Mort (Discworld, #4; Death, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Jan 17, 2012 Harold Ogle rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, humor

Mort is another Discworld novel. Pratchett has been writing these for many years, and over time he has developed a number of favorite characters that he returns to again and again, to the point that many of the books can be categorized as a book "about" one or the other character. Mort is the first of the "Death" books, in that it fleshes out the character of the Grim Reaper and his supporting cast. In developing the character of Death in the Discworld novels, Pratchett was following an 80s tren Mort is another Discworld novel. Pratchett has been writing these for many years, and over time he has developed a number of favorite characters that he returns to again and again, to the point that many of the books can be categorized as a book "about" one or the other character. Mort is the first of the "Death" books, in that it fleshes out the character of the Grim Reaper and his supporting cast. In developing the character of Death in the Discworld novels, Pratchett was following an 80s trend in pop culture that can be traced back to "Monty Python and the Meaning of Life" (1983) as one of the first attempts to make the Grim Reaper funny. In the 80s, Death was all over the place in movies, TV and film, and often a comic figure; the same year Pratchett was publishing this book, I myself wrote a screenplay entitled "Death visits the Andersons" that involved the Grim Reaper and a lot of slapstick. Death was funny in the 80s, and it is funny in Discworld.

In this book we follow Mortimer, a clumsy awkward kid whom nobody wants as their apprentice. For some reason, Death arrives and takes him as his assistant (it's never explained why). He's taken to Death's home - sort of a pocket dimension filled with black nothingness that has been formed into "pleasing" shapes in an attempt to please Death's adopted daughter, Ysabell. Ysabell is plump and petulant at sixteen, and she's been sixteen for a very long time. She proceeds to treat Mort like dirt, which feels very much the way that Buttercup treats Wesley in The Princess Bride. It works out much the same way, though Pratchett goes to a lot of effort to try to conceal the outcome by introducing the spoiled Princess Keli, heir to the throne of Sto Lat, as a possible love interest for Mort. In death's domain is also a crabby old dogsbody, Albert, who's been around even longer than Ysabell. Death has come to entrust Mort with more and more responsibility, and Death sends Mort to collect a trio of souls. On his first night out, he sees Princess Keli and is instantly smitten. Her uncle, covetous of the throne, kills first her father the King of Sto Lat and then Keli...but in his admiration for the girl, Mort kills the assassin rather than collecting Keli's soul. History is not to be denied, however, and everyone has a hard time believing that Keli isn't dead as a result. She rushes off and hires Igneous Cutwell, a grubby slob of a wizard (actually, almost all of the wizards in the Discworld novels are grubby slobs - Cutwell is unusual in that he's young. He's distinct from Rincewind in two respects: he's fat, and he can actually do magic effectively) to work magic so that people will see her. The book then alternates between scenes of Mort becoming Death (while "Death Takes a Holiday") and doing its duties, and scenes of the preparations for Princess Keli's inauguration as Queen of Sto Lat (which she fervently believes will turn around history so that people will recognize that she's alive again/still). Ysabell, who has been reading romance novels as a teen for many, many decades, thinks this is all terribly romantic and supports Mort in his break-time attempts to help Keli, but Ysabell is also put off by how Mort is slowly becoming Death. Death, meanwhile, is out looking for work and trying various odd jobs, ending up as a fry cook...possibly the best fry cook in the history of cooking. It is also slowly becoming...well, not human - it's still an animate skeleton (which everyone but wizards sees and immediately forgets) - but less Death Incarnate (well, not in the flesh, perhaps. Is there a word for In-the-bone?). It is becoming he.

In the end, history is rewriting itself, which Mort and the others can see as a visible sphere slowly contracting on the person of Keli herself. The characters go to a lot of effort to foil this sphere, but in the end Mort circumvents it by the simple expedient of taking Keli, Cutwell, Ysabell and himself on Death's pale horse out of reality and back to Death's domicile. Albert, meanwhile, has been revealed to be the founding wizard of the Unseen University (the largest collection of wizards on the Discworld), who "escaped Death" thousands of years before by joining Death in its dimension. Albert reincarnates and assumes control over the University (as an aside: it's interesting to note that, as in The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic, the cast of wizard characters familiar from the later books have not yet made an appearance, aside from the Librarian who has been present since The Light Fantastic), horrifying the wizards with his ancient and very spartan ways. All this activity alerts Death, who gathers them all together and then duels Mort. In the end, Death spares them all, Mort marries Ysabell, and they return as nobles in charge of Queen Keli's former uncle's lands (Sto Helit).

It's interesting to re-read these early Discworld novels, because you can feel that Pratchett was a much younger man then than the author of the more complex later novels. Still, Mort represents a departure of the sheer hilarious slapstick of the Rincewind novels (which can be likened to comic Indiana Jones cliffhanger-style chains of derring-do and wild adventure). As a comic dashing romance novel (think a funny The Three Musketeers), Mort isn't much of a departure, it's true, but the character relationships and motivations are just a little bit more complex than the simple rest and survival motivations in the Rincewind novels. It's a good read, and funny. While not required reading - none of the Discworld books is truly dependent on any other - it is nice to see where the Death cast was first really developed. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2011 Sam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: proper-books, humour, fantasy

I loved this one, not only does it involve lots of appearances by Death (my favourite Discworld character) but we get to see his more 'human' side as Mort takes over his duties, allowing him the time to immerse himself in civilised society, including a hysterical stint at a bar discovering what it's like to be drunk. Mort meanwhile becomes more and more like Death, losing many of his original characteristics, with moments of a strange schizophrenia as both sides try to dominate. This is one of t ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2010 Luann rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, fantasy, 2010

This was exactly what I expect from Terry Pratchett - a very fun and funny read! Death has always been one of my favorite Pratchett characters. I especially loved that when Death went to apply for a different job, he wanted "something nice working with cats or flowers." Too fun!

I'm enjoying reading the books in order. I don't think it's strictly necessary, but doing so certainly clears up any worries about missing something or not catching something important. And it's an especially nice way to ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2015 Cora rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, lost-in-fire, series, death-personified, humor, british, british-author

In this Discworld novel, Death decides to obtain an apprentice. Mort's father decides that it is time for him to leave the nest and get an apprenticeship, but no one seems to want Mort, until Death shows up. As Death's apprentice Mort learns quickly and soon is trusted to do some tasks on his own. That is when he makes one decision that has consequences that threaten the future history of the Disc. Can Mort fix his mistake? I enjoyed this Discworld novel. Both Death and Mort are interesting char ...more

Like · see review