Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

"WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?"--Death appeals to Azrael.
 

What happens when the auditors decide that Death has grown inefficient at his job? It seems that the powers-that-be began to grow concerned when Death first adopts a daughter, then takes on an apprentice (* See Mort *). They feel that his developing personality may be a danger to the whole of reality, and may be due for replacement. But you can't simply give him a cheap watch and a retirement party and send him on his way. Well, I suppose you can, but instead they give him the one thing he can't get for himself: a life. Death is sent to live on the Discworld as a human, if a rather vague and confused one. And where else would you expect to find him but on a farm, swinging a scythe, with a solid human name, Bill Door. Well, give him a break, would you have wanted a creative death?

While Death/Door is laboring on the farm of the elderly Miss Flitworth, there has been a glitch in the system. There is no one out collecting souls, and it takes time for human belief to build up enough to fill the void. In the mean time the dead are restless, and the wizard Windle Poons can't die. Wizards have a gift, they know when their going to die, allowing for proper planning and partying beforehand. And there's a rule: when a wizard dies, his soul is personally collected by death. So here's poor Poons, knowing he should be dead, buried and everything, and yet still waiting for death to come. Of course you can only wait in the ground so long, and Poons digs himself back up and rejoins humanity, much to the dismay of every one else.
Finally though, it comes down to a showdown. The nameless stranger going up against the newly crowned king of the afterlife. For the new death has no desire to be gentle, but before he can really get things going, he has to take care of one last detail, Bil Door.

Some Thoughts

Mort gave us a great intro to the character of Death. We saw a creature that tried to care about those who were under his care, Ysabell and Mort. In Reaper Man, we see him expanding that desire, to care for the whole of the Disc. When he stands before Azrael and demands that humans deserve a caring death, rather than just the mass-production the new death had sought, it shows a love that is at odds with the mission of this being. Understanding that Mr. Pratchett has been an atheist for many years, it interests me that he would portray Death in such a light. It doesn't feel like sarcasm or caricature. It feels as if he expects that, if death could in fact be personified as a character, it would be one that would eventually take an interest in the beings he deals with, maybe even grow to love them. I always wondered if this is how Mr. Pratchett perceived god, that if there were a god, wouldn't he eventually take an interest in what we do and try to save us from ourselves?

I love the Death novels. They delve into philosophy far more than the others groups. There's the simple surface read, where you get to enjoy a fun story, with some great jokes and puns. But there's also the deeper examination of life and death, and the contemplation of it all. Certainly a great book, one I read again and again, and recommend to all my friends.  The idea of the auditors of reality, of bland, generic figures with no life or personality, no individuality at all, are overlooking everything to make sure form matches function. It sends chills to think that they might be out there, trying their best to get us to conform to the laws of reality. Nice to know that somewhere out there is an author that can interject a little chaos into it all. Thanks Mr. Pratchett.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

"Lady Ramkin's bosom rose and fell like an empire."
"The three rules of the Librarians of Time and Space are: 1) Silence; 2) Books must be returned no later than the date last shown; and 3) Do not interfere with the nature of causality."

The city of Ankh-Morpork is under attack and it's up to the courageous men of the Night Watch to save the day! A secret brotherhood of the downtrodden have come up with a plan to call forth a mighty dragon to terrify the city, waiting in the wings with a carefully prepared knight to slay the dragon and take charge of a grateful citizenry. The only problem is that the Samuel Vimes and the men of the Night Watch are on the case.
Unfortunately, the watch isn't what it once was. Captain Vimes, their leader, has found his way to the bottom of the bottle with no way out. Sergeant Colon is a career watchman, more comfortable behind the desk than in the field. And of course Corporal Nobby Nobbs, one of the dirtiest, smelliest, if somewhat criminal, characters on the Disc, who carries a certificate from the Patrician to prove he's human. But they also have a new recruit who's ready to raise the bar for everyone.

Carrot Ironfoundersson, a human raised among dwarves, has been sent to Ankh-Morpork by his adopted family to learn to become a man, and they decide the best job to accomplish this is the City Watch. At six feet, six inches, packed with pure muscle and a tendency to take every instruction literally, he may already be as much man as the city can handle (his first living arrangement is in a bordello). His first act on arrival is to arrest the head of the Thieves Guild, who promptly complains to the Lord Patrician of the city. But his enthusiasm for the law sparks a dying flame in the men of the watch.

But how do you find a dragon in the middle of a city? You find an expert, of course. Enter Lady Sybil Ramkin, an expert on swamp dragons. The Lady Sybil is the last of the line of Ramkins, the highest bred family in the city. Captain Vimes finds himself somewhat out of his depth as he gets to know Sybil, and finds himself swept up in a wholly unexpected adventure that has little to do with law or dragons. And when the dragon finally takes charge of the city, and requires a high-born virgin sacrifice, the lady Sybil finds herself chained to a rock and its up to Vimes to save a life.

	Guards! Guards! A Discworld Graphic Novel Price: $157.96 List Price: $35.10
	Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! The Play (Discworld Series) Price: $6.82 List Price: $13.99
	The City Watch Trilogy: "Guards!Guards!", "Men at Arms", "Feet of Clay" - A Discworld Omnibus Price: $132.84 List Price: $39.25

Some Thoughts

The first of the Night Watch novels, and the first Discworld novel I read, today it remains my favorite. The men of the Watch have their faults but are still some of the best the city has to offer. The core of steel that is revealed in even Nobby's heart is amazing. Mr. Pratchett does a great job of developing his characters while writing one of his funniest stories. Those new to the Discworld will find they fall into the story easily. Those who have read earlier stories will love the development and expansion of Ankh-Morpork, and get a better idea of its place in the world.

The story is a classic hero adventure, with a twist. Mr. Pratchett has said that when he wrote it he was thinking about how the hero tends to ride into town and woe be to the poor watchman who got in his way! He wondered what the story might look like from the perspective of the men on the other end of the pike, the ones who wake up everyday and put on the armor and, for a few piddling coins, try hard to protect and serve. It turns out that even in Ankh, the guards can have pride and rise to meet a challenge.

Mort by Terry Pratchett

-"Pardon me for living, I'm sure."
- NO-ONE GETS PARDONED FOR LIVING. -- (Terry Pratchett, Mort)

Take a moment to imagine with me. Let's imagine that you are the personification of a natural force, say for instance, death. Let us imagine that for untold millenia you have been existing for nothing but bringing an end to the lives of all creatures, from the least significant to the mightiest. Can you imagine even a glimmer of the loneliness that would build up? Neither could Death, right up until he decided to take in a young girl rather than kill her. And when He decides to take on an apprentice to keep her company, the Discworld better watch out.

Until this fourth novel, the character Death plays a minor recurring role, but now its time for him to take center stage. When Rincewind makes his brief appearance in Death's domain in the book The Light Fantastic, he meets Death's adopted daughter Ysabell. This book picks up the story of Ysabell and a young man named Mort. Mort is your typical teen who just doesn't quite seem suited to the family farm, and his father decides that Mort would do well to find a new field of study. When the young boy is unable to find a suitable employer, at the stroke of midnight he encounters a blacked robe figure on a white horse, who offers to teach him to help move souls into the next realm. While dad thinks that being an undertaker would be a great career move for the boy, it soon becomes clear that this is a little more involved. While out learning the job, Mort makes the mistake of saving a girl who was supposed to die, and reality itself moves against him. This certainly puts a damper on Death's vacation plans!

It's the characters that really set this book up. Getting away from the mocking of heroic fantasy, Mr.Pratchett moved onto mocking love stories, by setting up a familiar, if unconventional romance between Mort and Ysabell. Death playing matchmaker for his adopted daughter is just the first step to finding the spark of humanity that lies within Ultimate Reality. The feelings that Mort develops for the girl he saves, mirrored by the feelings that Ysabell feels for Mort, and capped off with the feelings that the princess has with dying, are a familiar triangle to anyone who's ever been a teenager.

The character of Death, forever conflicted between Duty and his curiosity with the human's he services, is the first step down the road that leads to one of the most popular and well developed characters on the Disc. For all those that have hit middle age, and asked the question "Is this all there is?", who have looked at their life and careers and said "I need a change!", the issues that Death faces will ring true.

So, pick this one up and get to know one of my favorite characters. Death makes a few more star appearances including Reaper Man and Hogfather, which continue to explore the themes of death and humanity. And then there's Susan, Death's granddaughter. Turns out some things are inherited through the bones...