Alive in Necropolis

by Doug Dorst

Book Overview

A fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peaceaand maintain a grip on realityain a town where the dead outnumber the living. Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594489874
• ISBN13: 9781594489877
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 437 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

An engrossing read, 10*

Alive in Necropolis Doug Dorst 2008 The mystery and science fiction or fantasy genres have been blended before, for instance in Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot" and Glen Cook's "Sweet Silver Blues." (I am sure there are others, but this is the first specifically "ghost story / police procedural" I can recall.) As such, it should appeal to mystery and fantasy fans, but I hope it achieves far wider popularity. As with so many of the best young writers, Dorst feels free to assume the tropes of genre fiction, yet not be bound by its conventions. At more than 400 closely packed pages, this is not a quick read, but it is endlessly engrossing. With two nearly separate worlds (the living and the dead), numerous well realized characters (not just spear carriers), and a variety of plot threads it could get confusing, but doesn't, and hangs together beautifully. At each moment, I found myself both caring deeply about each character's internal world and what was happening at that point, yet eager to see where the author was leading me in the overall story. (Well, perhaps not so much while reading the Colma Police Department reports carefully reproduced here. A little too much Ed McBain here, maybe. ;-) Having largely grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I particularly appreciate his spot-on descriptions of the geography, the roads and natural landscape. The setting is Colma, a small community south of San Francisco, consisting largely of cemeteries -- as he puts it, twelve hundred living residents and two million dead ones. Fittingly, it also seems to be a center of some 'other world', ghosts of those recently and not so recently deceased, who form their own society only dimly intersecting with our own. The dead are stuck in the form (even horribly mutilated) they died, yet are virtually indestructible, quickly regenerating from any post-mortem injuries -- except that they can pass to a final rest by eating something called Root, dug from the ground. (Just what Root is is never fully spelled out, nor are many of the rules governing the dead; as in real ...er, life .. they are just there.) Some reviewers have said that the book almost doesn't need its major conceit, the dead, but not only would it be missing 'something', but our main character (rookie cop Mike Mercer) becomes involved in, obsessed with, their peculiar crime problems. But in spite of the nearly constant presence of the Dead -- in the background, at the edges of our vision, in narrative forays to their world, or intrusive on ours -- the main focus is the living characters: Mercer; his fellow officers, in particular Toronto who is going through life changes of his own; his romantic interests; his group of buddies from his youth; the boy he rescues in the opening act and his family and cohort. And each character, or at least the major ones, evolves, often drastically, during the course of the book. I started to summarize the plot or character details, and found it virtu

Good reading; sweet characters

I genuinely loved the characters in this book that takes place in Colma, California, a city where the dead outnumber the living, since it is a small community that houses the cemetaries for nearby larger communities. And in this book, the dead observe and interact with the living locals, for both good and ill. In many ways, you could call this a Coming of Age book -- except that the person coming of age is already around 30 years old. Officer Michael Mercer hasn't found his place as he has stepped tentatively and nervously through life. As a newly minted police officer, it looks like he has finally discovered something he loves. The rest of his life, however, is still fraught with indecision and a nervous inability to commit. The story flows from a rescue the officer performs in the first few pages of the book: we see his impact on the lives of other people, and their impact on his life. And I'm talking about both living and dead people. I found this book very sweet, but also rather sad in a number of places (perhaps just like real life). I might have wished for a slightly different end, but it was still satisfying. I recommend this book without hesitation.

Dark, smart, and very funny.

This novel about a somewhat bumbling police officer in Colma, city of the dead, is a brilliant blend of humor, noir darkness, and the fantastical. Dorst handles all with a subtle, humane touch. Keeps you laughing, and turning the pages. Dorst is a real talent, someone who makes you think differently about the world around you. I suspect this is a writer we'll be hearing a lot from in the future, and I'll be glad to get my hands on his next offering.

One of the best books I've read this year.

I bought this book randomly and I'm really glad that I did. While the cover is kind of cheesy, the prose inside is anything but. Although it does involve ghosts, I've never read something so real before. The relationships between the characters aren't exaggerated like you find in so many books. There are real issues and feelings involved. I think the confusion the main character has over whether he was in love or not is a universal problem and I have never seen it explored in this way. Beautiful book.

Great read, solid writing

Let me just begin with an exceprt of the publisher's description of the book, as I don't think I can describe the premise of "Alive in Necropolis" nearly as well as they do: "Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grown-up relationships..." But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead... This is not a typical description of the books I read. It sounds like an odd cross of mystery and fantasy. I read almost nothing in the mystery genre and not much in the fantasy genre, and there mainly in young adult fantasy. However, I figured that this was a review copy and I might as well give it a chance, branch out a bit. I am extremely glad that I decided to be openminded about this book! Surprisingly, the whole `policing the dead' aspect turned out to be less prevalent than expected. "Alive in Necropolis" was more about relationships, about being `alive' in this city most notable for graveyards. I was quite impressed with Dorst's skill, particularly as this is his first novel. I figured that the book would feature some ridiculously inventive plot that would excuse a lack of substantial writing. This wasn't remotely true. Yes, there was a fantastic aspect to the plot, but this book was primarily made by the writing. Dorst gave his main character(s) in particular a good deal of depth and was able to show the reader this depth through the actions and reactions of the characters. I would recommend this book for those who love good, solid, well-written fiction, fantasy fans or not.