Another Life

by Andrew Vachss

Book Overview

In this blistering conclusion to the nationally bestselling series, Burke is forced into a journey that will change the lives of the urban survivalist and his outlaw family forever.The only person Burke has ever called father, known throughout the underground as "The Prof," is in a coma, barely clinging to life in an off the-books hospital. So when Pryce, a slippery man with government connections, offers the best medical services for the Prof and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 030739039X
• ISBN13: 9780307390394
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A goodbye to Burke, hopefully not to Vachss

Vachss' incredible ear translated into Burke's dialogue is unprecedented. Perhaps Burke and his family of choice have reached the kind of stability many of us hope for, but Vachss hopefully won't leave us without the only authentic view into the world of monsters and predators that most of us, fortunately, will never have contact with. I'll miss Burke and the gang, especially mama; we should all be so lucky. But if you you've been on board this unprecedented body of work you will want to say goodbye, and if you haven't the flashbacks provide a taste of what you've been missing. The family has entertained us for years, now it' s time to get involved in the issue and Vachss' website provides more than enough opportunities and incentive to do that.

Classic series, classic end...

"Another Life" is the concluding chapter in the long novel that has been Andrew Vachss's Burke series, and will be no disappointment to those who have been following the story since 1985's "Flood." On the contrary, the book is the quintessence of what Burke tales have always been. There is a puzzle to be solved, the investigation of which stretches throughout the book, taking Burke and the reader into areas of society that are tough to visit even through the filter of "fiction." There are the vivid characterizations and relationships between the main characters of Burke's crew, relationships that have grown deeper with every book. There are the frequent asides and soliloquies on contemporary life and society that I've always found as fascinating as the actual plots. And there is a climax that serves as a textbook definition of the perfect ending: surprising but inevitable in retrospect. Add to all of these qualities the emotional resonance that comes with knowing that this is the last time we'll ever be able to walk with these characters, and "Another Life" is a gem, a novel that lets us look back to Burke's past and ahead to whatever future we can imagine for him and his family of choice. At once valedictory, heart-breaking, uplifting, and deeply satisfying, readers who have vicariously shared Burke's life for nearly a quarter century should no sooner miss this final chapter than the Prof should speak two sentences in a row without a rhyme. Like Mr. Henry says, "Only thing that's true is what you do," and what you've got to do is read this one. It rings true and clear as always, and for the last time...

For those who come after

Another Life is the final chapter of the Burke series -- I've always viewed the entire series as analogous to a single book, with each novel representing a chapter in Burke's story. If you've been a fan of the series, you will of course want to read this book; nobody sets down an engrossing read with the last chapter untouched. You won't be sorry. Burke, and the series, leave our lives on a high (or rather, hopeful) note. The conclusion may or may not leave you reeling, but it's guaranteed to leave you *thinking*. It seems to me that Vachss' novels always have two simultaneous "themes" -- there are the action points, what most reviewers will tell you the book is "about" -- and then the slightly more subtle, infinitely more meaningful underlying thesis. On one level, Another Life is about Burke agreeing to look for the abducted toddler son of a Saudi royal in exchange for medical care for the Prof, clinging to life after being shot in the last chapter, and a clean slate for other Family-of-Choice members. Another (chance to continue the same) Life. At its heart, though, AL is a book about the things we do, the lengths we will go to, for "those who come after." I'd heard a couple folks say this book was "predictable," and that frankly surprises me. Burke is in no way an impromptu type of individual, he plans everything he does down to the last detail. He doesn't *want* surprises, and those who've taken this journey with him all the way are likely justified in feeling we know how Burke will react to many given situations. This is where the surprise (on my part) came in. Vachss has written before in the series about people who "do the right thing for the wrong reason," and neither Burke nor Vachss has any problem with that. What I never really expected Burke -- or Vachss -- to address is the other side of that "intent" coin, those who do the *wrong* thing, but do it for the *right* reason, with the best of intentions, hoping to create something better but going terribly wrong. There are two specific instances of that in AL, and they're closely entwined. Burke's core Family all work with him on this one, along with many characters who've made appearances over the course of the series, so we get a chance to say goodbye to our favorites, both old and newer. As the parent of a fellow adult, I was deeply touched by the themes of growing, moving on ... letting go. When you've put in the work, the day will come when it's time to stand aside and let your kids go to make their own lives, find their own worlds. This book is "about" fathers, and mothers, sons and daughters. It's "about" Family, what we do to make one, the lengths we go to to keep them safe, and (if the job was done right), the bittersweet feeling of seeing them move on being overwhelmed and subsumed by the pride we feel while watching them go. When I read the last page and closed the book, I felt almost exactly the same way I felt at the end of Shella. So, my own personal response to the q

"Don't Need Nobody Cryin'"

Another Life is the last in the series of Burke novels. And even though Vachss has long hinted (or reminded) in the previous novels of the fact that Burke must reach SOME kind of end (the attempt on his life; his try for 'one final big score'), the fact of it is still jarring. An ending to Burke's story is an answer to a question that's been hovering throughout the last several books: how does someone like Burke end up? We've seen how he lives; what is the end, for him? I felt real dread when the book was announced many months ago. I wasn't sure I wanted the answer. Then, December 30th rolled around and I realized I couldn't NOT know. In this installment, Burke and his Family of Choice function as a family much more so than in any of the previous books. With the Prof still fighting to recover from his gunshot wounds and Clarence nearly paralyzed with worry, Burke is made an offer by former acquaintance Pryce that will net him a life-saving hospital arrangement for the Prof and clean slates for all the others. He accepts immediately - the way a son would do - without his normal vetting process. His task is to retrieve the missing infant son of a Saudi prince - Pryce believes the child was snatched by the type of humans Burke knows only too well. But the most disturbing discoveries Burke makes are about the prince himself. His contacts this time around have a bit more intellectual heft - be sure to brush up on your Latin. Perhaps it's a reflection of Burke's new understanding of the difference between what he knows...and what he always believed he's known. Families of all types come under focus - even canine, as Burke finally decides on a new partner. For his own family, particularly the next generation, questions about the future are demanding to be answered once and for all. They reflect the hope of the book's bittersweet title. Partnerships are forged, a financial future is constructed, the flames of Arab-Israeli conflict are stoked. And Burke's story reaches its end. Faster than expected, like the illusion of a train floating in the horizon. vale.

Perfect conclusion to a perfect series

I've followed Vachss' Burke series from book one. (Started, actually, with Sacrifice, then jumped back to Flood and went forward from there.) I've always loved the books, have enjoyed watching the characters grow, and enjoy going back through them to get a sense of time and place; as much as you can see the changes in the characters, you can also witness the change in the country, and the change in our culture, all of which Vachss reflects on in the books. I won't give away anything from this last chapter, but I will say this: it's both a beautiful send-off for Burke's family, and also includes an amazing revelation about Burke that was sitting there in front of me, I never recognized, and now, with it revealed, it really changes the context of all 17 of the previous novels. A masterpiece! Highly recommended!