Top Ten: Beyond the Farthest Precinct (Paperback)

by Paul Di Filippo (Author), Jerry Ordway (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5–9—In a post-9/11 world filled with security checks and the constant threat of new forms of terror, Precinct 10, an elite police corps, keeps watch in Neopolis. This volume opens with the officers enjoying a picnic with their family and friends. Their outing is cut short when a terrifying specter appears in the sky. It most resembles a semi-robotic Skeletor (of the He-Man series) and fills the citizens of Neopolis with horror. The specter convinces the mayor that the tenure of the much-respected Captain Traynor has ended and appoints Major Cindercott, a man/robot who burns sulfur for fuel. The officers of the department react badly to the replacement of their beloved captain and to the restrictions applied by his successor—no vacation or sick leave and check-ins every 15 minutes. With discontent in Precinct 10, the continued appearance of the specter, and a new robot drug that connects its users with a higher power, the city is at its most vulnerable. The illustrations are of high quality, especially considering the mixture of robots, superheroes, and humans (look for a few familiar pop-culture faces among the "extras" throughout the story). The colors are crisp and clear and give Neopolis an air of darkness and despair. With its mix of species, superpowers, and political leanings, Farthest Precinct makes a solid addition to collections that include titles in the "X-Men" series.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Sf and fantasy author Di Filippo takes the reins of this series, often described as "Hill Street Blues with superheroes," from creator Alan Moore, who turns out to be a tough act to follow. It doesn't help that Di Filippo introduces a number of new costumed constables to Moore's already crowded roster, leaving little room for character development. And Ordway's illustrations impart more of a standard superhero vibe than the subdued, realistic approach of predecessor Gene Ha. Even so, Di Filippo contributes some nifty sf conceits, and it's always a treat to spend time with the constabulary of Neopolis. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wildstorm (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401209912
• ISBN-13: 978-1401209919
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #346,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Di Filippo, Paul
  #4 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( O ) > Ordway, Jerry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Di Filippo lowers Moore's quality level by several notches, August 5, 2006

By	Harry - See all my reviews

I was very much looking forward to reading this. I wanted to see how Di Filippo (as far as I know a newbie to the comics genre, and the author of a few quite impressive books) does with the legacy of master Alan Moore.

A lot worse than I thought he would.

SPOILERS: There are several points I just don't get. I. E. How can he revive a character - Girl One - for no obvious reason and then do NOTHING with her. He gave her about two lines of dialogue throughout the book and showed nothing of the impact her reappearance would have on the former colleagues and friends.
Why does he simply ignore important developments laid out by Moore's run, like Smax and Rexa not being able to admit that they are brother and sister, because of the legal problems involved? (There was so much potential in this particular detail.)
Why does he come up with - sigh! - destinies that have to be fulfilled? Is this some "Lord of the rings" for the poor?
Why does he stop all character development or - to the contrary - abandons that which has already been done? The characters are so devoid of any depth it almost made my cry.
Why does he have to take a minor character from an earlier - and very tragic - episode that paraphrases the AIDS-threat in a superhuman society, and make him a super-villain? This turn of events is so absurd that it even belittles the original story.

Enough. I could go on an on. If you really liked Moore's run, avoid this at all costs. If you didn't particularly care about it before, you can try this book. Di Filippo doesn't seem to care too much, too. I wish he would have stayed with writing novels. I really enjoyed his "Steampunk trilogy". Never could get my hands on a copy of "Linear City", though.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Dreadful, November 1, 2006

By	ShowTunes (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews

I don't expect the person who follows in Alan Moore's shoes to be as good as the master, but to be this bad is truly astonishing.

Too many new (and old) characters with little to do; the personalities of old characters completely changed (King Peacock and Peregrine are the worst offenders); way too much going on--just when you're following one thread, another starts; some truly stupid cosmic blabbery; little or no continuity from the earlier stories to this one (Smax/Rexa and Kemlo/Annette's relationships, which had secret elements to them earlier, are now common knowledge for no apparent reason); standard superhero art with none of the whimsy that Gene Ha provided; an ending that makes ZERO sense.... boy, I could go on for days.

Did Alan Moore really approve this stuff? I knew he was burned out on the US comics industry, but he really must loathe it to let something this bad be associated with his name. I hate having wasted money on this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying, July 4, 2007

By	Pols - See all my reviews

This is definitely a cut below Alan Moore's Top Ten. The fact that some of the relationships are now public didn't bother me as much as it did some of the other reviewers (this takes place five years after the original Top Ten, which is a long time to keep a relationship secret). But the subplots generally aren't very well thought out, a lot of the characters are just sort of taking up space, and most egregiously, the main plot isn't tied up very well. It's not a horrible book, but it really suffers in comparison to Top Ten and Smax.