Sunday, August 5, 2012

Book Review: The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

"So then, Doctor. What are our options?"

Dr. Leo Tolkin trembling, almost laughing. "Options? There are no options."

Despite all the official denial and obfuscation regarding the current collective predicament of mankind, the end of the world is a HOT topic in the popular culture right now. Maybe it's because many people feel the truth of the matter subconsciously even if they are not willing to admit it openly, but from The Walking Dead to Left Behind, there's a vision of the onrushing apocalypse out there to suit every taste and political and religious perspective. Much of it is pure garbage, which for me is why it is such a pleasure to stumble across the occasional gem amidst all the dross.

Ben H. Wniters's new novel, The Last Policeman, was written in the grand tradition of the Nevil Shute classic, On the Beach, of wondering what would life be like in a society that knows it is doomed and is merely waiting for the end to come. In Winters's novel, it is not the encroaching radiation from a nuclear war which looms over the eponymous protagonist and everyone around him, but an impending asteroid strike.

Now, I know what you are thinking about how overused this fictional scenario is, but The Last Policeman is no dumbass Armageddon movie. It is instead a very intense and realistic portrayal of a society that is already rapidly unravelling even as its doom remains more than six months in the future. In Winters's chillingly realistic vision, the economy is breaking down as many people either walk away from their jobs to pursue their bucket lists, descend into hopeless substance abuse or kill themselves out of despair. All the while, an increasingly authoritarian federal government is all that stands between America and mass chaos and starvation.

Enter Hank Palace, the last policeman of the title, who despite having served on the Concord, New Hampshire, force for less than two years has been recently promoted to detective because so many cops have already left the force. Arriving at the scene of yet another apparent suicide, Palace becomes convinced that the victim was in fact murdered and sets out to solve the crime, thus raising the question of whether solving a murder case still matters when everybody is going to die soon anyway.

The Last Policeman works effectively both as a murder mystery and as a portrayal of modern society undergoing collapse. Winters keeps his audience guessing--at first it is not entirely clear that Detective Palace isn't just tilting at windmills--and there are numerous unexpected twists and turns right up until the end. Particularly intriguing is how Winters portrays the actions of those who cling to an irrational hope that humanity can be saved and narrator Palace's disgust at both them as well as those who refuse to continue to do their jobs even in the face of utter doom.

If I have one quibble with the novel, it's that because it is the first in an intended trilogy, the narrative ends well short of the actual asteroid impact date. Nevertheless, Winters leaves things off in such a way that I am really looking forward to the publication of the next entry in the series. Overall, The Last Policeman is an enjoyable read that will stay with you after you have finished it, as all great doomsday stories should. It is definitely worthy of inclusion in any future version of my Top 10 End of the World Novels list.


Bonus: "If you are dying, why aren't you scared like I am scared?"

9 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness. I've thought that the zombie genre is a subconscious concern of a sudden cultural shift, too. When you boil it down, the fear is neighbor attacking neighbor, a hunt for resources to survive, and a sudden end to normalcy.

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  2. Sounds interesting. I'm adding it to my to-do list.

    If you haven't read it before, in the vein of hard sci-fi asteroid strike fiction, check out "Lucifer's Hammer" by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.

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    1. I've read that one. It actually made the original (2008) version of my Top 10 EOTW novels list only to get bumped by a couple of titles I've read since then.

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  3. Just read this book recently. Really enjoyed it, and like you it left me wanting to read the next one. I think 'lights out' and 'one second after' are my two favorite post-apoc type books, with Cronin's 'The passage' coming up third--if you count that one in that genre. This is the 1st detective/mystery book I've seen with end of the world being the backdrop.

    Lucifer's hammer is enjoyable, but honestly I just didn't think the character development was very good. It tried to follow so many different characters--I considered it a good story, but enjoying or caring about a character really makes most of these books in my opinion.

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    1. If you liked the mystery aspect of The Last Policeman, check out Charlie Huston's, Sleepless, which is on my Top 10 EOTW novels list. In that one, the murder-mystery is directly tied to why civilization is imploding. Very chilling stuff.

      I also have The Passage on my current to-read list. Sounds intriguing.

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    2. The Passage is really long, and at times - deeply frustrating. It's also intended as a trilogy, and perhaps because of that - it's vague in detail. There's a lot of stream-of-consciousness instead of outright description, and it's unclear as to what happens to certain characters.

      But it is seriously dark, it has a lot of atmosphere, and it has some interesting bits as far as EOTW scenarios.

      I'm convinced we have some deep issues in our immediate future, though, and so I'm not to into reading about it in fiction format anymore. I enjoyed apocalyptic fiction a bit more a few years ago. My fave is 'I am Legend'. Don't be swayed by the movie versions - the novel blows them away.

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    3. Absolutely agree about I am Legend. It rightfully owns a place on my Top 10 EOTW novels list.

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  4. One other recommendation - 'Alas, Babylon' by Pat Frank. It's optimistic, and the survivors happen to be in a tiny pocket untouched by nuclear devastation - but it's quite realistic in what happens when economies shut down and people have to fend for themselves. I see it's not on your list.

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    1. On the Beach is sort of my stand in for the classic nuclear war novels, but I agree that AB is also quite good.

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