Until recently he had led a normal, peaceful existence, something that ended after a blood test marked him as a "Defective".

Critical reception has been mostly positive and the work has received comparisons to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

[3] Praise for the book typically centered upon the characters, their relationships with one another, and the work's themes of life and death, with SFF World writing that it "makes the reader think about the joys of discovery and the simple wonders that are around us, that we sometimes take for granted.

"[4][5] SciFiNow praised the work, stating that "The Death House is shocking and gripping, albeit ultimately hopeful and utterly moving, and it’s Pinborough’s finest novel to date.

"[6] Tor.com was more mixed, stating that "Though it’s never less than completely competent, and occasionally, yes, exceptional, in the final summation The Death House proved too formulaic to truly move me.