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Reviewed by Rebecca Holmes for Readers' Favorite
Death, the Gardener by Daniel T. Dodaro is a quirky, original fantasy centered on the relationship between Cloth, a young woman who wakes up in Death’s garden with no memory of how she got there, and Mot the Reaper, but not as we know him. Confined to the planet Nyx by an unbreakable oath, Mot sends Cloth out as his assassin to end the lives of three deathless souls, who achieve unnatural immortality by stealing roses from his garden. Not all is as it seems, however. Along the way, Cloth unravels threads of betrayal, revenge, love, and lies as she fights, not only to complete Mot’s mission but to rediscover her identity. Can she restore balance to the universe without losing any more of herself?
In Death, the Gardener, Daniel T. Dodaro presents a beautifully original take on divinity that nods politely to classics such as the Discworld novels, then strides boldly in the opposite direction. With distinctive, well-crafted characters and diverse landscapes, this book captures the imagination right from the beginning and doesn’t let go. The writing is colorful, vivid, and thought-provoking, weaving a plot that unfolds in unexpected ways as Cloth journeys across worlds in pursuit of redemption. Her internal conflict is as significant as the bigger conflict brewing between the gods as she faces the timeless moral dilemma of the lesser evil. Can she justify taking three lives to preserve countless others? While Dodaro appeals to a sense of morality, he refrains from adding uncomfortable weight to the story, resulting in a unique, highly entertaining read with a freshness to it that delights the senses.
