The Innocence of Death

Choosing between Death and death isn’t really a hard choice, right? So when Cal is shot, he can either stay dead – or start working as Death’s PR specialist.

I have a long standing love for Death as a protagonist in books, as an avid reader of Terry Pratchett’s books. (Which also means it saddens me that this particular Death has no white skull and doesn’t SPEAK THE PROPER WAY.)

Urban Fantasy with humour is a dangerous genre. Dangerous because there is a small line between being witty and sarcastic and humorous – and overdoing it. Of course, Pratchett was Fantasy without Urban, but he was a master of walking this line.

The comparison with Pratchett is dangerous, too, beloved that he is. I think Stone goes this way explicitly – just take a look at the author’s picture in the end of the book, with that fancy hat that is very reminiscent to Sir Terry.

Then again, this book is rather light on the Urban as well. Most of it takes place Elsewhere, the magical realm somehow connected to our world where all the immortals and magicals live. But there is Death’s chauffeur driving a Rolls Royce Phantom, so it’s an alternate world incorporating our modern world, hence Urban is the tag I’m going with.

You would expect a book containing characters such as Death and his (surprisingly fierce) wife Life to be a tad more philosophical than it actually is. I blame that on the point of view – this is a first person narrative from Cal Thorpe’s POV, and he was a marketing specialist when he was alive, focused on career success, not on philosophy.

I think this is one of the most obvious differences between Stone and Pratchett – the first person versus Pratchett’s all-knowing, philosophical (and sometimes smartass) narrator¹. So the philosophy comes from the people our narrator speaks to.

Other than that, there is really good promise in this book. Elsewhere is a fantastical place we get to discover through Cal’s eyes – although there isn’t much new in form of concepts (trolls, wraiths, vampires and other anthropomorphic entities like Justice and Mercy all feel kinda familiar), it’s blanded well together. And there’s the Mystery aspect of the book, giving it a new push.

But Stone also did twist some of the known and gave it an interesting spin. For example, if you stumble about someone in Elsewhere who’s dressed extravagantly while simultaneously lacking any sense of fashion, then you’ve found a vampire! They’re absolutely vain, but can’t see themselves in a mirror, obviously. Well, I chuckled.

And the Salmon of Knowledge is another example of something Stone hasn’t invented (it’s really Irish Folklore), but incorporates really well into his tale. Many of the side characters we are going to meet are interestingly written and are pleasant to meet (in their own way).

Yolanda especially is a treasure, and easily my favourite character in the book. I’ll bet looking forward to see her again in the next installment in this series!

After all is said and done, this book was a funny enough and light read (for a lazy Sunday), and it shows promise for the future of this series. Elsewhere might just become a new Discworld.

¹ THAT, AND THE MISSING FOOTNOTES.

Genre: fiction, urban fantasy, folklore, dark fantasy, mystery, crime
Age range: 15+

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing and Setting: 4/5

Content warning: *gore, violence, death, injury, challenge of religious ideologies, supernatural themes.

The gist of my review:

This is an incredibly interesting book that has you seeing life and death - I mean that quite literally - in a totally gripping and mind blowing way. I simply loved each and every character in this book. The writing and the plot were great and I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this exciting first novel in what promises to be a gripping series.

Characters: 5/5

It has to be said, but I don’t think I’ve ever liked each and every character in a book before, but Stone has done it! I cannot express how much I loved these characters.

The personification of not only Life and Death, but also Mercy and Justice was masterfully done.

Death was kind and mysterious. Life was cruel but blindingly beautiful. Mercy: the ever composed assassin, and Justice: the valiant warrior who is fair in all things. *chefs kiss*

Yolanda, the rock troll, is naive in the ways of all things human. She’s a character that’s balances in that sweet spot between adorably ignorant and loveably stupid. I couldn’t help myself but make her my favourite.

Then there is Cal. Cal was hilariously snide and a wonderfully human - but also not human - in an inhuman world. He’s relatable and genuine in his approach to everything he faces.

Plot:
I really liked this plot. It was dark, funny, exciting and something that seemed very innovative to me. The only gripe I have over it is that the entire plot happens over a matter of days. I think this book could have been stretched a little longer, but I think readers who are looking for a book that isn’t too long but it’s still an absolute page turner will appreciate how quick it is.

Writing and Setting: 4/5
I thought the writing was pretty darn perfect. Again I have only one gripe, and this relates more to the actual content of the chapters. I understand there is always lulls in the narrative, but I got stuck in those lulls when I came across them. I’m normally a speed reader and I just found that I didn’t digest this book as quickly as I thought because of that.

Other than that, the writing was in first person, and it was a really great example of how first person narration should be written to capture thought and feeling. Also, I was pretty convinced that I had the twist at the end already figured out but I was pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong.

Thank you to E.G. Stone and the team at Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

TW: Murder, gun violence, language

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: My name is Cal Thorpe and I worked for the premier marketing firm as a marketing and public relations agent. Then, I met Death. He gave me two options: go back to the moment when I’d been shot or work for him as his marketing agent. Obviously, I took the job.The only thing is, working for Death was absolutely nothing like I expected. For one, my assistant is a rock troll named Yolanda who smiles a lot and has a penchant for salt. Then, there’s the fact that I have to interview assassins who work with Death to get a sense of the guy. Oh, and finally? Death is married to Life and she’s accusing him of murder.Death says he didn’t do it.Now it’s up to me to go and solve this impossible crime, taking me on a trip through the magical realm of Elsewhere, and back to the mortal realm of Earth, to track down a killer who outsmarted Death. The only question is what is going to happen if I actually find the culprit. I have a feeling things will never be the same again.
Release Date: August 13th, 2021
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Pages: 260
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• I seriously loved this Sci-Fi fantasy world of Elsewhere
• Carl seems like such a likeable dude

What I Didn't Like:
• It's such a short book but you meet so many characters within the beginning, that it feels almost exhausting
• Why do almost all the women were introduced to have to be stunning and hot. Seriously dude... Weird. Does this place not have average wome

Overall Thoughts:
I was kind of confused at first why Death needed marketing. Next I was confused why the media marketing guy needed to solve a mystery of someone's murder. No where in getting to know Carl is it hinted at that he has detective qualities.

Anyways I found the story just flowed and kept the mystery alive on why and who was behind the murder. I just felt like there were too many characters to keep with that had no purpose or we don't see again in the book.

I didn't understand why the vampire's dressed so badly just because they couldn't see themselves in the mirrors. They have eyeballs and match clothes together. Also it's mentioned about him not being able to take a picture of himself, but why couldn't he have a portrait painted/drawn?Never mind the vampire's stole some artists to paint them, though not sure as to why they just didn't pay them instead of feeding on them. The whole vampire thing just really lost me. Maybe the author wanted to change how vampires are really portrayed, I don't know.

As much as I hated Cal because he got on my nerves I just loved him as a character too. He was funny, brave, and just entertaining. I love how when he couldn't stand up to the person that shot him he was able to stand up in death against all the other people who wronged others. I thought that was such a unique take on the character.

It did bother me how much it's brought up how pretty or stunning the females are. There's even a part where Yolanda puts a dress on and Cal comments about how he shouldn't be so harsh on her looks. It was weird and put this odd sexual expectation onto women from a males pov. Women don't need validation from men to justify their self worth through how hot they are to a man.

The ending was just okay for me. I felt as though it was almost impossible to guess that Justice was the killer.

Final Thoughts: Definitely will continue the book series. I adored the writing and the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (less

Thank you for allowing me to read and review!
Wow ! Okay so this was something I’ve never read anything like before. It was definitely different especially with the death and possibly fan fictiony- vibe if that makes sense. Overall it wasn’t bad, I do feel like it could of played out a bit better

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me just say how much I love books where someone is given a mundane job working for Death. Except this doesn't end up being a mundane job. Cal isn't a character that you really enjoy at first, but he grows on you.

I enjoyed the characters; Death is great. He's usually my favourite character when he's in a book. I loved the setting of Elsewhere. I did expect it to be a little more humorous than it was, but overall I really enjoyed it and will be continuing this series.

Loved this book! The story was engaging and funny, the characters were vibrant and relatable. I loved this story from beginning to end.