Mort: Discworld #4

So while not a DIEHARD discworld fan, I do enjoy Pratchett's work and this was my fourth in the series but by far the best one so far! Each one is pretty free standing and while The Color of Magic is the first one written, no one says you HAVE to start with that one...Start with MORT and you'll for sure read more of them!!!

A hilarious book! Terry Pratchett's fantasy world is dirty, sordid, badly governed and full of marginal magicians, assassins, thieves, grifters, and a few honest people (including Death and his new apprentice) trying to make a living in it all. The narrator is brilliant; using different voices and accents, he draws the characters so vividly you can practically see them.

(Disclaimer: I am likely one of the biggest Terry Pratchett fans on the Disc, so take the review in that context.) This is one of my favorite early stories of the Discworld, and I have read and listened to it several times over the years. Like "Sourcery" that follows in the series, it manages to give a detailed and fascinating introduction to the universe of Great A'Tuin, without you knowing that you're being lead on the journey. Mort's (and Death's) journeys of growth and enlightenment are just plain fun to experience. And, Nigel Planer is one of the best narrators I've ever heard. My only problem with this recording is that the "reverb" of Death's voice (used in future recordings) is missing.

Death is one of my favorite characters in the Discworld series. He is second only to The Luggage. I have discovered that the reason for this is that these characters, especially The Luggage without his own dialogue or facial expressions, require Pratchett to be more creative and bring out the best in his wit. "Mort" is all about Death. And his apprentice, of course.

Maybe I was coming off the hangover from suffering through "Equal Rites," causing me to laugh at anything remotely funny, or that was better than the third installation of the Discworld series --- but, geez was "Mort" funny! You are greeted with old characters: Death, Isabelle, and even Rincewind at one point, and new ones: Mort, Albert, the princess, and Cutwell.

Without going into much detail, Mort becomes Death's apprentice and hilarity ensues. The young Mort struggles with suddenly being thrust into Death's "There is no justice, there is just me" world and his mistakes have grave consequences for the Discworld and for Death.

I most enjoyed reading (hearing?) about Death's escapades while Mort took over the Deathly duties. Death desperately wanted a break from "Death-ing" and Pratchett's descriptions of Death's interactions with the world at large are unrivaled.

If you enjoy lighthearted hilarity mixed with a strong morbid theme, combined with Pratchett's signature wit, you will love this next installment of the Discworld series. And thankfully, Nigel Planer has returned to guide us through this world in a way that only he can.

I love the way Death is personified by Terry Pratchett and I prefer Nigel Planer's narration to the others. Planer adds a humorous, heart-warming touch to the socially awkward Death. While I do not listen to the stories in order, I'm glad I listened to this one early on since Susan pops up in later books.

I wish I understood how an author can be so clever so often and create an entire multiverse.

I love this book, it was just extremely convenient to listen to it while driving, rather than read it. I enjoyed the voice of Death very much.

Death, I think. I really like Mort, but I love that Death tries his hand at Life.

This is the first one, but I loved his voice. I can still hear him in my head!!

Where Death comes to Life

Very enjoyable, humorous book. British humor, of course, which makes it even funnier for me.

This book has the usual Terry Pratchett magic, and the performance by Nigel Planer brings out the sense of fun better than I'd have expected. He's really an ideal reader for Discworld novels and I hope to hear more of him. Mort is a lovable character...but no one can take the place of Death in my heart.

Death and his cohorts are one of the two streams within the Discworld series that I really enjoy (at least so far). The other being Sam Vimes and his gang. I have to admit my reading of the books heavily involving Death or Susan have been read somewhat out of order but I have enjoyed them all the same.

Mort is a good middle entry in the list of audiobooks I've listened to so far - and most of my books are Discworld novels.

To me, Mort was similar to Small Gods because you have the young male protagonist finding his place in the world through awkward, madcap and often moving adventures.

I enjoyed the scene where one of Mort's first clients walks him through the process of collecting a soul.

As always in the books featuring Death and his associates, I find Terry Pratchett's handling of the process of death to be sensible, thought provoking and dignified - for a given value of 'dignified'.

I'm working my way through the series - in no particular order and many re-reads or -listens. I love evey story for the value it brings to the whole; for the way it can stand on it's own; for the way they make me laugh, cry and think. Fortunately, I still have several to go and I wish the series would never end.

Once again, Planer delivers a great performance. Although I didn’t particularly care for the voice he chose for Mort, at least it was very consistent and instantly identifiable in dialogue. In particular, I liked when Planer mixes the voices of Death and Mort to create a unique accent as needed in one particular set of scenes. Those who have listened to the first three books of the series will immediately notice the lack of reverberation in Death’s voice, but that’s probably just as well, since Death has so much to say – it might have been harder to listen to with additional voice effects. Pratchett writes a, once again, excellent novel: full of humor and laugh out loud moments intermixed with a deeply enjoyable, though somewhat predictable, plot. The only complaint I observed was the engineering of the recording. The volume and quality continually change at each obvious break in the recording session process.