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Reapers with Issues #1
Reapers with Issues
Death and the other Reapers have a challenge. Earth's population has made soul collection a big problem, and according to Death's figures, it will only get worse. Death is a skilled but reluctant bureaucrat who tries to enlist help before Human souls start backing up.
But since no good deed goes unpunished, Death and the other Horsemen will have to put up with a whole new approach to management from Heaven.
What is an entity to do?
REAPERS WITH ISSUES follows the journey of the Grim Reaper as he struggles day to day to survive middle management Hell.
But since no good deed goes unpunished, Death and the other Horsemen will have to put up with a whole new approach to management from Heaven.
What is an entity to do?
REAPERS WITH ISSUES follows the journey of the Grim Reaper as he struggles day to day to survive middle management Hell.
168 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2012
212 people want to read
About the author
H.E. Ellis
5 books12 followersFull-time writer with Chevy Impala obsession seeks readership with an appreciation for the fine art of mocking. Interests include candlelight dinners, long walks on the beach, and Abe Vigoda. Must love New England. Author of ICONIC INTERVIEWS, REAPERS WITH ISSUES and THE GODS OF ASPHALT series.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 18, 2013
Pestilence, famine, war, oh my. Creativity, shock, and a questioning what, all rolled into one story.
To say this was a surprise read from her other series, would be an understatement. I have to admit, at first I couldn't wrap my head around it as I first felt shock for the, shall I say audacity, of an author to write some of these things that fly in the face of the religious minded. But if you let the chains on your mind go, you begin to sense the limitlessness of one's abilities to grasp the different angles your mind can create from a linear line. In other words, black and white can be any sound or color you want, and this story gives you a taste of just that. I would even say it elicited a decadent feel at first. That is until I got free of the chains and started to understand and feel the story with an unadulterated one path mind.
What is great about this story is that there was a morality to it, and characters that still had depth you could feel. Some, of course, took a while to feel anything for due to the nature of the character in your mind before you even began to get into the story, but that's what makes it intriguing; intimidating even as you wonder as an author if you could have created such a piece.
Many authors like to keep their characters in a positive light by giving them few if any flaws thus hoping to draw the reader into their veneration. But being in a real world, sometimes the flaws, making them feel on the same level as the reader, give the character just the endearment needed to make them your hero, your best friend. What H.E. Ellis makes you feel for these characters, I believe, will actually surprise you. It sure astonished me. It's a talent that some authors just innately have. I believe Ellis is one of them.
This story revolved around the four horsemen, God, Jesus and Lucifer. To say it is unlike anything I have read on these subjects would be a most articulate summation. But, the interesting, intriguing, and yet moral story that ensued was a journey of pure artistic enthrall that ripped the seam of complacency and tiresome wide open. It brought the reader to a sense of "win" with the near ending scenes and yet left you wondering what was next.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It has strong language, vivid scenes of a dark nature, an abnormal view of religious characters and explicit sexual indications. If you can get past those things and not letting any stalwart view of religion you may have feel disrupted, then you may enjoy the story for what it is... a skewed take on what really happened with the characters noted above.
To say this was a surprise read from her other series, would be an understatement. I have to admit, at first I couldn't wrap my head around it as I first felt shock for the, shall I say audacity, of an author to write some of these things that fly in the face of the religious minded. But if you let the chains on your mind go, you begin to sense the limitlessness of one's abilities to grasp the different angles your mind can create from a linear line. In other words, black and white can be any sound or color you want, and this story gives you a taste of just that. I would even say it elicited a decadent feel at first. That is until I got free of the chains and started to understand and feel the story with an unadulterated one path mind.
What is great about this story is that there was a morality to it, and characters that still had depth you could feel. Some, of course, took a while to feel anything for due to the nature of the character in your mind before you even began to get into the story, but that's what makes it intriguing; intimidating even as you wonder as an author if you could have created such a piece.
Many authors like to keep their characters in a positive light by giving them few if any flaws thus hoping to draw the reader into their veneration. But being in a real world, sometimes the flaws, making them feel on the same level as the reader, give the character just the endearment needed to make them your hero, your best friend. What H.E. Ellis makes you feel for these characters, I believe, will actually surprise you. It sure astonished me. It's a talent that some authors just innately have. I believe Ellis is one of them.
This story revolved around the four horsemen, God, Jesus and Lucifer. To say it is unlike anything I have read on these subjects would be a most articulate summation. But, the interesting, intriguing, and yet moral story that ensued was a journey of pure artistic enthrall that ripped the seam of complacency and tiresome wide open. It brought the reader to a sense of "win" with the near ending scenes and yet left you wondering what was next.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It has strong language, vivid scenes of a dark nature, an abnormal view of religious characters and explicit sexual indications. If you can get past those things and not letting any stalwart view of religion you may have feel disrupted, then you may enjoy the story for what it is... a skewed take on what really happened with the characters noted above.
March 10, 2013
this book was a funnier than I thought! At, first i was a little disappointed at the fact that "grim" the reaper of death does drugs. was about to say that the book wasn't for me, but the author then turned the attention on his job and left the drug use at that. i got this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. i loved this book and will be buying the second one in this series!
this book is about the "OHD" office of human death. got their budget taken over by lucifer to his place in hell. lucifer got a club and a gym. then god recently retired and had jesus take over the "OHD" god told grim that jesus was going to be watching over him making sure he runs is department fairly. grim wasn't happy that is new business partner was jesus. jesus then decides that the extra reapers that he was going to hire were going to be souls from hell that has been over crowding the depths of hell. lucifer doesn't like the fact that jesus got to talk over, so he goes out of his way to make it hard for grim to do his job. he sends over 5000 souls that were matress rippers or tax evadors. none of them were scary or able to choose who dies and goes where.
while grim is trying to please jesus because if he doesn't follow his rules will be sent to purgatory to be the supervisor.grim decides to take jesus under his wing and teach him what he needs to know about humans and how to act in public. he also teaches jesus about not needing his dads approval for everything, and tell jesus that he will take the fall for him if this program fails. grim then getsd drunk and follows in the ruins of lucifer and all hell breaks loose. about to loose his job, and ruin everything jesus created he needs to find a way to fix it. will grim learn that to be happy he has to put others first or will everything in the "OHD" will be ruined.
this book is about the "OHD" office of human death. got their budget taken over by lucifer to his place in hell. lucifer got a club and a gym. then god recently retired and had jesus take over the "OHD" god told grim that jesus was going to be watching over him making sure he runs is department fairly. grim wasn't happy that is new business partner was jesus. jesus then decides that the extra reapers that he was going to hire were going to be souls from hell that has been over crowding the depths of hell. lucifer doesn't like the fact that jesus got to talk over, so he goes out of his way to make it hard for grim to do his job. he sends over 5000 souls that were matress rippers or tax evadors. none of them were scary or able to choose who dies and goes where.
while grim is trying to please jesus because if he doesn't follow his rules will be sent to purgatory to be the supervisor.grim decides to take jesus under his wing and teach him what he needs to know about humans and how to act in public. he also teaches jesus about not needing his dads approval for everything, and tell jesus that he will take the fall for him if this program fails. grim then getsd drunk and follows in the ruins of lucifer and all hell breaks loose. about to loose his job, and ruin everything jesus created he needs to find a way to fix it. will grim learn that to be happy he has to put others first or will everything in the "OHD" will be ruined.
March 14, 2013
Great book!! If religious you might be offended so don't even bother. I enjoyed the humor of it though :)
November 17, 2012
(Book provided by the author through ARR #610 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)
I'm always up for stories that poke fun about serious themes, and 'death' and 'angels' have always been such themes for me. Reapers With issues deals exactly with those: the heavy celestial bureaucracy, with all the defects the latter term entails, and how figures of terror, the Four Horsemen, must deal with very day-to-day, down-to-earth problems regarding death. Their main problem being that there are only the four of them to do the job, while humanity keeps on multiplying. 'Grim' and his fellow horsemen go to quite a few lengths to keep their heads up, from filing up reports to indulging in buying weed from Saint Peter's offspring. I found it very funny to see familiar figures of heaven and hell depicted under various, different colours here, within what is a nice satire of the corporate and bureaucratic world. Lucifer is exactly the kind of smart, manipulative bastard I'd expect him to be. Grim tries to tackle problems as seriously as possible, but let's just say that between War's antics and the new management imposed by God, this is proving harder and harder as the story progresses.
The least I can say is that this novel made me smile and chuckle, a lot. Granted, there were a few times when the humour wasn't very subtle; but I think the author also did a good job in not overdoing it, and when fun is being poked at sensitive themes, it is always done so in a good-natured way, not in a voluntarily offensive one. Also, I commend the editing work done on this book. I didn't notice any of the usual typos and misprints that tend to spring, and the author's writing style was fluid and pleasant, both in descriptions and in dialogues.
Really, I can't find many faults with this book. It made me spend a very good time, it was a short and fun reading, its characters made me laugh, and all in all, it's a novel I'd easily recommend to my friends.
I'm always up for stories that poke fun about serious themes, and 'death' and 'angels' have always been such themes for me. Reapers With issues deals exactly with those: the heavy celestial bureaucracy, with all the defects the latter term entails, and how figures of terror, the Four Horsemen, must deal with very day-to-day, down-to-earth problems regarding death. Their main problem being that there are only the four of them to do the job, while humanity keeps on multiplying. 'Grim' and his fellow horsemen go to quite a few lengths to keep their heads up, from filing up reports to indulging in buying weed from Saint Peter's offspring. I found it very funny to see familiar figures of heaven and hell depicted under various, different colours here, within what is a nice satire of the corporate and bureaucratic world. Lucifer is exactly the kind of smart, manipulative bastard I'd expect him to be. Grim tries to tackle problems as seriously as possible, but let's just say that between War's antics and the new management imposed by God, this is proving harder and harder as the story progresses.
The least I can say is that this novel made me smile and chuckle, a lot. Granted, there were a few times when the humour wasn't very subtle; but I think the author also did a good job in not overdoing it, and when fun is being poked at sensitive themes, it is always done so in a good-natured way, not in a voluntarily offensive one. Also, I commend the editing work done on this book. I didn't notice any of the usual typos and misprints that tend to spring, and the author's writing style was fluid and pleasant, both in descriptions and in dialogues.
Really, I can't find many faults with this book. It made me spend a very good time, it was a short and fun reading, its characters made me laugh, and all in all, it's a novel I'd easily recommend to my friends.
April 30, 2014
First of all, I think Jesus is my all-time favorite character. He's such a sweet little fruitcake.
Though the book didn't really hook me until page 20, from then on I was pretty much in stitches the whole time. Basically, this book puts Heaven and all of its holy tenants in a corporate-world setting, throwing in money problems, drugs, romances, scandals, and civil disobedience. Additionally, every character in this book besides Jesus has a sick little sense of humor.
There were so many what-the-fuck moments in this book that fondly reminded me of writing twisted little short stories in English class. I seriously recommend this book to those who don't have much time on their hands but want a thorough, compelling story to read. I finished it in about 3 hours total, I think. This is 153 pages of beautiful, double-spaced blasphemy. But, you have to have a dark, offensive sense of humor to be able to handle it.
Since this is a short little novella, every bit of the story is laced with action and conflict. There aren't any boring parts, which I love and appreciate. Boredom slows my reading. Another thing (that I am incapable of employing in MY writing) is that even though it's fast-paced, the story doesn't just zoom right by - it's still immerses the reader. The details are still there, drawing you into the story. It's a lovely balance!
Like I said, I recommend this book to those who love to read but have no free time. This book can be completed in little spurts, but even though it's short, the length does not deplete the value of the story.
Incidentally, this book was so hard to review without putting in spoilers. I can't stop talking about it. So, everybody, read it so we can talk about it!
Though the book didn't really hook me until page 20, from then on I was pretty much in stitches the whole time. Basically, this book puts Heaven and all of its holy tenants in a corporate-world setting, throwing in money problems, drugs, romances, scandals, and civil disobedience. Additionally, every character in this book besides Jesus has a sick little sense of humor.
There were so many what-the-fuck moments in this book that fondly reminded me of writing twisted little short stories in English class. I seriously recommend this book to those who don't have much time on their hands but want a thorough, compelling story to read. I finished it in about 3 hours total, I think. This is 153 pages of beautiful, double-spaced blasphemy. But, you have to have a dark, offensive sense of humor to be able to handle it.
Since this is a short little novella, every bit of the story is laced with action and conflict. There aren't any boring parts, which I love and appreciate. Boredom slows my reading. Another thing (that I am incapable of employing in MY writing) is that even though it's fast-paced, the story doesn't just zoom right by - it's still immerses the reader. The details are still there, drawing you into the story. It's a lovely balance!
Like I said, I recommend this book to those who love to read but have no free time. This book can be completed in little spurts, but even though it's short, the length does not deplete the value of the story.
Incidentally, this book was so hard to review without putting in spoilers. I can't stop talking about it. So, everybody, read it so we can talk about it!
December 20, 2012
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
Before I begin, if you have hangups about death, Jesus or God either let go of them or don't read this book. (I suggest you let go of them and read this.)
This book was EXACTLY what I needed this last month. With a super hectic schedule it was perfect for picking up and reading its short chapters. It spent many a night in the tub with me, where, I might add the accoustics were great for anyone who was within earshot to hear me laughing out loud...Geez, I hope they know I had a book in there with me...
One would think that writing a book about characters that we can all relate to, would be simple, but Ellis was able to twist them into characters that you just loved to read more about. Yup, even the Devil will make you smile when he appears. It may have been a bit sacriligous to laugh at Jesus constantly but I hope the man upstairs forgives me, as it only made me love him more. ;)
Conflict and resolutions are dramatized much like a sitcom. Well written and easy to read and follow, this book has already had me looking in the bookstores for its sequels.
I look forward to reading more of Ellis's books!
Before I begin, if you have hangups about death, Jesus or God either let go of them or don't read this book. (I suggest you let go of them and read this.)
This book was EXACTLY what I needed this last month. With a super hectic schedule it was perfect for picking up and reading its short chapters. It spent many a night in the tub with me, where, I might add the accoustics were great for anyone who was within earshot to hear me laughing out loud...Geez, I hope they know I had a book in there with me...
One would think that writing a book about characters that we can all relate to, would be simple, but Ellis was able to twist them into characters that you just loved to read more about. Yup, even the Devil will make you smile when he appears. It may have been a bit sacriligous to laugh at Jesus constantly but I hope the man upstairs forgives me, as it only made me love him more. ;)
Conflict and resolutions are dramatized much like a sitcom. Well written and easy to read and follow, this book has already had me looking in the bookstores for its sequels.
I look forward to reading more of Ellis's books!
May 7, 2013
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*
Do not pick up this book if you have no sense of humor.
I loved this book. LOVED it! I laughed the entire way thru it. If you can't laugh at something, you are taking it way too seriously.
Seems that no one, not even death can get away from middle management BS. Grim's budget for OHD, Office of Human Death, has been slashed and his plea for extra Reapers is going to the dogs. God puts Jesus in charge, who has no idea about Reaping souls. Grim tries to help Jesus out with things, but with Lucifer always interfering, nothing goes right. Lucifer gives OHD some of his tormented souls, but they aren't Reapers. There are workman comp claims, misunderstandings, bribes, all everyday things you hear of in the government, so why would this be any different? At the end the Four Horsemen find their stride and get their act together to take over the OHD again.
The characters are well written and each has their own quirks, which makes it even better! I will definitely be purchasing the other books in the series!!
Kudos to the author H.E. Ellis for having the guts/nerves/balls to write this book.
Do not pick up this book if you have no sense of humor.
I loved this book. LOVED it! I laughed the entire way thru it. If you can't laugh at something, you are taking it way too seriously.
Seems that no one, not even death can get away from middle management BS. Grim's budget for OHD, Office of Human Death, has been slashed and his plea for extra Reapers is going to the dogs. God puts Jesus in charge, who has no idea about Reaping souls. Grim tries to help Jesus out with things, but with Lucifer always interfering, nothing goes right. Lucifer gives OHD some of his tormented souls, but they aren't Reapers. There are workman comp claims, misunderstandings, bribes, all everyday things you hear of in the government, so why would this be any different? At the end the Four Horsemen find their stride and get their act together to take over the OHD again.
The characters are well written and each has their own quirks, which makes it even better! I will definitely be purchasing the other books in the series!!
Kudos to the author H.E. Ellis for having the guts/nerves/balls to write this book.
December 2, 2012
The four horsemen have office problems. I really did not care about any of the characters at all until close to the end when I felt I might understand Grim a little more than the others. Parts of the story were funny, but I felt like I was missing the humor a lot. Guess this one just wasn't for me.
Thanks to the author and Making Connections for the opportunity.
Thanks to the author and Making Connections for the opportunity.
March 15, 2013
Very funny. All the characters are interesting more funny than scary. I like the set up for next book, it makes you want to read it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews