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Book Cover for: The Nervous System, Nathan Larson

The Nervous System

Nathan Larson

"Whiplash prose, teeth-gnashing dialogue and post-civilization concepts that make a crazy (amateur) librarian in a pitch-black world a hell of a lot of fun . . . A good time for fans of the likes of Charlie Huston and Charles Stross." --Kirkus Reviews

"The Nervous System is an armed-to-the-teeth, punch-in-the-guts, post-apocalyptic page turner. You'll be afraid to put it down." --Maggie Estep, author of Hex

After a series of large-scale terrorist attacks, New York City is reduced to a shadow of its former self. As the city struggles to dig itself out of the wreckage, a nameless, obsessive-compulsive veteran with a spotty memory, a love for literature, and a strong if unique moral code, has taken up residence at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. Dubbed "Dewey Decimal" for his desire to reorganize the library's stock, he gets by as bagman and muscle for unscrupulous politicians and underworld figures--as detailed in the first book in this series, The Dewey Decimal System.

In The Nervous System, Decimal, attempting to clean up loose ends after the violent events of first book, stumbles upon information concerning the gruesome murder of a prostitute, and a prominent US senator's involvement. Immediately he finds himself chasing ghosts and fighting for his life, pursued by Blackwater-style private military contractors and the ever-present specter of his own past. Decimal confronts a twilight world of Korean hostess bars, childhood bogeymen, and the face of the military-industrial complex gone haywire--all framed by a city descending toward total chaos.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
  • Publish Date: Jul 3rd, 2012
  • Pages: 288
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.30in - 1.00in - 0.65lb
  • EAN: 9781617750793
  • Categories: Mystery & Detective - Hard-BoiledLiteraryCrime

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About the Author

Nathan Larson is best known as an award-winning film music composer, having created the scores for over thirty movies, such as Boys Don't Cry, Dirty Pretty Things, and Margin Call. His highly acclaimed debut novel, The Dewey Decimal System, was published in the spring of 2011. In the '90s, he was the lead guitarist for the influential prog-punk outfit Shudder to Think. Larson lives in Harlem, New York City, with his wife and son.

More books by Nathan Larson

Book Cover for: The Dewey Decimal System, Nathan Larson
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Praise for this book

Larson's vividly imagined world and his quirky narrator are likely to win him a cadre of loyal fans.-- "Publishers Weekly"
This is a taut, action movie-violent mystery that will appeal to fans of Larson's earlier novel as well as those who like dystopian literature generally.-- "Library Journal"
Nathan Larson's The Nervous System mashes up genres: postapocalypse sci-fi and crime noir.-- "Wall Street Journal"
The most incredible thing about Nathan Larson's The Nervous System is just how credible it is--a ravaged New York City, a postmodern warrior with a code, villains at once smaller and larger than life, the futile human obsession to create order out of chaos. And the prose is perfect, as tweaked and jumpy and memorable as the man known as Dewey Decimal. I'm a Library of Congress girl myself, but Larson's uncannily original fiction deserves its own number within any system of library classification.--Laura Lippman, author of What the Dead Know
Sheer magic and delirious joy, this intellectual giddy riot is the book of the year. The Nervous System is a rock 'n' roll paranoid masterclass in invention, with writing so crafted, gifted, I long to quote every line. The mystery is taken to a whole new level of technospeak artistry, and wonderfully witty, like John Kennedy Toole if he'd written a mystery novel and did meth--a lot of it. The warmth of the character seeps through in Dewey Decimal's love for a devastated New York and still the city sings. The New York Public Library should put up a plaque to the most original PI since Marlowe. OCD never seemed so compelling. Loved it--and then some. What a writer.--Ken Bruen, author of The Guards