Review: Death warmed up - a riotous new take on death as we know it
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2012
This is an enjoyable and funny novel. I can't say that I have ever seen Death portrayed in a funnier way - except maybe Terry Pratchett's portrayal of Death in the Discworld series which, for me, is the highest level you can get.Grim Alfonzo Reaper is the Grim Reaper, who like a bus-conductor has to hand out tickets (or visas) to the recently departed so that they can go to Heaven or Hell. Armed with the "List" he visits mortals who are about to die, but when he visits the grave digger, Boris Morris, things start getting a bit out of the ordinary for the Reaper. His next customer (on the "List") confirms the notion that somebody is out to knock off Death. But who would want to kill Death?While the plot in this book is in itself enjoyable, it is very much the character of Death and his conversations with others that really make this book. For example, his questions and comments about human life are simple yet thought provoking, and often raise the sort of questions we should all be asking about life and death, and our purpose during our time on this planet. There are several scenes in this book that are funny, and if you get to Death's early encounter with  Mr. Bones who is left in pieces by a chainsaw accident (or was it?), you'll get a pretty good picture of the type of humour I am talking about here. In may ways, the more your read of the book, the more you enjoy it. The scenes just gets funnier and funnier.I think you have to have a certain sense of humour to enjoy this book - so it could be a hit or miss for you. If you like English humour "a la Pratchett", then I'm confident you will like this book. I certainly did.