Originally published in 1981 and long out of print, Mike McQuay's novelization of John Carpenter's Escape From New York is a pulp thrill-ride that expands upon the film's dystopian world with material cut from the final production. In the crime-ravaged world of 1997, the island of Manhattan has been transformed into the nation's most feared maximum-security prison. Without guards. Without escape. Without hope. When Air Force One crashes inside its walls, the government turns to the only man ruthless enough for the job: Snake Plissken. A war hero, an outlaw, and one of the most dangerous men alive. His mission: infiltrate the New York prison, rescue the President, and get out alive... all in less than twenty-four hours. Based on the original screenplay by John Carpenter and Nick Castle.