What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dead Things #1
Limbo's Child
The Dead are rising...and one is chosen...to keep them down. Nephys is a child of Limbo, one of thousands of lost souls living on the ethereal plain between the land of the living and hell. Limbo is a dangerous place full of soul-eating shades where you can do worse than lose your life – you could lose your very soul. Tasked with an eternity of servitude to the great master, death himself, Nephys does his best to keep his head down and obey the rules, but everything about Nephys’ quiet life changes, when his pet imp, Hiero, an infernal abomination with a set of bagpipes for a body, stumbles upon the soul of a new arrival, a car accident victim named Maggie Miller. When thirteen-year-old Lucy Miller wakes up in the hospital after the car accident that killed her mother, she knows her life will never be the same, but what she doesn't know is how dangerous that new life will be. Soon she will learn the terrible secret her mother kept from that she is the last of a race of necromancers with the power to summon the dead. After she escapes vampires, zombies and all sorts of dead things, she discovers that the crash that killed her mother was no accident. Caught up in a conspiracy to overthrow the underworld she will have to find a way to survive. To stop the destruction of both this world and the world to come, Nephys will have to return to the world of the living with a weapon and a note from Lucy’s mother. Before the end, Lucy will have to decide what's more using her new powers to bring back her dead mother, or using them to save the world.
784 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2011
5 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 27, 2012
Regarding the review saying the author must think he's being "edgy" or unique - Jonah Hewitt himself said that it wasn't supposed to be "cutting-edge literature" (see his Facebook page), but a young adult novel with humor, drama, and action.
I personally found the book very good, even if not a deep read. It's long, but light - I finished it in about 5 days, reading when I had a bit of spare time here and there. The book does have a few passages here and there about semi-angsty "growing-up" stuff (Lucy Miller is, after all, only 13), so if you hate young adults as one of the main characters, I'd avoid it.
Other than that, the book had great character development, illustrative descriptions of places and actions (I even felt bored when I read about Limbo...), surprising twists, lots of action, and that interesting dilemma facing Lucy. Believe me, the conclusion to her internal and external debate is far more engrossing that the morality talk it sounds like it would be.
I wouldn't recommend this book to someone looking for "mature" literature, or purely YA drama, but it's a great light read, despite its length. The chapters aren't too long or too short, and provide very succinct stopping points.
I personally found the book very good, even if not a deep read. It's long, but light - I finished it in about 5 days, reading when I had a bit of spare time here and there. The book does have a few passages here and there about semi-angsty "growing-up" stuff (Lucy Miller is, after all, only 13), so if you hate young adults as one of the main characters, I'd avoid it.
Other than that, the book had great character development, illustrative descriptions of places and actions (I even felt bored when I read about Limbo...), surprising twists, lots of action, and that interesting dilemma facing Lucy. Believe me, the conclusion to her internal and external debate is far more engrossing that the morality talk it sounds like it would be.
I wouldn't recommend this book to someone looking for "mature" literature, or purely YA drama, but it's a great light read, despite its length. The chapters aren't too long or too short, and provide very succinct stopping points.
September 7, 2012
Usually I am not a huge fan of sci-fi/fantasy/horror in any genre although I do have a healthy appreciation for the Harry Potter series. I suppose I am rather finicky about what I read so it was with caution that I began to read Limbo's Child. I was pleasantly surprised. Jonah Hewitt creates worlds with his words that I can actually visualize. Nothing is too abstract or questionable--a fault I find in a lot of science fiction/fantasy--for the reader to not understand, to not see through Hewitt's eyes the vast landscapes or riveting action scenes. The book comes to life and, for me, that is a necessity. I found myself thinking about the characters as if they were real, as if I should call Lucy up on the phone to see how she is doing, as if I should run to her and hug her.
Hewitt masterfully weaves a tapestry of loss and victory and fear and a slew of others which is held together by a little girl's grief. That most human emotion of loss is what brought me into the book and kept me there only to find myself laughing aloud at the hijinks of various characters or startling at an interruption as I was so engrossed in a scene. The pace of the book is excellent and never boring. Hewitt seems to intuitively know when to cut a scene and start another, when to ramp up the tension, and when to let the story breathe.
This story has substance. You walk away from it feeling as if you had been on a rollercoaster journey which was terrifying, yet you were kind of sad to see it end. It is not like Twilight where everything is elegaic and you cannot stomach reading it because everyone is so whiny. These characters have...character. They are distinct and they play upon each other in a way that is not tiresome or banal. The dialogue is believable and fresh.
As I said, I am not normally a fan of this genre; however, I AM a fan of Jonah Hewitt. I have feasted on his premiere novel and am wanting second helpings.
Hewitt masterfully weaves a tapestry of loss and victory and fear and a slew of others which is held together by a little girl's grief. That most human emotion of loss is what brought me into the book and kept me there only to find myself laughing aloud at the hijinks of various characters or startling at an interruption as I was so engrossed in a scene. The pace of the book is excellent and never boring. Hewitt seems to intuitively know when to cut a scene and start another, when to ramp up the tension, and when to let the story breathe.
This story has substance. You walk away from it feeling as if you had been on a rollercoaster journey which was terrifying, yet you were kind of sad to see it end. It is not like Twilight where everything is elegaic and you cannot stomach reading it because everyone is so whiny. These characters have...character. They are distinct and they play upon each other in a way that is not tiresome or banal. The dialogue is believable and fresh.
As I said, I am not normally a fan of this genre; however, I AM a fan of Jonah Hewitt. I have feasted on his premiere novel and am wanting second helpings.
August 8, 2016
Oh my, I thought this book was serious. Well, it is—seriously funny. I don’t know if I should feel guilty for laughing out loud because the atmosphere is often bleak and scary, but I just couldn’t help myself. I felt overwhelmed at first when I saw over 14 thousand pages in my Kindle, but there was never a dull moment for me. One disastrous event after another quickly unfolds in every chapter. I will attempt to summarize the plot as best as I can.
The children of Limbo are the staff of the Underworld. They are chosen to be servants of Death because they have that right amount of apathy . They process every soul that arrives in the Gates of Erebus. They keep records in offices and courts of the dead. They transcribe books, drive away lost souls or shades, and they tidy tombs. Yes. Limbo is a pretty busy place for these children. One of them is a scribe, the main character, Nephys. He is still able to see color amid the gray monotony of Limbo. Because of this he is chosen to be sent back to the world of the living for a grave task to help the dying Great Master Death.
THE Necromancer Lazlo Moriro’s only heir is dead, and her child Lucy is his only hope of rest from the dreary life as the Champion of Death. He is certain that the death of Lucy’s mom is not an accident. He believes Lucy’s life is in danger, and must find her before those who wish to harm her. Lazlo raises a few corpses to help him. One of the summoned is the Father of All Vampires Hokharty-Ra, who in turn recruits his own servants to help him.
Lazlo’s plans collide against the powerful creatures who want to upset the balance of life and death, against misguided creatures of the dark, against Lucy who just wants her mother back, and even against Nephys’mission- especially when the person who sent Nephys has a secret motive of his own.
I love the characters in this book, they are all unforgettable. The bagpipe imp Hiero will give Gollum a run for his money, while Miles and Schuyler are two vampires who are in diametrical opposition of each other. Whenever these three character are in the scene, it’s a bag of cheer. I love how all the characters eventually found each other as the story progressed. Exceptionally hilarious is the Rivenden Chapter, and the scene where the Imp catches up with the Impala. I could go on and on, but it’s all the same conclusion- this is an impressive story told very skillfully.
The children of Limbo are the staff of the Underworld. They are chosen to be servants of Death because they have that right amount of apathy . They process every soul that arrives in the Gates of Erebus. They keep records in offices and courts of the dead. They transcribe books, drive away lost souls or shades, and they tidy tombs. Yes. Limbo is a pretty busy place for these children. One of them is a scribe, the main character, Nephys. He is still able to see color amid the gray monotony of Limbo. Because of this he is chosen to be sent back to the world of the living for a grave task to help the dying Great Master Death.
THE Necromancer Lazlo Moriro’s only heir is dead, and her child Lucy is his only hope of rest from the dreary life as the Champion of Death. He is certain that the death of Lucy’s mom is not an accident. He believes Lucy’s life is in danger, and must find her before those who wish to harm her. Lazlo raises a few corpses to help him. One of the summoned is the Father of All Vampires Hokharty-Ra, who in turn recruits his own servants to help him.
Lazlo’s plans collide against the powerful creatures who want to upset the balance of life and death, against misguided creatures of the dark, against Lucy who just wants her mother back, and even against Nephys’mission- especially when the person who sent Nephys has a secret motive of his own.
I love the characters in this book, they are all unforgettable. The bagpipe imp Hiero will give Gollum a run for his money, while Miles and Schuyler are two vampires who are in diametrical opposition of each other. Whenever these three character are in the scene, it’s a bag of cheer. I love how all the characters eventually found each other as the story progressed. Exceptionally hilarious is the Rivenden Chapter, and the scene where the Imp catches up with the Impala. I could go on and on, but it’s all the same conclusion- this is an impressive story told very skillfully.
December 16, 2012
I got this book because it was free at the time on Amazon and I'm glad I did. I normally don't like books that go through the story going from one person then switching to others. However this story was well written, each plot unfolding and slowly connecting together.
I enjoyed the story and of all the great characters, I think my favorite was actually the demonic bagpipe.
I laughed a lot and cheered or grumbled throughout the read to my family's amusement.
Looking forward to book 2! Bummer it's not out yet as it states in the book it would be.
I enjoyed the story and of all the great characters, I think my favorite was actually the demonic bagpipe.
I laughed a lot and cheered or grumbled throughout the read to my family's amusement.
Looking forward to book 2! Bummer it's not out yet as it states in the book it would be.
January 11, 2014
Starts out a little confusing, but this long novel gets better as you read on. I totally thought the characters were great and the author's use of imagery made the two worlds come to life( a little pun there). I would definitely recommend reading this story and I wish his promised second book would come out.
June 9, 2012
I'm kind of fibbing in marking it "read," since I only got halfway through it. I'm sure the author thinks he's being edgy and interesting, but it's all been done before and by better authors. Is this a YA book? It seems to be written for a literacy level below adult.
September 18, 2012
Wow. Best new series I've started in a very long time. The story captured my interest right off the bat, I became invested in the characters quickly. I found the entire thing entertaining and well-written, and truly enjoyable.
June 5, 2012
Bit of a tween/teenager novel but really, pretty good. Dislike the use of multiple puncuation(?!) though. OK for texts not so much for novels.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews