Death's Mantle: The Complete Series

Death's Mantle #1-3

by Harmon Cooper

Lucian North's heart stops and an ancient battle spanning Heaven and Hell ignites—with Lucian at its epicenter.

Believed to be on death's doorstep, Lucian's fate takes an incredible turn when he confronts Death and becomes the grim reaper. Thrust into a spiritual world filled with fallen angels, demonic injuresouls, and savage Death Hunters, Lucian discovers an untapped reservoir of power, allowing him to conjure weapons and harness his knowledge game mechanics to navigate his new reality.

But with great power comes formidable enemies and heartbreaking revelations. Lucian's quest to save his addict brother from a preordained death propels him into the heart of ancient conflicts, forcing him to forge and test alliances. As the series unfolds, Lucian must leverage his newfound abilities against a backdrop of cosmic war and familial secrets, risking everything to protect those he loves.

Faced with loss, betrayal, and the dire consequences of his choices, Lucian's journey is a relentless pursuit of salvation that challenges the boundaries of sacrifice and the power of destiny. In this epic blend of dark fantasy and LitRPG, Lucian's odyssey is more than a fight for survival—it's a battle to preserve the essence of family and the hope of redemption across the sprawling tapestry of the afterlife.


From Amazon bestseller Harmon Cooper, Death's The Complete Series, unfolds as a dark saga that plunges readers into a world where the boundaries between life and death blur. With influences ranging from Spawn to Parasyte, and the existential musings of On a Pale Horse, this trilogy marries dark fantasy with LitRPG and isekai.

A must-read for fans of LitRPG and those who revel in the interplay between the cosmic forces of good and evil, Death’s The Complete Trilogy delivers an unforgettable journey through the realms of the afterlife, where the destiny of souls hangs in the balance. The audiobook, narrated by Andrea Parsneau, famed narrator of The Wandering Inn, won an Audiofile Earphone Award.

778 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2024

About the author

Harmon Cooper is the author of over sixty fantasy works. His bestselling series include Pilgrim, War Priest, Cowboy Necromancer, and Tokens and Towers.

His series, The Feedback Loop, is one of the earlier GameLit works first published in 2015. An earphone award winner for the series Death's Mantle, Harmon won the LitRPG/GameLit Audiobook of the Year award for Sacred Cat Island, narrated by Legends and Lattes author Travis Baldree.

Harmon write progression fantasy, cultivation fantasy, and LitRPG/GameLit.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic five-star series from the pen of Harmon Cooper.

The Grim Reaper comes for Lucian who has a rare heart condition. He's playing video games at the time of the visitation but, as a mortal, sees things he shouldn't. Like Death himself, and injuresouls (these are perfectly named). Helping Death escape these monstrosities, Lucian shows that he is much stronger than the Reaper gave him credit for. And so begins Lucian's reign as (the new) Death, whether he wants the role or not.

Lucian updates the information system that (old) Death had in a black notebook, so that he sees all the stats immediately like in his video games, and knows whether he has enough points left to fight, or just leave. I thought this was very cleverly done.

Nothing in a Harmon Cooper book is ever straightforward, and as the story continues, the deeper the reader gets to know the characters and their relationships. I loved this series, and I loved it even more after I read the bit at the back telling you where the author got his inspiration for the story. I won't spoil it, but I was in tears.

You get everything between these pages, which you will be turning at speed, I can tell you. Wonderfully choreographed fight scenes, realistic characters with their strongly-held beliefs, angels (Life), demons, family secrets (isn't there always?), real life scenarios that will break your heart, and beasties. Sorry, parasites, which are aptly named, and so potent with their carried realism. This series WILL NOT disappoint you in any way, and will leave you thinking about your own life and relationships.

I adored the Buddhist references, the depth of the characters (good and bad, and all those in-between), and the vomit-worthy roller coaster ride that your heart, mind and soul will go on. It's a wonderful, adventurous story, written well (as always), with lots to think about in your own life.

I love this series SO MUCH and, if I am honest, I wondered how the author was going to tie-up all the stories and little details. I really shouldn't have worried, as they were done to my complete satisfaction (and THAT is saying something, as I am NOT easily pleased), and finished absolutely beautifully too. What an explosion of a finale!!

The author writes stories in which we can see the parallels in our 'real world'. These are well done and completely sound in my mind. I was very close to tears many, many times. Thank you, Mr Cooper, for this fantastic series. I'm very sad that it has ended, but I'm very happy that I have read and enjoyed it.

[Anna gillam · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a mess

So after 2 of the 3 books, the author hasn't bothered to explain what or why anything is happening; we just keep getting "youre not important enough to know." Might work for the MC, but kills any interest from a reader.
Somehow the writer managed to make the fight scenes (about the o of thing in this book aside from MC playing videogames) the most boring I've ever read, even more boring than reading about someone playing a game. The stakes are the same (none)
World building by the end of book 2 was still virtually non-existent, and was character development. Seriously, YA novels are better than this.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. So Harmon Cooper wrote three books as therapy based around some personal life trauma. They just aren't as good as his other books. They just aren't good period. The people are shallow. The world is shallow. The protagonist gets a mandatory girlfriend out of a crackerjack box or something that never makes any sense. The litRpg system is complete nonsense at a level I have never before seen.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Brilliant

This boxset showcases one of Coopers best pieces of writing and outside Feedback Loop has a special place In my heart. The idea and world building is typical of his great writing, but the emotional connection you get as we join in with saving the family and the world stands out, and will always be a favourite amongst the greatest of books