Whilst overall enjoyable, I found this book a little disappointing when compared to its reputation. Both the plot and the characters didn't feel as developed as I'd hoped, especially coming into it straight from Equal Rites. I'd hoped the series would continue to progress, but to me this felt like a little bit of a step backward.
Perhaps I'm a little too familiar with the idea of Death as a character to appreciate how this novel was quite surprising and unique at the time that it was originally released. I think some of the later volumes, which I read in my teens, just do the whole concept rather better. Mort ultimately only hints at what is to come, and it felt a bit stodgy in the middle, with a meandering plot which didn't grip me.
I really liked this one! It's kind of a different version of the Death character than shows up in the later Discworld novels - this Death is a bit more of a jerk. But I think that helps with the plot development - it adds a little more stakes for the characters. And it was cool to learn that characters I was familiar with from later books had backstories that had already been fleshed out!
This book is the first that really fleshes out the character of Death, one of the best characters in the series, and his obsession with the living world that he can never be a part of.
Another thing I enjoy about this book is the whirlwind tour of the disc - a little bit of Klatch, a little bit of the Counterweight continent, and a lot of Sto Lat and Ankh-Morpork. It feels like the disc is starting to take shape, as it were.
It's the first book in the series that I really can't find any fault with, it's just brilliant.
Enjoyable read. Not my favourite of the first five, but had plenty of good moments.
Story revolves around Death taking on a (human) apprentice.
Of course, humans feel compassion and love and so on - so are not especially well-suited to the job of Death. Which is where the drama for the story comes.
But Sir Terry does a good job of 'humanising' Death - yes, he does not really experience life, and he seems to be trying to learn by copying what he sees - but he comes across as a very lonely creature indeed who cares greatly for those entrusted into his care, and it is quite poignant to read this after he took Sir Terry in the end.
I was really excited for this one. It’s a common starter recommendation for Discworld, and now I can see why - there’s a great cross-section here of everything I’ve liked about the series so far, from the trope lampooning to the unique magic system and the way it handles heavy subjects with humor and compassion. I was also extremely excited to read a Discworld novel about Death in particular. He’s shown up in some capacity in every book so far, but only as a side character or an extra punchline to a joke. I’ve loved Discworld’s interpretation of Death, cowl and scythe and skull and all, and yet also a very reasonable and fair guy. I wanted to see more of that - and to an extent, that’s what I got. But Mort isn’t about Death - it’s about its title character. …
(Muse Reads Discworld in Release Order Part 4)
I was really excited for this one. It’s a common starter recommendation for Discworld, and now I can see why - there’s a great cross-section here of everything I’ve liked about the series so far, from the trope lampooning to the unique magic system and the way it handles heavy subjects with humor and compassion. I was also extremely excited to read a Discworld novel about Death in particular. He’s shown up in some capacity in every book so far, but only as a side character or an extra punchline to a joke. I’ve loved Discworld’s interpretation of Death, cowl and scythe and skull and all, and yet also a very reasonable and fair guy. I wanted to see more of that - and to an extent, that’s what I got. But Mort isn’t about Death - it’s about its title character.
This is a coming of age story for a teenager who gains too much power too quickly, who misused it on a spur of the moment decision, and has to deal with the consequences. I love the take on the archetypical “save the doomed princess” story, with Mort slowly realizing that he doesn’t actually love this girl or really know her at all. Pairing this alongside a plot about the expectations of society, maturity, and the general confusion surrounding a first job works wonders, especially through the framing device of Death and how he functions alongside the Disc. “There’s no justice, just us” is an incredible line that emphasizes the theme running throughout the book of the push and pull between the inherent laws of the universe and humanity’s free will. Like the last book, there’s a lot of humor here, but scratch the surface and there’s enough underneath to write an entire thesis.
But even with all of that said, my favorite part of the book was Death figuring out that his version of happiness was working as a fry cook and feeding stray cats. I think it’s safe to say that I’m in love with this series now.
The ending of this book really doesn't make justice for the whole setup and build-up.
One of the Pratchett books that certainly gets worse on the re-read. I will dare to say that both Colour and Light were significantly better as a whole than this one.
The interaction between Mort and Death is very engaging. I really like Pratchett's description of Death's voice.l and the usage of a different font for his voice
Up until Mort, I had only read the witches series, including all of Tiffany Aching. These books made me very intrigued by the character Death. I enjoyed seeing Death's personality trying to manifest itself while still feeling quite alien. I also enjoyed the implications of someone else taking on his role. Up until the ending, I didn't know if the Death I read about in the witches book was the same Death from this book, or if the role had changed hands...
I liked the concept of not being perceived as opposed to invisibility. This was touched somewhat in the witches books but it was more explicit with Keli. The history 'bubble' was also an effective visualization.
I was frustrated with Mort not communicating his mistakes, although this is to be expected as he's only a teenager. I was also slightly baffled by Death's reaction when he finally found out what Mort was up to; I expected Death to be more understanding, giving his own proclivities. This made Death feel simultaneously more alien and more human, as in a way he was just being irresponsible.
I liked the book's ending but I was also underwhelmed. I had higher expectations for the development of Mort and Ysabell. They remained quite far away, but I think this is a feeling I have had about many other characters introduced in other Discworld books.
There were of course many quotable lines as it's typical of Terry Pratchet.
Most of this was fun and I had a good time, but there were too many random moments that took me out of the narrative with an off-putting comment that didn’t fit the rest of the story. Usually this took the place of treating the mention of someone’s fatness or the idea that they might be insane as if the observation of it was the whole joke. These moments were especially frustrating because so much of the rest of the humor is great. It’s paced well, the dynamic between DEATH and Mort was strange but interesting, and I liked the ending.
Most of this was fun and I had a good time, but there were too many random moments that took me out of the narrative with an off-putting comment that didn’t fit the rest of the story. Usually this took the place of treating the mention of someone’s fatness or the idea that they might be insane as if the observation of it was the whole joke. These moments were especially frustrating because so much of the rest of the humor is great. It’s paced well, the dynamic between DEATH and Mort was strange but interesting, and I liked the ending.
Terry Pratchett is what I’ve been missing when reading Douglas Adams. Mort is not just witty, but actually quite touching and even frightening. The humour seems somehow profound, for example when Death explains that everyone gets what they think is coming for them, because “it’s so much neater that way”. This light-hearted fun actually opens up a philosophical can of worms: If I expect a heavenly afterlife together with my family, but my brother expects to be rotting in hell, is the brother in heaven actually my brother? He can’t be, but did I then actually get what I expected? This dilemma is even touched upon later. I much prefer this humour to cliché nihilism.
The characters and storyline in this book really didn't click with me. I felt like Mort was a complete jerk and that Kelli should have totally died. I mean, I'm glad everything worked out in the end but still.
This fantastic edition of the Folio Society is just beautiful, from the quality paper used to the slipcase and the cover design - not to mention the full-colour, full-page illustrations. This edition is lovely all around.
