Trent Jamieson

I listened to the audiobook for Roil and the narrator was good, but nothing extraordinary.
If you like darker fantasy and distinctive world building, Roil is a good offering. The characters are solid, and out two main leads feel particularly human with a good mixture of flaws and personality that makes it easy to invest in them. Margaret shines more in the due to her competence and managing to land a gritty, forceful, tough personality without being unlikeable. David doesn't do much through the course of the book, but remains a compelling character despite his addiction because of the aforementioned humanity.
But, the book strength lies in its world building and more particularly the Roil. The Roil successfully pervades the book as this bleak, looming threat. Its monsters are fun and have just enough of the horror aspect and visuals to be intimidating. The use of heat and cold makes the various interactions with and conflicts against the Roil rewardingly interesting as well as diverse.
The story itself walks its various characters through many shades of gray morality, and achieves an apocalyptic and grim narrative/setting without punishing the reader.
Pacing and Prose are solid… (more)

Alright, I've finished the book, and now I’m sure: To my mind, Death most definite is just OK.

Despite an intriguing opening sentence: "I know something's wrong the moment I see the dead girl standing in the Wintergarden food court.",
the book is not particularly original. The main character is familiar (to quote myself) “We’ve yet another male-less-than-stellar-magic users; thrown in to the thick,” but this time the protag’s got more of an occult power. He’s a psycho pomp (Read: grim reaper) whose family business it is to transition dead souls to the afterlife, while keeping nasty beings called Stirrers from inhabiting the vacant body. The idea of Death as a business (or reaping for your daily bread), has been done before too. (Not the best example; but I love the TV show, “Dead like Me”)

The cinema-ready action of this story is built around what amounts to a decidedly hostile and bloody corporate take-over, which our reluctant hero has got to survive and surmount. The protagonist is no inept, for a change. Steven de Selby is more of the "slacker-suddenly-responsible-to-save-the-world" Sort of guy we’ve seen before. So he’s a bit behind the curve in getting the job done.

The book's world view and what happens in the after-life are a bit drear, and not clearly stated until the end, but the character is redeemable enough that I’m mildly interested to see what may happen to him, and his world, after the conclusion of this book. The next book, Managing Death (Death Works, #2) is available and I might pick it up on the cheap from an Amazon.com seller. But truth be told; I think the real appeal I found in Death most definite, is that it takes place in Brisbane with attendant vernacular. I’ve got friends from the region, so as I read, I heard the dulcet tones of Queensland in my mind’s ears. Sad but true, it seems the accents of my Australian friends may have been more influential in my finishing Death Most Definite, than its story and narrative.

If I do get the next book, I’ll have to thank my friends appropriately; perhaps with a chiko roll...
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