Reviewed by Emerian Rich
For: Those who enjoy Action-Adventure and journeying through the afterlife.
Dead Ends and Damnation by Christopher K. Fielder is a well-written book that had me engaged from page one to the very end with the most satisfying ending I’ve read in a very long time.
Austin is a jaded afterlife transporter who’s been plodding along for 60+ years, delivering souls to their assigned destinations. All is boring and uneventful until one night when he gets a fare he didn’t expect. A child, bound for the fiery depths of hell. But kids aren’t supposed to go to “the bad place” and this causes Austin to break the rules and embark on an adventure to find out how the kid ended up damned and who is responsible.
I wouldn’t exactly call this book Horror, but it has elements Horror readers will enjoy. It explores demons, angels, witches, heaven, hell, purgatory, and occult enthusiasts in a non-fantastical way. An Action-Adventure, it traverses our world through the eyes of one existing in the shadows, greeting those who die. I enjoyed the reaper view of our world and the “lobbies” of heaven and hell. I also enjoyed traveling through the mundane plane of the reapers and other “employees” of the afterlife. Austin also has a whole relationship with his car that I enjoy.
My best description of the feeling of this book is if Hellboy were to explore the Beetlejuice afterlife office world, trying to find answers about who to blame for this mix-up. Austin’s blasé attitude and yet obstinate personality is quite a fun point of view to be in. The best part of this book is the satisfying ending. Without giving anything away, I can say the ending of this book is the most satisfying ending I can remember reading in recent years. Not only that, it sets up for a continuation that I would be excited to read. The book itself seems like a movie-length pilot to one of those late-night guilty pleasure TV shows of the 90s like Forever Night. I’d love to see this produced as a series. It’s got the kind of depth and grit to become an instant cult classic.
I don’t usually rate books, but I’m going to give this a “top five” score. It was enjoyable, fun to read, and didn’t drag. It kept me interested from start to finish.
HorrorAddicts.net 