by Terrance Mc Arthur

Amber will be signing copies of The Golden Age Of Death at Mysterious Galaxy’s Redondo Beach store-2810 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach, California, on February 26 at 7:30 p.m. This will be the launch party for this book. Amber will also be signing this book at the Mysterious Galaxy San Diego location–7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Ste 302, San Diego, California, on March 1 at 7 p.m. At the end of this post is a link to purchase a copy of the book from Mysterious Galaxy if you can’t be at the signing. If you order before the event you can ask for a signed copy. There are also instructions at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of The Golden Age Of Death.

Calliope Reaper-Jones is the daughter of Death. Daddy is dead, and Callie is now the CEO of Death, Inc. It’s not like she wanted the job, but somebody has to send the souls off to where they belong. She has ushered in The Golden Age of Death (by Amber Benson)…if she can keep her head from being chopped off.

This Golden Age is off to a rocky start. The Ender of Death wants to kill Callie, like he has killed many Deaths over the millennia. The union of soul-collectors are trying to install a new Death from another universe. A Man in Grey is trying to destroy humanity, and Daniel, her boyfriend and steward of Hell, is making deals that may cause the Apocalypse.

Jarvis, assistant to Ms. Death, a faun’s soul in a hipster’s body, tries to follow her instructions by gathering her possible successors in safety at her mansion. You know this will end badly, especially when a Norse-God-fathered private eye and a Siren arrive, followed by packs of wolf-human creatures (not to be confused with werewolves).

Action travels from the Antarctic to the Pacific Coast Highway to the Pit of Hell and Callie’s former school, which is now a home for ghosts (Talk about the Old School Spirit!). Biblical figures, Victorian-dressed soul-gatherers in reflective sunglasses, a minor Japanese deity with his own plans, and the three-headed Cerberus and his pup find their way into the narrative.

Many threads of story weave through the book, introducing new characters and marking the end of others. Of course, in the paranormal/fantasy/SF world, the end is not always the end—Remember when Superman died in the 90s?

Calliope has a snarky, breezy, restraint-free voice, the only first-person narration in a book that bops from character to character with the speed of the editing in a music video. The information dumps of blasts from the past are kept small, but first-time readers aren’t totally left in the dark.

Golden Age is the fifth in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series. Benson is also known for co-creating the Ghosts of Albion animated web series and several related novellas. She has directed and appeared in films and on TV, notably for three seasons as Tara, witch/lover of Willow, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Golden Age of Death is a carnival ride (it even includes one) full of twists and turns (and wormholes) that will take you many interesting places, and leave you wanting another go-round, merry or not.

Check out KRL’s review of the previous book in this series, How To Be Death, and a great interview with Amber!

To enter to win a copy of The Golden Age of Death, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Amber,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 1, 2013. (This contest is for longer than usual because of the second event) U.S. residents only.

Use this link to purchase The Golden Age of Death from Mysterious Galaxy:

The Golden Age of Death

Terrance V. Mc Arthur is a California-born, Valley-raised librarian/entertainer/writer. He lives in Sanger, four blocks from the library, with his wife, his daughter, and a spinster cat.