Lewis and Clark (post-apocalypse)
The Dead Lands By Benjamin Percy (Grand Central; 403 pages; $26)
These days, it’s hard to make much of an impact in a novel by destroying civilization. Pick an apocalypse, from climatic catastrophe to zombie doomsday, and a legion of writers have probably already left indelible marks on it — from many disparate points along the literary spectrum.
Part of the fun of Benjamin Percy’s highly entertaining new novel, “The Dead Lands,” lies in its recognition that it’s not breaking much new ground. It doesn’t labor needlessly to convince readers that everything can fall apart all at once; it simply gets down to the business of recapitulating the Lewis and Clark expedition as a post-apocalyptic fantasy quest.
Set in an American West devastated by a killer virus, drought and fallout from wrecked nuclear plants, “The Dead Lands” resonates with loud echoes of Stephen King’s “The Stand” and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” The action begins in St. Louis, now known as the Sanctuary, where the brutal mayor executes those who speak against him, even while his deputies spread warnings that life beyond the city’s walls is impossible.
When Gawea, a black-eyed mutant girl, arrives at the Sanctuary, she gives museum curator Lewis Merryweather and rebel deputy Mina Clark the impetus to escape to Oregon, where civilization apparently endures under the leadership of one Aran Burr. Lewis, Clark, Gawea and their small band of fellow explorers will have to endure attacks by wild animals, the depredations of slave traders and psychic manipulation by a new breed of despot.
The author of the werewolf thriller “Red Moon,” Percy has a sure hand when it comes to orchestrating action scenes, and he does a creditable job of juggling multiple viewpoints without diminishing the level of suspense. “The Dead Lands” is clearly only a warm-up for a series of novels about this bizarrely altered America, but the book concludes with a sufficient sense of resolution so that readers won’t feel cheated, but rather energized for the next crazy installment.
Persona By Genevieve Valentine (Saga Press; 320 pages; $24.99)
In “Persona,” Genevieve Valentine posits a near future in which diplomacy plays out largely through social media, with photogenic Faces hired to handle the more public aspects of international relations. For Suyana Sapaki, the representative for the United Amazonian Rainforest Confederation, an appearance before the International Assembly in Paris and a clandestine meeting with the Face of the United States leads to a foiled assassination attempt.
Just as she and her handler arrive at a posh hotel, there’s a gunshot. Only the intervention of freelance photographer Daniel Park saves Suyana from an early death. Although seriously wounded, the young woman doesn’t trust her own team or dare go to the authorities. Daniel finds himself helping her limp through the Parisian back alleys while she formulates an escape plan.
Make no mistake: Suyana is no damsel in distress. Valentine presents her as a thoroughly capable individual, tempered by tragedy and perhaps too opinionated to ever fit in with the other Faces. As the level of danger rises around her, she finds new reserves of courage and resourcefulness, as does Daniel.
The author of “Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti” and “The Girls at the Kingfisher Club,” Valentine is better known for her use of fantasy, but here she constructs an involving game of cat-and-mouse, one in which it is sometimes difficult to discern who is the feline and who the rodent. A few stronger hints about the political stakes at play might have grounded the narrative more firmly in its invented reality. As it is, though, “Persona” presents an intriguing mix of science fiction and espionage tropes.
The Fifth Heart By Dan Simmons (Little, Brown; 618 pages; $28)
Dan Simmons, author of “The Terror,” “The Abominable” and “Flashback,” isn’t known for his sprightly sense of humor. Some of his novels rank among the darkest tales offered in mainstream horror fiction. So it’s good to see him kick back, loosen up a little and spin an improbable but amusing yarn featuring the unlikeliest of crime-fighting duos, Sherlock Holmes and Henry James.
The novel opens in 1893 on the banks of the Seine, with James contemplating ending his life, depressed at the thought of his impending 50th birthday and despondent over his dwindling book sales. Before he can take the fatal plunge, however, the author of “Daisy Miller” spots another would-be suicide, one with an unmistakable profile.
Although the reading public believes him killed at the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty, Holmes is very much alive. Or is he? The great detective has been brought to the brink of despair by the notion that he is nothing more than a fictional construct.
Plans for self-destruction set aside, Holmes and James wind up traveling together to Washington, D.C., where they enjoy the hospitality of the widowed Henry Adams, whose wife, Clover, died after ingesting potassium cyanide. Holmes believes Clover to have been murdered, and the investigation into her death leads to a conspiracy to assassinate President Grover Cleveland. Soon the plot expands to include the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain and Henry Cabot Lodge, with stops in New York, Boston and finally to Chicago for the opening of World’s Columbian Exposition.
Simmons does an exemplary job of using the errors and inconsistencies in the Arthur Conan Doyle canon as a springboard for Holmes’ metafictional musings on whether he exists or not. James proves a perfect foil for him: worried about appearances, reluctant to engage in any unpleasantness. Their prickly friendship — not the outlandish plot — is what makes “The Fifth Heart” such an unexpected delight.