A Tale du Mort

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Where do I begin to write a review of this book? It's dark humour with quirky characters that cross the boundaries of the living and the dead from an 'Under' and 'Above' set up to Egyptian gods, one of which becomes an assistant mortician 'Above' when his job for millenia has been to guide the souls of the dead 'Below'.

It's like something Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker might have collaborated on with a touch of Terry Pratchett humour. Yet it has a distinctive voice of its own. Unfortuneately I couldn't quite connect with it. I've tried to work out what's missing for me. Plenty of dialogue, is it description? In some places there is very vivid description.

I think maybe I just failed to see progression and a point to the overall plot. I kept reading and waiting to 'get' it, but I never did.

Oh well, you can't win them all.

Weird, funny story about death and the underworld
I enjoyed this book about the dead, the undead, the recently dead, and the relevant gods in mortal form. The story is weird but funny and well paced, although confusing in parts. The character development is good. Basically it’s the story of what happens when a god decides to ascend to the mortal world to get away from it all.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

This was a fun read - a cross between Beetlejuice and Six Feet Under. Such an interesting cast of characters, and an unusual view of the underworld. Death needs a vacation, too, sometimes, but still, the heart will always bring you back home.

Charming. Granted I didn't love it as I did All Darling Children, which was my favorite indie of recent, but still...charming. Straight out of Christopher Moore's school of silliness, Monroe's Under is a highly amusing sort of Americanized spin on the Egyptian Underworld. Not just funny, it's quite clever too, although at times too busy. Much more than a story of an undertaker with a secret identity, it's a wink wink nudge nudge tale of the trifling (and otherwise) squabbles of immortals, who are all too mortal in their faults. In the end everyone's just trying to do their jobs to the best of their ability, while circumnavigating coworkers, bureaucracy and personal affairs. It's a fun read, maybe not laugh out loud funny, but definitely very amusing in an absurdist satirical sort of way. Monroe once again proves herself to be a talented author and her ability to shift gears thematically from one book to the next is masterly. Very entertaining dark lite comedy or lite dark comedy. Very quick read too. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

A funny read, truly hilarious at times!!! A completely different view of what comes next... and the characters that reside there!

This was something totally different for me, but I found it an enjoyable read.

Amazingly amusing and sometimes silly, I think my favorite thing about this book is the characters; some unloveable, some a bit more so. Well written with the Afterlife presented humorously.

A paranormal cozy mystery about the netherworld and the beings who do particular jobs...even ones they don't want to do. Laced with humor I enjoyed the read, even though it's not my preferred genres. It would appeal to the N.A. crowd and those interested in the supernatural.

A Tale Du Mort is a satirical, darkly humorous take on life in the various complex layers of the underworld. For me, it was a story that predominantly revolved around immortals who tended to hold on to some of their mortal tendencies. Overall, I enjoyed the writing and found that I got through it at a fairly reasonable pace. Characters were likeable. It contains aspects of the Egyptian take on the dead. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Christopher Moore.

I really enjoy this author's humour! It's always smart quips where I stop and think, "Wow, that's clever". This was a really enjoyable read about the afterlife that takes the well-known Greek myths and gives them a modern spin. Mort has been kicked out of the underworld and has taken a job as a mortician. But as things get messy down under, spirits are trying to draw him back down.

Though for the most part, this story is purposefully absurd and funny and darkly comedic, it also hits the mark when discussing more serious topics. Mort has nightmares and flashbacks of what is waiting for him back in the afterlife, and the fear he deals with, while he attempts to suppress it, is not pushed away by the author. The fear is recognized as something real, and the abruptness with which these topics are dealt gives this humorous story the depth so many others fail to reach.

Katrina Monroe is a powerful writer, that even in the strangest of stories, we can feel a connection with the people she introduces on the page.

Great book, well-delevolped plot, charming characters. Highly recommended reading.

Whismical, hinky, impossibly fun, this story about a kingdom of the dead in disarray, where the holder, a boring little chap with a overwork syndrome, is ousted by his brother, who looks a lot like certain half-pint today trendy, able to purchase the power stirring up the people, but unable and unprepared to do what they are asked to do, sending everything to hell. The fact is that Sy, the new holder of the underworld, send everything to hell, get bored and pierces the veil, allowing the dead to return to earth. It's up to the women of Doom and some deities, mixed and incognito, put things right and regain the true lord of the underworld, which in many years has tried to pass himself as a harmless employed in a morgue.
Thank Deviant Dolls Publications and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.