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Death Most Definite (2010)

by Trent Jamieson(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1841498599 (ISBN13: 9781841498591)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Orbit

series

Death Works Trilogy

review 1: Well a slightly different Urban fantasy read here, Set downunder which has to be one of the few places I don't read about quite as much, and to be honest I don't think I know anymore about Australia after reading it than I knew before, so im not entirely taken by the world building on that side, however there is also the underworld involved here and by comparison theres quite a pretty picture painted about what thats like which is good. The plot element sees Steven De Selby rise from Zero to hero, albeit an unwitting one. Hes a Pomp (an australian version of an exorcist) whose job is to help the dead pass on, and to put down the stirrers (Spirits who inhabit dead bodies turning them into zombies), hes rather relaxed until things all go to hell (more or less literally) and ... morehes suddenly in deep trouble, he has a friendly ghost helping him who happens to be female, and theres some slightly overblown Love at first sight senario at play which slightly puts off the plot some, but is otherwise bearable, however there are a couple of occasions where things seem quite icky and unneeded and ill leave it at that with a reader beware logo to avoid spoilers on that point if you read it you'll know the part I mean. Overall the story wasnt terrible, the plot was quick paced and had a lot of action in it, and I think the author went so overboard on the romance element to try combat all the action, the underworld is most certainly not a nice place to be, and the people who run the business that is "Death" across the world are suitably scary themselves, I did think the ending was well done, and since I bought the omnibus ill read the other two to see how it goes, but it wasnt a fantastic success in my mind so only 3 stars from me.
review 2: Odin's ravens and the world tree provided a completely unexpected link between the book I read just before, The Age of Odin, and 'Death Most Definite' by Australian Trent Jamieson. The story happens in the present in Australia but it is once again a present seen through a distorting lens. Steven de Selby follows, without terribly much conviction it can be said, the family profession. He is a 'pomp' a human conduit that helps the souls of the dead to transit to the nether world. He has a serious problem, however. Someone has started killing off all the pomps in Australia in a bid to become the new 'regional manager' a.k.a. Death for Australia. Steve is saved by the ghost of a dead girl who then becomes his companion in a wild chase to avoid being killed and find out who is behind the murders. Ravens appear in the middle of the action and couldn't but remind me of Huginn and Muninn, Odin's pair. Then there is the link between the world of the death and that of the living - a huge tree Yggdrasil by any other name. Again, the characters are well drawn and, Death has a family likeness with those of Pratchett, Gaiman and Piers Anthony which the author acknowledges loving. But he creates his own world and his own Death. To end with another blurb: 'Darkly humorous and dangerously hip, this novels breathes new life into the business of death.' I look forward to the sequel. less

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