Thoughts on Death

That's right, you heard me, I'd like to share some thoughts on death.  But before you go thinking that I'm suicidal or something, let me assure you that despite the morbid title, this post is really nothing more than a couple of book reviews, so rest assured I am very much happy to be in the land of the living.

First up:  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

I recently joined a book club and this is the current book we're reading.  I didn't know anything about it really other than it was about Germany during WWII.  I have to admit that the first 30 pages or so were a bit slow and/or confusing, but once I got into the writing style and the storyline started to pick up, I really liked it.  Now what does this all have to do with death you might ask?  Well true, any WWII story has to feature death a bit since there was a lot of that going on then, but this book is unique because not only does it talk about death, and make you feel for those dieing and those they left behind, but the story itself is narrated by death.  Definitely an interesting perspective.  I especially like how he is too (death I mean).  It's a rare feat to portray death, and actually make you like him I'd say.  All in all a very good read.

Secondly, (and thirdly and fourthly I guess since these next three are a trilogy) is the abhorsen series by Garth Nix.  I originally read these several years ago thanks to Jeff and Michelle's extensive library and loved them.  I think reading The Book Thief got me in the mood for more "death" books so I checked these out of the library and reread them.  Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen are the three books in that order.  They are fantasy novels about a land that is divided in two by a magical wall.  The lower half of this particular land mass is somewhat similar to our world today, but the upper part, the Old Kingdom is a very different place where magic is everywhere, the good kind as well as the evil, and death consists of nine precincts each with their own unique atmosphere and current of water.  We know that because people go into death, and the first main conflict of the story is about some of the good guys who seek to keep dead things dead and their quest against the evil ones who use the dead for selfish purposes.  Another more apocalyptic conflict arises later in the series, but death, the dead, and the things to be discovered while walking in death play a vital role throughout the stories.

Now, I realize that the above explanation sounds strange, but I dare you to read them even if you're thinking they (or I) sound crazy.  They are probably near the top of my list of all time favorite books, because sometimes it's nice to immerse yourself in a completely fictional world.  In any case, my recent literary adventures with death have been quite positive to say the least.