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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Reaper Man

by Terry Pratchett

This is my second Discworld book that features Death as the main character. I enjoyed it and found myself chuckling serveral times but it didn't enthrall me like Mort did. In Mort Death decides he needs a vacation so he finds himself an apprentice.

In this one Death is forced to retire. His time is up and a new reaper man is to be hired soon. That was a bit startling since Death is one of my favorite Discworld characters. Before the new reaper man is hired and Death faces his demise there are some weird things that go on that the Wizards have to sort out. All-in-all a good story with humor guised insights. I definitely look forward to my next indulgence into Discworld, rather it features the Wizards, Death, the Witches or the Guards.

I like to refer to the Discworld reading guide. This reference shows the starter novels for each group, i.e Wizards, Witches, Death, etc. I have printed out the Microsoft Excel version and added numbers to the book titles that show the order the books were published (check the bottom of the page). When it comes to reading the novels, Pratchett wrote them all as stand-alones except for The Coulour of Magic which is followed by The Light Fantastic.
Part of the charm of these books is that they're not written in any main sequence, but rather in several interrelated series that follow the lives of many different characters and subplots. Each book does a pretty good job of standing alone, and they all incorporate major characters from other lines as minor characters in their own, which makes the whole thing very meaty and extra fun to read. ---
Whenever I review a Pratchett book I get asked which book do I recommend starting with. My answer is always Mort because it's my favorite. Keep in mind I've only read 4 of the adult novels and 3 of the Tiffany Aching YA novels. I was visiting with Framed recently and she started with Making Money and loved it. So I don't think it really matters where you start.

14 comments:

Mari said...

I have only read the Tiffany Aching books but have wanted to read more. Which would you recommend I start with?

Anonymous said...

I read Mort and really enjoyed it. I haven't read this one yet. I wonder if I'll be able to read all the things I want to. Still wanting to get a hold of Colleen Gleason's books.

Literary Feline said...

I haven't yet started this series, but it is on my must read list. I am glad you enjoyed this one!

Booklogged said...

Mari, I suggest Mort but I don't think it matters where you start.

Beverooni, it makes me happy that someone close to my age has read Mort. I KNOW I won't be able to read all I want to read. And then I keep hearing about new books.

LitFeline, I don't have any hope of reading ALL the discworld books because there's 36, but they make good stand alone novels that are fun to read occasionally.

Shelley said...

Thank you so much for that link! It answers a lot of my questions on what fits where in Discworld.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the heads up and stopping by again.

Kristen M. said...

I was just about to go looking for the Discworld list because I haven't read any of them ... you just saved me the trouble. Thanks!

jenclair said...

I really want to read the Tiffany Aching novels, but have not yet gotten around to them. Now, I'm interested in Mort and Reaper Man. :)

J.L. Danger said...

Your page looks gorgeous! I had a professor tell me about the Discworld series. I think I will have to add it to my TBR list.

Kailana said...

I have to read more Pratchett. I have Nation out from the library... Then, I think I need to go back to reading Discworld!

Staci said...

I never know where to start ever!! Every person I ask gives me a different one!! thanks for the link to the reading guide. I'm sure that will come in handy!!

Framed said...

I've been so busy mooching Pratchett books that I haen't had time to read them. Just received two from Scotland. Their covers are more interesting than the ones you buy in the US. I've only read four but I hae lots to look forward to. Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful writer.

Hazra said...

I read The Colour of Magic and reviewed it here, but haven't found time to follow Rincewind in The Light Fantastic.

Jill said...

Thanks for those links you included. I LOVE the chart of the order for the Discworld books. So creative! I will keep it on hand at my library for when someone asks which one to start with. Thanks! :-)