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Dewey Decimal #1
The Dewey Decimal System
After a flu pandemic, a large-scale terrorist attack, and the total collapse of Wall Street, 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 complex moral code (that doesn’t preclude acts of extreme violence) has taken up residence at the main branch of the New York Public Library on 42nd Street.
Dubbed "Dewey Decimal" for his desire to reorganize the library's stock, our protagonist (who will reappear in the next novel in this series) gets by as bagman and muscle for New York City's unscrupulous district attorney. Decimal takes no pleasure in this kind of civic dirty work. He'd be perfectly content alone amongst his books. But this is not in the cards, as the DA calls on Dewey for a seemingly straightforward union-busting job.
What unfolds throws Dewey into a bloody tangle of violence, shifting allegiances, and old vendettas, forcing him to face the darkness of his own past and the question of his buried identity.
With its high body count and snarky dialogue, The Dewey Decimal System pays respects to Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Jim Thompson. Healthy amounts of black humor and speculative tendencies will appeal to fans of Charlie Huston, Nick Tosches, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Robert Ferrigno, and early Jonathan Lethem.
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 The Messenger. In the 1990s he was the lead guitarist for the influential prog-punk outfit Shudder to Think. This is his first novel. Larson lives in Harlem, New York City, with his wife and son.
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
54 people are currently reading
1878 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Larson
7 books53 followersNathan 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. He was deeply involved in the hardcore punk scene in Washington D.C., and in the 1990s, he was the lead guitarist for the influential prog-punk outfit Shudder to Think. THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM is his first novel, the first of three in a series. The second installment, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, is Larsons latest work.
Larson lives in Harlem, New York City, with his wife and son.
Larson lives in Harlem, New York City, with his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
August 28, 2012
[Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography (cclapcenter.com). I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.]
I know, I know, you haven't been seeing very many reviews this year from our buddies at Akashic Books, which is because they simply haven't been sending very many books this year; and that's a shame, because it seems like every time I pick a new one up by them, at the very least it's still okay but much more often some of my favorite reads of the year. Take this most recent double-header, for example, the "soft apocalypse" noir thrillers The Dewey Decimal System and The Nervous System by former Shudder To Think guitarist Nathan Larson, which turns out to contain one of the most inventive post-apocalyptic milieus I've ever come across (and I read a lot of post-apocalyptic novels); two tales concerning a black former soldier with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, who has recently moved into the New York Public Library with the goal of manually reshelving all its books, within a Manhattan that after an endless series of coordinated terrorist attacks in the near future has voluntarily emptied to roughly one-tenth the population it once was, like The Yiddish Policeman's Union these use simple crime-novel plots as a sly way to explore this expansive alt-history universe, even while layering in an ultra-slow reveal concerning "Dewey"s actual past, the terrible eugenics experiments performed on him by the US military, and why it is that he can't remember any of it, despite still having an autonomic sense memory of how to speak Korean (for one example) or how to kill a man with his bare hands (for another). Two of the most legitimately exciting novels I've read in a long time, these had the rare ability to completely suck me out of my daily reality while I was in the middle of reading them, something that doesn't happen to me much anymore now that I read 150 books a year; and I always take that as an extremely good sign, taut genre actioners that belie the usual tropes of their genres, and which will undoubtedly be making our Best Of The Year lists come December.
Out of 10: 9.7
I know, I know, you haven't been seeing very many reviews this year from our buddies at Akashic Books, which is because they simply haven't been sending very many books this year; and that's a shame, because it seems like every time I pick a new one up by them, at the very least it's still okay but much more often some of my favorite reads of the year. Take this most recent double-header, for example, the "soft apocalypse" noir thrillers The Dewey Decimal System and The Nervous System by former Shudder To Think guitarist Nathan Larson, which turns out to contain one of the most inventive post-apocalyptic milieus I've ever come across (and I read a lot of post-apocalyptic novels); two tales concerning a black former soldier with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, who has recently moved into the New York Public Library with the goal of manually reshelving all its books, within a Manhattan that after an endless series of coordinated terrorist attacks in the near future has voluntarily emptied to roughly one-tenth the population it once was, like The Yiddish Policeman's Union these use simple crime-novel plots as a sly way to explore this expansive alt-history universe, even while layering in an ultra-slow reveal concerning "Dewey"s actual past, the terrible eugenics experiments performed on him by the US military, and why it is that he can't remember any of it, despite still having an autonomic sense memory of how to speak Korean (for one example) or how to kill a man with his bare hands (for another). Two of the most legitimately exciting novels I've read in a long time, these had the rare ability to completely suck me out of my daily reality while I was in the middle of reading them, something that doesn't happen to me much anymore now that I read 150 books a year; and I always take that as an extremely good sign, taut genre actioners that belie the usual tropes of their genres, and which will undoubtedly be making our Best Of The Year lists come December.
Out of 10: 9.7
July 22, 2011
Part of me wants to give this book only one star to punish myself for spending money on a book I ended up hating.
I really wanted to like it. The formula should have worked - library references, post-apocalyptic new york, hard boiled detective.
The character, who suffers from OCD among other things, needs to remind us constantly of his ailments. It is too bad someone so obsessive about touching his key can't use pronouns in his sentences. The entire book feels choppy and disconnected, largely because few sentences are full!
I think the end is supposed to have a big reveal except he kind of doesn't really explain it. Or maybe at that point I was just too exhausted from connecting all the words together. It doesn't really matter.
No, I am going to give this one star after all. I hate myself for finishing it.
I really wanted to like it. The formula should have worked - library references, post-apocalyptic new york, hard boiled detective.
The character, who suffers from OCD among other things, needs to remind us constantly of his ailments. It is too bad someone so obsessive about touching his key can't use pronouns in his sentences. The entire book feels choppy and disconnected, largely because few sentences are full!
I think the end is supposed to have a big reveal except he kind of doesn't really explain it. Or maybe at that point I was just too exhausted from connecting all the words together. It doesn't really matter.
No, I am going to give this one star after all. I hate myself for finishing it.
June 7, 2011
When checking out The Dewey Decimal System by Nathan Larsen over on Amazon I found out it is part of the Akashic Urban Surreal Series. Unfortunately, beyond that Amazon listing I can’t seem to find anything about this series beyond that it sort of exists. I mean, I guess the series title sort of explains it all but a little more information on it might be nice. Indeed, before even seeing that such a series existed I don’t think I would have classified this novel as surreal. Maybe it’s the fact that my senses are so inured from years of science fiction and fantasy that my interpretation of surreal is a bit askew. I found myself thinking of The Dewey Decimal System as slightly closer to post-apocalytpic fiction than anything else, though even that wasn’t quite right.
The Dewey Decimal System takes place in the husk of a New York City that has been all but abandoned after a flu pandemic, terrorist attacks, and the collapse of Wall Street. The titular character goes by the name of Dewey Decimal a gun-for-hire who makes his home in the New York Public Library working on the side to reorganize the collection into the proper Dewey classifications. Dewey is hired by the local Distract Attorney Rosenblatt to kill a man: Ukrainian gangster and all around bad guy Ivan Shapsko. Of course that isn’t everything. This wouldn’t be a quality hard-boiled/noir tale without a femme fatale and Larsen delivers with Iveta Shapsko; Ivan’s estranged wife. Dewey isn’t the type to follow orders blindly and the notion of just doing what he told never crosses his mind. Dewey’s quest for more information on his job leads him down an ever twisting path of violence made all the more fascinating by Dewey’s own unique psyche.
As the man relates early on in the book he is somewhat sure that his mind has been messed with government types. This causes him to doubt his own memories and he views them “more as dreams” than actual memories. In addition to his questionable background Dewey exhibits a host of other behaviors that seem to indicate that he might have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of some kind. He’ll only turn in one direction during certain times of day and he has an obsessive need for cleanliness both of his clothes (he ruins several suits over the course of the novel) and his hands (he goes through what must have been at least a gallon of hand sanitizer). He also doesn’t seem to have any sort of problem with violence. He maintains the same level of cool if he is being shot at or if he is torturing and killing a thug for information. He also seems to be able to speak and read several different languages and has likely served in the military at some point. Dewey is in truth a very likeable psychopath. The sort of character that it is entertaining to read or view from a distance but who you would never really like to meet.
The plot of The Dewey Decimal System is a twisted affair that doesn’t try too hard to make much sense or indicate what is the truth. It doesn’t linger on notions of right and wrong or justice. Absent of the eccentric main character the plot wouldn’t nearly as interesting. Well, that’s a stretch it might still be interesting but absent of Dewey I might be more critical of the murky motivations of the main players. Thankfully, Dewey and his running commentary of the people and places he visits keeps things lively and the muddied nature of the plot plays wells to Dewey’s tenuous grasp on reality. Larsen shoes a deft hand with dialogue, while not quite on par with the likes of Charlie Huston (who I still think writes the best hard-boiled/noir dialogue today) he comes awfully close. I was particularly fond of DA Rosenblatt whose unique clipped sentences lend credence to the asshole nature of the character. Larsen also manages to do quite well at mimicking Ukrainian accent through text (note: this analysis is based on brief experience in my teenage years of having worked with a Ukrainian named Vladimir; he made a pretty mean pizza).
The Dewey Decimal System is a taught new entry into the hard-boiled/noir genre with post-apocalyptic overtones that might appeal to science fiction fans. Larsen’s vision of a nearly empty New York City is comforting its familiarity and chilling in its alienness. Dewey Decimal is a refreshingly original character whose skewed perspective makes for an entertaining if occasionally disturbing read. If you’re looking for something new and interesting to read and don’t mind a little chaos and violence then The Dewey Decimal System is definitely worth a look. I for one certainly hope we’ll be seeing more Dewey Decimal in the years to come.
The Dewey Decimal System takes place in the husk of a New York City that has been all but abandoned after a flu pandemic, terrorist attacks, and the collapse of Wall Street. The titular character goes by the name of Dewey Decimal a gun-for-hire who makes his home in the New York Public Library working on the side to reorganize the collection into the proper Dewey classifications. Dewey is hired by the local Distract Attorney Rosenblatt to kill a man: Ukrainian gangster and all around bad guy Ivan Shapsko. Of course that isn’t everything. This wouldn’t be a quality hard-boiled/noir tale without a femme fatale and Larsen delivers with Iveta Shapsko; Ivan’s estranged wife. Dewey isn’t the type to follow orders blindly and the notion of just doing what he told never crosses his mind. Dewey’s quest for more information on his job leads him down an ever twisting path of violence made all the more fascinating by Dewey’s own unique psyche.
As the man relates early on in the book he is somewhat sure that his mind has been messed with government types. This causes him to doubt his own memories and he views them “more as dreams” than actual memories. In addition to his questionable background Dewey exhibits a host of other behaviors that seem to indicate that he might have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of some kind. He’ll only turn in one direction during certain times of day and he has an obsessive need for cleanliness both of his clothes (he ruins several suits over the course of the novel) and his hands (he goes through what must have been at least a gallon of hand sanitizer). He also doesn’t seem to have any sort of problem with violence. He maintains the same level of cool if he is being shot at or if he is torturing and killing a thug for information. He also seems to be able to speak and read several different languages and has likely served in the military at some point. Dewey is in truth a very likeable psychopath. The sort of character that it is entertaining to read or view from a distance but who you would never really like to meet.
The plot of The Dewey Decimal System is a twisted affair that doesn’t try too hard to make much sense or indicate what is the truth. It doesn’t linger on notions of right and wrong or justice. Absent of the eccentric main character the plot wouldn’t nearly as interesting. Well, that’s a stretch it might still be interesting but absent of Dewey I might be more critical of the murky motivations of the main players. Thankfully, Dewey and his running commentary of the people and places he visits keeps things lively and the muddied nature of the plot plays wells to Dewey’s tenuous grasp on reality. Larsen shoes a deft hand with dialogue, while not quite on par with the likes of Charlie Huston (who I still think writes the best hard-boiled/noir dialogue today) he comes awfully close. I was particularly fond of DA Rosenblatt whose unique clipped sentences lend credence to the asshole nature of the character. Larsen also manages to do quite well at mimicking Ukrainian accent through text (note: this analysis is based on brief experience in my teenage years of having worked with a Ukrainian named Vladimir; he made a pretty mean pizza).
The Dewey Decimal System is a taught new entry into the hard-boiled/noir genre with post-apocalyptic overtones that might appeal to science fiction fans. Larsen’s vision of a nearly empty New York City is comforting its familiarity and chilling in its alienness. Dewey Decimal is a refreshingly original character whose skewed perspective makes for an entertaining if occasionally disturbing read. If you’re looking for something new and interesting to read and don’t mind a little chaos and violence then The Dewey Decimal System is definitely worth a look. I for one certainly hope we’ll be seeing more Dewey Decimal in the years to come.
December 21, 2018
What’s not to like about a mashup of a post-apocalyptic New York City, noir and a black, psychopathic, hitman with OCD and amnesia? This book hit multiple, buttons like that for me. I can see where some folks won’t like it, but it tickled my satiric funny bone while cleaving close to two genres of interest.
Firstly, this book is a short 250-page read. It’s also physically, artfully designed. Despite being a trade paperback, it has uncut, sometimes known as “deckle edged” pages. (I’d never seen this before on a paperback.) The soft cover also includes an interior front and back flap, like would appear on a hardback's dust cover. The book covers look good, although the protagonist’s (Dewey) hat shown on the front should be a porkpie cap and not a fedora.
Prose is likewise “artistic”. Dewey’s is the story’s single POV. Many sentences of Dewey’s internal dialog are not sentences and there are intentional word misuses.
However, external dialog is consistent with the noir genre. It’s a contemporary riff on the Chandler-esque. Some might find it too snarky for traditional noir. Action scenes are well done. I felt a strong Tarantino influence in them.
If I have a criticism it’s that the author doesn’t fully take advantage of the opportunity for creating more atmosphere than he does. New York City doesn’t feel completely like the ghost town that he could make it.
This story contains no sex. There are some drugs and a lot of violence. Drug usage is Dewey habitually, over self-medicating himself on what I believe is a placebo. Dewey doesn’t drink, although other’s indulge. Alcohol usage is ‘sociable’, despite this being a noir story. Violence was moderately graphic, but not overly disturbing. It includes both physical and firearms usage. Nobody gets stabbed or cut. Bloodshed-ing is appropriate for the physical trauma. However, like in most fiction, the protagonist seems to be able to take a superhuman amount of punishment and still keep on ticking. Body count is moderate. Except for the ultra-violence this could be a YA read.
Characters include The Usual Suspects for a noir dramedy. Characters include: Spies, politicians, rich men, a feme fatale, hangers-on, thugs, gangsters and what amounts to bent cops. Dewey Decimal is the protagonist. He’s a black, psychopathic hitman with OCD and amnesia. It’s alleged that he’s been tinkered with by the Feds into a human Terminator, but he forgot. Decimal spends his time organizing the disordered books in the dark 5th Ave branch of the New York Public Library and running errands (killing people) for unelected District Attorney Dave Rosenblatt in exchange for his meds. Rosenblatt is corrupt. There are a gaggle of Feds 'guarding' the empty city. They're all corrupt too. Yakiv Shapsko and Brian Petrovic are the spies/gangsters. All the really bad guys in the story are either Ukrainian or Serbian. I suspect they were the criminal nationalities du jour when this book was written in 2011? Iveta Shapsko is the feme fatale, although Dewey is beyond having any sexual desire. She’s Yakiv Shapsko’s ex-wife. She has skillz. She may or may not, be a bad guy. There are very few good guys in this story.
Plot is a stock gangland, Federal government, local government corruption in New York City story. All this story’s Usual Suspects want Dewey to kill one or more of the other main characters mentioned above. They all threaten to kill him if he doesn’t. At one point, I figured-out Dewey could save himself and get the girl if he killed Rosenblatt, Yakiv Shapsko and Petrovic in a particular order. That would have been too easy. Easier still would have been for Rosenblatt, either Shapsko, or Petrovic to have just shot Dewey dead at any of several opportunities, but that never happens either. The story is really a shell game with Dewey trying to figure out, “whose the baddest guy(s)” and then shooting them.
World building amounts to near-future multiple catastrophically destructive events more than decimating (properly means 1:10) the population of New York City. The City is a ghost town inhabited only by: The Rich, the demi-monde, the Feds, the rump of city government, and those too poor, stupid or crazy to have left. There’s no Con Ed , water, food or other normal city services, other than the few services that the Feds have stood back up. The rich and criminal elite have: generators, private security, A/C , hot showers, liquor, hookers and sushi. For the lumpenproletariat NYC is like Beirut after the Civil War. I laughed that Trump Tower is (still) a going concern and appears in several scenes. New York City geography is also accurate. There are holes in the world building, like where are all the electric cars getting charged, but sometimes you shouldn’t look too closely. I ❤ NY.
In general, I was suitably amused by this noir/post-apocalyptic NYC story. Dewey’s snappy badinage, his snarky descriptions and characterizations were well done. By keeping the story short, the author didn’t weary me with his uber-hip, just short of OtT narration. This is no great work. For example, I felt the violence early achieved “stylistic excess”. I can also see some readers not being comfortable with the anti-hero protagonist and his place on the autism spectrum. A black, killer, Rain Man with amnesia? However, I found it an amusing satire on the genres.
I will likely read the next book in this trilogy: The Nervous System . This book is somewhat like Already Dead (Joe Pitt, #1) (my review), a book you might also want to read.
Firstly, this book is a short 250-page read. It’s also physically, artfully designed. Despite being a trade paperback, it has uncut, sometimes known as “deckle edged” pages. (I’d never seen this before on a paperback.) The soft cover also includes an interior front and back flap, like would appear on a hardback's dust cover. The book covers look good, although the protagonist’s (Dewey) hat shown on the front should be a porkpie cap and not a fedora.
Prose is likewise “artistic”. Dewey’s is the story’s single POV. Many sentences of Dewey’s internal dialog are not sentences and there are intentional word misuses.
Military hospital.
The last time they had me up in one of these houses of horror I underwent a lot of bad shit, said bad shit causing me huge memory gaps, possible false-memory implants, as well as (I suspect) some sort of physical tracking device, installed deep, near a vital organ I would imagine, as to be undetectable.
However, external dialog is consistent with the noir genre. It’s a contemporary riff on the Chandler-esque. Some might find it too snarky for traditional noir. Action scenes are well done. I felt a strong Tarantino influence in them.
If I have a criticism it’s that the author doesn’t fully take advantage of the opportunity for creating more atmosphere than he does. New York City doesn’t feel completely like the ghost town that he could make it.
This story contains no sex. There are some drugs and a lot of violence. Drug usage is Dewey habitually, over self-medicating himself on what I believe is a placebo. Dewey doesn’t drink, although other’s indulge. Alcohol usage is ‘sociable’, despite this being a noir story. Violence was moderately graphic, but not overly disturbing. It includes both physical and firearms usage. Nobody gets stabbed or cut. Bloodshed-ing is appropriate for the physical trauma. However, like in most fiction, the protagonist seems to be able to take a superhuman amount of punishment and still keep on ticking. Body count is moderate. Except for the ultra-violence this could be a YA read.
Characters include The Usual Suspects for a noir dramedy. Characters include: Spies, politicians, rich men, a feme fatale, hangers-on, thugs, gangsters and what amounts to bent cops. Dewey Decimal is the protagonist. He’s a black, psychopathic hitman with OCD and amnesia. It’s alleged that he’s been tinkered with by the Feds into a human Terminator, but he forgot. Decimal spends his time organizing the disordered books in the dark 5th Ave branch of the New York Public Library and running errands (killing people) for unelected District Attorney Dave Rosenblatt in exchange for his meds. Rosenblatt is corrupt. There are a gaggle of Feds 'guarding' the empty city. They're all corrupt too. Yakiv Shapsko and Brian Petrovic are the spies/gangsters. All the really bad guys in the story are either Ukrainian or Serbian. I suspect they were the criminal nationalities du jour when this book was written in 2011? Iveta Shapsko is the feme fatale, although Dewey is beyond having any sexual desire. She’s Yakiv Shapsko’s ex-wife. She has skillz. She may or may not, be a bad guy. There are very few good guys in this story.
Plot is a stock gangland, Federal government, local government corruption in New York City story. All this story’s Usual Suspects want Dewey to kill one or more of the other main characters mentioned above. They all threaten to kill him if he doesn’t. At one point, I figured-out Dewey could save himself and get the girl if he killed Rosenblatt, Yakiv Shapsko and Petrovic in a particular order. That would have been too easy. Easier still would have been for Rosenblatt, either Shapsko, or Petrovic to have just shot Dewey dead at any of several opportunities, but that never happens either. The story is really a shell game with Dewey trying to figure out, “whose the baddest guy(s)” and then shooting them.
World building amounts to near-future multiple catastrophically destructive events more than decimating (properly means 1:10) the population of New York City. The City is a ghost town inhabited only by: The Rich, the demi-monde, the Feds, the rump of city government, and those too poor, stupid or crazy to have left. There’s no Con Ed , water, food or other normal city services, other than the few services that the Feds have stood back up. The rich and criminal elite have: generators, private security, A/C , hot showers, liquor, hookers and sushi. For the lumpenproletariat NYC is like Beirut after the Civil War. I laughed that Trump Tower is (still) a going concern and appears in several scenes. New York City geography is also accurate. There are holes in the world building, like where are all the electric cars getting charged, but sometimes you shouldn’t look too closely. I ❤ NY.
In general, I was suitably amused by this noir/post-apocalyptic NYC story. Dewey’s snappy badinage, his snarky descriptions and characterizations were well done. By keeping the story short, the author didn’t weary me with his uber-hip, just short of OtT narration. This is no great work. For example, I felt the violence early achieved “stylistic excess”. I can also see some readers not being comfortable with the anti-hero protagonist and his place on the autism spectrum. A black, killer, Rain Man with amnesia? However, I found it an amusing satire on the genres.
I will likely read the next book in this trilogy: The Nervous System . This book is somewhat like Already Dead (Joe Pitt, #1) (my review), a book you might also want to read.
June 23, 2012
Nathan Larson has nearly drained the psychoses well dry in creating his character, Dewey Decimal. We are looking at OCD, PTSD, ADD(maybe), claustrophobia, addictions (smoking, those little pills), anxiety disorder, and paranoia here (although, in fairness, to quote Joseph Heller, “Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you...). Larson's purpose is not to create the skewed mental perspective of a psychotic. Instead, he seizes on this mix with a writer's gusto, embedding incongruous jagged riffs into the most tension-laden scenes. Shot in the kneecap by Iveta, the wife of the man he is directed to assassinate, he pauses long enough to note that Iveta now owes him a new pair of pants. Stalking the menacing Yakiv Shapsko at the Ukrainian Social Hall, he recalls: “I've heard good things about the food here, but don't do buffets. Bacteria. The thought of it makes me grab a handful of P[urell] and rub the bad away.” Even caressing a woman proves awkward. The first thing that pops into Dewey's head is that bottle of Purell!
He has adopted the name Dewey Decimal because he can't remember his own name. He lives in the shell of the New York Public Library, post-Event (referred to as 2/14). Ninety per cent of the population has left. There has been a global economic crash. The social order has collapsed leaving only predators and prey. Part of his compulsion is reorganizing the stacks of books. In this futuristic setting, the library references feel like a self-comforting effort to re-create a simpler more stable time. No sprawling Library of Congress cataloging or digital searching for Dewey! It is hinted that Dewey is the victim of a military experiment involving implanted false memories; yet flashbacks of a home and family in a neighborhood called Gun Hill feel too emotionally genuine to be totally discounted. The back story does account for the fact that he appears to be fluent in several languages: Ukrainian, Russian, and Cantonese. His obsession with fashion, however, remains a mystery. Not just Armani, but Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and Ed Hardy are readily summoned in his mental catalog of characters in hot pursuit.
The plot is a labyrinth of shady characters, violence, and double-crosses. A reader familiar with New York City will recognize the varied public transit references and locales from the Cathedral of St. Sava to Trump Towers. The flat-comic book characters fit the noir style of the writing, but fail to lend substance to their supposed and actual motivations. What I liked about this book was the promise of growth on the part of the author. He has created an unusual character balanced between survival and sensibility by the complicated rules of his “System.” This is the first in a promised series involving the character Dewey Decimal. I hope the potential seen in the DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM is fulfilled.
He has adopted the name Dewey Decimal because he can't remember his own name. He lives in the shell of the New York Public Library, post-Event (referred to as 2/14). Ninety per cent of the population has left. There has been a global economic crash. The social order has collapsed leaving only predators and prey. Part of his compulsion is reorganizing the stacks of books. In this futuristic setting, the library references feel like a self-comforting effort to re-create a simpler more stable time. No sprawling Library of Congress cataloging or digital searching for Dewey! It is hinted that Dewey is the victim of a military experiment involving implanted false memories; yet flashbacks of a home and family in a neighborhood called Gun Hill feel too emotionally genuine to be totally discounted. The back story does account for the fact that he appears to be fluent in several languages: Ukrainian, Russian, and Cantonese. His obsession with fashion, however, remains a mystery. Not just Armani, but Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and Ed Hardy are readily summoned in his mental catalog of characters in hot pursuit.
The plot is a labyrinth of shady characters, violence, and double-crosses. A reader familiar with New York City will recognize the varied public transit references and locales from the Cathedral of St. Sava to Trump Towers. The flat-comic book characters fit the noir style of the writing, but fail to lend substance to their supposed and actual motivations. What I liked about this book was the promise of growth on the part of the author. He has created an unusual character balanced between survival and sensibility by the complicated rules of his “System.” This is the first in a promised series involving the character Dewey Decimal. I hope the potential seen in the DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM is fulfilled.
April 27, 2011
*** 1/2
There seem to be a lot of dystopian novels set in New York post-9/11 out there, but I really enjoyed this one. In addition to being set post-9/11 (which is never referred to directly, sort of like Jess Walters' The Zero--the only hint of it is the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan), it's also set post-2/14, though we never learn what *exactly* happened on 2/14 beyond a whole lot of destruction.
Dewey is a dark and mentally-unstable but wholly sympathetic and likable character. (I told author Nathan Larson on Twitter that I just wanted to hug him.) He's part Monk and part Huggy Bear and following him around New York is definitely an adventure.
The other night at dinner, friends and I were talking about how much we enjoy novels with an element of ambiguity--not ambiguity because something is poorly-written (recently read one of those) but ambiguity that makes the story more compelling and sometimes more challenging. Partway through reading this one, I couldn't help but wonder if nothing actually happened on 2/14 and if the whole post-apocalyptic New York landscape wasn't a result of psychosis. I'll never know but I'm enjoying thinking about it.
There seem to be a lot of dystopian novels set in New York post-9/11 out there, but I really enjoyed this one. In addition to being set post-9/11 (which is never referred to directly, sort of like Jess Walters' The Zero--the only hint of it is the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan), it's also set post-2/14, though we never learn what *exactly* happened on 2/14 beyond a whole lot of destruction.
Dewey is a dark and mentally-unstable but wholly sympathetic and likable character. (I told author Nathan Larson on Twitter that I just wanted to hug him.) He's part Monk and part Huggy Bear and following him around New York is definitely an adventure.
The other night at dinner, friends and I were talking about how much we enjoy novels with an element of ambiguity--not ambiguity because something is poorly-written (recently read one of those) but ambiguity that makes the story more compelling and sometimes more challenging. Partway through reading this one, I couldn't help but wonder if nothing actually happened on 2/14 and if the whole post-apocalyptic New York landscape wasn't a result of psychosis. I'll never know but I'm enjoying thinking about it.
August 28, 2025
As a bit of a library geek and a title like this I had to read the book. Unfortunately, it isn't my type of book. It's a action crime novel where the main character goes around killing people, hired as a hit man. Honestly think this book would appeal more to guys. If there's Chick Lit then there must be Guy Lit and this is it.
The future dystopian aspect to the book, could have been appealing. But I really didn't like the main character, talk about flaws! Purposeful, but sometimes I just had a hard time believing all the running around he does, especially just one day after knee replacement surgery, no sleep, and so on.
I would give the book 2 stars, maybe 2 1/2, but bumping it up to 3 since it's not my type of book, and it might be more appealing to those who like to read this type of book.
The future dystopian aspect to the book, could have been appealing. But I really didn't like the main character, talk about flaws! Purposeful, but sometimes I just had a hard time believing all the running around he does, especially just one day after knee replacement surgery, no sleep, and so on.
I would give the book 2 stars, maybe 2 1/2, but bumping it up to 3 since it's not my type of book, and it might be more appealing to those who like to read this type of book.
April 26, 2013
there is a nice twist in this, and the scenes squatting in nypl are nice, and the character is going to re-do the shelving/dewey system after the library and nyc have been messed up and practically abandoned after another attack. they call it 2/14 in this story. but despite the lovable death machine that is dewey decimal, the actual bad guys seemed thin at best. the hand of john the baptist WAS a nice touch though. i've changed my mind on this and increased stars after reading his followup The Nervous System has memorable images and ideas that have really resonated, within a funny, flippant delivery. now gotta go wash my hands.
February 8, 2017
This is one of the books that kept showing up on my library recommendations throughout 2013 ... I was hooked by the story idea (and the cover).
As I was reading, I was struck continually with the idea that this reminded me of something similar from a while ago.
With a weird and wacky narrator, with punches of violence and very dark humor, it finally hit me that I was reading a retelling of "The Ethical Assassin" -- with a post-pandemic, dystopian twist -- but set in NYC.
It's definitely not for everyone but it's nicely done!
As I was reading, I was struck continually with the idea that this reminded me of something similar from a while ago.
With a weird and wacky narrator, with punches of violence and very dark humor, it finally hit me that I was reading a retelling of "The Ethical Assassin" -- with a post-pandemic, dystopian twist -- but set in NYC.
It's definitely not for everyone but it's nicely done!
didn-t-finish
December 4, 2016Forgettable.
September 5, 2019
I....wanted to love this book. Because: librarian. But it just kinda somehow creeped into pretentious-literary-dudes-club writing, which I should've seen coming from the book blurbs. Oh well. It was written for a different audience than moi.
May 29, 2021
A little too out there for me!
Read
April 20, 2011Being my first dystopian book, I was a bit hesitant as to what is what it was all about. I had just learned the meaning of the word several weeks earlier, but I was curious. Let me just say, if this is what dystopia is about, I am hooked.
Nathan has written this book in a way that made it really fun for me to read. It was as if Dewey and I were in a room and he was telling me what was happening as it was happening. Sentences were cut off, thoughts were "at the moment" thoughts and the action was ever present. Taking place in a post war NY, where the main character is the library manager, how could you go wrong! Not only was the written format interesting, but the story itself was well thought out. Once most people desert a city, only the riffraff is left, and at some point they form their own hierarchy.
It was quite a journey learning about Dewey as he goes from a man that does simple crimes in order to stay alive to becoming a man that has to get his hands dirty as much as it disgusts him, both figuratively and literally (the man is obsessed with his Purell). And during that entire journey, we read not only the horror of trying to stay alive, but the compassion that lays below the art of survival.
I had fun reading this book. it only took me a couple of hours and they were well worth the time. I look forward to the next in the series.
Nathan has written this book in a way that made it really fun for me to read. It was as if Dewey and I were in a room and he was telling me what was happening as it was happening. Sentences were cut off, thoughts were "at the moment" thoughts and the action was ever present. Taking place in a post war NY, where the main character is the library manager, how could you go wrong! Not only was the written format interesting, but the story itself was well thought out. Once most people desert a city, only the riffraff is left, and at some point they form their own hierarchy.
It was quite a journey learning about Dewey as he goes from a man that does simple crimes in order to stay alive to becoming a man that has to get his hands dirty as much as it disgusts him, both figuratively and literally (the man is obsessed with his Purell). And during that entire journey, we read not only the horror of trying to stay alive, but the compassion that lays below the art of survival.
I had fun reading this book. it only took me a couple of hours and they were well worth the time. I look forward to the next in the series.
May 27, 2015
The concept of this book is absolutely fascinating: a noir detective novel set in post-apocalyptic New York City. It's gritty, bloody, and profane, with the twists and turns ones except of a dark mystery.
I had major questions from the start, though, when Dewey Decimal (supposedly this efficient hitman) makes a series of juvenile errors. And continues to make them. I didn't want a flawless protagonist, and he certainly still had plenty of other issues--the guy is severely OCD, like Detective Monk on overdrive. Then the famed "dame" of noir enters. Despite the fascinatingly dark and ruined New York City, the plot becomes awfully predictable if you've read or watched any noir.
Dewey himself is an intriguing character. He's a completely unreliable narrator. He believes he lost his family in the disasters that have crippled the country. His memories feature large gaps, while he remembers other marginalia in excruciating detail. By the end of the book, he suddenly shows that he's an efficient killer, too, and in some repulsive ways. I read a lot of dark fantasy where the protagonist does not-so-nice things. But here... by the end, I found my empathy for the character strained, and I was glad to reach the final page.
I had major questions from the start, though, when Dewey Decimal (supposedly this efficient hitman) makes a series of juvenile errors. And continues to make them. I didn't want a flawless protagonist, and he certainly still had plenty of other issues--the guy is severely OCD, like Detective Monk on overdrive. Then the famed "dame" of noir enters. Despite the fascinatingly dark and ruined New York City, the plot becomes awfully predictable if you've read or watched any noir.
Dewey himself is an intriguing character. He's a completely unreliable narrator. He believes he lost his family in the disasters that have crippled the country. His memories feature large gaps, while he remembers other marginalia in excruciating detail. By the end of the book, he suddenly shows that he's an efficient killer, too, and in some repulsive ways. I read a lot of dark fantasy where the protagonist does not-so-nice things. But here... by the end, I found my empathy for the character strained, and I was glad to reach the final page.
August 22, 2011
Nathan Larson's debut novel was a bit of surprise to me. Akashic has the tendency to produce a lot of books that I like and a handful I'm certainly not into. Larson falls into the former category.
Set in a post 9/11 and post 2/14 world, Dewey Decimal is a maniacal character who suffers from OCD, happens to be a hit man and is certainly one of the oddest characters I've come across in a while.
In some ways, I get the hard boiled crime fiction tags thrown at this book, but this honestly read more like Max Barry's Jennifer Government. Fast paced, action packed, certainly reminded me of a great action flick...and I mean that in a good way for the naysayers of fine American action films who live on Goodreads.
Bottom line--this book is really fun and I'm stoked to know that this will be a series. There's some loose ends that need to be tied off so Larson's got my vote.
Set in a post 9/11 and post 2/14 world, Dewey Decimal is a maniacal character who suffers from OCD, happens to be a hit man and is certainly one of the oddest characters I've come across in a while.
In some ways, I get the hard boiled crime fiction tags thrown at this book, but this honestly read more like Max Barry's Jennifer Government. Fast paced, action packed, certainly reminded me of a great action flick...and I mean that in a good way for the naysayers of fine American action films who live on Goodreads.
Bottom line--this book is really fun and I'm stoked to know that this will be a series. There's some loose ends that need to be tied off so Larson's got my vote.
December 26, 2011
It may be weird to say that I am a fan of dystopian near-future settings. I have a morbid fascination with bleak, sparse landscapes and crumbling infrastructure; I remain hopeful that I will never have to live in such a world, but constantly wonder what type of person I would be if I survived in one.
In "The Dewey Decimal System", Larson creates an instantly engaging survivor as a protagonist, and a compelling city in ruins around him. Larson's staccato, fragmented style makes this a quick and brutal read with plenty of physical and emotional carnage. I only wished for more scenes in the New York Public Library, yearning for more details of this post-apocalyptic information age that seems entirely devoid of the 'net.
In "The Dewey Decimal System", Larson creates an instantly engaging survivor as a protagonist, and a compelling city in ruins around him. Larson's staccato, fragmented style makes this a quick and brutal read with plenty of physical and emotional carnage. I only wished for more scenes in the New York Public Library, yearning for more details of this post-apocalyptic information age that seems entirely devoid of the 'net.
Read
July 5, 2011Very odd, and very good. Review coming soon.
Full review here.
Full review here.
March 8, 2015
I kept reading this thinking somehow it would have some sort of meaning. Never found it.
March 28, 2016
Hmmm. Didn't really like the way the story was being told. Maybe it was too dispiriting a book for me to enjoy right now, didn't live up to the blurb.
December 25, 2017
You have to like anything NYC to like this guy.
February 16, 2019
This apocalyptic story takes place in New York City after a flu pandemic and terrorist attacks have wiped out the vast majority of the population. It is told through the eyes of Dewey Decimal - a physically and emotionally damaged former soldier who lives in what is left of the main branch of the New York Public Library. To deal with his obsessive compulsive issues and PTSD, Dewey has set himself to re-shelving the books in the NYPL and was thus nick-named Dewey Decimal, which has stuck since he doesn't remember his actual name. To keep himself in pills for his PTSD and Purell hand sanitizer for his hand washing compulsion, Dewey uses his special ops skills to get occasional work from dubious politicians, gangsters, and other seedy characters.
Dewey is a very damaged protagonist but with a deep, if confusing, moral code. Despite littering the landscape, both past and present, with dead bodies, Dewey tries to only kill those he has researched and decided are bad guys. He does all of this despite blackouts and trying to adhere to a complex OC system that includes such rules as only taking left turns in the morning.
I would categorize this book as more of an odd detective novel that an apocalyptic science fiction book. Following the wandering trail of who did what to who, Dewey gets himself embroiled with corrupt officials, international politics, and smuggling, literally in the filth of what NYC has become. All the while he tries to simultaneously solve and avoid the mystery of his own past. Nathan Larson weaves a strange and twisted tale which can be hard to follow. Of course, this is exactly the mind set through which Dewey sees the world so it makes perfect sense for the reader to be as confused at the hero/anti-hero.
Larson's writing is extremely engaging and descriptive. Reading the Dewey Decimal series you can almost taste the foul air of that pervades New York City after the apocalyptic attacks. The vulnerability and volatility of Dewey make him a character you will hate to love but, somehow, end up being on his side.
I accidentally read the second book before realizing that this one came first. This book did fill in some of the background information that I did not have when reading the second in the series. Overall, I found the writing in the second book even better than in this one and I have already ordered the third book in the series; The Immune System.
Dewey is a very damaged protagonist but with a deep, if confusing, moral code. Despite littering the landscape, both past and present, with dead bodies, Dewey tries to only kill those he has researched and decided are bad guys. He does all of this despite blackouts and trying to adhere to a complex OC system that includes such rules as only taking left turns in the morning.
I would categorize this book as more of an odd detective novel that an apocalyptic science fiction book. Following the wandering trail of who did what to who, Dewey gets himself embroiled with corrupt officials, international politics, and smuggling, literally in the filth of what NYC has become. All the while he tries to simultaneously solve and avoid the mystery of his own past. Nathan Larson weaves a strange and twisted tale which can be hard to follow. Of course, this is exactly the mind set through which Dewey sees the world so it makes perfect sense for the reader to be as confused at the hero/anti-hero.
Larson's writing is extremely engaging and descriptive. Reading the Dewey Decimal series you can almost taste the foul air of that pervades New York City after the apocalyptic attacks. The vulnerability and volatility of Dewey make him a character you will hate to love but, somehow, end up being on his side.
I accidentally read the second book before realizing that this one came first. This book did fill in some of the background information that I did not have when reading the second in the series. Overall, I found the writing in the second book even better than in this one and I have already ordered the third book in the series; The Immune System.
July 18, 2017
Obviously, I picked this up because of the title, not really knowing what to expect, and it somehow wasn't what I expected, but was pretty entertaining nonetheless. The main character, Dewey Decimal (AKA, name redacted), does indeed spend a lot of time in the NY Public Library, as a sort of unofficial caretaker/librarian. NYC has been fairly devastated in the terrorist attacks of 2/14, and as a sufferer of OCD, among other things, Dewey makes the NYPL his base of operations, and does actually organize the books in his spare time. I did not realize this was one of a series when I picked it up, so I am actually hoping that additional volumes will fill in more of the story the 2/14 attacks as well as how he became Dewey, after a Wolverine-esque past of government service/experimentation/black ops/whatever that has left him with little notion of who he is and what he is doing here. Not that any of that, or his OCD, stops him from doing a whole hell of a lot, because this story is action packed with chases and shoot outs and international intrigue and backstabbing and a cast of characters with hidden agendas and identities. The ending does pretty much wrap up the adventure, but one of the last things he does literally had me NOOOOO!-ing out loud (NO SPOILERS in my reviews though) and I will be reading more to see how that shakes out....
September 8, 2024
Not what I thought it would be.
As a librarian, I am pretty disappointed, since this book has nearly nothing to do with libraries. It's basically a neo-noire dystopian satire in which a bunch of people betray each other. The narrator only calls himself "Dewey Decimal" because he can't remember his real name.
I'm starting to think that I'm the weird one, since I keep expecting books to have a few actual likeable characters and the books usually do not live up to that expectation. Even in "The Maltese Falcon" there was some sense of morality; we don't get much morality here, in spite of our hero's "system."
I wanted to like this book, but after a certain point I felt like it was just feeding me a line, stumbling from cynical situation to cynical situation without any intention to invest in anything. It was like a experimental imitation of a story that might have originally had actual depth. Grittiness without resolve.
As a librarian, I am pretty disappointed, since this book has nearly nothing to do with libraries. It's basically a neo-noire dystopian satire in which a bunch of people betray each other. The narrator only calls himself "Dewey Decimal" because he can't remember his real name.
I'm starting to think that I'm the weird one, since I keep expecting books to have a few actual likeable characters and the books usually do not live up to that expectation. Even in "The Maltese Falcon" there was some sense of morality; we don't get much morality here, in spite of our hero's "system."
I wanted to like this book, but after a certain point I felt like it was just feeding me a line, stumbling from cynical situation to cynical situation without any intention to invest in anything. It was like a experimental imitation of a story that might have originally had actual depth. Grittiness without resolve.
February 19, 2021
An odd book, written in a noir style. It's about murder, and perhaps conspiracy. It's set in NYC after a catastrophic event that occurred on Feb 14, destroying the culture, economy, and society of NYC. Lots of hand sanitizer, rubber gloves, and paranoia. Perhaps it's a little too close to life these days even though the book was published in 2011.
I picked up the book because it had Dewey Decimal in the title, featured the New York Public Library, and sounding interesting.
After digging into the story, I find the writing style choppy and disjointed as is the main character's thought process. Decided to abandon the book.
I picked up the book because it had Dewey Decimal in the title, featured the New York Public Library, and sounding interesting.
After digging into the story, I find the writing style choppy and disjointed as is the main character's thought process. Decided to abandon the book.
May 3, 2025
I read a quarter before I had to tap out.
I suppose an immature right-wing teenage conspiracy theorist with a mad Max fetish might be engaged by it but it wasn’t for me. Shades of an attempt at a modern noir lens it an air of a tenth rate Philip Marlowe clone. The first person narration is all over the place as the authors voice is so often in conflict with the characters own style of expiation. Add to that the apparent juvenile moral clarity, and confused resort to physical violence whilst exhibiting such in vogue afflictions as ‘germophobia’, and it was a mess I couldn’t be bothered to finish.
I suppose an immature right-wing teenage conspiracy theorist with a mad Max fetish might be engaged by it but it wasn’t for me. Shades of an attempt at a modern noir lens it an air of a tenth rate Philip Marlowe clone. The first person narration is all over the place as the authors voice is so often in conflict with the characters own style of expiation. Add to that the apparent juvenile moral clarity, and confused resort to physical violence whilst exhibiting such in vogue afflictions as ‘germophobia’, and it was a mess I couldn’t be bothered to finish.
March 19, 2017
Actual rating: 3,5/5 stars.
Our protagonist in this dystopian post-terror-attack NYC is of mixed race and has OCD (two bonus points for that). He therefore works in a library resorting all the books according to the Dewey Decimal System (another bonus point). But when he is hired to assassinate somebody due to his forgotten soldier-past which includes possible PTSD, possible darker stuff, things spiral out of his control and his carefully arranged system quickly.
This is a dark and gritty novel, very bloody and violent - but it fits the protagonist, the setting and the tone. It is the first of a series and that feels natural, as there are still many aspects to explore. I did not like the confusion in the last third, where it was unclear to me who was on whose side, who hired whom, who was hiding what and which names and stories were true. Maybe that was on purpose, but for me, it just took the suspense and feeling of danger away. Other than that: not half bad for a debut novel from a movie music composer, I must say.
Our protagonist in this dystopian post-terror-attack NYC is of mixed race and has OCD (two bonus points for that). He therefore works in a library resorting all the books according to the Dewey Decimal System (another bonus point). But when he is hired to assassinate somebody due to his forgotten soldier-past which includes possible PTSD, possible darker stuff, things spiral out of his control and his carefully arranged system quickly.
This is a dark and gritty novel, very bloody and violent - but it fits the protagonist, the setting and the tone. It is the first of a series and that feels natural, as there are still many aspects to explore. I did not like the confusion in the last third, where it was unclear to me who was on whose side, who hired whom, who was hiding what and which names and stories were true. Maybe that was on purpose, but for me, it just took the suspense and feeling of danger away. Other than that: not half bad for a debut novel from a movie music composer, I must say.
June 29, 2020
The over use of Purell is really what comes to mind when reflecting the initial start of the story. Thankfully, that tapers off after a while and the story comes into it's own with a plot of a quirky hit man mixed up in a plot of intrigue, politics and back stabbing. Not too much of a twist at the end but one small enough to bring the story to a good finish. I would classify this book as postapocalypitc noir.
May 21, 2024
Extraordinarily violent, hard-boiled detective meets exceptionally bloody video-game in this short volume … inhabitant of the New York Public Lubrary on 42nd Street in the post-apocalyptic city of the relatively future, Dewey Decimal struggles to navigate the kaleidoscopic power structures of New York City … unbelievably, somehow one’s sympathy is caught for this deeply distressed and distressing character …
August 9, 2019
I don't think the ending was consistent with the characterization of Dewey Decimal. But it was fun and mysterious. Someone who likes all the loose ends tied up, though, might be frustrated by this book. We don't really ever find out the objective truth about the plot.
October 30, 2021
The book that answers the question 'what would Jason Bourne do in a post pandemic New York '. There are exactly as many improbable fights and shoot-outs as you'd expect, plus slightly more hand sanitizer.
An unexpectedly fun quickie.
An unexpectedly fun quickie.
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