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A review by sreddous
Mort by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Breathtaking.
I don't know how Terry Pratchett does it. This book is, all at the same time, spit-your-drink-out hilarious, tense, haunting, beautiful, poetic. I found myself laughing out loud and reading descriptions out to people in other rooms, I found myself muttering "oh dang!" at some of the twists and character reveals, I found myself chewing my lip in anxiety.
It's a take on the myth of Death that I haven't seen before. The plot is easy enough to follow and IMO is perfectly-paced, not too fast, not too slow. The descriptions of each character, each location, each process tell the reader exactly what they need to know in extremely clever ways. "Show, don't tell," is a sometimes hard rule to follow as a writer. "Immerse, don't show," is something that Terry Pratchett is uniquely a genius about, and holy crap, does this book really put that talent center-stage.
The characters' motivations are consistent and realistic even in this place where space and time don't matter. Death can be a cruel master. He doesn't understand humans and emotions and "why", so therefore, there are times he's setting Mort up for failure. Therefore, the stakes are always super high. Mort can be a bit unlikable sometimes and say and do some sketchy things but -- yeah, what would I do in his shoes? It's so easy to get completely immersed in this drama, this wonder, this tension.
For this story specifically, I don't love the fat jokes that pop up here and there, and there's some not-insanely-graphic-but-still depictions of animal abuse and death, so heads up if that can be upsetting to you. But those aren't too over-reaching. Can't wait to keep reading more Discworld books in general but definitely the Grim Reaper-related ones.
I don't know how Terry Pratchett does it. This book is, all at the same time, spit-your-drink-out hilarious, tense, haunting, beautiful, poetic. I found myself laughing out loud and reading descriptions out to people in other rooms, I found myself muttering "oh dang!" at some of the twists and character reveals, I found myself chewing my lip in anxiety.
It's a take on the myth of Death that I haven't seen before. The plot is easy enough to follow and IMO is perfectly-paced, not too fast, not too slow. The descriptions of each character, each location, each process tell the reader exactly what they need to know in extremely clever ways. "Show, don't tell," is a sometimes hard rule to follow as a writer. "Immerse, don't show," is something that Terry Pratchett is uniquely a genius about, and holy crap, does this book really put that talent center-stage.
The characters' motivations are consistent and realistic even in this place where space and time don't matter. Death can be a cruel master. He doesn't understand humans and emotions and "why", so therefore, there are times he's setting Mort up for failure. Therefore, the stakes are always super high. Mort can be a bit unlikable sometimes and say and do some sketchy things but -- yeah, what would I do in his shoes? It's so easy to get completely immersed in this drama, this wonder, this tension.
For this story specifically, I don't love the fat jokes that pop up here and there, and there's some not-insanely-graphic-but-still depictions of animal abuse and death, so heads up if that can be upsetting to you. But those aren't too over-reaching. Can't wait to keep reading more Discworld books in general but definitely the Grim Reaper-related ones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Fatphobia and Animal cruelty