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Two And A Half Dead Men (2011)

by Jason Krumbine(Favorite Author)

3.06 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

One Stray Word Books

review 1: I really wanted to like this more. It had a very appealing theme and characters that at first glance were rather intriguing, but it was just so poorly and so very choppily written - "X does Y. A does B. A talks to X. X answers A. A walks up the stairs and opens the door. X sits down at the bar. (not actual text, but that's what it all felt like to me)" -- and even more poorly edited (typos abounded, grammatical mistakes like you're/your, they're/their/there, and "comprise" was used in two different occasions when "compromise" was the word context suggests was the intended verb). Moreover, there was some (albeit mild) anti-gay sentiment expressed by one of the main characters (and by at least one other character) that just felt gratuitous, uncharacteristic and unnecessary. ... moreI ended up not being able to like or respect either of the main characters, and couldn't fully appreciate the humor and novelty of the story because of the writing style and lack of proofreading constantly interrupting the flow, making it an uncomfortable reading experience. I did stick with it to the end, rather than giving up a third of the way in as I was tempted to do, but only because it was such a very quick read. And it was free.NOTE: It's quite short; already a small file on the Kindle, the long story (not even really a novelette) takes up only about 70-some percent; the last 20-some percent comprises (now that's where that word actually makes sense) sample chapters from other works by the author.
review 2: For those joining us late, there are a ton of great indie urban fantasy stories out there, and today's offering, Two and a Half Dead Men, is just the latest example of that extremely happy trend. If you like snarky narrative, hilarious sibling rivalry, and an interesting story with lots of one-liners, then you've definitely come to the right place.Thane and Mort Grym are the the kind bounty hunters you'd get if Jake and Elwood Blues had to finally find new jobs. One does the thinking, one does the drinking, and somewhere in the middle each manages to not completely irritate the other and occasionally wrangle a reluctant soul into the afterlife. This time, they're after (how apropos) two fully dead guys and one...half dead guy. There's a new reaping agency in town, too, that's trying to muscle in on the market, and that just makes things complicated for our two leading dudes. This story was the perfect length to not only get the ball rolling and wrap up the story in this volume, but also to make me want to read future installments. What's up with Mort and Thayne's dad? Did their mom and dad really play favorites? Will Mort ever remember Jeanie the stripper's phone number? How are things going to turn out with the fancy new reaping outfit from LA? I'm totally on board with future installments in this series after finishing volume one.The deadpan tone and supremely quotable text make this a story I'll definitely come back to, as well. Check out this gem right off the bat from the first chapter, when Thayne and Mort are trying to convince a recently departed guy that he is completely living impaired:“You’re saying I’m dead?” he asks again. “Buddy,” Mort cuts in again, “you’ve got your legs violently separated from the rest of your body. I can see parts of your entrails on the fireplace. It is not possible for you to get any deader.”Further evidence that, as they say, reapin' ain't easy. I mean, I'm not sure who exactly "they" is, but you get the idea. less

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