I’m coming for you is a bad movie line. For Death it is a promise. We tend to like to avoid the concept of death, but it keeps finding us.
So we put together a book. But what to call it. We were sick of death coming in and taking friends and family, giving no regard for us except to leer from the darkness. The answer came, in a callout to Steven Colbert: we opted for Deathiness. Death didn’t like that. I believe it was her fault (oh hell yes, death is a woman) that I found myself being carried out of the house with a couple of pulmonary embolisms and realizing that most people who were in my condition met the grim reaper. So I resolved to change my life, be a nicer person, give up cheese products and… Nah, I decided to invite the B Cubed family on board to talk about it and maybe have a laugh at Death’s expense. So Death, be warned:
We’re Coming for You! And we’re doing it with these great stories:
In The Bodies We Carry K.G. Anderson, one of the great up and comers writing about how to make death more real. In The Miracle Man Jim Wright gives another chilling look into the world he created for the Best Selling Alternative Apocalypse. In Instructions for My Executors Clare Marsh treats us with a poetic look at death and what the family should do. In Rule 49 (perhaps my favorite) has Maureen McGuirk looking at death as a real entity and shows us their many faces. In Spoons , Jay Wilburn dips into a well of thought and sensitivity as he makes death into a gentle journey that is not taken alone. And Gallows Humor? Michael Mansaray takes a unique look at the inevitability of death that must be read to appreciate.
For What is a Man is David Foster’s quest for an answer to the question with no real unswer.
Mudpaws and the Tall Thing Frances Rowat is a touching story reminiscent of the work Mike Resnick that sees the worlds end from the perspective of a lovely dog.
A Comedian’s Valediction Forbidding Mourning is the wonderful Larry Lefkowitz’s reminder to laugh.
The Thing Underneath is a wee bit of horror by James Van Pelt.
Have You Ever Been Experienced? is an old theme made fresh by Paula Hammond, as she shows the power of being addicted to death.
Death’s Scout is Mark O. Decker thoughtful poem that I’ll let you read rather than read about. It’s that good.
Papercut by Larry Hinkle will make you throw this book out the window in disgust and horror, only to stop the car and retrieve the book to read it again.
Death’s Doorway is Diana Hauer’s incredible story of those who walk beside us through that final gate.
Missing by Robin Pond is that story that makes you want to read a hundred more just like it.
In Final Questions, Chris Kuriata, adds to the duties of death to in this thoughtful look at unanswered questions of the dead.
The Borrower , by Katie Sakanai speaks to the value of the human spirit across space and time.
Three O'Clock is Lamont Turner’s nicely done story on making the best out of a bad situation.
To Do Right , by Cory Swanson, shows us a better way to die. A good end to life is not to be underestimated.
Old Forgotten Grave by Bill Camp is a familiar but comfortable reminder that all of us will be forgotten.
Ashes, by my dear friend Lizzy Shannon is a touching look at the end of life.
The Devil’s Backbone, by Larry Hodges, brings his trademark humor to what happens when the Devil takes on the Good Humor man.
Written in Stone, by Lauren Stoker.
Death, by Robert Armstrong The Four Horsemen (and Women) of the Apocalypse by Sarina Dorie
Deathventures, Inc. by Robinne Weiss
Rest In Virtual by Tommy Blanchard Loving Death in New York, is poet Alicia Hilton’s look at death on the streets of the Big Apple. Life Long Love by the inspired you man, Sirrus James. Not old enought to drink, but old enough to understand love.