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A review by rachelditty
Mort by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What a fantastic addition to the Discworld series and a wonderful introduction to Death.
I LOVED that Mort slowly became less and less human the more he took over Death's duties. When his dialogue font shifted from being in quotations to being something completely different, I was enthralled. I loved how much power he started to have, and how he became a little menacing with it. Albert said it best that this was THE DEATH, but he was worse, because Mort had all the desire to do bad that a human would when given so much power.
On the other side of that, I loved how much Death started to find other things that gave him meaning. He felt happy, and drunk, and liked the job he came to have.
I'll admit, I didn't really care much about Keli as a character, but I really enjoyed seeing how Mort's actions made the universe try to rewrite itself. Also Cutwell was quiet funny.
Loved the Rincewind appearance.
Terry Pratchett, you son of a bitch, you've done it again!
Quotes I liked:
"'Perhaps he felt sorry for you?' 'He never feels anything. I don't mean that nastily, you understand. It's just that he's got nothing to feel with, no whatd'youcallits, no glands. He probably thought sorry for me,'" (p. 130).
"Mort can move absentmindedly through walls and drink neat widowmaker soberly not because he is turning into a ghost, but because he is becoming dangerously real," (p. 159).
"It struck Mort with sudden, terrible poignancy that Death must be the loneliest creature in the universe. In the great party of Creation, he was always in the kitchen," (p. 206).
"There should be a word for the microscopic spark of hope that you dare not entertain in case the mere act of acknowledging it will cause it to vanish, like trying to look at a photon. You can only sidle up to it, looking past it, walking past it, waiting for it to get big enough to face the world," (p. 261).
"'Goodbye,' Mort said... 'It's such an unpleasant word, isn't it?' Quite so... I prefer au revoir.
I LOVED that Mort slowly became less and less human the more he took over Death's duties. When his dialogue font shifted from being in quotations to being something completely different, I was enthralled. I loved how much power he started to have, and how he became a little menacing with it. Albert said it best that this was THE DEATH, but he was worse, because Mort had all the desire to do bad that a human would when given so much power.
On the other side of that, I loved how much Death started to find other things that gave him meaning. He felt happy, and drunk, and liked the job he came to have.
I'll admit, I didn't really care much about Keli as a character, but I really enjoyed seeing how Mort's actions made the universe try to rewrite itself. Also Cutwell was quiet funny.
Loved the Rincewind appearance.
Terry Pratchett, you son of a bitch, you've done it again!
Quotes I liked:
"'Perhaps he felt sorry for you?' 'He never feels anything. I don't mean that nastily, you understand. It's just that he's got nothing to feel with, no whatd'youcallits, no glands. He probably thought sorry for me,'" (p. 130).
"Mort can move absentmindedly through walls and drink neat widowmaker soberly not because he is turning into a ghost, but because he is becoming dangerously real," (p. 159).
"It struck Mort with sudden, terrible poignancy that Death must be the loneliest creature in the universe. In the great party of Creation, he was always in the kitchen," (p. 206).
"There should be a word for the microscopic spark of hope that you dare not entertain in case the mere act of acknowledging it will cause it to vanish, like trying to look at a photon. You can only sidle up to it, looking past it, walking past it, waiting for it to get big enough to face the world," (p. 261).
"'Goodbye,' Mort said... 'It's such an unpleasant word, isn't it?' Quite so... I prefer au revoir.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death