Synopses & Reviews
They say the dead should rest in peace. Not all the dead agree.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;One night, Silas Umber's father Amos doesnand#8217;t come home from work. Devastated, Silas learns that his father was no mere mortician but an Undertaker, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother have no choice but to return to Lichport, the crumbling seaside town where Silas was born, and move in with Amosand#8217;s brother, Charles. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Even as Silas eagerly explores his fatherand#8217;s town and its many abandoned streets and overgrown cemeteries, he grows increasingly wary of his uncle. There is something not quite right going on in Charles Umberand#8217;s ornate, museum-like houseand#8212;something, Silas is sure, that is connected to his fatherand#8217;s disappearance. When Silasand#8217;s search leads him to his fatherand#8217;s old office, he comes across a powerful artifact: the Death Watch, a four hundred year old Hadean clock that allows the owner to see the dead. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Death Watch in hand, Silas begins to unearth Lichportand#8217;s secret historyand#8212;and discovers that he has taken on his fatherand#8217;s mantle as Lichportand#8217;s Undertaker. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his fatherand#8212;no matter the cost.
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and#8220;Ari Berk writes deftly about loss and love, mining a rich vein of ghostly folklore with vivid prose, style and wit. A marvelous tapestry of a book.and#8221;and#8212;Holly Black, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling authorandlt;iandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
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and#8220;This truly gothic novel is imbued with hauntingly beautiful prose and vividly drawn characters set in a town just as intriguing as its inhabitants. andlt;iandgt;Death Watchandlt;/iandgt; will linger with you long after you lay it to rest.and#8221;and#8211;Tony DiTerlizzi, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;The Search for WondLaandlt;/iandgt;
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"Every now and then a book comes along that breaks the mold of everything that has gone before.
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"Ari Berk's compelling prose draws aside death's veil revealing a macabre, visceral, and utterly believable folkloric world. Eerie and poignant, andlt;iandgt;Death Watchandlt;/iandgt; is at once chilling and full of heart." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;-- Brom, artist/author of the Chesley award-winning novel andlt;iandgt;The Pluckerandlt;/iandgt;.
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"Berkand#8217;s novel is a labor of love, focusing on his interest in folklore, ghost lore, and the customs surrounding the dead...a rich and complex book...in the hands of the right reader, it will be savored."--andlt;Iandgt;VOYAandlt;/Iandgt;
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"Those who like complexity in their scary tales will find their patience rewarded by the satisfying conclusion."--andlt;Iandgt;BCCBandlt;/Iandgt;
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"Berkand#8217;s writing style and language are reminiscent of the classic gothic works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Shirley Jackson. The plot and pacing have a haunting, dreamlike qualityand#8211;the type of dream that morphs into nightmares that jolt sleepers awake with a pounding heart and shaking hands. Readers who enjoyed Melissa Marrand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;Graveminderandlt;/Iandgt; should find this book intriguing."--andlt;Iandgt;School Library Journalandlt;/Iandgt;
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" [A] thought-provoking gothic fantasy...a leisurely, digressive, yet genuinely eerie tale...Berkand#8217;s setting is atmospheric and creepy, fleshed out with a wealth of funereal traditions and folklore..an intriguing opener."--andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;
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"Every now and then a book comes along that breaks the mold of everything that has gone before. andlt;iandgt;Death Watchandlt;/iandgt; is such a book. At once a profound and moving meditation on death, and an extraordinary edge-of-the-seat adventure, it is one of the most original and powerful novels I have read in my lifetime." and#8212; John Matthews, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Piratesandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Arthur of Albionandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Silas Umber’s father, Amos, mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Unbeknownst to his son, Amos was an Undertaker, responsible for settling the accounts of the dead in the Shadowland, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother move back to Lichport, the town where his father worked to bring The Peace. There, Silas finds his father’s Death Watch, the tool that allows the owner to see the dead, and he inadvertently becomes the new Undertaker.
Now Lichport’s secrets are making themselves known to Silas and it is up to him to settle the town’s hidden history. With the help of some unlikely allies, Silas embarks on a path into the Shadowland to take up his new post—and ultimately find his father, dead or alive.
About the Author
Ari Berk is the author of the Undertaken trilogy and andlt;iandgt;Nightsongandlt;/iandgt;, illustrated by Loren Long. He works in a library filled to the ceiling with thousands of arcane books and more than a few wondrous artifacts. When not writing, he moonlights as professor of mythology and folklore at Central Michigan University. He lives in Michigan with his wife and son. Visit him at AriBerk.com.