Customer Reviews

Death: A Life

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's rare that I find any book such as this where I can't just put it down for more than five minutes before wanting to pick it back up again (if I can put it down at all!) Something about this book has a draw, as Death explains his draw to the dead, like metal to a magnet.

My desire to read this book followed me everywhere, and as it sits beside me now I wish to pick it up again! Motion sickness on car-rides didn't stop me, and neither did the constant nagging of work to be done. I was enthralled, intoxicated, tied to this book and drinking it in whenever and wherever I could manage!

The subject matter is intriguing enough to capture the reader, and the utter sacrilege of the humor inside is enough to keep a smile on your lips through it all. Nostalgic Trees, Snarky Unicorns, Maude's love of dying, and a Spoiled Rotten Christ; every joke is memorable and worth at least a good chuckle out loud, if not a good belly-laugh.

The plot as well has a magnificent flow of mystery, tragedy, and romance, all in a conveniently controversial package laced with sex and violence. Just as Death described the Roman Empire, it's "a bloodbath, a slaughter sauna, a Jacuzzi of gore." Ok, maybe a little more toned down.

I do not want to heighten expectations for those who just won't get it, because this book is vulgar, crude, and a complete mockery of Creation and God Himself. However, for those who like to poke fun at things as this, or who can find humor in the obviously funny, this is the perfect book. It's witty, shocking, and perhaps even moving! I'd suggest it to anyone who isn't easily offended!

Death. The End of All Things. There's no real way to negotiate yourself out of it. In this humor novel, Death, son of Satan and Sin comes into existence as God has started Project Creation. Once a guardian to the gates of Hell, Satan and Sin take a field trip to Earth with Death in tow but an arguement leaves Death somewhere out there, on his own and eventually finds his own way to earth after encountering Gabriel and Urizel. Once on earth, Death gets to know the life here and finds out what his purpose is in life, to release the souls of everything else. As he grows in his existence, he encounters many historical, biblical, and mythological people & creatures. With the Book of Death, he travels the world, releasing the deceased but a snag arises when he travels to Golgotha and there's someone being crucified that is not in his Book.

Who knew unicorns were so mouthy? Who knew the dachsunds are the reasons faeries are extinct? Who knew Jesus' preferred sport is paddleball? What's up with the angel Reginald being locked in Hell? Who knew the unofficial fourth Horseman was Sunburn? Who is Maud? Why was Death sent to the asylum/clinic? What's up with the over-anxious Gabriel?

Great little pictures throughout. Good humor and unique takes on events through history and pre-history. However, for those of religious faiths, this book could easily offend. Be warned, otherwise be prepared to laugh to yourself over the flow of humor as the story unfolds.

This is an amazingly funny book. Pendle has an astonishingly wry sense of humor, which is coupled with an endearing sympathy for his characters. By turns sarcastic and sentimental, Death: A Life is a tour de force of creativity, conjuring up a hilarious biography of Death's birth, addiction to Life, and clinical recovery. With exquisite prose, Pendle writes with verve, never leaving the reader to languish in a dull moment. I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud like this one!

This book is just downright hilarious! No, the humor is not for everyone but if you are partial to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Monty Python, this is a must read. Irreverant, blasphemous, and original. The more you know about ancient mythology, theology, art and literature, the better this book is! If you're looking for a lesson, forget it. If you're looking for a deep message, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a laugh, a giggle, the occasional snort and a lot of silliness - this will fit the bill.

Fantastic! One of the funniest interpretations of mythological creation I have ever read. Told from Death's perspective, a diabolical take on God's work through the ages. Death's frequent reference to himself as "...I am the End of All Things," followed by a good shove into the oblivion darkness is just the way I'd want to go. I love the explanations for the beginning of polytheism and the condensing to monotheism, "We are cutting our costs and down sizing..." so told by the human race. His description of souls taken, "many evil villains suffered hernias from having to sustain their diabolical cackling for months on end...", was an extreme delight. Death's first impression of heaven "much like a run down casino vs. the brochure" leads us further into the twisted world of Pendle's book. Only Death would have the guts enough to pin a post-it on God's back.."Take my Name in Vain". I could not turn a page without laughing out loud.

i just finished the first 2 chapters and i am having an incredible good time reading this book. this book is a hilarious and twisted pageturner of black humor! *lol* pendle's witty way of describing "His-tory" shows immense creativity and a vast knowledge of the discussed material. the more you know about religion and mythology, the more you will get a kick out of the story. and even better if you are able to make fun out of life. people stating this book was a waste of their time are just not opend minded enough to enjoy a funny book about life, death and religion - this book is simply not meant to be taken serious! i didn't have such a good time reading a book for a long time.

people who love this book will also enjoy terry pratchett's hilarious characterization of DEATH in various of his discworld books.

The references to classical literary works make this book like a dense, luscious fruitcake (which may be an oxymoron, but I hope you catch my drift...). As a story, it's very quietly uproarious, irreverent, and arch. Pendle writes well and handles his weighty subject with the lightest of touches. I'd put it in my top 25.

"Absolutely hilarious first person account of "Death" as the spawn of Satan and Sin. This is Death's personal biography as he records his birth and childhood in Hell to discovering his purpose on Earth and eventual acceptance of his place in the universe. Once you start reading, the only time you will stop is to make your stomach stop cramping from laughing!"

This is on of the funniest books I've read. It's told as a memoir beginning with the start of Death's existence to the present day. The situations that Death finds himself in are funny, but the way that he deals with these episodes is just hilarious. There are also clever little illustrations throughout the book that add to the humor. I would like to mention that if you're sensitive to material that makes fun of religion, you may not find this as funny. Some might find it slightly offensive. That said, if you're looking for a fun read, try this.

Death: A Life is an autobiography of death, from his birth before creation to the present day. The book is written in a humorous style reminiscent of the works of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Anyone who enjoys the style of humor found in the Discworld series or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy will most likely find this novel to their liking. Aside from the humor comparisons, Death: A Life also carries some interesting views in regards to the nature of gods and demons(nothing earth shattering, but interesting and fun to read). I also enjoyed the familiar look through history and the often funny role that death has played.

While it is easy to compare this to the works of Pratchett or Adams, I think the execution is of a slightly lower quality. Where as Pratchett's or Adams' humor seems almost effortless, this novel at times makes it very obvious that the author is working hard for a laugh(to varying levels of success). There are some attempts at humor which just downright fail. That being said, I found Death: A Life to be very entertaining and at times laugh-out-loud funny. I would definitely recommend it.

caution: to those of you with very strong christian beliefs, you may find some parts of this book to be a little offensive. The book in general takes the christian view of creation(God as creator, Jesus as the messiah, etc)but does so in a very lighthearted and playful manner, which I found to be humorous, but could easily be seen as offensive to someone with devout beliefs.