Death takes an apprentice. He also takes a powder.
A major plot in almost every Discworld novel has been how modern concepts have bleed into the near medieval-level society. This sort of fusion of old and new has resulted in some very hilarious situations. And it all starts here with Mort!
Mort becomes Death's apprentice. But in reality, Death is looking for someone to take the yolk of grim reaper off his back so that he can really 'live'. When Mort interferes with assassination of a young princess, the Not-So Grim Reaper sets off events that threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality.
I'm not going to spoil this book too much if possible. But things that Death explains to Mort at the end of this book greatly explains why things get anachronistic from here on out.
Again, you don't have to read the Discworld books in order. But as I am starting to re-read some of these books, such as Mort, I am finding that it really helps. Mort is the fourth book in the series and I had read it years ago. But I am finding that I didn't understand how vital this volume was to the entire run of novels written by Sir Terry.
As Mort is an early book, it lacks some of that polish that you might see in some later books. But with making Death a main character, I feel that Pratchett's vision for his Discworld series really started to take shape. Rincewind is an okay character. But he's no Death!
A good book that establishes a major plot thread though 30+ other novels. But it's got a way to go to being as good as those later books.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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