What do you think?
Rate this book
Death and the Devil
A brilliantly dark and witty collection that reimagines cosmic forces with heart, humor, and humanity.
What happens when Death decides to take up haiku? When the Devil's carefully laid plans go awry? When the Incarnation of War discovers that the only thing worse than war is when the dead don't die?
In this delightfully inventive collection of short stories about Death, ancient cosmic entities find themselves navigating the absurdities of existence with the same confusion, determination, and occasional incompetence as the mortals they oversee. From poetry workshops to World War II, from speed dating disasters to bureaucratic nightmares that span millennia, these stories blend philosophical depth with unexpected humor.
Written in the tradition of Ingmar Bergman and Terry Pratchett, Death and the Devil offers a fresh and deeply human take on the forces we fear most. Each story is a clever exploration of mortality, duty, and identity as well as a genuinely touching reminder that even in a universe governed by cosmic constants, there's always room for compassion, love, and the occasional well-crafted haiku.
Witty. Profound. Unexpectedly moving.
Perfect for readers who appreciate smart, character-driven fantasy that doesn't shy away from life's big questions—or death's smaller ones.
What happens when Death decides to take up haiku? When the Devil's carefully laid plans go awry? When the Incarnation of War discovers that the only thing worse than war is when the dead don't die?
In this delightfully inventive collection of short stories about Death, ancient cosmic entities find themselves navigating the absurdities of existence with the same confusion, determination, and occasional incompetence as the mortals they oversee. From poetry workshops to World War II, from speed dating disasters to bureaucratic nightmares that span millennia, these stories blend philosophical depth with unexpected humor.
Written in the tradition of Ingmar Bergman and Terry Pratchett, Death and the Devil offers a fresh and deeply human take on the forces we fear most. Each story is a clever exploration of mortality, duty, and identity as well as a genuinely touching reminder that even in a universe governed by cosmic constants, there's always room for compassion, love, and the occasional well-crafted haiku.
Witty. Profound. Unexpectedly moving.
Perfect for readers who appreciate smart, character-driven fantasy that doesn't shy away from life's big questions—or death's smaller ones.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
17 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Vox Day
66 books450 followers Theodore Beale does much of his writing under the pseudonym Vox Day. Three-time Hugo Award nominee Vox Day writes epic fantasy as well as non-fiction about religion, philosophy, and economics. His literary focus is military realism, historical verisimilitude, and plausible characters who represent the full spectrum of human behavior. He is a professional game designer who speaks four languages and a three-time Billboard top 40 recording artist.
He maintains a pair of popular blogs, Vox Popoli and Alpha Game, which between them average over 20 million annual pageviews. He is a Native American and his books have been translated into ten languages.
He is the Lead Editor of Castalia House, and is also, with Tom Kratman, the co-creator of the military science fiction anthology series, RIDING THE RED HORSE.
He maintains a pair of popular blogs, Vox Popoli and Alpha Game, which between them average over 20 million annual pageviews. He is a Native American and his books have been translated into ten languages.
He is the Lead Editor of Castalia House, and is also, with Tom Kratman, the co-creator of the military science fiction anthology series, RIDING THE RED HORSE.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2025
Excellent book
I hope you're ready to learn about Death. He loves poetry and comedy and is ready to explain your death. My gripe is with the AI writing being too repetitive and some minor inconsistencies. Excellent concepts fleshed out by a new tool.
I hope you're ready to learn about Death. He loves poetry and comedy and is ready to explain your death. My gripe is with the AI writing being too repetitive and some minor inconsistencies. Excellent concepts fleshed out by a new tool.
November 20, 2025
There are many aspects on life that cannot be discussed by most authors for whatever reason they may be due to the strict adherence toward official Narratives and meta Narratives. Being an Omni narrational skeptic, Vox Day transcends these limitations and enters into subjects and explores ideas that would get any other author cancelled or ridiculed.
As Vox Day is already essentially uncancellable at this point, and if you're not familiar with many of the opinions he's expressed in his non fiction writings, you will likely see many of these ideas as uniquely refreshing and perhaps scandalous. For fans of Vox Day's non fiction and darkstreams, you'll certainly appreciate seeing many of the ideas he's expressed in a fiction environment.
As Vox Day has said, it's not so much the prose that matters but the ideas. And I look forward to see the vast library of ideas he's accumulated quickly manifested in legion as the Narrationally Scripted Authors refuse to enter into the idea realms that only Vox Day can tread.
As Vox Day is already essentially uncancellable at this point, and if you're not familiar with many of the opinions he's expressed in his non fiction writings, you will likely see many of these ideas as uniquely refreshing and perhaps scandalous. For fans of Vox Day's non fiction and darkstreams, you'll certainly appreciate seeing many of the ideas he's expressed in a fiction environment.
As Vox Day has said, it's not so much the prose that matters but the ideas. And I look forward to see the vast library of ideas he's accumulated quickly manifested in legion as the Narrationally Scripted Authors refuse to enter into the idea realms that only Vox Day can tread.
December 5, 2025
Beautiful, hilarious, and pogainnt
Vox set out to extend the character of Death found in Pratchett's Discworld and not only has he given Death a continuance, he has given Death new life, if I may be so bold. These tales are masterpieces. Some are hilarious, others subtly amusing, all genius. Highly recommend and I would absolutely love more!
Vox set out to extend the character of Death found in Pratchett's Discworld and not only has he given Death a continuance, he has given Death new life, if I may be so bold. These tales are masterpieces. Some are hilarious, others subtly amusing, all genius. Highly recommend and I would absolutely love more!
November 14, 2025
This was different! A collection of short stories from Death’s POV. It’s not an ominous read as the title suggests, it was actually pretty funny and made you think. The author made “Death” anthropomorphic which definitely added to the stories. I enjoyed it!
December 25, 2025
Just didn't quite do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews