How to Succeed in Heaven Without Really Dying, by Adam McDaniel, is a satire of religion and what happens when someone who is not a fan of organized religion comes face to face with that which he dislikes most. As a young child, Micah Cohen experiences the death of his parents and nearly dies himself. Preventing his unfortunate demise is the job of an angel. The entire experience sets into motion a cycle nobody could predict.
An adult Micah finds himself working in the marketing department of a food supplier. While he is not happy at his job, he has to make a living somehow. Job disatisfaction combined with life unhappiness leads Micah to attempt suicide by slitting his wrists. When he cannot complete the task, he sticks his head in the oven and turning on the gas. Static electricity causes a fire, stopping try number two.
The appearance by the Angel of Death is hardly surprising, but Coltan is annoyed to realize Micah is still among the living. After all, there is a schedule to keep regarding the final rite. Someone dies, and an angel needs to take the person to Heaven.
When the man and the immortal set a time for Micah to jump off a bridge, one starts to wonder what was going through McDaniel's head. However, Micah does meet a woman who will have a large impact in his life.
For the most part, McDaniel tells a decent story. The denouement is something of a shock, although perhaps not if one takes into account the characters and how they interact with one another.
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