Reaper Man

Discworld, Book 11

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Nigel Planer

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death has left Discworld - but that's not necessarily a good thing. After all, chaos always ensues whenever important public services are withdrawn and Discworld is no exception. Society is suddenly overrun by ghosts and poltergeists, while Dead Rights activist Reg Shoe finds himself busier than he's ever been and newly-deceased wizard Windle Poons rises from his coffin as a living corpse. Windle, Reg and a band of Ankh-Morpork's undead citizens team up to try to save Discworld for the living. 

This novel, the 11th in the Discworld series, is the sequel to Mort.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

Browse more novels of Discworld.

(P) ISIS Publishing Ltd, 1995; Copyright © Terry and Lyn Pratchett, 1991; Cover Illustration © Josh Kirby

Finally available in North America

Quite a lot of the Discworld books were only availabe in abridged versions in north america. Was very very happy to see that has been remedied. I enjoyed Reaper Man very much, both the story itself and the Narration by Nigel Planer, whom I have found to be excellent reading these stories. I'm going to be using a lot of credits now....

Absolute brilliance.

Heartfelt and emotional storytelling. Terry Pratchett at his best. I can't imagine anyone but Nigel Planer as Death's voice.

Absolutely one of Pratchett's best books.

Both laugh aloud and profound. DEATH is told he is getting too interested in humans, so he must retire. People still die but the life force begins piling up. A wizard becomes undead. DEATH is given some time alive and becomes a farmer, especially talented at "reaping". Pratchett piles layer on layer about the meanings we give to life and death. A wise observation on every page and a laugh in every paragraph. Terrific narration. A modern classic.

They've left out half of the book!

Half of this book is about Death dealing with his new "life" and is edited right out!

Yo! They’re finally available!

Have wanted to listen to the death series of discworld for a while. So they they suddenly showed up!
Sound quality is fine. Yes they’re older audiobooks transferred to this medium -and consequently it’s not as crisp as a 2022 audiobook- but it wasn’t really that noticeable at all once you were in it.

Seriously profound stuff in the last chapter. Really fun story.

For when life gets you down

Only Terry can make something as haunting as death seem impossibly witty, moving and heartwarmingly beautifull.

The Flight of Birds

For those who've never read Reaper Man, the screwball comedy of the undead Fresh Start Club and the wizards' attempts to put the zombie Windle Poons to rest is in stark contrast to the story of Death... dying. To me, the comedy sequences give the story of Death making his first friend in his existence even more meaning.

Like all of Pratchett's works, this book is full of hidden meaning and symbolism even as you read through the puns. This one makes me think of the importance of small things, like the harvest and the dance and the flight of birds.

Nigel Planer does an amazing job bringing the characters to life, with even small characters like Schleppel feeling real and full of personality.

This book in particular has a special place in my heart because I first read Reaper Man in the hospital while my dad was in a coma, when I was a teenager.

I listened to it on Audible after he died twelve years later, after we'd made another decade of memories together.

Reaper Man comforts me by reminding me that, even if my dad's life had no great cosmic meaning, it meant a lot to him and to me.

My favorite book

very philosophical. Says a lot abaut meaning of life. if u didnt read it yet what are you waiting for!

Favourite

Reaper Man is my absolute favourite Terry Pratchett book. Read very well by Nigel Planer.

Man this book Terry P just an amazing author

Loved this book funny witty had a hard time putting it down and a hard time finishing it just didn’t want it to end

A perfect Halloween listen.

Sir Terry Pratchett writes like no one else. His humour cackles from each chapter, infecting the listener, and before long, you too are a giggling zombie...
He has this wonderful ability to layer hidden references as he has in "Reaper Man".

Zombies, ghouls, vampires are all in here, giving it a spooky Halloween theme sitting alongside the main plot line. This book is a fantastic follow up to DEATH's story revealing more about his companions: Death of Rats and Albert.

In case you are new to the series, I would recommend to read "Mort" prior to this one, otherwise go for it, listen, read, swallow and enjoy!

It was a great choice for our holiday and made our long drives through Scottish Highlands a pure joy.

Nigel Planer's narration is of the highest calibre. It's amazing how he's able to give each character a personality which you start recognising as you read more and more books in the series. He gives an outstanding performance which is a wonderful addition to an already well-written book and makes "Reaper Man" another perfect listen.

One of the most moving of the Discworld book

Any additional comments?

This was one of the first Discworld books I read, and it's a very moving book, as well as being as funny and quirky as you'd expect from Discworld. It's the one that confirmed me as a fan and made me want to get hold of every Discworld books available at the time.

Though I prefer the Stephen Briggs narrations, Nigel Planer is excellent too.

Amazing

No one can beat Terry Pratchett's imagination and Nigel Planers narration. A laugh a minute.

Great book!

Audio quality wasn't amazing, but the story was great! Maybe upload a slightly higher bitrate audio file audible? Don't miss out on this book just because of the audio though, it's still worth a listen!

What can the harvest hope for...

Where does Reaper Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amongst the audiobooks I have listened to I would rank Reaper Man very highly - perhaps even higher than Mort - which was the book thar introduced me to the Discworld...Thank you Sir Terry for everything. The audio is much cleaner throughout than Mort allowing some of the more unusual jokes to be better understood.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character throughout was Death/Bill Door as for a character who is NORMALLY distinctly non-human you feel his emotions and his genuine respect for the 'harvest' thar comes with the duty. Even when he doesn't understand something he honestly does try.

What about Nigel Planer’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed Planer's performance mostly because he was able to make me empathise with all the important characters, ranging from Poons to Lupine to hatred of the Auditors. He is a narrator that can make you feel the emotion in the text as well as clear difference in the voices to tell who is talking. To quote the text: "NEVER A CROWN."

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many moments that moved me however they could well be considered spoilers. Therefore I will quote one. "WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?"

Any additional comments?

This book comes highly recommended. And once again thank you Sir Terry.

Death unfurled

A lovely story about Death HIMSELF. it brings out how the character has built up a personality that charms and wins you over. The auditors appear a number of times within stories, to see them defeated again makes you feel warm inside. There's even some deadly romance that made me laugh out loud.

Great for those who love death

This is a great story although a little silly in places. I really liked Windle Poons. And it is a poignant look at what it’s really like to be Death

Brilliant

Such a beautifully written book that has not seened to have aged over the years.

Death has never been this enchanting!!!!!

Such a great mix of comedy and real life trials and tribulations and a very clever commentary on modern society

One of Terry Pratchetts best

Would you consider the audio edition of Reaper Man to be better than the print version?

I think the audio edition is better than the print one

Who was your favorite character and why?

Death he is just the way he should be.

What about Nigel Planer’s performance did you like?

Nigel Planer's performances are always brilliant