A breezy, funny, and profound tale about death and new beginnings.
In this debut novel, a man in the hereafter must decide how he will live his next life.
Thirty-something American Scott Stillman finds himself in the afterlife, though details of his death are initially hazy. The realm is not unlike a giant airport terminal, as people decide if they’ll stay or live another life on Earth. But Scott is a “direct return”—his unnatural death means he must go back to the planet. He can purchase a new body and such traits as artistic talent and IQ points using the “monetary award” he’s earned during his latest lifetime. This doesn’t give Scott much of a budget, so he’ll have to choose wisely. Amazingly, he spots people he knows in the hereafter—his recently deceased and overbearing father, Mort, and Scott’s ex-girlfriend Allison Newhart, who’s also a direct return. Scott’s on-again, off-again relationship with Allison is back on, and the two plan to reunite in their ensuing lives. But Scott has a devastating secret that he’s afraid to tell Allison. He may have to make amends, even with Mort, before his departure. Alexander’s amusing afterlife tale comes with numerous guidelines. There are, for example, different levels in the hereafter, and a worthy soul will “graduate” to the next. Scott befriends, Buddy Shanken, a Level 8 who is the novel’s most endearing character. The vibrant story’s short chapters include snippets of a popular hereafter guidebook that entertainingly elucidates the “rules” and provides tips. Along with dry humor and a charmingly sardonic Mort, the tale offers intriguing insights into these characters, who examine their lives, past and future. Scott, who blames his misfortune on everyone except himself, soon has regrets over things he’s done. Eventually, the cast members choose which traits will afford them happiness, from physical beauty to something that can make others joyful. The ending, while predictable, delivers a memorable wrap-up.
A breezy, funny, and profound tale about death and new beginnings.Pub Date: April 28, 2022
ISBN: 979-8-44965-389-5
Page Count: 186
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.
In the final book of Corland’s dark fantasy trilogy, a ragtag band works together to liberate a colony and dethrone tyrants.
A group of spies, thieves, and murderers, united by a common goal of ending the treacherous rule of King Joon of Yusan, regroup after a bloody battle claims the life of one of their own—the banished Yusanian prince, Euyn. However, there’s little time for Mikail, Aeri, Sora, and Royo to mourn. Bounty hunters and assassins are after them, in part because they now possess three of five legendary Relics of the Dragon Lord. Mikail, who’s just found out that he’s the last surviving member of a royal family, wields the Water Scepter of Wei, while Aeri, King Joon’s daughter, holds the Sands of Tim and the Golden Ring of Khitan. The remaining relics—the Flaming Sword of Gaya and the Immortal Crown—remain with King Joon, who’s desperate to have all five to wield a great deal more power. Meanwhile, the cruel Count Seok, who once indentured Sora, has usurped the throne of Yusan. The group has two goals: overthrow the king and liberate the Yusanian colony of Gaya—Mikail’s homeland—so that it can again be a thriving, independent realm. The relics are powerful tools in combat, but using them is adversely affecting Aeri and Mikail’s health. They need allies, but trusting strangers is a dangerous gamble. Corland’s final book in her Broken Blades trilogy is a relentlessly thrilling and action-packed dark fantasy featuring memorable characters, intense battle scenes, romance, and a satisfying conclusion. Alternately narrated by Aeri, Mikail, Sora, Royo, and their long-lost friend, Tiyung, readers benefit from watching the story unfold through the perspectives of each compelling, well-drawn character. The author’s passion for the fantasy genre shines through in the novel’s richly detailed worldbuilding, including vivid descriptions of landscapes and palace layouts, as well as its exploration of magic. Readers will also delight in the sardonic humor sprinkled throughout, as when Mikahil narrates, “Rune thinks he fathered Seok’s son. Truly, the nobility of Yusan has too much time on their hands.”
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781649379153
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Uneven but fitfully amusing.
Betrayed by her husband, a severely depressed young woman gets drawn into the over-the-top festivities at a lavish wedding.
Phoebe Stone, who teaches English literature at a St. Louis college, is plotting her own demise. Her husband, Matt, has left her for another woman, and Phoebe is taking it hard. Indeed, she's determined just where and how she will end it all: at an oceanfront hotel in Newport, where she will lie on a king-sized canopy bed and take a bottle of her cat’s painkillers. At the hotel, Phoebe meets bride-to-be Lila, a headstrong rich girl presiding over her own extravagant six-day wedding celebration. Lila thought she had booked every room in the hotel, and learning of Phoebe's suicidal intentions, she forbids this stray guest from disrupting the nuptials: “No. You definitely can’t kill yourself. This is my wedding week.” After the punchy opening, a grim flashback to the meltdown of Phoebe's marriage temporarily darkens the mood, but things pick up when spoiled Lila interrupts Phoebe's preparations and sweeps her up in the wedding juggernaut. The slide from earnest drama to broad farce is somewhat jarring, but from this point on, Espach crafts an enjoyable—if overstuffed—comedy of manners. When the original maid of honor drops out, Phoebe is persuaded, against her better judgment, to take her place. There’s some fun to be had here: The wedding party—including groom-to-be Gary, a widower, and his 11-year-old daughter—takes surfing lessons; the women in the group have a session with a Sex Woman. But it all goes on too long, and the humor can seem forced, reaching a low point when someone has sex with the vintage wedding car (you don’t want to know the details). Later, when two characters have a meet-cute in a hot tub, readers will guess exactly how the marriage plot resolves.
Uneven but fitfully amusing.Pub Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781250899576
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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