It ends with a BANG!

So it's finally finished. The saga of Detective Henry "Hank" Palace has reached its conclusion and it definitely didn't go out with a whimper. If you've been following this series then you know that the last book, World of Trouble, sees our protagonist in the final days before the asteroid hits the planet. There are still unanswered questions: Where is Nico? Where did Nico get that helicopter? Were she and her friends able to find the astronaut who could supposedly stop the asteroid? All of these questions are answered and MORE in the exciting culmination of The Last Policeman series. I can guarantee that if you liked the first two then you will really love this one and there are some crazy surprises that you don't want to miss!

For a while now, I've been wanting to delve into the world that P.L. Travers created with Mary Poppins at its center. Apparently I wasn't the only one with that same idea because I had to wait for months to get the first book in her series on my tablet: Mary Poppins. The story focuses on the children of Mr. & Mrs. Banks and their eccentric (but delightful) new nanny, Mary Poppins. I know already that it's going to be a bit different from the movie because 1. There are 4 children not two. and 2. Mr. Banks is not portrayed any kind of way like the movie version (he's imminently more likely than the mother at least at this point). I expect that I'll find it just as enjoyable (or more likely more so) than the film and I'll update you all just as soon as I've finished it. :-)

Hank Palace returns!

Let me start off by saying that I like the fact that P.D. James chose to create this story as if all of Jane Austen's novels existed in the same universe. There were mentions of characters from both Emma and Northanger Abbey which was MIND-BLOWING. Okay, well it was to me at any rate. Also, her writing style was appropriate for the time period which helped win me over with authenticity. However, I don't think I agreed with her interpretation of the characters in this story. The narrative 'voices' just felt off to me. I think the only one she had spot on was Mr. Darcy. (By the way, has anyone else found it humorous that his first name is Fitzwilliam and his cousin is Colonel Fitzwilliam? Do you think they found that confusing if someone called out "Hey Fitzwilliam, check this out!"?) Also, I was expecting the murder mystery aspect to really knock my socks off and it kind of fell flat in my opinion. Maybe I'm too accustomed to Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. :-P If you're a fan of Jane's then this might be an interesting choice for you but if you're not a fan of that genre of literature you'd most likely find this one a little stale.

And now onto the main event: World of Trouble, the final installment in The Last Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters. If you've been following along on this blog, you'll know that I read the first two of this trilogy The Last Policeman and Countdown City and really enjoyed them. The books follow a detective by the name of Hank Palace whose world is literally crumbling around him because an asteroid is on a collision course with earth. In this last installment the asteroid is just days away from impact and society has degenerated into fear and paranoia. Most people are in underground bunkers with their stores of food and water. And then there's Hank. Hank is determined to keep doing his duty despite the fact that he no longer has the title of Detective. There's one more crime to solve and he's going to solve it even with death nipping at his heels.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

...and everything is not fine. Detective Henry (Hank to me and you) Palace has been forced into early retirement as the days tick closer and closer to the asteroid landing. Despite this hurdle, he is determined to help wherever he can so when an old family friend asks him to find her missing husband he doesn't hesitate. Of course, in these uncertain times it's no easy feat to find a missing man and the situation is not at all black and white. Hank is drawn further and further down a rabbit hole of criminality, conspiracy, and chicanery. As he gets closer to unraveling his case the world counts down the days until destruction and chaos erupts. If you're looking for a story filled with tension and mystery then you need look no further than Countdown City. The only downside is that the third novel in the series, World of Trouble, isn't due out until this summer. :-(

To comfort myself, I've started a new book entitled Devil's Acre: A Russian Novel by Jonathan Bastable which promises to take my mind off things. Set in Russia (are you surprised), the story is about a young man named Vadim who decides to solve the mystery of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which is a taboo subject and anti-Soviet to boot. By embarking on this dangerous project, Vadim is putting himself and his new love at risk. Why was the Cathedral demolished? What happened to the building of the Palace of  Soviets which was to take its place? Why is it such a secret?

The Last Policeman Pt 1

As I mentioned in the last post, I am going to be reading the first two books in The Last Policeman series back-to-back. I've just finished the first book aptly titled The Last Policeman and I'm extraordinarily glad that I have the sequel in hand already as I'm bursting to know what's going to happen next with Detective Henry (or Hank if you like) Palace. The world is going to end in 6 months. This is a done deal. An asteroid is on its way and the impact is going to destroy civilization as we know it. In fact, it's already happening. People are killing themselves so that they don't have to face the inevitable destruction of the planet. In Concord, the suicide preference is death by hanging.  However, Detective Palace suspects that this newest death is in fact a murder and he's tasked with gathering the evidence to back up his claim while everyone else is just coasting by (or taking off to check things off of their Bucket List). The laws have changed, society is one step away from true chaos, an asteroid is hurtling through space with earth in its sights, and Hank just wants to keep doing his job.

Are you excited for Countdown City after that little taste? I AM!

Crossover done right!

At first, it might be difficult to conceive how two vastly different genres (especially two so well-known!) could merge so beautifully. However, as the author has shown it is not only possible but a BRILLIANT idea. As a big fan of the Star Wars franchise and its novelizations, I was blown away by how well the Bard's style was used to re-imagine this epic story. For a Shakespeare novice, it might be a little jarring at first but you get so caught up in the storyline that I don't think that will be a major issue. Star Wars newbies should probably start with the first in the series, William Shakespeare's Star Wars, in order to understand the cast of characters and storyline more fully. All in all, William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back was fantastic and I HIGHLY anticipate William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return due out this summer!

I seem to be caught in an endless loop of either starting a series in the middle and/or having to wait for the last of the series to come out. I want to break that cycle but unfortunately that time is not yet upon us. I'm going to be reading two books by Ben H. Winters back to back (I hope): The Last Policeman and Countdown City. These books follow a detective by the name of Hank Palace who seems to be the only policeman still interested in upholding the letter of the law and this is because the world is on the verge of ending. Seriously there's only a few months left before an asteroid destroys all life as we know it. It's no wonder that he's the only one still on the job. Hard questions come up in light of the impending doom of the planet which only causes the plot to thicken further. DUN DUN DUN