Book Reviews
The Second Act of Phillip Engel’s Story
4/5
The Die of Death
by Kenneth B. Andersen
Death isn’t an unfortunate consequence of life; on the contrary, Death is what makes life worth living. Men and women value only that which they might lose. Don’t you see? Without death, life is uninteresting and meaningless.―
Kenneth B. Anderson, The Die of Death
About
Philip’s adventures as the Devil’s apprentice have changed him—in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life.
But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death’s Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe.
Philip throws himself into the search—and discovers a horrible truth about his own life along the way.
The Die of Death is volume 2 in The Great Devil War-series and winner of the ORLA-Award.
The Great Devil War-series is a humorous and gripping tale about good and evil, filled with biblical and historical characters, such as Judas, Goliath, and Pontius Pilate, as well as modern figures such as Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and many more.
The Great Devil War-series is a Danish bestseller, topping library and school reading lists among teens and young adults. The books have been published in more than ten countries and have won numerous awards.
Stats
Kindle Edition, 327 pagesPublished January 2020 (first published August 31st 2007)Original TitleDødens TerningASINB07J5W56CWEdition LanguageEnglishSeriesThe Great Devil War #2Literary AwardsOrla Prisen for Fantasy (2009)
My Thoughts
The Die of Death is the second book in The Great Devil War series by author by Kenneth B. Andersen and is an exciting second act to human, Phillip Engel’s story. Thus far, protagonist Phillip Engel is back in his regular life. He is changed from the experiences of the first book. Now instead of being all angel, Phillip is a little bit of a devil. Just a little bit to temper his character. You can’t go to hell and not be a little bit changed, and I think in terms of Phillip’s character, for the better. After all, humans are not black and white, but shades of gray. And not only are humans gray but so are the devils that play supporting roles in Phillips’s story. I think this is an essential distinction for young adult readers who would be reading this story. Not everyone is black and white, and no one thinks of themselves as a great villain. The devil in The Great Devil War series knows he does terrible things as a matter of course, but he knows that he has a part to play like everyone else. You can’t have great good if you don’t also have evil. You need to have balance in life.
Now Death needs Phillip’s help. Death’s Die has been stolen, and without it, people can not die. Without Death, Life has little meaning. What transpires is a fun “who done it.” The tale includes a massive cast of characters, including Satina. Phillips friend and young temptress from the first novel.
He didn’t think there was any reason to fear dying because – and this is a little complicated – you never co-exist with death. So when a man dies, he doesn’t know that he’s dead, and that’s why there’s noting to fear―
Kenneth B. Anderson, The Die of Death
All, in all this, is a fun story. I love these books; it reminds me of a dark, slightly evil Percy Jackson.
I am looking forward to continuing Anderson’s tale and learning more about Phillip as time goes on.
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Where to find it?
Procurement
I received a copy of this The Write Reads for the tour.
About the Author
I was born in Denmark on a dark and stormy night in November 1976. I began writing when I was a teenager. My first book was a really awful horror novel titled Nidhug’s Slaves. It didn’t get published. Luckily.
During the next 7 years, I wrote nearly 20 novels–all of which were rejected–while working as a school teacher. The rest of the time I spent writing.
In 2000 I published my debut fantasy book, The Battle of Caïssa, and that’s when things really took off. Since then I’ve published more than thirty-five books for children and young adults in genres ranging from fantasy to horror and science fiction.
My books have been translated into more than 15 languages and my series about the superhero Antboy has been adapted for film, which is available on Netflix. An animated tv series is currently in development.
A musical of The Devil’s Apprentice opens in the fall 2018 and the movie rights for the series have also been optioned.
I live in Copenhagen with my wife, two boys, a dog named Milo and spiders in the basement.
About THE GREAT DEVIL WAR: The Great Devil War was published in Denmark from 2005-2016, beginning with The Devil’s Apprentice.
Even though the story (mostly) takes place in Hell and deals with themes like evil, death and free will, it is also a humoristic tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective. A tale that hopefully will make the reader – young or old, boy or girl – laugh and think.
Welcome to the other side!
Where to Find Them
http://www.kennethbandersen.com/
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