Review
Steven de Selby has managed to avert a Regional Apocalypse, get the girl, and has had a major increase in standing to Regional Manager. Far recompense one would think for coming out on the right side of a “schism negotiation”. And if this is all sounding double dutch then read the bloody books. Unfortunately for Steven it's not all plan sailing in this, the second of three Death Work novels. Stirrer attacks are on the rise, he has a lack of staff due to the high mortality rate in the first novel, the Stirrer God draws ever closer, and there's that drinking problem to contend with. Oh and just to ensure a full working day someone or something is out to kill him and there's a conference of all the Regional Managers to organise. On the bright side Hell is his personal domain and help is available if Steven wants to take advantage of it. Can Steven get to grips with his new position, can he out manoeuvre a worthy adversary, and will the Caterers deliver the anticipated nibbles at the conference. Trent Jamieson continues with his breadth of vision that made the first Death Works novel such an excellent read. While grooving to the trials and tribulations of Steven, Lissa, and to a lesser degree Tim, I think what makes the first two novels in the series stand out are the incidental characters and the almost throw away details that help to propel the reader into Jamieson's surreal world where the curtain between life and death is very thin and fading. I loved characters like Neti (a scone making arachnid), Mr D (the former Regional Death, who's hanging in hell to offer some form of assistance to Steven), and the cupid Wal. Managing Death is simply over flowing with well thought out and believable, given the framework, secondary characters who help flesh out the excellent story lines this novel, and the series as a whole, are building. Where else except in a Jamieson novel are you going to get a Megladon swimming in the sea water of Hell while Death incarnate hands the leading character a can of cut price beer. And before anyone starts screaming the name Steve Alten, Jamieson is a far superior writer who actually knows his craft and writes solid prose. Anyone else think the standard of U.S writing is taking a battering from at best very poor fan fiction writers currently? Like the first novel, Death Most Definite, Managing Death starts briskly and then ramps it up to warp factor nine as Jamieson's prose unleashes a pace that is going to cause whiplash for some readers. The book drags you into the story and then operates like some insane dog with a bone as you find yourself unable to put it down. There's some sort of magic going down with the Writing, and it's the good sort, I was left breathless as the inevitable final confrontation between Steven and the insane Rillman caught me in the headlights. As a Writer, Trent Jamieson seems to have an inborn knack for pace and getting a lot happening in a few hundred pages. Add in the fact that there's story arcs to be attended to and you are left wondering how the Author managed to achieve what he does in anything less than a thousand page door stopper. I'm actually now totally jonesing the third novel in the series, does that make me the dark genre equivalent of those sad mothers who simply adore the Twilight books? Where Jamieson kicks a major in Managing Death is having Steven totally unaware of his powers and constantly seeking knowledge to help in his predicament. The Author skilfully hides a major development that I didn't see coming, yet which is being alluded to throughout the first parts of the narrative. The Reader is learning what he/she needs to know at the same time as Steven, and at stages I was left wondering if there weren't games within games being played, by novel's end I don't think Mr D's motivations are fully realised and I look forward to the concluding book to gain some sort of insight. Jamieson also constantly references the approaching Stirrer Dark God ensuring we are aware that this will be a future focal point, I'm wondering if we aren't in line for one hell, no pun intended, of a conclusion to the trilogy. It could be well on the epic side of the equation. Suffice it to say that Jamieson, while unleashing one heck of a wild ride in Managing Death, still has literary sensibilities and the share talent to construct a well plotted and detailed novel. This isn't simply a filler between first and last novels, Managing Death is an outstanding novel in it's own right. I should also point out that Trent Jamieson isn't being deadly serious with the book. There's a lot of humour on the page, with Steven de Selby making for a fairly unique lead character. Don't expect a Hammer style traditional hero in Steven, the bloke is getting it together more by luck than good management. Steven makes mistakes, has a warped sense of the world about him, and is always up for a beer. About the only thing Steven focuses on with true intensity, that isn't threatening his life, is his relationship with Lissa, and lets face facts here Steven gets that wrong as well. Jamieson writes witty prose with a flawed hero that we can all identify with. Once again I had a good time with a Trent Jamieson novel and was well rewarded for time spent in country. Managing Death is a solid book that moves things along from the first of the Death Works books, while retaining it's own integrity as a good read and having it's own set pieces. While reading Death Most Definite is to be recommended you can pick up Managing Death and read the novel as a stand alone. This one comes highly recommended, we might just have a classic trilogy on our hands that will redefine how horror operates in regards to comedy in this Country Managing Death is available from all good bookshops, you should have no issues with grabbing a copy. If unsure where to head to then check out the official Hachette site right here for retail outlets carrying the book. If after more information about Trent Jamieson himself, then check out the Author's official site, click through.
ScaryMinds Rates this read as ... I'm already recommending this series to friends and neighbours.
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Disclaimer: Please note this review reflects the opinion of the team at ScaryMinds and should in no way be construed as
representing the views of the AHWA Shadows Award Judges. This review is for the edification of ScaryMinds readers and does not constitute a
“literary criticism” or any other criteria the Shadows Judging panel may take this year.