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ellyrarg's review
4.0
Heartbreaking and beautiful, and god, can’t we just switch all kids from the department of death to the department of life?!
Merged review:
Heartbreaking and beautiful, and god, can’t we just switch all kids from the department of death to the department of life?!
Merged review:
Heartbreaking and beautiful, and god, can’t we just switch all kids from the department of death to the department of life?!
bethtabler's review
5.0
I have one child, one child that I carried, all 12 pounds of her, and had her pulled from me, squalling into this awe-inspiring and cruel world. All of my love, hopes, and dreams for the future lay upon her tiny shoulders. As the saying goes, "my heart lives outside my chest." This is why Mr. Death by the always incredible Alix E. Harrow smacked me around a bit emotionally. I empathized with both the reaper and the parents. Two sides of the same coin, and in the middle is a little boy, age two, whose soul shines like the sun.
You know from the first line of the story, "I've ferried two hundred and twenty-one souls across the river of death, and I can already tell my two-hundred-and-twenty-second is going to be a real shitkicker." Mr. Death is about a reaper who gently ferries souls from their bodies to the river and the after. Sam Grayson, the reaper in question and the main protagonist of the story, is a father grieving the loss of his own son years before when he is taken by lung cancer. While waiting in the breakroom for his next assignment, He is handed a manilla envelope. Thin, to thin, with this information printed on it:
Name: Lawrence Harper
Address: 186 Grist Mill Road, Lisle NY, 13797
Time: Sunday, July 14th 2020, 2:08AM, EST
Cause: Cardiac arrest resulting from undiagnosed long QT syndrome
Age: 30 months
As a reader, his response and mine are the same, "Jesus Christ on his sacred red bicycle. He's two." Sam visits the child, supposedly invisible, but for some reason, Lawrence can see him. Sam's heart aches in solidarity for the upcoming earth-shattering pain he will have to inflict upon these loving parents and the pain of his own loss. But all bodies will eventually die, and when it is your time, that is an unassailable fact. Or is it?
Harrow has pulled just enough of the raging thunderstorm of grief into this story to make you empathize and believe the situation. Instead of maudlin, it is heartfelt. It is a lovely read and pretty obvious why it is now nominated for a Nebula. Awards seem to stick to Harrow like magnets these days, and rightly so. Check it out.
You know from the first line of the story, "I've ferried two hundred and twenty-one souls across the river of death, and I can already tell my two-hundred-and-twenty-second is going to be a real shitkicker." Mr. Death is about a reaper who gently ferries souls from their bodies to the river and the after. Sam Grayson, the reaper in question and the main protagonist of the story, is a father grieving the loss of his own son years before when he is taken by lung cancer. While waiting in the breakroom for his next assignment, He is handed a manilla envelope. Thin, to thin, with this information printed on it:
Name: Lawrence Harper
Address: 186 Grist Mill Road, Lisle NY, 13797
Time: Sunday, July 14th 2020, 2:08AM, EST
Cause: Cardiac arrest resulting from undiagnosed long QT syndrome
Age: 30 months
As a reader, his response and mine are the same, "Jesus Christ on his sacred red bicycle. He's two." Sam visits the child, supposedly invisible, but for some reason, Lawrence can see him. Sam's heart aches in solidarity for the upcoming earth-shattering pain he will have to inflict upon these loving parents and the pain of his own loss. But all bodies will eventually die, and when it is your time, that is an unassailable fact. Or is it?
Harrow has pulled just enough of the raging thunderstorm of grief into this story to make you empathize and believe the situation. Instead of maudlin, it is heartfelt. It is a lovely read and pretty obvious why it is now nominated for a Nebula. Awards seem to stick to Harrow like magnets these days, and rightly so. Check it out.
oookateooo's review
5.0
Confession time. I picked this because it was the first on a list that would secure me a prompt on my reading challenge. I picked a short one because the prompt wasn’t one I was looking forward to. I expected to hate it. I think it was fate.
I’ve suffered 8 miscarriages and this short story has really tapped into the pain of that but also the hope I have.
The idea of a reaper has been done before and this way reminded me a lot of Under the Whispering Door. The way reapers are described makes me think that I’d be a good candidate. I’ve experienced a lot of loss.
In the end I would always choose to be someone’s guardian. Maybe one day I’ll get that chance. Maybe one day one of my babies will have that too.
Merged review:
Confession time. I picked this because it was the first on a list that would secure me a prompt on my reading challenge. I picked a short one because the prompt wasn’t one I was looking forward to. I expected to hate it. I think it was fate.
I’ve suffered 8 miscarriages and this short story has really tapped into the pain of that but also the hope I have.
The idea of a reaper has been done before and this way reminded me a lot of Under the Whispering Door. The way reapers are described makes me think that I’d be a good candidate. I’ve experienced a lot of loss.
In the end I would always choose to be someone’s guardian. Maybe one day I’ll get that chance. Maybe one day one of my babies will have that too.
I’ve suffered 8 miscarriages and this short story has really tapped into the pain of that but also the hope I have.
The idea of a reaper has been done before and this way reminded me a lot of Under the Whispering Door. The way reapers are described makes me think that I’d be a good candidate. I’ve experienced a lot of loss.
In the end I would always choose to be someone’s guardian. Maybe one day I’ll get that chance. Maybe one day one of my babies will have that too.
Merged review:
Confession time. I picked this because it was the first on a list that would secure me a prompt on my reading challenge. I picked a short one because the prompt wasn’t one I was looking forward to. I expected to hate it. I think it was fate.
I’ve suffered 8 miscarriages and this short story has really tapped into the pain of that but also the hope I have.
The idea of a reaper has been done before and this way reminded me a lot of Under the Whispering Door. The way reapers are described makes me think that I’d be a good candidate. I’ve experienced a lot of loss.
In the end I would always choose to be someone’s guardian. Maybe one day I’ll get that chance. Maybe one day one of my babies will have that too.
zana_reads_arcs's review
Mr. Death by Alix E. Harrow
4.5/5 stars
Loved the plot twist at the end! I love anything that deals with grim reaper type characters (and humanizing them) so this was right up my alley.
Alix E. Harrow needs to chill with her awkward way of inserting random side POC characters though. It's so awkward to read as a POC.
4.5/5 stars
Loved the plot twist at the end! I love anything that deals with grim reaper type characters (and humanizing them) so this was right up my alley.
Alix E. Harrow needs to chill with her awkward way of inserting random side POC characters though. It's so awkward to read as a POC.
creolelitbelle's review
5.0
Harrow beautifully captures the meaning of life and of death in this story. I came to the ending with tears in my eyes.
Merged review:
Harrow beautifully captures the meaning of life and of death in this story. I came to the ending with tears in my eyes.
Merged review:
Harrow beautifully captures the meaning of life and of death in this story. I came to the ending with tears in my eyes.