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Death Works Trilogy #3.5

The Memory of Death

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He thought he'd return from Hell a hero. But things are never easy when your business is Death.



Steven de Selby gave up his love, his life, and his lucrative position as Head of Mortmax, the corporation in charge of Death. Then he found himself banished to the briny depths of hell. But hell has never held him before ...



Now Steven's back from hell, after escaping from the cruel Death of the Water, but he's not sure how or why, or even if. No one at Mortmax trusts him, and he's running out of time to prove he is who he says he is.



Steven is about to discover that hell really is other people, and the worst of them may well be himself.

94 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2014

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122 people want to read

About the author

Trent Jamieson

48Ìýbooks212Ìýfollowers
Trent Jamieson is a science fiction and fantasy writer.

Trent works as a teacher, a bookseller, and a writer, and has taught at Clarion South.

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for James.
610 reviews120 followers
October 22, 2015
Touting as the fourth novel in the Death Works trilogy is probaby a bit of a cheat on two counts. Firstly, calling it a trilogy implies there is no fourth novel (although The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy has already made a mockery of this rule); and secondly it's just a novella. I haven't read any of the three books in the main trilogy, so I'm probably not really the target audience for a short story featuring the same characters. That said, it didn't really feel like it mattered, Jamieson provided just the right amount of catch-up to make sure I didn't feel at all lost.

Steven de Selby used to be Death: or at least the Australian regional Death. Somehow he lost that gig to save the world and ended up trapped in the Hell of the Water. This story starts as he washes up on the Australian coast with no memory of how he got there. There seems to be an emerging genre of people-fulfilling-supernatural-roles urban-fantasy type fiction recently: from Neil Gaiman's to Mur Lafferty's Afterlife series. And while this means that a lot of the themes start to feel a little less unique or fresh, Jamieson's Death Works series seems like a good addition to the type and I'll probably be hunting out the original trilogy before too long...
AuthorÌý5 books10 followers
April 3, 2014
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at yay and I wish it was longer ;).
Profile Image for Casey Carlisle.
612 reviews56 followers
November 5, 2020
There seems to be some confusion over this novella. The cover is calling it Death Works novel #4, yet Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ has it labelled as #3.5 â€� I guess Trent Jamieson is the only one who can clear all this up. And I’m wondering if the franchise ends here â€� will the story continue, or has interest and marketability of the Death Works franchise dried up? It has become a guilty pleasure for me. The references to Brisbane and its surrounds are my back yard. And I kind of like paranormal tomes that deal with various incarnations of Grim Reapers and the subject of the afterlife. Jamieson has a wit and irony about this world and protagonist Steven de Selby that I find alluring.

‘The Memory of Death� sees Steven (in parts) dragged from The Death of Water where we saw his ending in ‘The Business of Death.� Going into more detail will spoil happenings for this novella. But it sets up an interesting premise for this franchise to move forward. Turns the relationships of the characters on their head. It is such a genius twist that it renewed my interest and has me hoping that this is not the end.

A lot happens in this short novella. I did wish the first half was a bit punchier and clearer. It takes a beat for the reader to get enough information to make sense of things. In that sense it was disorientating for me and I kept putting the book down for a rest. Not something you want to hear about a novella. But once the story got its legs, it was in short, brilliant. So the pacing went from faltering to light-speed.

Steven de Selby has an arc of sorts � more like a reconstitution. He’s the same but not. I liked in ‘The Business of Death� how he went dry � gave up drinking completely because it was starting to become a problem for him. I was not all too happy to see him start up that habit again. His relationship with Lissa is completely different, and the engagement is brought up but there is hope that it can get back on track � for which I am greatful. I was really starting to ship these two.

I was astounded and delighted to read a preview from ‘The Carnival of Death� touted as the Death Works novel #5. This is a great under hyped series that I am happy to recommend to all my friends. There is even a bind-up of the trilogy available� I’m just praying that Jamieson continues this series because it’s a little taste of home and a little taste of weird.
Profile Image for Thomas O'Brien.
152 reviews14 followers
January 31, 2018
It was good to finally read the next story (novella) in this series.
I really like the original Trilogy of books, and I found it offered a good story that was solid, kept a good pace, and made me laugh in parts, and finished off nicely.
Now this then makes me wary of the next part, because I would hate to see a story I really liked ruined for money or for the sake of it.

But if the next book (previewed at the end of this), is similar to this one, it is a promising outlook for the series. I found this was a good bridge from the end of the last to a new, if slightly skewed direction of the next book. I liked that it kept me guessing what was happening to our poor hero until right near the end.
And it has left me intrigued as to where these characters head next.
Well done Mr. Jamieson, this is great.
Profile Image for Midu Hadi.
AuthorÌý3 books179 followers
September 11, 2019

After sacrificing himself for the greater good, the Water Death lets Selby return. But nothing's that simple. Selby sees more of himself than he'd ever expected to -- literally! His girl friend is trying to move on. His cousin is still grieving and then in walks Selby, tearing their wounds afresh. I liked that the author didn't just make everything all right. Even though the book ended on a cliffhanger and I don't see any new books that have come out, I still liked this installment. Finally, I may have gotten used to how Selby deals with calamities, but I really enjoyed how he tried to understand how the others might be feeling, instead of flying off the handle.

Original take on Reapers and the Death Business by an Australian author in an authentic voice of the character. Small series and not-too thick books that are full of action. Read it!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Fangs for the Fantasy.
1,449 reviews191 followers
July 11, 2014
Steve crawls to shore� apparently free from the Death of Water’s eternal hell. This is unexpected � but not as much as being greeted by men with guns� or finally getting home to find that Lisa and Tim think he’s a monster.

And they have 3 other copies of him lurking in the basement. Each of which thinks they’re the real one.


When I first came across this book I was sceptical. The Death Works series had ended � it had ended rather elegantly, if somewhat tragically, and I didn’t see how another book would come out of the series, especially one that still involved Steve de Selby. Or even the universe since everything seems neatly resolved. I admit, I rather cynically expected a poor book that had stretched out a done concept.

And I was wrong.

This book continues on with the same fascinating world and excellent characters and does manage to keep the story going. Steve is still very true to what he was � so well meaning, more than a little inept, but so determined to do what is right. He’s still a little whiney, his optimism still rather expecting things to work out even when nothing owes him a happy ending. Tim and Lisa are the hard edged professionals they’ve always been with some added insight into some of the other entities around him.

The time gap has added some interesting elements � like it confirmed that Tim and Lisa are actually way better at the job than Steve ever was. But also seeing the Hungry Death through Lisa’s eyes, perhaps, gives a better sense of just what Steve was facing as Hungry Death. I also like how Tim and Lisa have grieved to an extent, but are still angry about what Steve did without telling them at the end of The Business of Death. He doesn’t get to come back and have everything be twee and lovely and he can just step back into his old role, his old relationships as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. It’s not that neat

I think that’s one thing that really made me like this book � along with some nifty action and some great world revelations. It resisted the urge to be twee. These books have never been twee, there’s always been an edge of grittiness, a sense that the world isn’t fair and an idea that the “good guys� weren’t really all that good. Just good in comparison. It was one of the things that made Steve stand out as the good, rather naïve, but genuinely nice guy in a sea of sharks. When bringing a character back as happened in this book it is easy to get all saccharine about it. This doesn’t � it’s not sweet, it’s not neat, it’s still rough and painful and difficult and there’s no shiny “love conquers all� fluffy ending. Especially since Lisa is far far too professional to let sentiment cloud her professional judgement


Profile Image for Tsana Dolichva.
AuthorÌý4 books67 followers
February 11, 2014
The Memory of Death by Trent Jamieson is a sequel to the Death Works trilogy (beginning with Death Most Definite, published by Orbit) and � to my surprise when I opened it � it's also a novella. Furthermore, the premise is kind of a spoiler, in the sense that I think the story is more enjoyable if you don't know what to expect going in. Happily, the blurb does not give it away as I feared it might. And a final note, before I get on with the bulk of the review, this novella really should be read after the original trilogy. Although some backstory is given, I don't think it will make as much sense as a whole without the background provided in the trilogy. And, of course, it contains spoilers for the resolution of said trilogy. So does the blurb, to an extent. You've been warned.

I don't know much about the upcoming sequel � other than the title, The Carnival of Death � but The Memory of Death reads a bit like it might be a bridging novella between the trilogy and the next story. It has it's own story, of course, but it's mostly the story of How Steve Gets Out Of The Mess Of Book Three's Conclusion. It's the set-up for something more, which I look forward to reading and which I suspect won't make as much sense without the bridge that is The Memory of Death.

This novella opens with Steven waking up on a beach and thinking "what the hell?" and continues to build on that initial confusion throughout. By the end we do find out what the hell was going on and, to an extent, why. That plus some action and icky (/creepy) events along the way make up the entire novella (obviously I'm leaving out spoilers here; the spoiler bits are pretty good). As I said, although it's self contained, it definitely feels like its setting the stage for the next story.

I recommend The Memory of Death to fans of the Death Works series, but I'm not sure I'd necessarily recommend it to new readers. On the other hand, the latter part of that may change once The Carnival of Death is out, depending on how that goes. I enjoyed revisiting Steven, Lissa and Tim in the Death Works universe. It has certainly whetted my appetite for whatever comes next.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on .
Profile Image for Stephanie.
AuthorÌý16 books125 followers
February 4, 2014
A eARC of this book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Memory of Death" is the fourth book in Australian author Trent Jamieson's Deathworks series, following on from the original urban fantasy trilogy.

Stephen de Selby is a Pomp (psychopomp), an individual who has the ability to usher a soul through into the afterlife. Originally apathetic about his job with Mortmax, the Australian company which governs pomping in Australia, the first three books saw de Selby deal with several apocalypses, betrayals, and love.

In "The Memory of Death", de Selby has to deal with perhaps the worst thing of all: himself. He sacrificed everything at the end of the last book, but now he finds himself back from death, and mightily confused.

This series is an extremely enjoyable one, with a distinctly Australian tone. Jamieson has a knack for making the magic of his altered Brisbane, at times, feel more real than the actual streets of the city. His characters all live and breathe on the page, de Selby especially, with his honest voice and self-depreciating humour.

This book, unfortunately, doesn't feel quite as fleshed out as the first three. At times, it feels too rushed - the last third, especially, feels like it should have been at least twice as long. The humour is still interlaced through moments of darkness, to the point where I actually laughed out loud at some of the clever turns of phrase. Humour is very, very difficult to write well, and Jamieson manages to make it look very easy.

I gave this book four stars instead of five only because of the rushed final third. I expect anyone who has enjoyed the first three books will find much to love about this book. And will look forward - as I am - to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for S.B. Wright.
AuthorÌý1 book51 followers
February 26, 2014
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.


This book was provided by the Publisher.
Profile Image for Ami.
6,134 reviews490 followers
February 16, 2014
After pondering this novella for a day, I decided to give it 3-stars and NOT continuing the series.

I am not saying that this is a bad story but I think my biggest issue is that the original works are called "Trilogy"; and as much as the ending of the third book being heartbreaking, I thought it was amazing (I 5-starred that one) and it left deep impact.

So in that sense, I had say 'Goodbye' to Steven de Selby, his friends and to this world of Death. I admitted that I picked this novella up because of curiosity, but probably because I already let this world go, it was weird reading about Steven's return. Not to mention that the way this story was constructed -- with a couple of different perspectives (), I got headaches.

I think this might be a set-up for continuing the series; . But like I said, I already said my goodbye to this world 2.5 years ago. I think I prefer to keep it that way.
Profile Image for Jason.
1,179 reviews277 followers
January 9, 2015
4.5 Stars

This is a very different continuation of the Death Works trilogy. This book plays off as a supernatural mystery in a novella format. We are not given much more than the reemergence of Steven DE Selby, the former Death incarnate.

Jamieson does a great job at making this a fast and fun paced ride that is hopefully done to set up further adventures. I really have enjoyed this series.

I liked this tiny conversation between James and Steven later in the story...


"“But you still think like a Pomp,� James says. ‘That’s a blessing and a liability. You, the ones who lead folk to the Underworld � you’d think you’d be open to all the strangeness of this one. There’s the Knot Makers, the Shadows, the Half-Whispered Things � and let me tell you, those Whispers can claw your heart out. And that’s the merest sample; since you saved the world, all manner of � entities have come to light. You lifted a rock, my friend, and things came crawling out from beneath it. Some of them are very angry � they liked the rock.�"


Bring on more please!!!

Highly recommended..
Profile Image for Kathy.
472 reviews5 followers
February 21, 2014
This novella is a quick read and an interesting continuation of the death works series. I had thought this series was finished - in a slightly unsatisfying way to me - with the last book in the trilogy but this reboots this universe in many ways. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here. If there are more books in this series I hope that this gets reprinted with them somehow as its hard to see how things will make sense with this character without this story being told first. This is recommended for people who enjoyed the death works series but it probably won't make a great deal of sense to people who haven't read the original trilogy.

1,353 reviews8 followers
March 6, 2014
Trent Jamieson continues his tale Steven de Selby, who had risen to head of Mortmax in a short novel The Memory of Death (ebook from Momentum Books). Considering he died saving the Earth in the last tale after becoming the Death of Earth, coming back to life is a little difficult, and several versions of him walk out of the sea. But it all works out, setting the stage for more adventures. Fun. Review printed in Philadelphia Weekly Press
Profile Image for Katharine (Ventureadlaxre).
1,524 reviews48 followers
Read
January 9, 2015
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

To be safe, I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
Profile Image for Noah Sturdevant.
AuthorÌý21 books65 followers
March 6, 2014
I'm really glad this series is back. I loved it, but hated the ending. Fingers crossed that things end differently this time.
222 reviews34 followers
April 24, 2023
Don't know how I missed this, but I'm thrilled I found this continuation of the Death Works series. Just wish there were more.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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