The Immune System

In Larson’s offbeat third and final novel set in a dystopian, depopulated future New York City (after 2012’s The Nervous System), Dewey Decimal continues his self-imposed task of restoring order to what’s left of the books in the main branch of the New York Public Library, but he must also answer to U.S. Sen. Clarence Howard, who gives him two assignments almost guaranteed to result in failure. The first is to scope out the homeless squatters occupying the southern end of Central Park and warn them that Howard wants them gone in 72 hours. The second is to protect a royal brother and sister, members of the House of Saud, who are due to visit the ruined city. Dewey is an unlikely hero, a gimpy, smart-mouthed loner, obsessed with a brand-name hand sanitizer. His indomitable spirit and his distinctive ghetto-infused, educated patter give Larson’s series its unique and spicy character. (May)