eBook Review – The Memory of Death: Death Works 4 by Trent Jamieson

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Trent was able to bring Stephen de Selby back because, honestly I thought he was tragically and irrevocably gone in the Business of Death.  Such is the god-like power of authors.

So de Selby returns 20 months after his heroic demise (a surprise for someone who is Death incarnate) and your favourite schmuck is back minus the power of the Hungry Death, it having been redistributed back among the 13 Regional Managers.  It seems that everything is back to normal.  Mortmax Industries are back to pomping the newly dead, ensuring their safe passage to the other side. Lissa is the new Regional Manager and de Selby’s cousin is her 2IC.  Nothing could go wrong could it?

But this is Stephen de Selby, the poster boy for awkward wrongness.  He finds upon his return that Lissa’s moved on and for some reason the personnel at Mortmax don’t like him very much (unless he’s on the end of a boot). 

The Memory of Death is clearly a departure from the story arc that was resolved in the first three books - our hero having risen as high as he could go has fallen a long way, we are back to the lovable, slightly dead schmuck that we all love.  The Memory of Death offers a new job and a new mystery for us to participate in. You could read the story fromthis point because Jamieson has done some fairly smooth backgrounding but I think the best way is to start with the first three books.

I will note that the Memory of Death is pretty much a novella at 97 pages(on Sony Reader software).  The writing is tight and smooth; fans will devour Jamieson’s action and wit in one sitting.  I was left reinvigorated and wanting more of Stephens awkward self deprecating blundering.

You can purchase Memory of Death from Momentum Books or from most reputable digital stores.

This book was provided by the Publisher.

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The Memory of Death by Trent Jamieson

If you thought that with the Business of Death we had seen the end of the Death Works series by Trent Jamieson, you were mistaken.  Trent has been writing away and will be releasing a 4th book in the series called The Memory of Death.  It will be released by Momentum early next year.  Until then you can stare at the lovely cover below.

 

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Wednesday links for the win

So folks, there has been a fair bit of internet win the last two days.  I thought I might spread some of the links that I have found of interest:

First up is Peter M Balls Pledging My Allegiance to the Fake Geek Army which is comment on the furore caused by Comic Book creator Tony Harris.  Peter articulates many of the feelings I have on the subject.  This post and Tansy Rayner Roberts’ post What Geek Girls Wear (Is None of Your Business) mean that I won’t have to vent my spleen.  If you are still hankering for more on the subject David MacDonald also has a post called Geek Tribalism and Sexism.

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Do you ever get tired of companies trying to push the boundaries with ebooks, offering a transmedia experience (ie imbedded movies, qr codes that lead you to other sites).  Do you feel like we are being trained to buy the next best bit of techno- bling? Well check out Joel Naoum’s blog over at Momentum – you’ll be interested in what he has to say in Who Wants to Read this Stuff? The Business of Storytelling in a Digital World.

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And while you are looking at things Momentuum, check out their Podcast – Podmentum, especially episode 2 where they talk genre versus literature and Literature goes home in a body bag (not really, but it’s very genre friendly).

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eBook Review–Dark City Blue by Luke Preston

Dark City Blue is a fast paced crime thriller published by Momentum, the digital offspring of PanMacmillan.

What can I say about Dark City Blue that others haven’t said already?

It’s the cage fighting equivalent of a police procedural: violent, gaudy, and packing heat.” – Trent Jamieson, author of the Death Works trilogy

” … noir on No-Doz … ” – Fair Dinkum Crime

To tell you the truth it was Trent Jamieson’s quote that hooked me.  I trust his taste and Dark City Blue didn’t disappoint.  The idea – maverick cop goes undercover to expose graft and corruption in the police force, is not new.  Indeed were this set in America I think you’d already have cast Bruce Willis for the lead.

It’s mature stuff, breaking a ring of child abusing pornographers and unearthing the police presence in the running of teen brothels.  The violence is bloody – the main character gets beaten with a bag of crushed glass and shot. But there’s also heart and depth to our main character Tom Bishop, a man whose still keeping his head above water, despite what life has thrown at him.

It’s more Jack Irish, than Underbelly: The Unwatchable.

Where Preston shines is in his ability to pull off a tale that is set in Australia while staying true to the hard boiled, thriller paced genre that has its genesis in American pop culture.  Dark City Blue feels very comfortable in its own bruised and bloodied skin.

Now, while I believe Dark City Blue to be Preston’s first published novel, he’s also received an inside film award for an unpublished screenplay.  The writing is tight, and the pacing superb and I can’t help wondering if the skills he’s developed in scriptwriting have bled over into writing a well structured novel.

Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to produce one of quality. I’d easily drop dollars on the sequel.

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