral attack on New York, the Shift has turned the world upside down. Beneath the protective geodesic Blister, clocks run backwards, technology is hidden behind a noir facade, and you can see Elvis at Radio City Music Hall ever night. In this unfamiliar retro-futurist world of maglev Studebakers and plasma tommy guns, Donner must search for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution, aided by Maggie, his holographic Girl Friday, leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift's origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2011
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553 people want to read
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November 28, 2017
I keep my eye out for urban fantasy with an unusual angle. By 'unusual,' you can assume a distinct lack of werewolves and vampires. This one caught my eye with a combination of police detective, New York City, and the idea that the dead return to life. Not as zombies, mind you, but just as people--but aging backwards. Within the first few pages, the detective Donner and his wife, Elsie, are killed in a bodega. Next moment is at graveside, as a team of people disinter and transport Donner to a hospital to repair his life-threatening wounds, throwing in a replacement liver as a bonus. Donner has become a 'reborn,' marked by white hair and black nails, and current society seems to hate them, perhaps because they are the reason NYC is now surrounded by a force field and isolated from the rest of the world in hopes of keeping the virus contained.
It's really an intriguing set-up, and trying to work out both the mystery and the world kept me engrossed. Divided into three parts, the first centers on Donner's rebirth, and a certain investigation he's forced to take on. 'Part Two: The Underneath,' centers on a the results of that investigation after some very significant events. The last third, "Unicorn Hunt,' is the classic resolution. Chapters are often very short, some only two pages long, and take a variety of perspectives and formats. There are a couple that are transcripts of conversations, and a couple that are part of internet broadcasts. Sections written from Donner's perspective tend to be longer.
"No escape. Even the sky was wrong, swirling and out of focus behind the magnetic Blister. The whole thing, the combination platter of styles and periods, made me want to curl into a tight ball right there on the cold street.
I'd busted this crack fiend once. He'd been a real hardcase, back from a two-week suicide run during which he'd stolen his grandmother's silver, gotten kicked out of another shelter and flushed his last chance at redemption down the crapper. I remember him telling me as the cuffs clicked shut, 'I got no place to go that I understand.'
Now I knew what he was talking about."
When I read 'about the author' at the end, this started to make more sense; the author has extensive television writing experience, including Cybil (with Cybil Shepard) and numerous plays. So my difficulties with the book largely had to do with this choppiness of perspective. Even before I knew Dempsey was a tv writer, I guessed it, as scenes began to visualize as I read. 'Cut,' cue 'flashback scene with wife,' 'cut' cue 'current scene where Donner has a dramatic revelation' 'cut' 'scene with villain showing them doing something villainous.'
On the upside, this made for a relatively fast-paced, easy read; no small feat given a decently-written trade paperback at 360 pages. Despite shifting perspectives, I thought it was surprisingly coherent. On the down side, there were several sections that were extraneous (the viewpoint of a rich teen whose father became a reborn, for instance) that were mostly serving to build suspense at how dastardly the forces Donner was investigating were. The transcripts were too clever, attempting to foreshadow a predictable 'mysterious figure' but then blindsiding the reader when the figure's full history was unveiled.
The underpinning of the book is the Philip Marlowe school of detection. Some will argue that the characters were stereotypical, but I believe that is kind of the point. We have the alcoholic detective, the gamine Girl Friday, the sultry woman wanting a favor, the contacts in the police force, along with all the plot stereotypes it entails. But wrapped around it all is a Blade Runner sci-fi world with flying cars, a 'net' that holds all information ever needed, 'smartie' artificial intelligences that look just like humans, and the seeds of revolution in the hotbed of the city (it also put me in mind of Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon, not the least of which one of the watchers to the unburial is named Kovacs). It probably isn't sci-fi as much as some would like--there's some hand-wavy genetics going on--but it is certainly an intriguing ride. I think I'll keep it around my library for awhile and hopefully give it a re-read.
2011 interview with Dempsey at MyBookishWays: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/12/...
First chapter of Necropolis at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Three and a half stars, rounding up
It's really an intriguing set-up, and trying to work out both the mystery and the world kept me engrossed. Divided into three parts, the first centers on Donner's rebirth, and a certain investigation he's forced to take on. 'Part Two: The Underneath,' centers on a the results of that investigation after some very significant events. The last third, "Unicorn Hunt,' is the classic resolution. Chapters are often very short, some only two pages long, and take a variety of perspectives and formats. There are a couple that are transcripts of conversations, and a couple that are part of internet broadcasts. Sections written from Donner's perspective tend to be longer.
"No escape. Even the sky was wrong, swirling and out of focus behind the magnetic Blister. The whole thing, the combination platter of styles and periods, made me want to curl into a tight ball right there on the cold street.
I'd busted this crack fiend once. He'd been a real hardcase, back from a two-week suicide run during which he'd stolen his grandmother's silver, gotten kicked out of another shelter and flushed his last chance at redemption down the crapper. I remember him telling me as the cuffs clicked shut, 'I got no place to go that I understand.'
Now I knew what he was talking about."
When I read 'about the author' at the end, this started to make more sense; the author has extensive television writing experience, including Cybil (with Cybil Shepard) and numerous plays. So my difficulties with the book largely had to do with this choppiness of perspective. Even before I knew Dempsey was a tv writer, I guessed it, as scenes began to visualize as I read. 'Cut,' cue 'flashback scene with wife,' 'cut' cue 'current scene where Donner has a dramatic revelation' 'cut' 'scene with villain showing them doing something villainous.'
On the upside, this made for a relatively fast-paced, easy read; no small feat given a decently-written trade paperback at 360 pages. Despite shifting perspectives, I thought it was surprisingly coherent. On the down side, there were several sections that were extraneous (the viewpoint of a rich teen whose father became a reborn, for instance) that were mostly serving to build suspense at how dastardly the forces Donner was investigating were. The transcripts were too clever, attempting to foreshadow a predictable 'mysterious figure' but then blindsiding the reader when the figure's full history was unveiled.
The underpinning of the book is the Philip Marlowe school of detection. Some will argue that the characters were stereotypical, but I believe that is kind of the point. We have the alcoholic detective, the gamine Girl Friday, the sultry woman wanting a favor, the contacts in the police force, along with all the plot stereotypes it entails. But wrapped around it all is a Blade Runner sci-fi world with flying cars, a 'net' that holds all information ever needed, 'smartie' artificial intelligences that look just like humans, and the seeds of revolution in the hotbed of the city (it also put me in mind of Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon, not the least of which one of the watchers to the unburial is named Kovacs). It probably isn't sci-fi as much as some would like--there's some hand-wavy genetics going on--but it is certainly an intriguing ride. I think I'll keep it around my library for awhile and hopefully give it a re-read.
2011 interview with Dempsey at MyBookishWays: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/12/...
First chapter of Necropolis at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Three and a half stars, rounding up
September 30, 2012
Argh, this book. It's so "Hollywood" and by that I mean it reads like a Hollywood script, like the author is full of Big!Ideas! and he can totally visualize Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson playing Paul Donner and Maggie.
It's got Big!Ideas! executed with the finesse of a mediocre comic book scriptwriter doing a bleh imitation of Raymond Chandler.
Oh, I shouldn't be so harsh. The premise is fairly entertaining. A New York City police detective named Paul Donner who stumbled into a hold-up at a bodega gets murdered along with his wife in 2012. Forty years later, he comes back to life. It turns out that some sort of artificially created retrovirus triggered an event known as "the Shift," which literally brings the dead back to life, rejuvenating their bodies. They aren't zombies, they're just reborn. "Rebes," in this futuristic setting, are a feared and despised underclass who creep "normal" people out, in the first of many plot points which really didn't make much sense to me. Like I said, they aren't undead. They do age backwards, meaning they become younger and younger until they literally revert to fetuses and die, but basically they are the same people they were, so there's no reason for everyone to treat them like the walking dead, but because the retrovirus is supposedly contagious, a corporation called Surezal has literally built a wall around New York City (yes, a wall around the whole of New York City!) and turned it into a quarantined police state.
Donner is assigned a counselor "smartie," or artificial intelligence, named Maggie. Who despite being an advanced artificial intelligence spends the entire book being a cardboard cliche of a woman who blubbers emotionally at every tense moment and falls in love with Donner. Conspiracies then ensue, as Donner and his holographic girl Friday (but don't worry, a holographic artificial intelligence whose true form is a glowing sphere can totally have sex!) are manipulated and betrayed and jerked from one startling revelation to the next.
The plot goes in interesting but frequently dumb directions. I will admit that I didn't quite see the Big Reveal coming, and there was at least one twist that surprised me (though most of the others were entirely predictable), but the Big Reveal was.... stupid. As was the James Bond plot and sociopathic villain, yet another cardboard cliche woman, this one a cooing sociopath with monomolecular Japanese "tantos" (why is it always with the Japanese shit? like no one else in the history of the world ever made sharp weapons?) tucked up her sleeves.
There are several minor characters introduced for the sole purpose of dying and revealing some minor plot point that the author couldn't more intelligently fit into the storyline. The world of 2054 (at least New York City, which is all we see) is imaginative in a painted-over-cyberpunk kind of way, full of jokes about reborn celebrities, and retro fashion as apparently everyone decides to emulate the styles of various early 20th century eras, all of this mixing with flying cars, artificial intelligences, and plasma rifles.
This could have been a good book, but it just spiked my bullshit-meter way too often. Master villains should act like master villains, not idiots who conveniently leave big red buttons labeled "PUSH ME TO DEFEAT THE BAD GUY!" lying around. The characterization was cliched, the dialog trite, the prose flat. It's not a terrible book, but it irked me with its wasted potential, all the bad points irritating me too much to really enjoy it as a fun if dumb read, which at least would have earned it 3 stars.
It's got Big!Ideas! executed with the finesse of a mediocre comic book scriptwriter doing a bleh imitation of Raymond Chandler.
Oh, I shouldn't be so harsh. The premise is fairly entertaining. A New York City police detective named Paul Donner who stumbled into a hold-up at a bodega gets murdered along with his wife in 2012. Forty years later, he comes back to life. It turns out that some sort of artificially created retrovirus triggered an event known as "the Shift," which literally brings the dead back to life, rejuvenating their bodies. They aren't zombies, they're just reborn. "Rebes," in this futuristic setting, are a feared and despised underclass who creep "normal" people out, in the first of many plot points which really didn't make much sense to me. Like I said, they aren't undead. They do age backwards, meaning they become younger and younger until they literally revert to fetuses and die, but basically they are the same people they were, so there's no reason for everyone to treat them like the walking dead, but because the retrovirus is supposedly contagious, a corporation called Surezal has literally built a wall around New York City (yes, a wall around the whole of New York City!) and turned it into a quarantined police state.
Donner is assigned a counselor "smartie," or artificial intelligence, named Maggie. Who despite being an advanced artificial intelligence spends the entire book being a cardboard cliche of a woman who blubbers emotionally at every tense moment and falls in love with Donner. Conspiracies then ensue, as Donner and his holographic girl Friday (but don't worry, a holographic artificial intelligence whose true form is a glowing sphere can totally have sex!) are manipulated and betrayed and jerked from one startling revelation to the next.
The plot goes in interesting but frequently dumb directions. I will admit that I didn't quite see the Big Reveal coming, and there was at least one twist that surprised me (though most of the others were entirely predictable), but the Big Reveal was.... stupid. As was the James Bond plot and sociopathic villain, yet another cardboard cliche woman, this one a cooing sociopath with monomolecular Japanese "tantos" (why is it always with the Japanese shit? like no one else in the history of the world ever made sharp weapons?) tucked up her sleeves.
There are several minor characters introduced for the sole purpose of dying and revealing some minor plot point that the author couldn't more intelligently fit into the storyline. The world of 2054 (at least New York City, which is all we see) is imaginative in a painted-over-cyberpunk kind of way, full of jokes about reborn celebrities, and retro fashion as apparently everyone decides to emulate the styles of various early 20th century eras, all of this mixing with flying cars, artificial intelligences, and plasma rifles.
This could have been a good book, but it just spiked my bullshit-meter way too often. Master villains should act like master villains, not idiots who conveniently leave big red buttons labeled "PUSH ME TO DEFEAT THE BAD GUY!" lying around. The characterization was cliched, the dialog trite, the prose flat. It's not a terrible book, but it irked me with its wasted potential, all the bad points irritating me too much to really enjoy it as a fun if dumb read, which at least would have earned it 3 stars.
January 28, 2023
So, I've got a problem. On the one hand, I like urban fantasy. On the other hand, I have had about as many Anita Blake / Harry Dresden variations in fantasy kitchen sink settings as I can stomach. And then... Necropolis.
The Good
First and foremost, a genuinely very interesting setting. It's basically cyberpunk with zombies, the dead rising and what does *that* all mean? It's an overall well done setting, thought-through, and interesting.
Dempsey is also, as fitting a TV writer, extremely good at pacing and particularly at action scenes. The book 'feels' fast, even though it's not all that small, and there's always something new going on.
Character work is generally solid, and I definitely think Dempsey nails the noir style in the first part of the book.
The Bad
I suspect this is a book that could've done from another round with an editor. While Dempsey is overall good at pacing, there is nevertheless a distinct 'sag' in Part 2 and early Part 3, as the mystery wraps up (we know who the bad guys are, if not all the details of their plans), but we still have a lot of thriller-type action to get through before the finale. And while the mystery is good, I don't think the thriller is quiiiiiiiite as satisfying.
There's also at least a few sections that, honestly? Could've been pretty safely cut or condensed (thinking of all the 'Brian' scenes or the extended weirdness of the Blasted Heath).
Verdict
Interesting enough to read once, probably not something I'll re-read, but I will be keeping an eye out for further Dempsey work.
The Good
First and foremost, a genuinely very interesting setting. It's basically cyberpunk with zombies, the dead rising and what does *that* all mean? It's an overall well done setting, thought-through, and interesting.
Dempsey is also, as fitting a TV writer, extremely good at pacing and particularly at action scenes. The book 'feels' fast, even though it's not all that small, and there's always something new going on.
Character work is generally solid, and I definitely think Dempsey nails the noir style in the first part of the book.
The Bad
I suspect this is a book that could've done from another round with an editor. While Dempsey is overall good at pacing, there is nevertheless a distinct 'sag' in Part 2 and early Part 3, as the mystery wraps up (we know who the bad guys are, if not all the details of their plans), but we still have a lot of thriller-type action to get through before the finale. And while the mystery is good, I don't think the thriller is quiiiiiiiite as satisfying.
There's also at least a few sections that, honestly? Could've been pretty safely cut or condensed (thinking of all the 'Brian' scenes or the extended weirdness of the Blasted Heath).
Verdict
Interesting enough to read once, probably not something I'll re-read, but I will be keeping an eye out for further Dempsey work.
November 22, 2011
Paul Donner, a New York police officer who was murdered in the early 21st century, finds himself brought back to life several decades later, in the wake of a viral attack that caused the “Shift.” Donner becomes part of the new underclass known as the “reborn”: reanimated corpses who gradually grow younger and who aren’t exactly appreciated by the living segment of New York’s population, trapped under the geodesic Blister that protects the rest of the world from the Shift virus. Lost in an unfamiliar future, Donner begins a quest for vengeance, uncovering secrets that are much larger than he initially expects. So begins Necropolis, the darkly entertaining “debut” novel by Michael Dempsey....
The quotation marks around the word “debut” are intentional: even though this is Michael Dempsey’s first published novel, he has an impressive writing résumé that includes award-winning TV shows and plays. All this experience shows up in Necropolis: not only is the novel considerably more accomplished than many debuts, the highly visual style Dempsey displays here really shows off his background in writing for stage and screen. This novel often reads like a movie — and if it’s ever filmed, I’ll be first in line to see it.
A large part of the fun is the odd, retro-futuristic future Michael Dempsey has created for Necropolis. The modern technology of the mid-21st century is wrapped in the fashions and styles of a hundred years earlier. Maglev Studebakers cruise down the streets, high-tech plasma weapons are designed to look like tommy guns, and people are dressed as if they just stepped out of The Maltese Falcon. It’s a natural fit for Donner, the hard-drinking revived cop who, against his will, becomes a PI investigating his own death. He’s a classic noir gumshoe, aside from the fact that he happens to be a reborn corpse, with his Girl Friday Maggie a holographic “smarty” or artificial intelligence. In addition to trying to solve his own murder, he gets involved in a missing person case when he is hired by Nicole Struldbrug, a powerful Surazal executive, to locate a scientist who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Surazal is the all-powerful mega-corporation that’s building the Blister, providing security forces for the city, and researching a cure for the Shift virus.
Right from the start, it’s clear that, despite its grim title, Michael Dempsey is going to have some fun with this novel. Immediately after the monitors hooked up to Donner’s corpse start showing some spikes and beeps instead of a flatline, the author throws in the following reverse last rites:
A priest stepped from the shadows. He was young, not happy with his job. He bowed his head and made the sign of the cross. “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, the Lord giveth back. The Lord... can’t seem to make up his mind lately. Amen.” He put a dab of holy water on Donner’s forehead and fled.
Take that as a sign that it’s best not to take everything in Necropolis too seriously. There’s a certain goofiness to the deliberate way Dempsey sticks with his retro-futurist setting. The dialogues are so chock-full of period slang that it would be grating, if not for the fact that those lines are often spoken by reanimated corpses and artificial intelligences. At least some of the characters seem to be aware that they’re living in a pulp-fiction reality or at least hugely play up their parts, dropping lines like “The plot thickens.” There’s even a Casablanca-themed bar. At one point, someone is upset that the revived Beatles are performing with Pete Best rather than John Lennon, who didn’t make it back to life. If some parts of the plot are a bit hokey, it’s all easy to forgive because this novel is so much plain fun to read.
At the same time, Necropolis has enough serious notes to make it more than just a light, fun read. Before his untimely death, Donner was an alcoholic cop, his marriage on the rocks, and those demons pursue him even past the grave. Michael Dempsey also plays on themes of corporate greed and social inequality, showing the misery of life as a second class reborn citizen, and the emotional toll of having a family member return as a reborn, in gritty detail. A perfect example of the “seriously kidding” tone of this novel happens in the aforementioned Casablanca-themed bar, when Mick the bartender pulls out a baseball bat after delivering the classic “We don’t serve your type in here” line to the reborn Donner.
The only issues I had with this otherwise sparkling debut are fairly minor. Early on, there’s a brief chapter showing a “satellite intercept” transcript of a conversation between two unnamed characters. This segment unnecessarily lets the reader know that There’s More Going On Than Meets the Eye, and what’s worse, it gives away part of the Big Revelation at the end of the novel. The novel’s villain is a bit too over the top and makes a few decisions that don’t completely make sense. The names Struldbrug and Surazal made me groan a little bit. And finally, as mentioned before, there’s so much Bogart-era slang in the early parts of this novel that it occasionally may start grating a bit.
But all nitpicking aside, Necropolis is a wildly entertaining mish-mash of different elements: a dystopian, retro-futurist, noir whodunit with generous dashes of humor, horror, and romance. Hardboiled cops, reborn hookers, corporate intrigue, and an S&M club run by a revived Queenie St. Clair all feature in a plot that goes from weird to wild to full-on crazy in no time. Necropolis is a dark, wild and tremendously fun ride.
(This review was originally published on www.tor.com on 10/18/2011, and on www.fantasyliterature.com on 11/5/2011.)
The quotation marks around the word “debut” are intentional: even though this is Michael Dempsey’s first published novel, he has an impressive writing résumé that includes award-winning TV shows and plays. All this experience shows up in Necropolis: not only is the novel considerably more accomplished than many debuts, the highly visual style Dempsey displays here really shows off his background in writing for stage and screen. This novel often reads like a movie — and if it’s ever filmed, I’ll be first in line to see it.
A large part of the fun is the odd, retro-futuristic future Michael Dempsey has created for Necropolis. The modern technology of the mid-21st century is wrapped in the fashions and styles of a hundred years earlier. Maglev Studebakers cruise down the streets, high-tech plasma weapons are designed to look like tommy guns, and people are dressed as if they just stepped out of The Maltese Falcon. It’s a natural fit for Donner, the hard-drinking revived cop who, against his will, becomes a PI investigating his own death. He’s a classic noir gumshoe, aside from the fact that he happens to be a reborn corpse, with his Girl Friday Maggie a holographic “smarty” or artificial intelligence. In addition to trying to solve his own murder, he gets involved in a missing person case when he is hired by Nicole Struldbrug, a powerful Surazal executive, to locate a scientist who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Surazal is the all-powerful mega-corporation that’s building the Blister, providing security forces for the city, and researching a cure for the Shift virus.
Right from the start, it’s clear that, despite its grim title, Michael Dempsey is going to have some fun with this novel. Immediately after the monitors hooked up to Donner’s corpse start showing some spikes and beeps instead of a flatline, the author throws in the following reverse last rites:
A priest stepped from the shadows. He was young, not happy with his job. He bowed his head and made the sign of the cross. “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, the Lord giveth back. The Lord... can’t seem to make up his mind lately. Amen.” He put a dab of holy water on Donner’s forehead and fled.
Take that as a sign that it’s best not to take everything in Necropolis too seriously. There’s a certain goofiness to the deliberate way Dempsey sticks with his retro-futurist setting. The dialogues are so chock-full of period slang that it would be grating, if not for the fact that those lines are often spoken by reanimated corpses and artificial intelligences. At least some of the characters seem to be aware that they’re living in a pulp-fiction reality or at least hugely play up their parts, dropping lines like “The plot thickens.” There’s even a Casablanca-themed bar. At one point, someone is upset that the revived Beatles are performing with Pete Best rather than John Lennon, who didn’t make it back to life. If some parts of the plot are a bit hokey, it’s all easy to forgive because this novel is so much plain fun to read.
At the same time, Necropolis has enough serious notes to make it more than just a light, fun read. Before his untimely death, Donner was an alcoholic cop, his marriage on the rocks, and those demons pursue him even past the grave. Michael Dempsey also plays on themes of corporate greed and social inequality, showing the misery of life as a second class reborn citizen, and the emotional toll of having a family member return as a reborn, in gritty detail. A perfect example of the “seriously kidding” tone of this novel happens in the aforementioned Casablanca-themed bar, when Mick the bartender pulls out a baseball bat after delivering the classic “We don’t serve your type in here” line to the reborn Donner.
The only issues I had with this otherwise sparkling debut are fairly minor. Early on, there’s a brief chapter showing a “satellite intercept” transcript of a conversation between two unnamed characters. This segment unnecessarily lets the reader know that There’s More Going On Than Meets the Eye, and what’s worse, it gives away part of the Big Revelation at the end of the novel. The novel’s villain is a bit too over the top and makes a few decisions that don’t completely make sense. The names Struldbrug and Surazal made me groan a little bit. And finally, as mentioned before, there’s so much Bogart-era slang in the early parts of this novel that it occasionally may start grating a bit.
But all nitpicking aside, Necropolis is a wildly entertaining mish-mash of different elements: a dystopian, retro-futurist, noir whodunit with generous dashes of humor, horror, and romance. Hardboiled cops, reborn hookers, corporate intrigue, and an S&M club run by a revived Queenie St. Clair all feature in a plot that goes from weird to wild to full-on crazy in no time. Necropolis is a dark, wild and tremendously fun ride.
(This review was originally published on www.tor.com on 10/18/2011, and on www.fantasyliterature.com on 11/5/2011.)
February 6, 2012
The cover screamed at me from across the bookstore. It was a beautiful noir rendition, with gorgeous neon blues and pinks limning a dismal scene right out of a Raymond Chandler novel. No matter what anyone says, a book is judged by its cover. With such a fine cover, the story's bound to be great isn't it?
Fortunately, it was. So Paul Donner goes to buy a cigarette. Then wakes up in a New York that has changed beyond almost all recognition. The city has been contained under a dome, and the dead are being resurrected. Donner finds a cataclysm occurred some time ago that caused the dead to return. Of course, being the old school hardcase he is, he tries to puzzle out his own death, all the while dealing firsthand with the prejudice against the reborn.
It's a collection of noir tropes, a homage of a genre the author obviously loves. The narrative meanders about, giving the reader interesting characters and clues to Donner's past before descending into a veritable tangle of threads in the classic tradition of such books. The world into which Donner awakes is a thickly disguised cyberpunk dystopic paradise. There is plenty of interesting genetic reference outlined in the language of the layperson, and plausible technological marvels to titillate. The feel of the era isn't integral to the plot but lends credence to the story. Donner is abrasive, and full of quips and one-liners, as are his cohorts in the search for truth. One of my favorite bits is: "gave him half a peace sign." I really wish I thought of this first. It's great. I also thought how it ended was perfect.
After this brutal, funny, and very intelligent read, I'm actually looking forward to the next Donner story.
Fortunately, it was. So Paul Donner goes to buy a cigarette. Then wakes up in a New York that has changed beyond almost all recognition. The city has been contained under a dome, and the dead are being resurrected. Donner finds a cataclysm occurred some time ago that caused the dead to return. Of course, being the old school hardcase he is, he tries to puzzle out his own death, all the while dealing firsthand with the prejudice against the reborn.
It's a collection of noir tropes, a homage of a genre the author obviously loves. The narrative meanders about, giving the reader interesting characters and clues to Donner's past before descending into a veritable tangle of threads in the classic tradition of such books. The world into which Donner awakes is a thickly disguised cyberpunk dystopic paradise. There is plenty of interesting genetic reference outlined in the language of the layperson, and plausible technological marvels to titillate. The feel of the era isn't integral to the plot but lends credence to the story. Donner is abrasive, and full of quips and one-liners, as are his cohorts in the search for truth. One of my favorite bits is: "gave him half a peace sign." I really wish I thought of this first. It's great. I also thought how it ended was perfect.
After this brutal, funny, and very intelligent read, I'm actually looking forward to the next Donner story.
December 14, 2011
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/12/...
Necropolis had a couple of things going for it right away for me. One, it’s a Night Shade Books title (I loves me some Night Shade), and secondly, what a great cover! Noir, sci-fi, suspense, and horror? Yes please! When NYC cop Paul Donner and his wife Elise are gunned down in a bodega holdup, it seems it’s lights out for our hero. Not so fast! Fast forward 40 years later, post Shift (bioweapon? something else?), and Donner takes his first breath since his death. It seems folks are coming back from the dead. Not as shambling zombies, but as reborns. Everything regenerates, with the only differences being shock white hair, black fingernails and a pesky tendency to “youth”. Think about that for a minute. It’s just as horrible as it sounds. You die. You come back. You begin to age…backwards. Add to that the general population treating you like a 3rd class citizen, and it’s no wonder reborns choose suicide more often than not. When Donner, depressed and drowning in alcohol, gets an offer from a beautiful woman to find out who’s killing her employees, he reluctantly takes the case. Little does he know what a roller coaster ride it will be. See, the lovely lady that hires Donner turns out to be a pretty mean motor scooter, but our hero is certainly no dummy, so she’s gonna have her work cut out for her. Oh yes, yes she will.
Michael Dempsey’s NYC of the future is a tech infused, nourish, retro-futuristic playground entirely enclosed by a geodesic dome, surrounded by wasteland. Sounds fun, huh? I dunno, some parts might be fun, like the individual enclaves that have adopted certain time periods, like the Roaring 20’s, or the groovy 60’s. Other parts…not so much, like the fact that a huge corporation runs the show, and they’re doing some not-so-nice things with human genetics. It’s precisely this conglomerate that is using Donner for reasons he never considered, and it will take everything in his arsenal and all of his considerable wits, to outrun and outsmart this diabolical entity. Necropolis is told from third person (with the exception of Donner) and does change point of view quite a bit. Once you get used to the pace (and you will), you’re golden, and you’ll definitely enjoy the ride. I really liked the different POVs, but I’ll admit, I found myself looking forward to getting back to Donner…but I digress. Necropolis is a wild, wild ride that takes its readers through the underground of NYC, the machinations of an evil woman bent on world domination, to the rich environs of an Arabian palace in the middle of the New Jersey desert. Add to that an unlikely (yet very sweet) romance with an AI moll named Maggie, and a hero who is as complex as the twists and turns in this story, and you get a recipe for a really, really good read. There’s so much awesomeness in Necropolis that I want to gush and share, but that would take away quite a bit of the fun, now wouldn’t it? If you’re a fan of sci-fi, urban fantasy, and noir, you don’t want to miss this rich, complex story that is Necropolis. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book from Michael Dempsey, and Necropolis is one of my favorite reads this year!
Necropolis had a couple of things going for it right away for me. One, it’s a Night Shade Books title (I loves me some Night Shade), and secondly, what a great cover! Noir, sci-fi, suspense, and horror? Yes please! When NYC cop Paul Donner and his wife Elise are gunned down in a bodega holdup, it seems it’s lights out for our hero. Not so fast! Fast forward 40 years later, post Shift (bioweapon? something else?), and Donner takes his first breath since his death. It seems folks are coming back from the dead. Not as shambling zombies, but as reborns. Everything regenerates, with the only differences being shock white hair, black fingernails and a pesky tendency to “youth”. Think about that for a minute. It’s just as horrible as it sounds. You die. You come back. You begin to age…backwards. Add to that the general population treating you like a 3rd class citizen, and it’s no wonder reborns choose suicide more often than not. When Donner, depressed and drowning in alcohol, gets an offer from a beautiful woman to find out who’s killing her employees, he reluctantly takes the case. Little does he know what a roller coaster ride it will be. See, the lovely lady that hires Donner turns out to be a pretty mean motor scooter, but our hero is certainly no dummy, so she’s gonna have her work cut out for her. Oh yes, yes she will.
Michael Dempsey’s NYC of the future is a tech infused, nourish, retro-futuristic playground entirely enclosed by a geodesic dome, surrounded by wasteland. Sounds fun, huh? I dunno, some parts might be fun, like the individual enclaves that have adopted certain time periods, like the Roaring 20’s, or the groovy 60’s. Other parts…not so much, like the fact that a huge corporation runs the show, and they’re doing some not-so-nice things with human genetics. It’s precisely this conglomerate that is using Donner for reasons he never considered, and it will take everything in his arsenal and all of his considerable wits, to outrun and outsmart this diabolical entity. Necropolis is told from third person (with the exception of Donner) and does change point of view quite a bit. Once you get used to the pace (and you will), you’re golden, and you’ll definitely enjoy the ride. I really liked the different POVs, but I’ll admit, I found myself looking forward to getting back to Donner…but I digress. Necropolis is a wild, wild ride that takes its readers through the underground of NYC, the machinations of an evil woman bent on world domination, to the rich environs of an Arabian palace in the middle of the New Jersey desert. Add to that an unlikely (yet very sweet) romance with an AI moll named Maggie, and a hero who is as complex as the twists and turns in this story, and you get a recipe for a really, really good read. There’s so much awesomeness in Necropolis that I want to gush and share, but that would take away quite a bit of the fun, now wouldn’t it? If you’re a fan of sci-fi, urban fantasy, and noir, you don’t want to miss this rich, complex story that is Necropolis. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book from Michael Dempsey, and Necropolis is one of my favorite reads this year!
February 5, 2018
Paul Donner, an NYPD detective is taking his wife to a concert in 2012 when suddenly his story ends, shot on a convience store robbery. But then he comes back, fifty years latter as a reterovirus gone rogue, known as 'the shift' is bringing people back from the dead. This is a true underclass with few rights, no standing and hated by all. Part of the reason they are hated is that while initially world wide, the shift is now localised to New York, which is rigorously quarantined. This quarantine is very unpopular and people blame the shifters.
Donner does not calmly slot in to the social spot chosen for him, he goes off chasing the story behind the shooting that killed him and his wife and that leads to further and further mysteries behind the shift.
A thoroughly enjoyable future/thriller/mystery well written and a lot of fun. At one point I felt that the end was going to be predictable, I certainly had guessed a few of the plot twists that I felt Paul Donner should have got to earlier. However I am not sure the author was trying to be secretive, the story unfolded without any of the grand flourishes that are used when a 'great reveal' is unveiled. Possibly it was just a well thought out plot that revealed itself in it's own time and pace.
Donner does not calmly slot in to the social spot chosen for him, he goes off chasing the story behind the shooting that killed him and his wife and that leads to further and further mysteries behind the shift.
A thoroughly enjoyable future/thriller/mystery well written and a lot of fun. At one point I felt that the end was going to be predictable, I certainly had guessed a few of the plot twists that I felt Paul Donner should have got to earlier. However I am not sure the author was trying to be secretive, the story unfolded without any of the grand flourishes that are used when a 'great reveal' is unveiled. Possibly it was just a well thought out plot that revealed itself in it's own time and pace.
February 21, 2012
Cool mash up of cyberpunk and Chandleresque noir with a dash of urban fantasy. A virus hits NYC and the dead come back, not as reanimated corpses, but flesh-and-blood people who age backwards. The city is controlled by a powerful corporation, which may hold the key to stopping the virus. After a cop and his wife are killed during a robbery, he comes back but she doesn't. Thrown into a world of flying Studebakers, neo-20s fashion, gangsters with plasma Tommyguns, and holographic AI assistants, he must investigate his own death and uncover the secrets behind the corporation. Necropolis is a fast paced action adventure that strikes all the right chords.
October 6, 2014
Very decent book with an original premise and great execution. As someone who loves Raymond Chandler and sci-fi, I felt this book had great promise and Michael Dempsey delivered.
December 27, 2013
I just loved this mash-up. Science fiction and old noir movies have always been two faves, and to see them combined in such a fun way was delightful. I've read a couple other "dieselpunk" and "retrofuturistic" works but found them dispirited. This author took every classic trope and threw them into a blender with obvious relish, and the result was both familiar and new. The visuals and world-building were great, the dialogue crackled with wit, and the action had some serious punch. Hearing that old '40s slang was a blast. And the "fish out of water" aspect was also enjoyable.
The premise is great: A detective in modern (2012) times is murdered. Fifty years later, he is brought back to life as the side effect of a mysterious genetic "plague" called The Shift. These reborns, as they're called in the book, aren't zombies. They are pretty much normal people, except their life clock is now set in reverse and they will grow younger. (I loved this spin on the zombie idea, since so much zombie fiction and movies are getting pretty old at this point.) The detective struggles with his new world, and has a lot of rage (his wife was killed too), so he sets out to solve his own murder. What a great hook! It eventually turns out that his murder and revival are intimately connected with the origins of the Shift, but I won't spoil it for you.
While all that hard-boiled detective stuff might be at first glance seem a touch corny for some, the author sets up that this culture, so freaked out by The Shift, finds psychological refuge in a bygone era where things seemed simpler, and deliberately mimic the 1940s and 1950s. (It also has a lot of fun "World of Tomorrow" stuff--flying cars and robots and cities with spires and swirling walkways, you'll get what I'm talking about. As the author calls it, "the past's vision of the future.") So I found all the references perfectly justified in terms of storytelling. I love it when books throw an occasional wink at the reader to balance out the more serious stuff. The author also took the time to explore the heartbreak and psychology of the characters, which made it satisfyingly three-dimensional. I found myself really wondering how I would handle being thrust in such a confusing and bizarre new environment.
It took me a chapter or two to adjust to the changes in point of view (some are narrated by Donner, like most old detective novels, and some are standard third-person), but after that it was smooth sailing.
I particularly loved the romance between the hero and his holographic/artificial "Girl Friday". I can't remember a relationship like this portrayed so well since "Blade Runner," and it actually was quite touching watching it develop.
It may not be high art, but it sure as hell is fun. This world has real series potential, so I hope to be reading more "Donner" books in the future. I will definitely keep my eye out for more books by this author.
The premise is great: A detective in modern (2012) times is murdered. Fifty years later, he is brought back to life as the side effect of a mysterious genetic "plague" called The Shift. These reborns, as they're called in the book, aren't zombies. They are pretty much normal people, except their life clock is now set in reverse and they will grow younger. (I loved this spin on the zombie idea, since so much zombie fiction and movies are getting pretty old at this point.) The detective struggles with his new world, and has a lot of rage (his wife was killed too), so he sets out to solve his own murder. What a great hook! It eventually turns out that his murder and revival are intimately connected with the origins of the Shift, but I won't spoil it for you.
While all that hard-boiled detective stuff might be at first glance seem a touch corny for some, the author sets up that this culture, so freaked out by The Shift, finds psychological refuge in a bygone era where things seemed simpler, and deliberately mimic the 1940s and 1950s. (It also has a lot of fun "World of Tomorrow" stuff--flying cars and robots and cities with spires and swirling walkways, you'll get what I'm talking about. As the author calls it, "the past's vision of the future.") So I found all the references perfectly justified in terms of storytelling. I love it when books throw an occasional wink at the reader to balance out the more serious stuff. The author also took the time to explore the heartbreak and psychology of the characters, which made it satisfyingly three-dimensional. I found myself really wondering how I would handle being thrust in such a confusing and bizarre new environment.
It took me a chapter or two to adjust to the changes in point of view (some are narrated by Donner, like most old detective novels, and some are standard third-person), but after that it was smooth sailing.
I particularly loved the romance between the hero and his holographic/artificial "Girl Friday". I can't remember a relationship like this portrayed so well since "Blade Runner," and it actually was quite touching watching it develop.
It may not be high art, but it sure as hell is fun. This world has real series potential, so I hope to be reading more "Donner" books in the future. I will definitely keep my eye out for more books by this author.
April 10, 2021
I just happened to find Necropolis by Michael Dempsey a few years ago and I finally decided to give it a try. It was good, but not quite a what I was expecting or hoping for. I did like the noir cyberpunk urban fantasy elements, though. That was fun and very visual. I was expecting Donner to be from the 1940s or 1950s before he comes back to life since he sounds like he just stepped out of a Raymond Chandler novel, but instead he was killed in the 2010s and resurrected decades later. So that was kind of off putting when I remembered that.
July 22, 2014
First sentence: “Ten minutes before I died, I realized I was out of cigarettes.”
I’m not normally a huge fan of the science fiction/fantasy genre. I want to be, but I have so many preferences I’m too picky for most of them to satisfy me. Occasionally I’ll come across one that makes me happy and hits all my buttons. Such was the case with this book. I got this as an e-book when it was on sale and I thought it sounded pretty interesting, and it got bonus points for being a mystery as well. I’m really glad I took a chance, because I really loved this book. Everything was perfectly done here – the characters, the mystery, the world-building.
It begins in the year 2012 with NYPD detective Paul Donner and his wife Elise being killed in a quick-mart. It then jumps 50 years in the future, where the ‘Shift’ has occurred that has caused DNA in some corpses to reverse and begin aging backwards. These newly reborn people (derogatively called ‘Reebs’) are the new underclass in New York City, which has been quarantined in a bubble referred to as “the Blister”. When Paul’s body starts to regenerate his body is removed from his grave and rushed to a hospital. Upon release Paul finds a purpose in this new and confusing world by researching his death and trying to track down his killer.
I really enjoyed reading this book and will look forward to more from this author.
I’m not normally a huge fan of the science fiction/fantasy genre. I want to be, but I have so many preferences I’m too picky for most of them to satisfy me. Occasionally I’ll come across one that makes me happy and hits all my buttons. Such was the case with this book. I got this as an e-book when it was on sale and I thought it sounded pretty interesting, and it got bonus points for being a mystery as well. I’m really glad I took a chance, because I really loved this book. Everything was perfectly done here – the characters, the mystery, the world-building.
It begins in the year 2012 with NYPD detective Paul Donner and his wife Elise being killed in a quick-mart. It then jumps 50 years in the future, where the ‘Shift’ has occurred that has caused DNA in some corpses to reverse and begin aging backwards. These newly reborn people (derogatively called ‘Reebs’) are the new underclass in New York City, which has been quarantined in a bubble referred to as “the Blister”. When Paul’s body starts to regenerate his body is removed from his grave and rushed to a hospital. Upon release Paul finds a purpose in this new and confusing world by researching his death and trying to track down his killer.
I really enjoyed reading this book and will look forward to more from this author.
September 6, 2011
Necropolis is an imaginative spin on the hard-boiled detective genre and a new twist on the zombie novel. Michael Dempsey has created stunning visuals of a fantastic alternate New York that is both gritty and cagey, equally nostalgic and ultramodern. Full of vivid characters, sharp dialogue, wry sense of humor, edge-of-your-seat action, and unexpected turns of event, it has everything you could want in a fast-moving page-turner, as it grabs you from the first sentence and never lets go. In Paul Donner you will find a protagonist that you can care about and invest in, as he takes you through his emotional journey of betrayal and quest for redemption.
Of course, as the agent of the book, I may be biased!
Of course, as the agent of the book, I may be biased!
March 2, 2012
Very interesting and unique story.. Some of the future words could've been defined better. The story was drawn out but had several good twists along the way. The end was sad but I felt that after all that happened it was well deserved. I don't read science fiction that much but this was very good. I recommend this to anyone looking for something different and unique.
This book was won from Goodreads first reads
This book was won from Goodreads first reads
January 27, 2012
This book has an incredible hook and the multiple perspectives lend for a twisty,'keep you on your toes' ride! Very eloquent and well-crafted prose as well. Plus lots of dark, clever humor.
Diesel-punk-sci-fi-detective-noir at its finest!
A delicious genre slushie!
Diesel-punk-sci-fi-detective-noir at its finest!
A delicious genre slushie!
February 6, 2014
a little disjointed at times, but a lot of fun.
February 9, 2012
Talk about cold cases... in November 2012, NYPD detective Paul Donner and his lovely wife Elise got themselves shot while buying cigarettes in a Korean bodega (aren't bodegas usually Latino? Unless they're from a Fun Lovin' Criminals album... Hey, it's New York City—roll with it). The Donners' murder is an unsolved case... and pretty soon NYC has bigger things to worry about anyway.
Forty years later... Donner's come back from the dead, without his wife, in a bizarrely patchwork and retrograde New York City now named Necropolis, and he's trying to figure out just what the hell happened to him and to the city he knew so well. His investigation isn't going all that well, actually—reebs (the reborn, naturally) are legally different people from the ones they were pre-death, and the police have no interest whatsoever in cooperating with one of Donner's new kind.
But then Donner gets a visit from a stunning, ice-cold blonde named Nicole Struldbrug (whose surname is something of a red flare if you've read your Swift). Nicole has a job for him. Someone is killing the scientists who're working on understanding and possibly even curing the Shift—the bizarre New York-centered plague that caused Donner and millions of the other dead to rise again, and against which the Surazal Corporation is busily building a dome that will cover Necropolis and contain the reborns once and for all.
It's a break, of sorts, and Donner takes the case, despite his gut instinct telling him there's something wrong about an executive who thinks that a recently reborn detective with no experience of the last four decades is the best man for the job. After all, what else is he going to do while he "youths" back into his second childhood, from there into infancy, into a smear of undifferentiated cells? Because that's the other thing about reebs: they age in reverse, and stress makes the youthing go faster.
Frankly, this book has a scientifically ridiculous premise; entropy just doesn't work this way. But what the heck... it's a neat idea, and once you allow Dempsey his one fantasy notion, the rest of the book unfolds with relative plausibility. Donner's a hard-boiled detective from the old noir school, an impression reinforced by the magnetically-levitated Packards and plasma-firing handguns that feature in his part of Necropolis, and his tough-guy character is immediately familiar and engaging. His dame Maggie may have some handicaps when it comes to romance (being an AI who can manifest as a "tensile hologram" isn't quite the same thing as being a real, live, breathing human being, although it offers some entertaining possibilities) but she's a devoted and capable gal Friday, and that's what counts. The villains are dark and vile, the action is frantic, and Our Hero's heart is—well, not pure, exactly, but he ends up in the right place.
Michael Dempsey's first novel definitely has some awkward moments. Like a Michael Bay movie, it papers over its implausibilities with explosions and special effects. The story also manages to overcome some truly abysmal copy-editing. In his Acknowledgements, Dempsey actually credits one reader who "read this book on his tiny Blackberry screen at least ten times (and counting), and always managed to find a new typo." I'd recommend never using a Blackberry for this purpose again... there were still 'way too many places in this book where sentences were just broken, by leaving in two articles when one was intended ("a an" and the like), and some outright errors were left in ("Dewer's" isn't a whisky. Or a whiskey, for that matter.)
So you've got to make some allowances for this book, if you want to enjoy it. Siddown, have a drink, get a little soft-focused... Necropolis ain't the best show in town, maybe, but baby, it ain't half bad.
Forty years later... Donner's come back from the dead, without his wife, in a bizarrely patchwork and retrograde New York City now named Necropolis, and he's trying to figure out just what the hell happened to him and to the city he knew so well. His investigation isn't going all that well, actually—reebs (the reborn, naturally) are legally different people from the ones they were pre-death, and the police have no interest whatsoever in cooperating with one of Donner's new kind.
But then Donner gets a visit from a stunning, ice-cold blonde named Nicole Struldbrug (whose surname is something of a red flare if you've read your Swift). Nicole has a job for him. Someone is killing the scientists who're working on understanding and possibly even curing the Shift—the bizarre New York-centered plague that caused Donner and millions of the other dead to rise again, and against which the Surazal Corporation is busily building a dome that will cover Necropolis and contain the reborns once and for all.
It's a break, of sorts, and Donner takes the case, despite his gut instinct telling him there's something wrong about an executive who thinks that a recently reborn detective with no experience of the last four decades is the best man for the job. After all, what else is he going to do while he "youths" back into his second childhood, from there into infancy, into a smear of undifferentiated cells? Because that's the other thing about reebs: they age in reverse, and stress makes the youthing go faster.
Frankly, this book has a scientifically ridiculous premise; entropy just doesn't work this way. But what the heck... it's a neat idea, and once you allow Dempsey his one fantasy notion, the rest of the book unfolds with relative plausibility. Donner's a hard-boiled detective from the old noir school, an impression reinforced by the magnetically-levitated Packards and plasma-firing handguns that feature in his part of Necropolis, and his tough-guy character is immediately familiar and engaging. His dame Maggie may have some handicaps when it comes to romance (being an AI who can manifest as a "tensile hologram" isn't quite the same thing as being a real, live, breathing human being, although it offers some entertaining possibilities) but she's a devoted and capable gal Friday, and that's what counts. The villains are dark and vile, the action is frantic, and Our Hero's heart is—well, not pure, exactly, but he ends up in the right place.
Michael Dempsey's first novel definitely has some awkward moments. Like a Michael Bay movie, it papers over its implausibilities with explosions and special effects. The story also manages to overcome some truly abysmal copy-editing. In his Acknowledgements, Dempsey actually credits one reader who "read this book on his tiny Blackberry screen at least ten times (and counting), and always managed to find a new typo." I'd recommend never using a Blackberry for this purpose again... there were still 'way too many places in this book where sentences were just broken, by leaving in two articles when one was intended ("a an" and the like), and some outright errors were left in ("Dewer's" isn't a whisky. Or a whiskey, for that matter.)
So you've got to make some allowances for this book, if you want to enjoy it. Siddown, have a drink, get a little soft-focused... Necropolis ain't the best show in town, maybe, but baby, it ain't half bad.
December 13, 2014
It was really hard not to give this book five stars. Dempsey has created something masterful in the noir and cyberpunk genre. However, the points that bothered me, really bothered me, so I had to give it a lower rating. That said, in all honesty, this is a 4.6 star book, and I can't suggest it enough to those who love the genres mentioned above.
Necropolis is a unique setting with some very unique elements that take a bit of getting used to. The dead don't stay dead, sections of the city are themed around certain time periods, and all in all, something doesn't seem right. (boy does it not) Dempsey's protagonist is exactly what he should be for this type of book. The noir detective who heads through the novel with a mix of skill, luck and at times, blundering. It's hard not to like him, hell, it's hard not to love him, despite his flaws. Add in a cast of amazingly different and unique characters who each captures the reader's attention in a variety of ways and you're set.
Even the mysteries that Dempsey present leave you pushing to the very end of the book, wanting to know just what happened and how the protagonist will get out of it. The antagonists are wicked and pure evil in such a way that you really, really want to see them get theirs. If there's one thing Dempsey did well in this book, it's the characters, and I have to say I loved every single one of them.
That said, there were a few elements that I couldn't shake while reading the books. One is a sudden shift in POV about half way through the novel. Suddenly we find our self in the head of a boy who's father has died and come back. We see his resentment at his parent's now rocky relationship, and his reaction to his father's youthing. There's nothing with that, and he serves a purpose. What is jarring is that up until this point, we have primarily been in the mind of the protagonist, and suddenly we're introduced to a completely new character and a new POV. This happens near the end of the book as well, though there, it makes sense and helps to set a scene. The boy however, even though he serves a purpose, almost feels as if he wasn't needed at that section of book.
My other issue is the whole immortal person angle. Yes, it makes sense, yes it works well in the context of the story and novel, but it's so far out of left field compared to what we have already seen that upon discovery, I lost all my suspension of disbelief. This could just be me, others could easily have no issues with this new information. But for me, the odds are just too high, too impossible, for something like this to have happened.
Yet, Dempsey's action, storyline, characters and mystery soon erased all of those complaints and swept me back into the tale. Even after the surprising event half way through that had me angry, frustrated and itching to read more. So if you are looking for a noir, cyberpunk or science fiction novel, this is the one for you. I can't recommend it enough and I promise you won't be disappointed!
Necropolis is a unique setting with some very unique elements that take a bit of getting used to. The dead don't stay dead, sections of the city are themed around certain time periods, and all in all, something doesn't seem right. (boy does it not) Dempsey's protagonist is exactly what he should be for this type of book. The noir detective who heads through the novel with a mix of skill, luck and at times, blundering. It's hard not to like him, hell, it's hard not to love him, despite his flaws. Add in a cast of amazingly different and unique characters who each captures the reader's attention in a variety of ways and you're set.
Even the mysteries that Dempsey present leave you pushing to the very end of the book, wanting to know just what happened and how the protagonist will get out of it. The antagonists are wicked and pure evil in such a way that you really, really want to see them get theirs. If there's one thing Dempsey did well in this book, it's the characters, and I have to say I loved every single one of them.
That said, there were a few elements that I couldn't shake while reading the books. One is a sudden shift in POV about half way through the novel. Suddenly we find our self in the head of a boy who's father has died and come back. We see his resentment at his parent's now rocky relationship, and his reaction to his father's youthing. There's nothing with that, and he serves a purpose. What is jarring is that up until this point, we have primarily been in the mind of the protagonist, and suddenly we're introduced to a completely new character and a new POV. This happens near the end of the book as well, though there, it makes sense and helps to set a scene. The boy however, even though he serves a purpose, almost feels as if he wasn't needed at that section of book.
My other issue is the whole immortal person angle. Yes, it makes sense, yes it works well in the context of the story and novel, but it's so far out of left field compared to what we have already seen that upon discovery, I lost all my suspension of disbelief. This could just be me, others could easily have no issues with this new information. But for me, the odds are just too high, too impossible, for something like this to have happened.
Yet, Dempsey's action, storyline, characters and mystery soon erased all of those complaints and swept me back into the tale. Even after the surprising event half way through that had me angry, frustrated and itching to read more. So if you are looking for a noir, cyberpunk or science fiction novel, this is the one for you. I can't recommend it enough and I promise you won't be disappointed!
November 30, 2011
This was a well done book. I enjoy a good detective novel and this one fit the bill nicely. The mixture of future technology hidden inside retro objects was fairly well done but did seem to be a somewhat easy cheat for making things happen that would have been otherwise difficult. I did enjoy the whole reverse aging system as well as possibility that well known people could be alive again, though almost none are actually featured in the book. I'd pickup the next novel from Michael Dempsey to see what he has come up with next regardless of it being a sequel or a standalone. The book certainly leaves itself open for a followup or even series of detective novels. As I write this I do have some thoughts and questions so do not read below the "Spoilers" until you've read the book as they may influence your reading. Overall, if you're a fan of the genre I'd say pick it up and give it a read. I read the book in 2 sittings and was content with the ending as well as the books pace. I don't think I'd re-read it again unless a sequel came out far enough into the future to make me want a refresher but that is the fate of most mysteries, once you know the twists it hurts the chance you'll ever re-read the book.
final tally - get it, read it.
******SPOILERS WARNING*******
don't read til you've read the book.
If you are aging in reverse and try to make yourself stronger you'd have no way to do so. If you were stronger when you were younger all you'd have to do is stress your body until you reached the prime age you had while originally aging? but by doing so you'd be actively shortening your remaining life.
Paul seems much older and beaten down than his age would suggest he be. I viewed him as 50-60+ until I went back and checked his tombstone dates. Even for someone with his problems he seems like an old man.
EMP grenade? really? That was the best you could come up with for that? The guy just HAPPENS to have one? I can't begin to express how that single sequence really annoyed me. Why would someone who as far as he knows is in no danger from something carry around the silver bullets for it? Yes I know that there's a lot of tech being used in the future, but the guy would also be frying everything he was using as well.
Was a bit confused at the very end as to whether Maggie had already injected, was going to inject the syringe she twirled in he fingers into Paul. I think it was the already emptied one Paul threw, but what Maggie said made me thing I somehow missed her starting Paul's revival.
final tally - get it, read it.
******SPOILERS WARNING*******
don't read til you've read the book.
If you are aging in reverse and try to make yourself stronger you'd have no way to do so. If you were stronger when you were younger all you'd have to do is stress your body until you reached the prime age you had while originally aging? but by doing so you'd be actively shortening your remaining life.
Paul seems much older and beaten down than his age would suggest he be. I viewed him as 50-60+ until I went back and checked his tombstone dates. Even for someone with his problems he seems like an old man.
EMP grenade? really? That was the best you could come up with for that? The guy just HAPPENS to have one? I can't begin to express how that single sequence really annoyed me. Why would someone who as far as he knows is in no danger from something carry around the silver bullets for it? Yes I know that there's a lot of tech being used in the future, but the guy would also be frying everything he was using as well.
Was a bit confused at the very end as to whether Maggie had already injected, was going to inject the syringe she twirled in he fingers into Paul. I think it was the already emptied one Paul threw, but what Maggie said made me thing I somehow missed her starting Paul's revival.
January 3, 2015
This novel is about a man who wakes up in a strange, neo-futuristic world, after his murder.
Paul Donner is an NYPD detective who is out for the evening with his wife. They walk in on a bodega robbery, and are killed. He wakes up, forty years later, due to something called the Shift. Said to be the side effect of a retroviral attack, it re-animates the DNA of dead people, causing them to come to life. No, they don't turn into zombies, but they do age younger (an adult becomes a teenager, who becomes a child, then an infant, and ends as a hunk of protoplasm). Such reborn people, or "reebs," are considered third-class citizens, so Donner has to investigate his murder on his own.
A protective blister, or dome, is being built over New York City to keep the Shift "virus" (for lack of a better term) from infecting the rest of America. Manhattan has reverted to the 1930's, the time of Dashiell Hammett and the Studebaker. Harlem has gone back to the time of the Harlem Renaissance, and Greenwich Village is now in the 1960's hippie era. As Donner looks into his murder, he discovers some interesting things, like the person accused of killing him was intentionally released, without being charged. The conspiracy gets bigger and bigger, with Donner and his wife at the center. It involves the existence of an actual immortality serum, and a plan to kill millions of people in a very public, and gruesome, way, to solidify social control over the Big Apple.
This book works on a number of levels. It works really well as a regular detective story. It also works for those who liked the film "Blade Runner." It's well done from start to finish, and the twists and turns will keep the reader guessing. Here is a first-rate piece of writing.
Paul Donner is an NYPD detective who is out for the evening with his wife. They walk in on a bodega robbery, and are killed. He wakes up, forty years later, due to something called the Shift. Said to be the side effect of a retroviral attack, it re-animates the DNA of dead people, causing them to come to life. No, they don't turn into zombies, but they do age younger (an adult becomes a teenager, who becomes a child, then an infant, and ends as a hunk of protoplasm). Such reborn people, or "reebs," are considered third-class citizens, so Donner has to investigate his murder on his own.
A protective blister, or dome, is being built over New York City to keep the Shift "virus" (for lack of a better term) from infecting the rest of America. Manhattan has reverted to the 1930's, the time of Dashiell Hammett and the Studebaker. Harlem has gone back to the time of the Harlem Renaissance, and Greenwich Village is now in the 1960's hippie era. As Donner looks into his murder, he discovers some interesting things, like the person accused of killing him was intentionally released, without being charged. The conspiracy gets bigger and bigger, with Donner and his wife at the center. It involves the existence of an actual immortality serum, and a plan to kill millions of people in a very public, and gruesome, way, to solidify social control over the Big Apple.
This book works on a number of levels. It works really well as a regular detective story. It also works for those who liked the film "Blade Runner." It's well done from start to finish, and the twists and turns will keep the reader guessing. Here is a first-rate piece of writing.
January 2, 2020
The Shift was an event in which some people inexplicably started growing young instead of old, and some dead people un-died and youthed as well. These reborns, or reebs, with their white hair and black fingernails, are not liked in the society because they are contagious and people are afraid they would get contaminated next. Wall was built around the city of New York to keep the contamination detained and it was renamed into Necropolis.
Couple of years before the Shift, Paul Donner and his wife Elise had been killed in a bodega robbery. Paul had came back to life 40 years later. Disliked by everyone, he looks for his former partner to help him out, and gets a number of Nicole Struldbrug. Nicole and her twin brother Adam are the most powerful people in Necropolis. She is worried that someone is killing her scientists who are near a breakthrough in solving the puzzle of the Shift - and a way of stopping it, and she wants to hire him. Donner sets of an investigation because he has nothing else to do, and uncovers so much more then he could imagine.
Along the way he encounters numerous people who help him and give out a bit of information, most important being his AI counselor, Maggie.
Very noir, very science fiction, very urban fantasy. You are brought to the 1920's infused with advanced technologies. Filled with gritty visuals, crime and light humor that makes the book I better, Michael Dempsey wrote a book for dieselpunk lovers. Then again, who would not get hooked with the first sentence?
I would only like if all women were not idealized physically, and a bit more explanation into the 20's fascination. Great world building combined with the mysteries to solve, and plot twists, with the fast pace make this book a fine treasure with which you can treat yourself.
Couple of years before the Shift, Paul Donner and his wife Elise had been killed in a bodega robbery. Paul had came back to life 40 years later. Disliked by everyone, he looks for his former partner to help him out, and gets a number of Nicole Struldbrug. Nicole and her twin brother Adam are the most powerful people in Necropolis. She is worried that someone is killing her scientists who are near a breakthrough in solving the puzzle of the Shift - and a way of stopping it, and she wants to hire him. Donner sets of an investigation because he has nothing else to do, and uncovers so much more then he could imagine.
Along the way he encounters numerous people who help him and give out a bit of information, most important being his AI counselor, Maggie.
Very noir, very science fiction, very urban fantasy. You are brought to the 1920's infused with advanced technologies. Filled with gritty visuals, crime and light humor that makes the book I better, Michael Dempsey wrote a book for dieselpunk lovers. Then again, who would not get hooked with the first sentence?
I would only like if all women were not idealized physically, and a bit more explanation into the 20's fascination. Great world building combined with the mysteries to solve, and plot twists, with the fast pace make this book a fine treasure with which you can treat yourself.
June 19, 2020
Given the write-up, I’m pleasantly surprised by Michael Dempsey’s 2011 novel "Necropolis." It’s a pretty good cross of a murder mystery and a sort of post-apocalyptic quasi science fiction novel. For the most part, the story is interesting, the writing is well done and the characters are acceptable. At the whole-book level, I have some issues with non-preserved bodies being revived and with the emotionalism of the AIs and their human interface speed. But, on the other hand, I do like how Dempsey chronologically stratifies the city neighborhoods to reflect the eras of the revived. The one interesting quibble I have is that even though the first half of the book is very well written, the second half gets a bit sloppy. For instance, it starts out with the introduction of another character and his point of view for no reason other than he sees something at some point. That could have been handled with one paragraph about some random gang member seeing the same thing instead of giving use a good chunk of someone’s life in half a dozen segments. It’s not a big thing, but it’s noticeable. So, if I could, I’d drop my actual rating from my official 4 stars to a Pretty Good 3-1/2 stars out of 5.
November 16, 2015
Necropolis really struck my fancy this holiday season. I mean, just listen to the premise: a guy is brought back to life in a futuristic New York City to solve his own murder case. How cool is that? Well, throw that premise into a noir, Bogart-movie-esque atmosphere so thick you can practically feel and taste it, as if swimming through pea soup, and add a truly scary villainess—she’s frighteningly wealthy, powerful and brilliant and stashes razors up her sleeves, for Pete’s sake—and a pinch of the science behind aging and immortality for nerds like me, and you’ve got Necropolis. Much more than your average soup!
And yet, Necropolis, never claims to be what it’s not. It’s exciting, it’s entertaining, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, utilizing what could be noir, gumshoe clichés with a cheekiness that pokes fun at them—and itself—at the same time. So if you know someone who wants a fun rollercoaster ride through a dark, gritty near-future, complete with dark, rain-drenched streets, flapping trench coats, glowing cigarette butts, and plasma tommy-guns, give them a copy of Necropolis, even if it’s just to yourself.
And yet, Necropolis, never claims to be what it’s not. It’s exciting, it’s entertaining, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, utilizing what could be noir, gumshoe clichés with a cheekiness that pokes fun at them—and itself—at the same time. So if you know someone who wants a fun rollercoaster ride through a dark, gritty near-future, complete with dark, rain-drenched streets, flapping trench coats, glowing cigarette butts, and plasma tommy-guns, give them a copy of Necropolis, even if it’s just to yourself.
March 29, 2013
I realized I never added my $.02 in a review so here it goes.
Let me start out by saying I was allowed to be a part of this project. Michael had sent me the original electronic manuscript and I was hooked. Through months of reading and re-reading the book I was never bored of it. Every time I read it, the book showed me something new that I missed.
First off: It is fun to read. One thing many miss when they only read it once is the book changes tone half way through. It is subtle but it makes the story more "human" when we get to the finale.
I love the character Donner. He is a powerful personality and we get to see in his mind via the use of different points of view. Some had stated that they were a little confused by this technique but I found it kept the book fresh as I read through it.
This book has been on my list of books that I re-read on occasion. It still entertains me and I'm thankful to Michael for allowing me to be a part of his debut. I look forward to reading his next novel.
Let me start out by saying I was allowed to be a part of this project. Michael had sent me the original electronic manuscript and I was hooked. Through months of reading and re-reading the book I was never bored of it. Every time I read it, the book showed me something new that I missed.
First off: It is fun to read. One thing many miss when they only read it once is the book changes tone half way through. It is subtle but it makes the story more "human" when we get to the finale.
I love the character Donner. He is a powerful personality and we get to see in his mind via the use of different points of view. Some had stated that they were a little confused by this technique but I found it kept the book fresh as I read through it.
This book has been on my list of books that I re-read on occasion. It still entertains me and I'm thankful to Michael for allowing me to be a part of his debut. I look forward to reading his next novel.
March 24, 2012
Necropolis by Michael Dempsey
The novel starts with a bang, literally.
Paul Donner, a 40ish NYC police detective is married to the love of his life, his beautiful wife Elise. Sounds like a typical cop drama until he and Elise are murdered – and this is in the prologue. Donner awakens in a New York City fifty years in the future. He has a sense of self, but his visage is unfamiliar to him and his hair is freaked. The beginning of his new life in Necropolis, a city which was New York is now teeming with androids and reawakened dead humans. For what purpose and how this is done he has no idea.
Donner has a personal assistant of computer generated origins named Maggie. Does he trust her or is she a part of some larger conspiracy. What is Donner anyway? He has to find out how he is alive in a near distant future, who murdered him and why has he been brought back to this life. And how does he really feel about Maggie??
It is a rollicking adventure/sci fi tale of loss, love and redemption. Let's hope Michael Dempsey has more stories of his great character Donner.
The novel starts with a bang, literally.
Paul Donner, a 40ish NYC police detective is married to the love of his life, his beautiful wife Elise. Sounds like a typical cop drama until he and Elise are murdered – and this is in the prologue. Donner awakens in a New York City fifty years in the future. He has a sense of self, but his visage is unfamiliar to him and his hair is freaked. The beginning of his new life in Necropolis, a city which was New York is now teeming with androids and reawakened dead humans. For what purpose and how this is done he has no idea.
Donner has a personal assistant of computer generated origins named Maggie. Does he trust her or is she a part of some larger conspiracy. What is Donner anyway? He has to find out how he is alive in a near distant future, who murdered him and why has he been brought back to this life. And how does he really feel about Maggie??
It is a rollicking adventure/sci fi tale of loss, love and redemption. Let's hope Michael Dempsey has more stories of his great character Donner.
April 23, 2015
This story had everything and the kitchen sink in it and ended up a marvelous feat of architecture as opposed to a jumbled up mess in the hands of a lot of other authors.
What I am saying is it has everything in it and it was a good read. You wanted to know where the story was going but know in the back of your mind exactly what would happen while thinking no way would he go there and he does.
I mean, there are no vampires, but if there were, they would fit perfectly in the story.
Great book, too many characters to track so I only cared about the one.
I could not read while eating cause some of the descriptions of super gross stuff made me worry about the author (a lot).
Also timeline wise, this book needed you to suspend A LOT of disbelief. I kept thinking, no way that could happen in forty years. As I prayed for al alternate universe reveal but that didn't happen.
Was I hoping for a book 2? Yes. Am I holding my breath? No
I give the book 3 funs out of 5, so it was fun, fun, fun.
What I am saying is it has everything in it and it was a good read. You wanted to know where the story was going but know in the back of your mind exactly what would happen while thinking no way would he go there and he does.
I mean, there are no vampires, but if there were, they would fit perfectly in the story.
Great book, too many characters to track so I only cared about the one.
I could not read while eating cause some of the descriptions of super gross stuff made me worry about the author (a lot).
Also timeline wise, this book needed you to suspend A LOT of disbelief. I kept thinking, no way that could happen in forty years. As I prayed for al alternate universe reveal but that didn't happen.
Was I hoping for a book 2? Yes. Am I holding my breath? No
I give the book 3 funs out of 5, so it was fun, fun, fun.
December 14, 2011
This book was really different from something I would normally read. I am not a Sci-Fi reader by nature but I won this on a Goodreads Giveaway and thought what the heck, sounds interesting. The plot is kind of hard to really understand until you get into the book a little ways. There was a few times that I was like... Erhmm.. What??? Once you get into the story though it starts to get good. It is a really interesting take on I guess you could say zombies. It's not a typical "zombie" story, it takes place in the future. People are brought back to life as humans rather than zombies at the age that they died. They then regress in age. It is a really neat story with plenty of turns. It is defiantly out there but it is totally a readable book, I could actually see this being a bigger hit as a movie than a book. Who knows?
October 20, 2011
A terrific book! Quality Sci-fi often addresses thorny issues that plague our society today without becoming preachy or pedantic, and quality detective novels keep the reader guessing till the last page, all while creating empathy for the characters in the book. Michael Dempsey does this with the best of them! I've read many lesser books that were considered best sellers.
Michael Dempsey has been compared to other writers,but such comparisons are unfair since his writing style & story line is uniquely his own. Necropolis is a fast paced, intelligent, white knuckle read, and the author's dark sense of humor comes through to keep it from becoming too "heavy". In short; the only words you won't want to read are: "THE END".
Michael Dempsey has been compared to other writers,but such comparisons are unfair since his writing style & story line is uniquely his own. Necropolis is a fast paced, intelligent, white knuckle read, and the author's dark sense of humor comes through to keep it from becoming too "heavy". In short; the only words you won't want to read are: "THE END".
July 6, 2016
Much better than the reviews give credit for. Those who have a passion for the history of New York will love all of the name-dropping. For the rest of us who don't see NY as being the center of the universe, it'll feel a little tiring. So, yes, there were some quirks. But the plot was solid, loved the characters, and I really enjoyed the addition of the Smarties and reebs. Although the ending was good- the way he closed the book was a little too... I don't know. Was he trying to be cute? Mysterious? Not sure, but I don't think it worked. Still, that's a relatively minor quibble.
February 25, 2012
Going in I was hesitant because I really don't get into "noir" books. The old timey detective, the dame, the crime; usually isn't my thing. This book, however, grabbed me and didn't let go. The sci-fi aspect perfectly balanced the noir. The characters were alive and very easy to relate to. I am definitely adding this author to my collection!
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