Official Review: The Death of Death by K. N. Parker

[Alex-G]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Death of Death" by K. N. Parker.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Death of Death by K. N. Parker is a gorgeous fairytale like story that is equal parts haunting and beautiful. Following the story of a guide's (an entity that helps those about to die pass over) quest to discover who she was before death and what ended her life, this tale winds at a gentle pace through her self-discovery whilst dealing with the origin of 'Death' as a figure and what it means to guide the living to the afterlife.

I am always drawn to stories that are a little bit macabre, a little bit gruesome and from reading the title I knew I would be getting just that. The Death of Death is a great title that completely sums up the story you're going to read but not in the way you might expect which is something I have come to really appreciate.

Parker manages to weave this, truly dark, tale in a tone that can only be described as sweet, as strange as that may sound. It was this factor that made me fall in love with the book, as well as the fascinating portrayal of death as both a thing and a figure (though 'Death' hates being called such and don't even think about calling him the 'Grim Reaper'). The construction of the afterlife had just enough unique elements that it felt fresh to read and the ending was the most bittersweet thing I have read in awhile. It made my heart ache which is always a good thing.

I am definitely interested to read more works by Parker as I find him to be an excellent writer. The amount of imagery in this book was great from the description of the guides to the world around them. '-painted in cigarette ash' really stood out to me. I remember reaching for my notepad and jotting it down, I found it so gorgeous.

However there were a few editing issues such as phrasing and grammar that brought me out of the story at times and I sometimes felt that the character voice was off and felt a bit stiff which disrupted the flow. A tighter, more thorough edit could have fixed those issues which is unfortunate but they were not so great that they stood in the way of my enjoyment of the book overall.

You should be aware that there are graphic descriptions of blood and gore at times so whilst this story reads like a fairytale I would recommend it to be read by a mature reader and would caution those who are affected by such descriptions to be mindful of the contents of the book. I am awarding this book a 3 out of 4 stars as the issues with editing drag its score down but I think that besides that this book is truly wonderful and a marvelous read. So if you can get over some (pretty minor) shoddy editing I would recommend it to all who love fairytales and enjoy their heart breaking just a little bit.

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The Death of Death
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