The Dying Game: A Curious History of Death [Paperback]

Melanie King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2008

Would you be buried, burned, sunk or pickled? Or turned into a diamond, embalmed like Lenin, or frozen like Walt Disney? The Dying Game explores all that has, could, and does befall a corpse - biologically, culturally, ethically, and legally. Entertaining, human, and based on sound research, Melanie King reveals everything you never knew (and didn't know you wanted to know) about the last taboo: Death.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Death and dead bodies are laid before us in an extraordinarily gruesome banquet..This is a compelling and accessible book with a light-hearted style that belies its subject matter. Just make sure you've eaten first". -- BBC Focus Magazine

"Essential reading for cultural historians and the morbidly curious, King's investigation of death rituals around the world is strangely absorbing. Break the last taboo and read about the fates, from pickling to cryogenic freezing, that have befallen corpses down the years." -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly

"For aside from the obvious interest in contemplating our own eventual end, dead bodies have an enthralling story to tell, as Melanie King's encyclopaedic history of death amply demonstrates. A colourful and pungent pot pourri of facts, myths and anecdotes, The Dying Game, recounts human attempts to defy, deter and defeat death and - when these efforts inevitably fail - the myriad fates that befall our bodies once life has fled." -- Seven, Sunday Telegraph, May 11, 2008

"It's all here, from plastinated bodies in museums to desperate grabs at immortality, and all told with the kind of dry champagne wit that such a topic needs but seldom finds. What I consider most impressive is King's ability to remain very much in charge of such a compelling, outrageous narrative." -- Michael Sims, author of Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Body and Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination

"She has succeeded in making a grim subject a very good read." -- Ann Granger, best-selling crime author

"The Dying Game is a wide-ranging historical survey of our eccentric and often entertaining efforts to cope with death." -- Literary Review, June 2008

"Who knew reading about death could be so much fun? From corpse medicines to ancient forensic science and Buddhist monks who embalm themselves, Melanie King offers a feast of fresh insights into the fascinating, gruesome, and ingenious ways that humans have dealt with death throughout history. This is a lively, informative, wide-ranging survey of deathways past and present." -- Beth A. Conklin, author of Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society

About the Author

Melanie King studied at the Universities of Sussex and Oxford and has a background in journalism. She is now a full-time writer and lives in Oxford with her husband, the writer Ross King.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld (April 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851685928
• ISBN-13: 978-1851685929
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,050,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Account of how Human Beings View Death Across Cultures and Throughout History, December 29, 2008

By 

Mel Hanson (Iowa, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dying Game: A Curious History of Death (Paperback)

Did you know that the job of executioner was a pretty sweet gig in the seventeenth century England? People would pay good money to get their hands on body parts and fluids that were rumored to have medicinal properties.
This is the type of thing you will learn when you read Melanie King's excellent study of death throughout history. From the science of decomposition, to ancient superstition, to modern issues of body-snatching, King approaches every issue objectively and with a refreshing dash of humor. It didn't take me long to get through this book because I could hardly stand to put it down.
We spend our whole lives in our bodies - naturally, one is curious about the fate of one's person after death has occurred. While this book is too short to go into a vast amount of detail on every subject, it is a great introduction to the different ways that human beings have dealt with death from ancient times to the modern era, and it may inspire an interest in further research.
As for me, I have decided that I either want to be mummified, or have my ashes put into fireworks and go out with a "bang," so to speak. Thanks, Melanie King!