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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
Just couldn’t get into it. Didn’t feel excited about the story. Didn’t love the irrelevant tangents and the humor. Mostly just not in the right mood, I’ll be back.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
“I didn’t know people could give people some of their life.”
“IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.”
With Reaper Man, the maestro Terry Pratchett walks the line between humor and heartbreak gracefully and beautifully. This is Discworld hitting its stride; this is the high king of fantasy/comedy reaching the top of his game; this is Michael Jordan (or John Linnell?) in 1988.
Pratchett’s simple but crafty writing enriches the narrative without complicating the story. The jokes come fast and almost all of them land. The plot focuses on Death and on a zombie wizard, respectively a character who cannot die and one hoping to die as soon as possible, so the dramatic stakes seem low at first. But the beauty of this tale springs from the tragic stories woven over and through these two characters’ journeys.
Death’s interactions with the lonely almost-widow Miss Flitworth and her neighbors grant him a new understanding of his role in the universe and give Pratchett space to meditate on love, work, community, and the tragic nature of obsolescence. The zombie Windle Poons’s more comedic side plot sees Pratchett skewering academia (as always) and malls (for some reason), bemoaning the hopelessness of civil rights organizing, and mixing in plenty of jokes about the joys of life and the pains of aging.
These morbid and goofy elements blend into one of the most fun and moving novels in Discworld and even in the fantasy genre at large. If you’re a fan of the series but haven’t gotten to this one yet, you should do so immediately. If you’re curious about Discworld and you’re looking for somewhere to start, Reaper Man can work as an introduction. I feel privileged to have read it, and I’ll definitely return to the Discworld soon.
“IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.”
With Reaper Man, the maestro Terry Pratchett walks the line between humor and heartbreak gracefully and beautifully. This is Discworld hitting its stride; this is the high king of fantasy/comedy reaching the top of his game; this is Michael Jordan (or John Linnell?) in 1988.
Pratchett’s simple but crafty writing enriches the narrative without complicating the story. The jokes come fast and almost all of them land. The plot focuses on Death and on a zombie wizard, respectively a character who cannot die and one hoping to die as soon as possible, so the dramatic stakes seem low at first. But the beauty of this tale springs from the tragic stories woven over and through these two characters’ journeys.
Death’s interactions with the lonely almost-widow Miss Flitworth and her neighbors grant him a new understanding of his role in the universe and give Pratchett space to meditate on love, work, community, and the tragic nature of obsolescence. The zombie Windle Poons’s more comedic side plot sees Pratchett skewering academia (as always) and malls (for some reason), bemoaning the hopelessness of civil rights organizing, and mixing in plenty of jokes about the joys of life and the pains of aging.
These morbid and goofy elements blend into one of the most fun and moving novels in Discworld and even in the fantasy genre at large. If you’re a fan of the series but haven’t gotten to this one yet, you should do so immediately. If you’re curious about Discworld and you’re looking for somewhere to start, Reaper Man can work as an introduction. I feel privileged to have read it, and I’ll definitely return to the Discworld soon.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes