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.