Change of Plans- Dead Boys by Gabriel Squailia

Hi all!
So a couple of my friends pointed out to me that putting a list of 10 books and saying meet back here in a week or two might be a little ambitious (who knew?), so this week I'm going to do a post on a single book that I doubt anyone on here would be particularly interested in.  It's called Dead Boys, by Gabriel Squailia.  It's a book primarily targeted at young men, that I happened to come across during a routine visit to Barnes & Noble.  The book's premise caught my interest: a few fairly young, dead men (their ages range quite a bit, but generally they died before 50) in the afterlife are seeking a way back to the world of the living.  Now, for the interesting parts...

So I want to talk about the three different afterlife cultures represented in the book.  The first group is the population of Dead City.  These people are portrayed as ordinary people who waste away for eternity, mostly gambling and drinking.  There are two things I want to discuss about Dead City and its inhabitants (these are the two reasons I was initially drawn to the book).  The first is the idea of time, which each individual has an infinite amount of, being used as currency.  For example you bet 5 years of your afterlife.  If you lose, you owe 5 years of service to the person or organization you lost the bet to.  This comes into play because some of the characters are debtors (someone that owes time to the primary ruling organization).  However, there is no real good way to tell time, as the realm of the dead is mainly comprised of layers of ruins from the previous generation of deceased (who are actually still living there), and receives most of its goods and members through a river from the world of the living that caries trash and dead bodies.  As you can imagine, a handsome sum of time is given by the ruling organization to anyone that can bring in working watches or pocket watches, and/or batteries for these implements.  The reward, of course, is being served by a debtor (the debtor is usually used to pay off a debt you owe to someone else, so you don't have to serve that time yourself).  There is also a hefty fine for anyone that steals timekeeping implements, which is why one of the main characters is pursued throughout the book.  Another interesting concept exclusive to Dead City is the idea of preservation.  People that can afford it will have what's left of their bodies preserved or what is degraded reproduced, in order to look more lifelike.  Being lifelike in Dead City is similar to looking young in the world of the living, everyone wants it, but only the rich can afford it.  The main character is a well-known preservationist.

The second population is the population of the Plains of War.  There is some mythology regarding the Plains of War, which has evolved into the idea of the "last man standing."  The people here fight to the incapacity (get it, since they're already dead they can only be incapacitated) for the chance to be the last man standing, who is believed to be returned to the land of the living.  People spend their entire afterlives slaving away on the plains, just for a diminishing shot at being returned to the world of the living.  Their chances decrease significantly as they age, because the longer you are dead, the slower you become.  These are the people that are desperate to get back to the land of the living because they have left something dear to them behind.

The third population is the citizens of White City.  These people are portrayed as sage monks that have accepted their position as dead.  While the other two groups try to be, or at least reminisce about being, alive, the people of White City try to make the best of being dead.  They go out into sandstorms to remove all of the flesh from their bones, and it is therapeutic to them.  They have even discovered how to maintain full mobility after death, an ability unheard of amongst other groups.  While it might seem like this is the place to be, it is very difficult to get there.  One must leave Dead City, which appears to be the main drop-off point for dead bodies, raft up the river, and survive either the sandstorms of the desert or the battles of the plains.  I believe the difficulty of this journey is meant to parallel the grief and acceptance suffered by loved ones still in the land of the living.  The drinking and gambling of Dead City represents the grief that immediately follows the death.  The Plains of War represent remembrance for the dead and the importance of memories (after all, they are fighting due to memories of loved ones they left behind).  White City represents the eventual acceptance of the loss and moving on with your life.

So that's my take on Gabriel Squailia's Dead Boys. Let me know what you think, or if you have something to add, feel free to put it in the comments.  Up next will be the first two books of the Dr. Greta Helsing series by Vivian Shaw.  Read up if you don't want the books to be spoiled for you.  See you next week(ish)!
Dana