The Guard by Peter Terrin

Coming from Maclehose Press, an imprint of Quercus, in September: The Guard by Peter Terrin (£16.99):

“Harry and Michel live in the basement of a luxury apartment block, guarding the inhabitants. No-one goes outside. The world might be at war - it might even have been plunged into nuclear winter. No-one knows. All Harry and Michel know is that if they are vigilant, 'the Organization' will reward them: promotion to an elite cadre of security officers remains their shining goal. But what if there were no-one left to guard? And if the promised relief shift arrives, how will they fit in to Michel and Harry's studied routine of boredom and paranoia?”

The Last Man Standing by Davide Longo

The MacLehose Press, an imprint of Quercus, deals with the translation of fiction into English (and to the publication of “a very few outstanding writers in English”). The imprint was founded by Christopher MacLehose.

The Last Man Standing by Davide Longo (was born in 1971 in the Province of Torino) and translated by Silvester Mazzarella is published in July (£12.99):

“Italy is on the brink of collapse. Borders are closed, banks withhold money, the postal service stalls. Armed gangs of drug-fuelled youths roam the countryside.”