Death Most Definite (Death Works Trilogy #1)
by
Trent Jamieson (Goodreads Author)
Steven de Selby has a hangover. Bright lights, loud noise, and lots of exercise are the last thing he wants. But that's exactly what he gets when someone starts shooting at him.
Steven is no stranger to death-Mr. D's his boss after all-but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead...more
Steven is no stranger to death-Mr. D's his boss after all-but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
August 5th 2010
by Orbit
(first published January 1st 2010)
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Sep 18, 2012
Kelly Maybedog Hawkins
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes male protagonists in UF and doesn't mind some love story mixed in.
This was fun. There's lots of humor but there's a lot of action and drama too.
Things that are really great:
Different world from the usual fantasy fare. The only "standard" things in this aren't that common: a being called Death and psychopomps, except these are human. There have been great TV shows with reapers such as Dead Like Me and Reaper but this is still different. It really felt fresh to me.
Non-stop action.
Humor that is fairly funny.
Main characters who actually have families and friends....more
Things that are really great:
Different world from the usual fantasy fare. The only "standard" things in this aren't that common: a being called Death and psychopomps, except these are human. There have been great TV shows with reapers such as Dead Like Me and Reaper but this is still different. It really felt fresh to me.
Non-stop action.
Humor that is fairly funny.
Main characters who actually have families and friends....more
Jan 12, 2013
Maria Schneider
added it
Meh. Started out really strong and got continuously darker and darker. There was a good mystery going that degraded to a mess of going back and forth to "hell" with people who died, but sort of didn't (or at least could still be talked to and learned from) and then died again (or were at least still in the process of dying from a soul standpoint) and morphed here and there...it got pretty tangled and more ridiculous as it went. It's not a horrible book if you like noir, but I think the latter 1/...more
Steve is a Pomp, a doorway that allows the dead to travel to where they are meant to be. Most of his family are as well and run it as a business. Death is scheduled, Pomps know when they are going to pass someone through and they know who. So when Steve sees the dead girl at the food court and she warns him to run, he knows something is really, really wrong. And then his family begin dropping off like flies and Steve realises that someone is trying to take over the organisation. He has to stay a...more
Steven de Selby has a hangover. Bright lights, loud noise, and lots of exercise are the last thing he wants. But that's exactly what he gets when someone starts shooting at him.
Steven is no stranger to death-Mr. D's his boss after all-but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead to the underworld but now his clients are his own colleagues, friends, and family.
Mr. D's gone missing and with no one in ch...more
Steven is no stranger to death-Mr. D's his boss after all-but when a dead girl saves him from sharing her fate, he finds himself on the wrong end of the barrel. His job is to guide the restless dead to the underworld but now his clients are his own colleagues, friends, and family.
Mr. D's gone missing and with no one in ch...more
Steven is a Pomp. He acts as a conduit for the souls of the recently dead to pass on to the underworld. Working for Mortmax industries with his fellow Pomps, they work in the Brisbane subsidiary (with other branches across the world) to ensure the ghosts pass on and the evil Stirrers don’t come back the other way
Except things are going badly wrong. Pomps are dying, ghosts are going unpomped and the whole organisation has fallen apart. Worse, the Stirrers are coming through in greater and greater...more
Except things are going badly wrong. Pomps are dying, ghosts are going unpomped and the whole organisation has fallen apart. Worse, the Stirrers are coming through in greater and greater...more
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...more
Plot: 4.5 Stars
The structure of the pyschopomps (or reapers) and the way they conducted business was very efficient, unique, and amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed the little details in regards to the psychopomping, and how the souls of the dead moved on. There was also a lot of detail involved in the underworld and the One Tree, without it feeling overwhelming to the reader. This was probably my favorite book containing zombies ever, because zombies tend to be hit or miss for me. And I'll admit, it...more
The structure of the pyschopomps (or reapers) and the way they conducted business was very efficient, unique, and amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed the little details in regards to the psychopomping, and how the souls of the dead moved on. There was also a lot of detail involved in the underworld and the One Tree, without it feeling overwhelming to the reader. This was probably my favorite book containing zombies ever, because zombies tend to be hit or miss for me. And I'll admit, it...more
Grim Reapers in Austrailia meets Zombies slash love story slash action flick, add blood, gore, and Death himself. In all honesty, this story line would make a pretty cool movie if someone got ahold of it.
Terminology:
Pomper: Grim Reaper equivilent. Humans that work for Mr D. (Death himself) and are conduits for sending dead souls into the underworld.
a pomp: a soul needing to be or sent back to the underworld.
to pomp: the act of sending the soul back.
Still with me? Ok lets continue
Stirrer: a lon...more
Terminology:
Pomper: Grim Reaper equivilent. Humans that work for Mr D. (Death himself) and are conduits for sending dead souls into the underworld.
a pomp: a soul needing to be or sent back to the underworld.
to pomp: the act of sending the soul back.
Still with me? Ok lets continue
Stirrer: a lon...more
http://gcbooks.wordpress.com/2010/11/...
Blog post - 26/11/2010
I quite like the Urban Fantasy sub-genre – seeing the gritty streets of L.A. or London through the gritty eyes of the protagonists, often as they splatter said streets with the bubbling ichor of dread demonic hordes, foul undead legions and any other evil adversary with extra added grit. And, since I grew up in Brisbane, I hugely enjoyed reading Death most definite by Trent Jamieson, which sees some very gratifying splattering on the...more
Blog post - 26/11/2010
I quite like the Urban Fantasy sub-genre – seeing the gritty streets of L.A. or London through the gritty eyes of the protagonists, often as they splatter said streets with the bubbling ichor of dread demonic hordes, foul undead legions and any other evil adversary with extra added grit. And, since I grew up in Brisbane, I hugely enjoyed reading Death most definite by Trent Jamieson, which sees some very gratifying splattering on the...more
I have to say off the bat what a breath of fresh air this book is. It hooked me from the very beginning, engaging me right away with our charming, geeky, slacker hero, Steven the Psychopomp. If you're not familiar with the concept of the pomp, he is a person who helps ferry the souls of the dead to the underworld. And for Steven, it a family profession. But he's kind of coasting; bummed out about a failed relationship; drinking too much... nothing too terrible, but he's not about to win employee...more
I have to admit that I've been interested in reading this book since the first time I saw the cover and read the blurb. And now that I've read it, I'm very happy to say that I've been sucked into this series.
Steven de Selby is a Pomp who lives in Brisbane. It's in his blood, and while he doesn't actually love the job, it's a way to pay the bills and not have to do/think too much about the job. You see, Pomps help the spirits of the dead to pass over after death. All it takes is a touch, and the...more
Steven de Selby is a Pomp who lives in Brisbane. It's in his blood, and while he doesn't actually love the job, it's a way to pay the bills and not have to do/think too much about the job. You see, Pomps help the spirits of the dead to pass over after death. All it takes is a touch, and the...more
This is the first book in a new series - the Death Works.
Steven de Selby is a necromancer. Not just any old necromancer, but a bona fide white collar nine-to-five psychopomp who works for Mortmax, a company (based in Brisbane) that specializes in bringing the dead to where they're supposed to go.
I have to admit that I almost put the book down after the first few pages - the writing, or rather the expressions used, are rather Australian and thus a little odd to my eyes. It's also written in pre...more
Steven de Selby is a necromancer. Not just any old necromancer, but a bona fide white collar nine-to-five psychopomp who works for Mortmax, a company (based in Brisbane) that specializes in bringing the dead to where they're supposed to go.
I have to admit that I almost put the book down after the first few pages - the writing, or rather the expressions used, are rather Australian and thus a little odd to my eyes. It's also written in pre...more
In my search to find urban fantasy novels that don't make me roll my eyes, I thought I'd give Death Most Definite a try. While I'm not going to declare it the find of the year, I'll admit that it kept me entertained on my morning subway ride.
Steven de Selby is a bit of an underachiever: when he's not working as a psychopomp for Mortmax Inc. (a good 9 to 5 job sending souls of the departed on to ... wherever it is they need to go), he's sulking over his ex and drowning his sorrows in a pint (or s...more
Steven de Selby is a bit of an underachiever: when he's not working as a psychopomp for Mortmax Inc. (a good 9 to 5 job sending souls of the departed on to ... wherever it is they need to go), he's sulking over his ex and drowning his sorrows in a pint (or s...more
Jul 26, 2010
All Things Urban Fantasy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed-by-abigail
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
DEATH MOST DEFINITE is the first in a new urban fantasy series about the corporate side of death, that blends an amalgam of afterlife mythologies, and a zombie uprising, all told from the POV of the underachieving guy who realizes he has to save the world and fight Death itself for the girl he can never get.
Pomps pomp the dead, we draw them through us to the Underworld and the One Tree. And we stall the Stirrers, those things that so desperate...more
DEATH MOST DEFINITE is the first in a new urban fantasy series about the corporate side of death, that blends an amalgam of afterlife mythologies, and a zombie uprising, all told from the POV of the underachieving guy who realizes he has to save the world and fight Death itself for the girl he can never get.
Pomps pomp the dead, we draw them through us to the Underworld and the One Tree. And we stall the Stirrers, those things that so desperate...more
Well. Death really IS most definite in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. The action starts from the first page, and by the end, I pretty much just wanted to give Steve a cup of warm Milo and tell him that he deserves a good lie down.
Steve is in the family business - pomping the dead. Basically, he's a reaper, transporting the souls of the dead from this dimension to the next. When other Pomps (including basically everyone he knows) start turning up dead, he's left running for his life....more
Steve is in the family business - pomping the dead. Basically, he's a reaper, transporting the souls of the dead from this dimension to the next. When other Pomps (including basically everyone he knows) start turning up dead, he's left running for his life....more
Alright, I've finished the book, and now I’m sure: To my mind, Death most definite is just OK.
Despite an intriguing opening sentence: "I know something's wrong the moment I see the dead girl standing in the Wintergarden food court.",
the book is not particularly original. The main character is familiar (to quote myself) “We’ve yet another male-less-than-stellar-magic users; thrown in to the thick,” but this time the protag’s got more of an occult power. He’s a psycho pomp (Read: grim reaper)...more
Despite an intriguing opening sentence: "I know something's wrong the moment I see the dead girl standing in the Wintergarden food court.",
the book is not particularly original. The main character is familiar (to quote myself) “We’ve yet another male-less-than-stellar-magic users; thrown in to the thick,” but this time the protag’s got more of an occult power. He’s a psycho pomp (Read: grim reaper)...more
Mar 04, 2011
Ami
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
urban-fantasy-with-male-protagonist
Steven de Selby comes from a long line of Psychopomp (or Pomp, for short). His job is to help the dead to the Underwold. He is good at what he does but he is also a slacker. He is not one with ambition to become part of management at the place where he works, Mortmax Industries. He still likes to get drunk to get over his brokenheart. Until a dead girl tells him that he is in danger and soon Pomps are being gunned down and murdered ... and Steven must fight to survive while finding out what happ...more
There is a lot to learn about the world created by Trent
Death is a person and he has people who work as POMPS
who aid the souls departure from the mortal world..... they can see dead people..
POMPS also stop STIRERS from trying to sneak into the dead body....from the 'other' side
(view spoiler)...more
Death is a person and he has people who work as POMPS
who aid the souls departure from the mortal world..... they can see dead people..
POMPS also stop STIRERS from trying to sneak into the dead body....from the 'other' side
(view spoiler)...more
Death Most Definite was Trent Jamieson's debut novel. It's now become part of his Death Works series, book two Managing Death ,was released late last year and I will be reviewing it in the coming weeks.
The novel is classed as Urban Fantasy but could also comfortably fit in to the Paranormal category, well maybe Paranormal for blokes. I like that Orbit have gone with a sensible cover too - not a tribal tattoo in sight.
I am not a fan of paranormal fiction, or pop culture shows like the Ghost Whis...more
The novel is classed as Urban Fantasy but could also comfortably fit in to the Paranormal category, well maybe Paranormal for blokes. I like that Orbit have gone with a sensible cover too - not a tribal tattoo in sight.
I am not a fan of paranormal fiction, or pop culture shows like the Ghost Whis...more
Steven de Selby is a Psychopomp (Pomp), a person who uses himself as a portal where souls of the departed gain entry to the Underworld. A respected occupation and an inherited trait, Pomps also use their blood to stall demons called Stirrers, preventing them from inhabiting bodies of the dead and creating havoc on earth.
Right from the start of the book, we see Steven dodging bullets and trying to find out why Pomps were dying left, right and centre, and why there was Stirrer activity aplenty. Li...more
Right from the start of the book, we see Steven dodging bullets and trying to find out why Pomps were dying left, right and centre, and why there was Stirrer activity aplenty. Li...more
Steven de Selby is a Pomp, also known more commonly as a Grim Reaper. He is just one of many Pomps working for the Regional Manager (RM) Mr. D, otherwise known as Death itself, in the Brisbane Regional Headquarters (Yes, this book is set is Australia!). There are other RMs too, of other states in the country. Each of them is in charge of their region's Pomps to help direct lost souls to where they should belong -- the Underworld. At the same time, they have to keep Stirrers, which are angry and...more
I was keen to read this book because the author is an Aussie boy and even better from Brisbane in Queensland. Me being a Queenslander myself. This was his first book published too.
I found it a little hard to get into at first. I know it sounds sexist, but most of the books I read are written by females, so of course us females write from a different frame of mind. I was surprised to find myself sucked into it by about the 3rd chapter. Trent gets quite discriptive with his scenery and the many ch...more
I found it a little hard to get into at first. I know it sounds sexist, but most of the books I read are written by females, so of course us females write from a different frame of mind. I was surprised to find myself sucked into it by about the 3rd chapter. Trent gets quite discriptive with his scenery and the many ch...more
All in all a strong debut. Steven de Selby is your average office slacker. He stays up all night, and comes into work drunk. He gets his work done, barely, and only the intervention of family and friends in high places are keeping him from being terminated. But Steven doesn't have an average job. He's a Reaper, as in the grim kind. Technically, he's a psychopomp, someone or something that transports the souls of the dead to the underworld. His Regional Manager, Mr. D, apportions his powers out t
...more
I absolutely loved it! I've never read anything quite like the story of Steven De Selby before, which made for refreshing change. All of the characters are well rounded, and you can't help but root for Steven while simultaneously wanting to give him a good kick up the butt! I really liked Lissa, too. She had a really unfortunate circumstance to deal with, as well as trying to keep Steven alive, yet she rarely complains or makes a big deal out of it. She's a real no-nonsense kind of girl. Well, n...more
Unlike a lot of people, I don't have a particular hate-on for present tense narration. I do it myself, often, when I write -- but sometimes it just doesn't work, and it didn't work here. For the first chapter I was just wondering what felt off, but once I noticed it, I couldn't stop noticing it. Because it's in first person, it pretty much has to be the person's own thoughts: but it's impossible to believe that when the narrator keeps explaining things to the reader. It's a difficult line to wal...more
I was disappointed by this book. The blurb made the story looked like it would be something I would like and I was actually interested in the background and the universe that it described. The ideas were good. The execution... not so much.
The hero is a reaper who falls in love with a dead girl in the first few pages of the first chapter. Even before we have a chance to learn about him, his work or his world. I couldn't let myself believe that and since that was one of the core elements of the b...more
The hero is a reaper who falls in love with a dead girl in the first few pages of the first chapter. Even before we have a chance to learn about him, his work or his world. I couldn't let myself believe that and since that was one of the core elements of the b...more
I liked this book. It started a little slow, and it took me quite a few chapters to realize they were located in Australia, but it was a fun read.
I have always liked the concept of the personification of Death. This is reminiscent of Piers Anthony's, On a Pale Horse, in that Death is a human doing a necessary job. Jamieson takes it a step further and has made Death a business. A very necessary business. He painted a firm picture in my mind of mortician dressed people standing at funerals and act...more
I have always liked the concept of the personification of Death. This is reminiscent of Piers Anthony's, On a Pale Horse, in that Death is a human doing a necessary job. Jamieson takes it a step further and has made Death a business. A very necessary business. He painted a firm picture in my mind of mortician dressed people standing at funerals and act...more
This is a gut puncher of a book. It hits hard, fast, and right where it hurts the most. This book made me cry twice.
Fast paced and energetic, this book feels like the grand opening for the series, getting all the ducks in a row for future plots. The characters are rather loosely sketched, but I still got a good feel for the most important ones.
I love the mythology. It feels deep and real, and confined to one culture's view of the afterlife. And the book gets extra points for having Australia as...more
Fast paced and energetic, this book feels like the grand opening for the series, getting all the ducks in a row for future plots. The characters are rather loosely sketched, but I still got a good feel for the most important ones.
I love the mythology. It feels deep and real, and confined to one culture's view of the afterlife. And the book gets extra points for having Australia as...more
Oct 21, 2010
Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Jenny by:
Courier Mail review
Shelves:
spec-fiction
This is a well-contructed, expertly written story about Steven, a young man with an unusual profession: He helps the newly departed to the other side. Without Grim Reaper types like Steve (Pomps, as they're called here), the dead would have no way into the afterlife. When our young hero is confronted by ghost, Lissa, in the middle of busy Brisbane one day and it's clear no one has been assigned to 'pomp' her, Stevn gets the feeling something is amiss. When the undead begin shooting at him, he kn...more
“Death Most Definite” is the first book in Trent Jamieson´s new Urban Fantasy series called Death Works which deals with the corporate side of death. It´s written in a first person´s POV.
Main character and narrator is Steven de Selby, a slightly underachieving twenty-something who works, just like the rest if his family for Mortmax as a pomp. The reader is thrown into the story quite abruptly and is introduced to the world alongside. The book is divited into two different parts which are quite...more
Main character and narrator is Steven de Selby, a slightly underachieving twenty-something who works, just like the rest if his family for Mortmax as a pomp. The reader is thrown into the story quite abruptly and is introduced to the world alongside. The book is divited into two different parts which are quite...more
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Trent Jamieson is a science fiction and fantasy writer.
Trent works as a teacher, a bookseller, and a writer, and has taught at Clarion South.
More about Trent Jamieson...
Trent works as a teacher, a bookseller, and a writer, and has taught at Clarion South.
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Nov 18, 2012 09:23pm
Why would they be here and not there?
Nov 19, 2012 12:44am