Quick Synopsis – Rottgor is worn out. Literally. Barely held together by dark magic, he has protected the necropolis for centuries. When he’s forced into retirement, he’s faced with a new challenge: to forge a future guided not by obligation, but by passion.  

Following his heart (and stomach), he decides to open a restaurant where the city’s undead and living residents can share food and community. He’s helped in his quest by an unlikely assortment of neighbors, including elves, skeletons, vampires—and a young orphan girl named Astra, whose ancestry, if discovered, could put her and the entire necropolis in danger. To protect Astra and the life he’s building, Rottgor must face his past and form new alliances built on friendship, loyalty, and love.

Theme Song for the Main Character – I Get Knocked Down by Chumbawamba

Publication Date – Oct. 14, 2025

Bookshop Link – Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife by Deston J. Munden
(I receive a small commission if you use my link to order)

Content Notes – There is some mild violence, blood, gore, and war throughout the book. There is death of children (off-page), parental abandonment, kidnapping, racism, xenophobia, and slavery. A main part of the book is necromancy so there are characters in varying states of decay and skeletons.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

Review – Bindery books are really churning out some bangers. I thought this book was a fun journey through Rottgor’s second chance at life. Rottgor is an orc who has spent hundreds of years as an undead warrior, some of those years were spent enslaved to the treacherous Worm King. A Recipe for an Unexpected Afterlife mostly follows Rottgor as he adjusts to retirement, through a complex magical ritual he’s no longer undead, but he’s not fully alive either. In his retirement, he faces the unknown for the first time in a long time and decides to open a restaurant. Through his journey he faces his painful past, forges a new family, embraces community, and fights racism.

This book was beautiful, I think if you like Legends and Lattes you’ll really enjoy reading this. There is no romantic subplot, the book fully focuses on Rottgor figuring out who he is and what he can give his community now that he isn’t a warrior anymore. I rooted for Rottgor as he faced racism from community members while also fighting his inner demons. I loved how he slowly forged bonds with Astra, an orphan he meets while gathering supplies for his restaurant. I also thought the conversations between Rottgor and Tatil were excellently written. Tatil was struggling with letting go of her prejudice and Rottgor fought her physically but also provided a voice of reason to show her that her prejudice wasn’t serving her.

The only real issue I had was some of the pacing between chapters was a little clunky. Occasionally, a chapter would end on a day and the next chapter would skip a head a few days, but the transition wasn’t very clear. Not really a huge deal, but I had to page back a few times to figure out the timeline.

If you love a found family fantasy novel, I think you’ll really enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books – Cozy Quill for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.