 |
Reaper Man | Rating | |
| B | |||
| Terry Pratchett | |||
| Series | Related Books | ||
| Discworld | The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort, Sourcery, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, Guards! Guards!, Eric, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Witches Abroad, Small Gods, Soul Music, Feet of Clay, Interesting Times, The Firth Elephant, Going Postal | ||
Death on the Discworld isn't just the cessation of life. Death has its own personality. But all personalities die. It is inevitable. So when Death discoveres this truth that his time is limited and, in fact, running out, he decides he's not about to waste it doing a job. It's time for a vacation. Needless to say, this causes some problems. As does his replacement, for that matter. For a newer Death, a modern Death, doesn't always mean a better Death.
As in most Discworld books of late, Reaper Man follows two plotlines. In one, we watch Death as he tries to figure out this thing called "living." It's a very amusing look at life from an outsider's perspective, something Death is uniquely qualified for. Watching him attempt to be a farmhand is great fun, as he understands neither emotions nor colloquialisms.
The other plot follows ex-wizard Windle Poons as he struggles to cope with his failure to die when he was supposed to. I didn't like this nearly as much. It could have been a great send-up of vampire or zombie clichés, and it does touch upon some of that. But then it turns into an odd, Discworldian take on the evils of shopping malls, of all things. It just didn't fit with the rest of the book.
Nevertheless, it was still an amusing, entertaining book, as Discworld novels tend to be. The idea of Death somehow dying, or going on vacation, or otherwise no longer working as it should is fairly old, but Pratchett gave it a fresh take. While I wouldn't recommend dropping everything and rushing out to find a copy of this book, readers who do pick it up will probably enjoy it.
| By Title | By Author | By Rank |