The Afterlife is disintegrating and nobody knows how long it will be before its population--everyone who has ever died on Earth--is forever lost in the great Ether...Thaddeus, a guardian in the Afterlife, becomes obsessed with discovering an answer to the meaning of life and death. His best friend Mercutio is distracted by his search for his beloved Anabelle, who may or may not be in the Afterlife. And as the acceleration of decay intensifies around them, an encounter with a mysterious girl will lead to a search for what it means to be truly alive...
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up—Everyone on Earth, good and bad, goes to the Afterlife after they die. It is ugly, cruel, and rapidly decaying, so Thadeus and his fellow guardians must use their extra powers to preserve it. However, Thaddeus decides to abandon his work and search for a mythical gate leading to a better world. While the book's packaging and layout resemble manga, its drawing style is more detailed and realistic. Manga fans will find the protagonists much less attractive than the heroes and heroines they're used to; they are drawn with gangly, thin bodies; wrinkled skin; and homely, uneven features. Readers who get past the less-trendy drawing style, though, will find a story that is gripping and melodramatic. A guardian named Mercutio searches endlessly for his lost love, and Thaddeus's dark narration may appeal to fans of gothic and horror fiction. Language and violence make this most suitable for older teens.—Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life Afterlife...,
By
This review is from: Afterlife Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
What if when you died there was no Heaven, no Hell, only a weigh station on the road to eternity; a place where the righteous and the wicked shared the same space; where creatures existed solely to torment what was left of your existence; what would you do?
This is the premise for Stormcrow Hayes' and Rob Steen's book, AFTERLIFE. Hayes, a screenwriter by nature, weaves a compelling tale that takes some unexpected turns and offers some thought provoking concepts along the way. He manages to avoid the trap that ensnares many authors turned comic book writers, the tendency to over-write. Many of these crossover writers forget comics are primarily a visual medium. The art is as important to the storytelling process as the writing. Hayes provides a terse script that succeeds in moving the action along without bogging it down with self-indulgent turns of phrase. In many instances Hayes is content to let the moody art of Rob Steen speak for itself. Rob Steen is known for his work on children's books. Despite this background he is able to populate the world of AFTERLIFE with macabre, sometimes frightening, characters who perfectly fit the mood and tone of Hayes' script. He successfully portrays the overcrowded world of life after death as well as the barren landscape of this bleak existence. His work is reminiscent of the stop motion work seen in "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride." In fact, this material would lend itself well to that style of animation. I enjoyed this book. I found it an entertaining read offering a fresh perspective on what happens next. If it accomplishes nothing else, AFTERLIFE will make you think. Definitely a journey worth taking. I look forward to the next volume of the series.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
After Life, this book Cometh,
By
This review is from: Afterlife Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
Intriguing account of what is purported to be the Afterlife - though I suspect it's a Limbo-style waiting room, based on the existence of the Abyss at the edge.
To sum up: the Afterlife is getting too crowded, and the fact that the world is going to seed may be a cause. Demons are sprouting from the flesh of the Afterlife itself (read it, it will make more sense) to torment the dead, who all end up in the same place regardless of how they conducted themselves in life. No sense getting into the plot; if that set-up of a synopsis intrigues you, you will have found your graphic novel for the day. If it tweaks a devout reaction, however, you may want to avoid this book and its iconoclastic theology. Wonder if there will be adherents using this book as a holy text in a thousand years?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't put it down!,
This review is from: Afterlife Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
I can't put this book down! It is so deliciously dark. It's perfect for anyone with a sardonic sense of humor. Really, how many books are there where one of the characters actually carries his own head around with him? I can't wait for Volume 2 - I just hope I don't find myself in it!
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