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The Enduring #1
Help Wanted: New Devil
Even the afterlife gets decided in a committee.
The afterlife is more like a large retirement community than a fiery pit where even collecting souls has been automated. Death has nothing on his to-do list until his co-worker, the Devil, tells him she’s retiring. For years he’s relied on her to keep the ever-growing population of Patala running smoothly. After five hundred years he needs to replace the most important woman in his life.
To avoid mutiny from the residents (and having to do anything), he forms a politically charged search committee. An increasingly absent Death fidgets as the process drags out for over a year. When the worn-out incumbent’s unstable powers cause a magical blackout, Death fears the living world will be overrun by the dead. Now desperate to fill the position with a fresh recruit, Death needs to make a decision.
The only good thing is that the hiring process can’t kill him.
If you like clever takes on familiar characters, rich worlds, and seeing Death suffer then you’ll love S.R. Marks’ sarcastic take on the afterlife. Time has almost run out for Death, but not for you to read Help New Devil, the first book in The Enduring urban fantasy series.
The afterlife is more like a large retirement community than a fiery pit where even collecting souls has been automated. Death has nothing on his to-do list until his co-worker, the Devil, tells him she’s retiring. For years he’s relied on her to keep the ever-growing population of Patala running smoothly. After five hundred years he needs to replace the most important woman in his life.
To avoid mutiny from the residents (and having to do anything), he forms a politically charged search committee. An increasingly absent Death fidgets as the process drags out for over a year. When the worn-out incumbent’s unstable powers cause a magical blackout, Death fears the living world will be overrun by the dead. Now desperate to fill the position with a fresh recruit, Death needs to make a decision.
The only good thing is that the hiring process can’t kill him.
If you like clever takes on familiar characters, rich worlds, and seeing Death suffer then you’ll love S.R. Marks’ sarcastic take on the afterlife. Time has almost run out for Death, but not for you to read Help New Devil, the first book in The Enduring urban fantasy series.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2022
53 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
S.R. Marks
7 books2 followersS.R. Marks is the pen name author Sara Marks uses for her horror and fantasy books. Sara is a librarian with two masters degrees and plans to never stop getting over educated. She likes the idea of having all the academic regalia she can ever possess. She cries at nearly every movie she sees (ask her about when she cried at a horror movie), but it’s full-on weeping for Disney animated movies. She loves reading nearly every genre but likes to write romance and fantasy books. Writing horror keeps her perspective of the world more balanced and allows her to write all her hopefully romances without getting angry.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 7, 2024
Deathly Romp
Is it weird to call death and the afterlife adorable? Probably, but that’s how felt about this. This was a humorous switch on the ideas we all expect and I appreciated every moment.
Is it weird to call death and the afterlife adorable? Probably, but that’s how felt about this. This was a humorous switch on the ideas we all expect and I appreciated every moment.
November 16, 2023
It felt like a chore to read this.
February 17, 2024
Save your time
I was really confused throughout this book and I honestly have no idea what pov we were supposed to have in that first chapter. It seemed to keep switching even in the middle of paragraphs. As I continued through the book I found I wasn't impressed with deaths POV and had to keep forcing myself to read the next sentence. I even started skimming chapters trying to find anything that would peak my interest but couldn't. And the magic system didn't make any sense. No one is physical except for demons so technically the rooms, house and food aren't real either because they wouldn't otherwise fit in a dimensional pocket plane. And something seemed off with all of the characters. Like I've read bad characters before but it felt like AI wrote what they thought people were supposed to act like. And the epilogue where everything was worse off than I would have otherwise been with Joan in charge? What's with that? It's a poor way to lead into the next book. That's not what an epilogue is for. I'm really glad I got this book for free, otherwise I'd be demanding a refund.
I was really confused throughout this book and I honestly have no idea what pov we were supposed to have in that first chapter. It seemed to keep switching even in the middle of paragraphs. As I continued through the book I found I wasn't impressed with deaths POV and had to keep forcing myself to read the next sentence. I even started skimming chapters trying to find anything that would peak my interest but couldn't. And the magic system didn't make any sense. No one is physical except for demons so technically the rooms, house and food aren't real either because they wouldn't otherwise fit in a dimensional pocket plane. And something seemed off with all of the characters. Like I've read bad characters before but it felt like AI wrote what they thought people were supposed to act like. And the epilogue where everything was worse off than I would have otherwise been with Joan in charge? What's with that? It's a poor way to lead into the next book. That's not what an epilogue is for. I'm really glad I got this book for free, otherwise I'd be demanding a refund.
October 15, 2024
PG-13 for some slight language and the topic (afterlife) which is an important topic but could cause confusion amongst younger readers. This book gives napoleon dynamite vibes in the way that the entire thing is a “day in the life” type vibe. It was a very intriguing idea for a book but definitely not what I expected. It’s a bit more on the boring side. It was still very well written though just not my type of book.
April 20, 2025
This wasn't what I was expecting at all. It sounded like it was going to be more like the show Lucifer but it was far from it. I didn't enjoy this book. I read another review about it and they said it was a chore to read and I couldn't agree more. Maybe I'll check out the second "book" (I use quotes because its on Patreon), but I doubt it.
December 26, 2023
New Devil Wanted
I love it. It has a taste of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series and a great deal of thought and attention. I very much look forward to reading further stories.
I love it. It has a taste of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series and a great deal of thought and attention. I very much look forward to reading further stories.
January 3, 2024
Don't hurry
Death has shurked his duty. Now they need a new devil immediately. With no time left they hire Joan but she is not a good fit and they have to locate another person to be the new devil and fire Joan. Can he get hell back on track or is it going to crash and burn?
Death has shurked his duty. Now they need a new devil immediately. With no time left they hire Joan but she is not a good fit and they have to locate another person to be the new devil and fire Joan. Can he get hell back on track or is it going to crash and burn?
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January 5, 2024DNF @5%
January 14, 2024
Ok...it starts out SUPER confusing but please stick with it! This book was a great first in a series. Took a bit to get into but loved the foreshadowed conclusion. Wonderful writing!
March 13, 2024
50% in, DNF
May 26, 2024
This just wasn't good, and I didn't finish it. The premise sounded interesting, but it was bland. It's not awful, but life's too short to read mediocre books.
November 14, 2025
2.75 stars
Was excited for the concept of this book, I was not a huge fan of the execution. All the living humans seem very hateful/spiteful and it was hard to like them at times.
Was excited for the concept of this book, I was not a huge fan of the execution. All the living humans seem very hateful/spiteful and it was hard to like them at times.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews