Mort - Terry Pratchett.
~ About the Author ~
Terry Pratchett is one of the best known of Fantasy writers out there. He began writing in 1983, and when I first began reading his books (I read his second novel The Light Fantastic just after publication) no-one really knew who he was! It ... Read review
Advantages: Rip roaring side splitting fun from start to finish Disadvantages: Not everyone can get Pterrys style.
Mort - Terry Pratchett.
~ About the Author ~
Terry Pratchett is one of the best known of Fantasy writers out there. He began writing in 1983, and when I first began reading his books (I read his second novel The Light Fantastic just after publication) no-one really knew who he was! It couldn't be more different today, and this has lead to one bizarre claim to fame - In the UK, he holds the record for the greatest number ... ...being dead was not compulsory, Mort accepted…….
Yes I know, this is straight off the back cover of the book - But it is one of those immortal lines that you just can't help but use when being asked about Mort! So I put my hands up and admit I've used it - But I just couldn't ignore it!
Okay then, now onto my own words about it all…..
This is a book set on the mythical Discworld, of which there are now at least ... more
Mort - Terry Pratchett.
~ About the Author ~
Terry Pratchett is one of the best known of Fantasy writers out there. He began writing in 1983, and when I first began reading his books (I read his second novel The Light Fantastic just after publication) no-one really knew who he was! It couldn't be more different today, and this has lead to one bizarre claim to fame - In the UK, he holds the record for the greatest number of books that are shoplifted!
Pterry (as many of his fans will refer to him, harking back to a particular novel) does more than just write about a fantasy world. He includes puns, cultural and historical references and also has a use of footnotes (less obvious in later books) that comment about the narrative (usually in a funny way). Another aspect of his writing is he tends to avoid use of chapters in books (although there are some rare exceptions to this). His style, for me at least - is pretty unique. Pterry was a journalist, who admits that he would write about his experiences while working as a press officer for the Central Electricity Generating board (CEGB) which including covering nuclear power stations - If he thought he would be believed! I was also fortunate enough to meet Pterry in 1994.
Unfortunately he has recently been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's, but has pledged to carry on writing.
~ Book Synopsis ~
Death comes to us all, but when he came to Mort, he offered him a job. After being assured that being dead was not compulsory, Mort accepted…….
Yes I know, this is straight off the back cover of the book - But it is one of those immortal lines that you just can't help but use when being asked about Mort! So I put my hands up and admit I've used it - But I just couldn't ignore it! Okay then, now onto my own words about it all…..
This is a book set on the mythical Discworld, of which there are now at least 37 titles belonging to this series! Some link together, others can be read as stand alone books. The Discworld itself is a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants that are in turn standing on the back of a giant turtle floating through space.
Mort is someone who is always overlooked. You know the sort of boy - When picking out the sports team at school he's the one left and has to be picked reluctantly by whoever is left with no other option! He tries to be helpful, he really does! But somehow he just manages to always make things worse. In desperation, his father takes him to a local hiring fair where boys are lined up and taken on as apprentices. And, as so often in his life, Mort is left in the street all alone having watched all the other boys find apprenticeships. Just as he is about to give up hope, Death arrives - And offers Mort a job.
Once Mort realizes that being dead wasn't compulsory he accepts the job and is taken to the place that Death calls home. The house and surrounding area are all varying shades of Black….. And more surprising for Mort is that there are two other humans who live with Death. Albert, his surly servant whose idea of cooking is to fry everything, and Ysabell, Deaths daughter.
And this is where it begins to get complicated - Mort questions a decision, as well as beginning to fall for Ysabell - And soon his actions are causing cosmic chaos!
Can Death find a way to repair the damage that has been done? And will Ysabell see Mort in a different light and not just as a clumsy gawky teenage boy?
~ Thoughts about the book ~
I am an avid Pterry fan! As someone who was fortunate enough to be around before he became too well known, I've also been able to enjoy his writings for a long time now. I believe he is unique in his style - and the best out there. There are some authors who come very close, but never quite with the same quirks that Pterry manages, and this book is a prime example of his work.
In fact, this or Guards, Guards (another of his work) are the books I would tell anyone looking to get into Pterry's writing to begin with. My original copy of the book is now getting very dog eared to look at since its been passed around numerous family and friends over the years - I've now given it a honorary retirement and it sits on the bookcase, only brought down by me to read on occasion. A newer version now has the pleasure of being moved through various hands to be read.
This is a superb example of what Terry Pratchett's writing is about. You see references to our own world, old and new, ancient and modern, brilliantly integrated into the story. Humour just spills out of the pages, in just about all its forms.
Death is a character you just can't help but love! His horse is real flesh and blood, a white steed called ……. Binky! His entrance is just sublime - I won't say anything more here because I wouldn't be able to without giving it all away, but it has to be one of the best entrance lines for a character I've ever witnessed reading a book. Even today, I still find myself chuckling about it and never tire reading it.
Is there a downside? Well only marginal and that is that it isn't a long book by any real standard. However, I don't think it detracts any from the quality of the storytelling of Pterry and the characters. It's a riot of a read for me, so while it isn't as long as some of his later books in particular, I find it a totally enjoyable read and wouldn't change a thing about it.
~ Final Thoughts ~
As I've said, I'm an avid fan of Pterry, but if someone said to me I had to reduce my collection of his books down to just 5 books - this would have to be in there! Perhaps other books bring the Dicsworld to the fore more than this one does, but there aren't many that will have you laughing as much as this book can.
And as much as it pains me to write this, I know some readers just don't 'get' Pterry! I don't know why, but some people just find it hard to read his books and give up. I've even heard someone say his writing is dull! However, some people have said they would never contemplate his stories because he writes Fantasy - And I would urge anyone to look beyond that, start with something like Mort and give it a try. I think most people who have avoided him until now because of the Fantasy element might just be surprised. Certainly the people I've know personally who hadn't read him because of this but have eventually relented when I've pestered them have by and large gone on to become fans of his work.
Mort - A rip roaring, side splitting book from the best out there in this style. 5 Stars without a doubt.
Advantages: Good characters | Stronger Story | Very Readable | Many Layers | Disadvantages: Not as funny as some of the books
...again he might just send Mort (his new apprentice) instead…..
As this, the fourth of the Discworld series begins, we meet Mortimer, a gangly lad who not only appears to be all elbows and knees, but also thinks about things rather more than is good for him. He's not a bad lad, just not the type his father wants working on the farm, and so he is taken to the hiring fare, in the hope that he might be suitable for a trade, any trade. Sadly, as the clock ... ...not (as you might think) Mort (although he obviously plays an important part), indeed it is that ultimate in undertakers, DEATH, who steals the show. In the three books previous to this one, we had only be shown glimpses of DEATH's character, in fact just enough to whet our appetites. In this book, however, DEATH comes into his own, his naivety, and lack of understanding of human emotions really shines through. I found DEATH to be such a complex ...
sandemp 02.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mort - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Will make you laugh and cry - possibly both at once Disadvantages: Not a lot
...the name of Mortimer, or Mort for short ("HOW APPROPRIATE"). After a short discussion, he is taken on.
So far, so good, and Mort's early days in Death's domain pass reasonably pleasantly, if you can call shovelling barrowloads of horse manure pleasant. The real problems set in when he is entrusted with THE DUTY, which is to say the nitty-gritty of actually separating souls from their erstwhile owners. He is given three jobs to do - the first is ... ...all the more so.
Mort works so well because the characters are well-rounded and eminently believable. Death is in many ways a desperately sad figure, always striving to understand the world of humans, but always falling that little bit short. He is hated and feared for what he is not, rather than accepted for what he is, and it is that difference that means he can never truly understand the human mind. Mort himself evolves convincingly as time goes ...
davidbuttery 22.07.2001 (23.07.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mort - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Funny, fast paced, interesting side characters. Disadvantages: Silly?
Mort stands silently next to his father, the last remaining boy at the hiring fair. Approaching midnight it appears that no one is willing to take him on as an apprentice. His father told him all that thinking and reading of books put people off and perhaps he was right. Suddenly, a horse appears with a hooded figure aboard. Perhaps things will turn out all right after all…
"Mort" is Terry Pratchett's fourth Discworld novel. Sat on a flat, disc ... ...From the moment DEATH meets Mort and says the immortal line, "I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, he said, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY." You are hooked. Pratchett has a way of taking fantastical characters and giving them conventional situations that entertains even the most hardened of readers.
At 320 pages this a short but oh so funny novel packed with quotes. It is ideal for those yet to acquaint themselves with the Discworld phenomenon as no prior knowledge ...
Shortsharpshock 30.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mort - Terry Pratchett
Advantages: Superbly written, very engaging, main focus is on Death, which is always nice. Disadvantages: Shorter than many of the later books
...say "Here, read this."
Mort is the book that I tend to chuck. In the eyes of most officiandos, Mort, the fourth book in the series, is where the Discworld really starts to pick up pace, and become what we now know it to be. And it's still a hell of a lot of people's favourite, even twenty-two books later.
Which says a lot for what an accomplished piece of work it is, as some of the later books have been stunning.
Mort tells the story of a young, ... ...next few weeks and months, Mort is gradually introduced to all aspects of the job, and is doing well, until one trip causes him to see the Princess Keli, with whom he falls immediately in love.
When Death finally entrusts Mort with what is onerously known as THE DUTY for the first time, Mort is distraught to learn that one of the souls he is about to reap is that of the Princess. Against all reason, and with little or no regard for the time-space ...
spacemonkey 07.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mort - Terry Pratchett
...book I’m reviewing is called Mort and tells the story of a young lad who ends up being the apprentice of Death.
But first let me tell you a bit about Terry Prachett.
He lives in Somerset with his wife and daughter and grows carnivourous plants as a hobby. He was born in Buckinghamshire in 1948 and chose his career in writing, some other books he’s famous for are The Carpet people, mean’t for children but an excellent read if you get your hands ... ...you how great this book Mort is.
Mort is a young lad who is at the age where all young lads are taken into apprenticeship to learn a trade which will help them to get on in life. The only trouble is Mort is a gangley, clumsy and strange the sort of a child who seemed to think too much and didn’t get on with the job in hand.
He had a mind to discover the underlaying logic behind the universe which worried his parents, he should be grafting and working ...
Aquarian 18.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mort - Terry Pratchett
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Advantages: Some excellent writing, some of Terry Pratchetts best in a long time Disadvantages: Is slightly darker than other Terry Pratchett Works.
(although there are some rare exceptions to this and Nation is chaptered).
His style, for me at least - is pretty unique.
Pterry was a journalist, who admits that he would write about his experiences while working as a press officer for the Central Electricity Generating board (CEGB) which including covering nuclear power stations - If he thought he would be believed!
Unfortunately he has recently been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's, but has pledged to carry on writing.
Note: The above passage is taken from my review of Mort, also by TerryPratchett and so I've kept it because I can't think what to change for this review.
Nation is not part of the Discworld series of books and is aimed at Children as much as adults - much like the Tiffany Aching series he wrote, and so can be read as a stand-alone novel.
I was also fortunate ...
Advantages: A great theme Disadvantages: Can drivel on sometimes about something irelevant
-A dwarf that writes plays and gets Tomjon to Lancre.
Vitoller-The rich foster father of Tomjon.
Lady Vitoller-The rich foster mother of Tomjon.
Cost:£5.99 or $8.99
Where you can buy it: In all good bookstores
Age group:anywhere from 13+
If you like this book then maybe you should try some other of TerryPratchetts' books?:
*The Colour Of Magic
*The Light Fantastic
*Equal Rites
*Mort
*Sourcery
*Pyramids
*Guards! Guards!
*Moving Pictures
*The three part trilogy Truckers, Diggers and Wings
*Witches Abroad
*The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents
*Feet Of Clay
*Hogfather
*Carpe Jugulum
and many more! ...
Product Information for "Mort - Terry Pratchett" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Fantasy
Series
Discworld Series
Title
Mort
Author
Terry Pratchett
ISBN
030436424X; 0552152617; 0575041714
Manufacturer's product description
Mort has been chosen as Death's apprentice. He gets board and lodging and free use of company horse, and doesn't even need time off for his grandmother's funeral. The trouble begins when instead of collecting the soul of a princess, he kills her would-be assassin, and changes history. See all Product Description
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