Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

 

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Night Watch is one of those novels be they standalone or part of a definitive series that I really can not give a review that would do it justice. The novel really does attain a level above any of the previous and excellent City Watch subset of Discworld and provides a hard edged story which retains some of the humour of previous novels while focusing on characterisation, plot and insight into our world.
So Duke Vimes soon to be a father is dealing with a ruthless criminal named "Carcer" who simply has all the brakes off, a number of watchmen have died at his hands but now he is cornered above the Unseen University Library with Vimes closing in. It's at this point that a huge storm hits and lightning and magic combine to send the two men back into the recent past of Ankh-Morpork. The current patrician Lord Winder is extremely paranoid (with good reason) and has the military, the watch and the Cable Street Particulars (Brutal Secret Police) enforcing curfews and clamping down on any dissent but revolution is in the air with Lord Snapcase as the favoured politician to solve all the cities problems. Vimes through a number of events figures out when he is and with the help of The Sweeper is tasked to well live this life as the recently deceased Sgt. John Keel a man who as it happened trained a very young Samuel Vimes so many years ago.
The novel really is that good, it is a complex time travelling story with many characters we know well from previous novels albeit much younger but everything fits so well and it's so difficult to find faults with it. I guess it's not a novel that would rate highly as someone's first visit to the Discworld but is that a flaw, nah I don't think so, this is a masterful tale within a series yet feels different for all the right reasons.


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The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

 

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents was not a Discworld novel I'd been back too, in fact this is only the second time I have read the novel so yeah a lot of it was pretty fresh, it might have been interesting to wait and watch the upcoming feature before going back to the novel but hey not to be. The story of Maurice is in the form of a Pratchett tradition, take a well known fable and manipulating it to reflect the Discworld and when required our own world and thus the Pied Piper becomes part of the Discworld family with a twist.
The Amazing Maurice is a cat, a very clever cat who can talk and he has a human "friend" named Keith who can play a mean pipe and thus they travel from town to town earning a few dollars by riding the towns of their rat problems. Oh did I forget that the rats are also part of this "scam" and they too can talk and are intelligent thanks to living for generations in and around Unseen University. Together the strange combination of souls enter the town of Bad Blintz but find that there are no native rats to be found ( lots of rat tunnels and old traps/poisons etc but no rats ) yet the townsfolk are near starving with rationing ongoing thanks to a huge rat infestation. The local rat catching guild seem to be doing a healthy trade is dead rat bounties though and we soon realise that there is something dark and devious going on in Bad Blitz and none of it is the fault of rats.
I actually quite enjoyed the novel and definitely looking forward to the tv adaptation and as a stand alone novel which tells a story without the usual Discworld trappings it comes across as a pleasant addition to the series and good one off for someone new to Terry's writing.

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The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett

 

The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde are bored, who knew running an Empire would shall we say be less than satisfying and thus for their final quest they are going to return (with interest) the first item that was stolen. In other words they intend to climb Cori Celesti and assault Dunmanifestin the home of the gods with an abundant amount of Agatean Thunder Clay which goes bang big time. As is the tradition the Horde want their epic adventure to be remembered and thus a minstrel is kidnapped and tasked with the creation of an epic song and thus the party is ready and the adventure begins.
However what the Horde fail to realise is that while they may go out on an epic high the collapse of the Gods, Cori Celesti and Dunmanifestin will critically disrupt the magical field that is the bedrock of what makes the Discworld a reality. With time running out Carrot, Leonard of Quirm, Rincewind and the Librarian venture forth on a wild adventure of their own to stop the Horde before it is too late.
The Last Hero is a large format illustrated novel, not ideal for reading on a kindle (which I did for the purpose of this read through) and while it does seem a little lacking when compared to many other Discworld novels if treated as a kinda uber bonus then you should be more than happy with the story and the artwork. Overall a decent addition to the collection which relies on combining a lot of characters (some more major the others) and providing some with a satisfying conclusion to their stories.

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Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

 

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Auditors return intent on dealing with humanity and life in general which just from their point of view makes existence far more complicated than it needs to be. After failing in other endeavours and limited to how they can directly influence events they arrange for the ultimate clock to be constructed, it is so accurate it can measure the time needed for now to become then. The result of being able to observe this moment is the fracture of time across reality, everything will exist in a perpetual now and the Auditors will be more than pleased, paperwork is so much easier when nothings changes.
Thus the Monks of Time become directly involved as Lu Tze (The Sweeper) brings a new acolyte (Lobsang Ludd) into the fold, a young man with some very special gifts and together they venture to Ankh-Morpork in which another very clever young man (Jeremy Clockson) is constructing the clock at the behest of Lady Myria LeJean who Igor points out has feet that don't always touch the ground when she walks. As the end of all things gets closer Susan Sto Helit has a major role to play as she can operate outside of time and naturally the Horsemen of the Apocalypse (all five of them) have to ride forth.
Thief of Time is very much a standalone novel and gives plenty of narrative to some of the secondary characters we have been introduced to over the years. I liked the small role Nanny Ogg played along with the circumstances and the Monks of Time are a very interesting bunch and their existence on the Discworld just makes so much sense. An enjoyable read with humour and no little amount of suspense and surprises.

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The Truth by Terry Pratchett

 

The Truth by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Printing comes to Discworld as some inventive Dwarfs set up a printing press in the city and "bump" thanks to an icey stretch of road into William de Worde and they make an impression. William the (kinda black sheep) son of a very wealthy family writes a monthly news sheet for those who can afford $5 but when the Dwarves print him a copy within seconds well why not sell the sheet at a fraction of the price, afterall more people can afford a few pennies that a few pounds. Much to Williams "horror" he is suddenly making money hand over fist, employing paper sellers and writers to fill this new daily news sheet and he and the Times become the focus of events as a conspiracy is underway to throw down the Patrician. More complications arise as the Engravers Guild attempt to run him out of business and a rival newspaper is launched which focusing on more "out there" stories such as silver discs kidnapping people and Lance women giving birth to snakes, strangely this newspaper proves more popular than one trying to present facts and truth.
While The Truth is not part of the Watch subset the crime fighters of the city play their part, the interaction between William and Vimes is excellent and very pleasing to see that criminal elements are learning to deal with a Werewolf copper who William is sure is actually Nobby. The "bad guys" in the form of the New Firm feel a little out of place but then Discworld society is growing and better crime fighting will create better criminals but ultimately they are the tool being wielded but forces in the dark, again very much reflecting our own world and from the get go that aspect of Terry's writing has always appealed.





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The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

 

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ankh-Morpork for all its wealth and infrastructure is still painfully reliant on imports of raw materials and some critical items the city nay society requires and the ordination of a new Low King of the Dwarves is shaking the foundations of what everyone with the exception of the Patrician takes for granted. Some strange crimes takes place in the city, the theft of a replica of the Scone of Stone and the death of Wallace Sonky the maker of certain latex/rubber preventives puzzle the watch but events are moving at a pace. In the Dwarf communities the old culture is clashing with the new but there are opportunities and thus Duke Vimes along with his wife and retinue (Angua, Cherry, Deterius and a Clerk) venture to Uberwald on a diplomatic mission to recognise the new Low King and pay respects to the Vampire and Werewolf families and naturally far away from the rule of law Vimes finds himself in the middle of a huge powerplay and ultimately fighting for his life.
The Fifth Elephant as part of the City Watch subset delivers both in terms of the Watch dealing with events in the city and when they are well out of their element, Colon left in charge was certainly interesting and Vimes dealing new situations was very satisfying. The Carrot/Angua subplot maintained the slow burn and threw in Gaspode as well and it was great to see Cherry and Deterius rising to the occasion. Overall an entertaining and "big" story mixing in action, suspense and a dose of political reality which taxed Vimes but underlined what the Patrician sees in him and as we learn Lady Sybil as well who excels at this level of society. The novel is a very strong addition to the series and introduces many aspects of the city and the disc that are built upon in later novels.

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Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

 

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carpe Jugulum is part of the Witch subset series of novels and while builds upon characters already introduced and adds some significant new ones but it's far more standalone that you might expect. We have seen that Vampires have been a feature of the Discworld for a while and with the introduction of the League of Temperance gave us Otto as a significant supporting character but in Carpe Jugulum the Magpyr family from Uberwald receive an invitation to the christening of Verence and Magrats daughter and they are far more traditional Vampires in a non-traditional way. The big celebration begins to go wrong when Granny's invitation is stolen by a Magpie and Granny being Granny just can't bring herself to ask about the lack of an invite and unlike Nanny is unable to just turn up, Granny is prideful and stubborn and the nagging feeling that with Angus and Magrat in the mix then she may be the odd one out, it's always three witches not four. As it turns out under the influence of Count Magpyr and his family the christening goes quite well however Agnes with her inner persona Perdita are immune to the vampire influence and rally the opposition and search for the missing Granny. The annexation of Lancre goes smoothly in a civilised way with a few small yet significant hiccups thanks in part to their Igor, a visiting Omnian priest ( Mightily Oats ), the arrival of a clan of Nac Mac Feegle and a Phoenix which dies and is reborn under the wing of Hodgesaargh the royal falconer. Ultimately the battle between good and evil through the proxies of the Count and Granny (with ancillary schermishes when and where required) doesn't seem to go well for the good guys but well this is Granny we are talking about.
Overall I always enjoy Carpe Jugulum even though it doesn't really serve the narrative in the long run, yes plot points and characters/people are introduced but in later novels they have been enhanced or fleshed out to be something slightly different in a very good way. A solid four star Discworld novel especially if you have a cup of tea and biscuit while reading.

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The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

 

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Last Continent surprised me because while I knew it wasn't a favourite I really had forgotten a lot of the plot and it was almost like reading it for the first time which turned out to be a good thing. The novel is focused on the Wizards and their efforts to "cure" the Librarian (ultimately turn him back to human) but alas no one remembers his name except maybe Rincewind who after Interesting Times ended up well somewhere on the disc. As it turns out Rincewind lands on XXXX (Fourecks) the mysterious continent surrounded by a maelstrom of storms and in itself has become more myth than reality. In this place however Rincewind meets a very unusual Kangaroo and learns a little of how this place works and is manipulated or encouraged down a path which deals with time travel and paradoxes ultimately revealing the fate of the Wizards who as usual poked things that were not meant to be poked, or were they...
I came away from this novel quite pleased with it, the two story lines kept me invested and I do recall "No Worries" being an oft spoken phrase in my youth and it was hilarious as the Wizards had to not only deal with time and gods but also with Mrs Whitlow (UU Housekeeper) who got dragged along in their adventures through time and space. This also may just be my favourite outing for Rincewind, his interactions with the people of XXXX who are certainly from the Australian Trope list was super fun without the more negative element of stereotyping and his total lack of awareness with a certain group of performers felt so perfect and oh the Luggage makes his appearance. Overall well worth a read but not critical to any subset of the series.

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Jingo by Terry Pratchett

 

Jingo by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

War comes to the Discworld as age old enemies vie for control of an island (Leshp) which recently appeared off their respective coasts in the Circle Sea but dive deeper we see that political goals of certain leaders within Klatch are in play and rallying the people of that old and large nation/region against a well known foreign aggressor is a win/win scenario. Alas the decision makers (Rust and the ilk) in Ankh-Morpork prove they are no better (morals, ethics, intelligence) than their opposition as they too begin to wave the flag for war dredging up all the usual cliches and fears. Fortunately the Patrician (stepped down for the duration) has some plans and Vimes does things his own way because what is war other than a huge breach of the peace, after all no one nothing should be above the law.
Jingo is one my favourite novels as we see familiar characters having to deal with everyday things on a whole different scale with the Patrician and Vimes really shining in the narrative as well Colon and Nobby who certainly learn a thing or two. The Watch as a whole are entertaining as they take a package tour of Klatch, play some football and as usual Carrot embraces the culture and within a day fits right in and once again we see that anyone with any insight recognises his for what he is.
We can all learn lessons from this piece of fiction, it is so easy to use labels to negate the humanity and rights of our fellow humans be it for personal or political gain but the signs are always there. Jingo is simply a good read and as is the norm from Terry there is a message delivered within the humour and occasional slapstick, highly recommended.


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Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

 

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hogfather was one of the novels I tended to avoid, for some reason it didn't quite work for me and only recently have I started to enjoy the TV adaptation. There is no reason it shouldn't be high on the list, it has plenty of Death and Albert and Susan comes into herself along with the Death of Rats and the look into the Assassins Guild and Auditors was certainly world building. The concept of a contract being put on the Hogfather in interesting enough, the idea of negating children's belief in him through old magic is pretty inspired and Death choosing to play the part of the Hogfather is wonderful because the consequences of kids not believing in the Hogfather goes way beyond the delivery of gifts once a year. Overall I'd say it is an average Discworld novel and I think I like the TV adaptation a little more as the story is more compressed and faster paced and that doesn't hurt.


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Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

 

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Golems are the ultimate slave, created to labour for their owners and to obey the words written and placed in their heads but what if there was more to these "invisible" individuals...
Here we are again back in Ankh-Morpork and the watch is perplexed by the death of a Priest, museum curator, a little old lady and her grandchild and oh yes the attempted murder (not assassination) of the Patrician through poisoning (means unknown). Vimes is on the case and goes to extreme lengths to protect the Patrician after all Vimes believes if anyone gets to kill him it should be him. As the murder plot is investigated the "elite" of the city look to take advantage of the situation and it's revealed that Nobby is by convoluted means the heir to a earldom (no cash but well he would certainly make a reliable King who would need his advisors).
Terry as is the norm uses his latest novel to introduce some new characters, Cherry Littlebottom is highly significant in the big picture as is the golem Dorfl, both are stepping beyond what is expected of them and both find a home in the city. The regular characters are well catered for, Carrot and Angua are steadily developing, Nobby really shines and Vimes with Sybil begin to become the center piece of the city stories when like many I suspect it would have been Carrot to drive the series forward. Feet of Clay is a great addition to the Discworld and combines mystery and humour with style.

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Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

 

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The unofficial Lancre coven is missing a member now Magrat is Queen and while Nanny and Granny are firm friends there really has to be some sort of bufferzone or lubricant between them. Agnes Nitt is perhaps the most promising of the young women in the ramtops but she doesn't want to be a witch and does something about it by journeying to Ankh-Morpork to be a singer at the Opera. Agnes has an incredible voice and impresses the powers that be at the Opera House but alas her "look" is now out of fashion, just as in Moving Pictures your appearance is everything, skill and talents can be learnt (eventually) but there is the chorus for Agnes and it includes room and board so she makes herself at home. This being Discworld the Opera House has a resident Ghost who has turned rather more aggressive recently after the sale of the Opera House and its new owners desire to make money. Granny and Nanny fear for Agnus and take a trip to the city and also to collect some royalties for Nanny's book "The Joye of Snacks" which is fortuitous as having a lot of cash comes in handy when they become patrons of the Opera. As the bodies pile up the Watch become involved, the Librarian takes a shine to the Operas organ, the Ghost's secrets are revealed and Senior Basilica (a man with a secret) eats everything put in front of him while Greebo once again in his "human" guise gets to play. Maskerade was a fun novel with huge nods to modern opera and musical theatre as you would expect and having Nanny and Granny thrust into this world was very funny. Agnes however is hit and miss both as herself and as Perdita X Dream but it is an interesting notion that her inherent power is enhanced by what amounts to two personalities and is expressed through music and song more of which is to come in Carpe Jugulum. Overall a strong novel but not the best of the "Witch" subset.

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Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

 

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"What I did on My Holidays"
On the surface an innocent account of the travels and adventures of Twoflower outside of the Agatean Empire but in reality a tool to be used by the unscrupulous to grow a revolution and then a counter revolution leaving once again one man in charge with the power of life and death over everyone.
Through various machinations Rincewind (unknowingly the subject of a game between Fate and The Lady) visits the Empire to find he has a big role to play and as usual becomes more of a pawn to be used by not only the Emperor but also the manipulative Lord Hung, Pretty Butterfly (a young revolutionary) and unexpectedly Cohen the Barbarian and the Silver Horde who have plans for the Empire. The Luggage naturally follows Rincewind and has a major life changing incident while Rincewind runs, sprints, ducks and dodges his way out of life threatening situations but not unexpectedly becomes the focus of something wonderful before Hex and the University magically return him home but not his home.
Interesting Times was a decent novel and while I am a fan of Rincewind his part in Discworld kinda fell away as Terry introduced more characters and found his footing and large scale storytelling. That said the glimpse into the Empire was entertaining, more of Twoflower and his family was most rewarding and of course Cohen is always a pleasure especially when fleshed out.


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Soul Music by Terry Pratchett

 

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Something new and wild is loose in the Discworld, where it came from we don't know but one thing is for sure, the inhabitants of the Disc are not ready for it but in the meantime, turn the volume upto 11 and just let the Music with Rocks In take you on a journey.
Soul Music has never been a novel I was interested in reading again, even with the development of Susan (Mort and Ysabell's daughter) the main story of rock music being introduced to the Disc and the birth of the rebel musicians, concerts and festivals along with all the negatives of corporate music was too outside the main Discworld focus. In that regard it is simply a matter of taste not a reflection on the writing or story telling Terry is well known for. There is a lot of humour in the story and a lot of it very much linked to music which readers may or may not recognise, pretty sure on my first read I didn't all the references and I may have missed a few this time around. Soul Music is worthy of the Discworld but not a novel I will be going back to any time soon.

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Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

 

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The rebirth of the night watch continues as the Patrician mandates that minority recruits are added to the city watch and there is no way they are going on the day shift so we are introduced to Cuddy (Dwarf), Angua (Female) and Detritus (Troll). Vimes who is due to retire is well out of it but after some unusual thefts, murders and explosions he is well motivated to figure why people are not telling the truth, it doesn't hurt that he constantly being told to not investigate but this is Vimes after all.
Men At Arms is one of my favourite Discworld novels and is well placed within the "City Watch" sub series of the novels. We have a mystery which combines good old human frailties and something new to the Discworld, not a new concept but Terry knows how to write these stories with humour and insights into our own world. The expansion of the Watch is very well done, love all three of the new characters and sets the stage for the inclusion of so many other citizens of the Discworld to add their talents to serving the city.


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Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

 

Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the grand tour of the Discworld Nanny, Granny and Magrat return to Lancre to find the King Verence as is his right arranged the marriage service to Magrat. The mild hiccup is that despite Magrat worrying he might not have waited for her return she is independent enough to take exception to not being part of the process and makes a stand when it really isn't in her best interests. So it is a bad time for the appearance of crop circles and the weakening of the barrier between universes which allows the Elves to invade this realm and alas only the Witches amongst humans remember how brutal that race were, none of this fairy tale nursery rhyme nonsense, Elves kill and torture for sport.
Naturally the major incursion occurs on the day of the marriage when Lancre is full of visitors for the wedding and some of them turn out to be quite useful especially The Librarian, Casanunda (the world's second greatest lover) and Mustrum Ridcully the current Archchancellor of the Unseen University (who once had a thing with Granny). Together this ragtag band of "warriors" do battle with the Elves while Nanny and Casanunda visit the Elf King and Granny faces the Elf Queen who she rejected when she last came a calling. The tipping point however is Magrat who is inspired by the portrait and armour of Queen Ynci the Short-Tempered a former Queen of Lancre generates enough self confidence and self esteem to kick the ass of any Elf she comes across, this is her home and Verence is going to be her husband and no one, no one is going to stop that.
Lords And Ladies is one of the highlights of the earlier Discworld novels as we've seen that Terry has pretty much fine tuned the major characters of the Ramtops and Lancre in particular as well working his story within a multiverse which can make or break a novel. The Witches as usual are great in their own particular ways but the blending of new and recurring characters in this story is what works really well. There is drama and suspense and naturally humour both driven by characters and situations which provides the reader with everything they need or want from a Discworld novel.

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Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

 

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was only the second time I've read Small Gods, first time around oh so many years ago I simply didn't like it very much and made the decision it was just not my style of story despite being set well and truly in the Discworld. I am however glad I'm doing this full reread of the series because I got a lot more pleasure out of the novel the second time around, not sure if it's level of expectation or maybe I'm just different, either way the story of the Great God Om and Brutha his only true believer is both complex, compelling and depressing given how Terry's writing often draws upon the real world. As we learn a God on the Discworld draws power from their believers but is often the case the religious framework becomes more "real" in the lives of the people than the God themselves, in other words they still worship the God but they believe in the Priests who stand in front of them dictating every aspect of their lives and in the case of Omnia their deaths. Thus Om is revealed to Brutha in the form of a Tortoise and together they have to survive not only the "heathen" nations that surround Omnia but the very Priests who serve Om and are patiently awaiting the arrival of the latest Prophet. However the fix is in, the current head of the Quisition a priest named Vorbis has plans and is not above sacrificing his own people for the greater truth but he does not hear the voice of his god only Brutha does and well existential crisis bigtime as Brutha deals with the reality of the world he and his people live in and his ultimate destiny to bring about change and rebirth if he survives of course.
Small Gods in all honesty did surprise me, a much more satisfying read then I was expecting and nice to recognise a few of the secondary characters and situations that appear in other novels. This certainly won't be the last time I pick this novel off the shelf.



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Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

 

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Naturally it's the Discworld where a Fairy Godmother named Desiderata Hollow passes on and gives her charge to a Fairy Godmother in training (Magrat Garlick) and tasks her to journey to the far away city of Genua and make sure a young woman does not marry the prince. As it turns out Granny and Nanny are not going to be left behind so the three witches venture forth and many a cafe and inn will remember their passing through. Of course in this story there has to be a wicked witch but often who is which witch is determined on your point of view but for now Lady Lilith de Tempscire is our "bad guy" and she is prepared to handle this upstart fairy godmother, her companions and the voodoo witch Mrs Gogol because Lilith wants nothing more than a happy ending...
Witches Abroad is fun, the experiences and actions of the three fish out of water hits close to home given the fair trope of English going abroad but we are seeing lots of the Discworld and its people especially Genua a city known for dance, music and a live and let live attitude now under the thumb of the Witch/Fairy Godmother Lilith who is very opinionated, knows who she is and extremely competent (remind you of anyone?). The battle for the future of one girl and by extension the city is fought with pumpkins, wands, voodoo gods, gumbo and Greebo who gets to be a dude, definitely a dude, meeooww!


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Heavy Metal by Joshua Dalzelle

 

Heavy Metal by Joshua Dalzelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heavy Metal is the fourth novel in the Terran Scout Fleet series which was spun off from the Omega Force series and in this story we have Scout Team Obsidian once again led by Jacob Brown searching the galaxy for some stolen Earth technology. The pressure is on with Politicians and Military expecting a miracle from Obsidian who know that they will be hung out to dry if things go wrong, the morality of his job has been worrying Jacob for some time and it seems to be getting worse with each mission. Things take a turn when news reports indicate the stolen "mech" code name Atlas has been seen in action on a planet deep in civil unrest, as multiple interested parties converge on the planet Obsidian have their work cut out for me first to retrieve the mech or destroy it.
Heavy Metal is fast paced action adventure with our usual bunch of miscreants known as Scout Team Obsidian, an entertaining story set apart from the Omega Force series with no crossovers this time which allows Jacob and his men to grow a little through good and bad choices. A good and welcome addition to the series.

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Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

 

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To some the personification of Death on the Discworld is a welcome sight when their lives come to an end, to others he is a terror who should be avoided at all costs and to those who maintain the universe he has become to big for his boots and needs to be replaced. So it comes to pass a Timer for Death is created and his time is running out, grabbing his horse he rides forth, he has time to spend. Death ends up at a run down farm owned by a Miss Flitworth (Renata) who takes him on as a farmhand and she gets her moneys worth. Death now known as Bill Door makes friends with the locals (being bad at things in a funny way works wonders) but with no Death to usher the dead onwards dangerous levels of life force builds up along with the mysterious appearance around Ankh-Morpork of pretty snow globes and then the very useful wire framed four wheeled trolleys appear. The wizards and dead but not dead former wizard Windle Poons investigate and we are introduced to some great characters on the way whose adventures ultimately leads to an epic battle which reflects social economic issues in the real world. Reaper Man is a entertaining and very welcome story for Death, the Wizards work well as like many elements of the Discworld smaller doses tends to be better and the new characters merge well into what we now know as the Discworld, it seems to me Terry is very close to to a world where he can add and subtract whatever and wherever he needs to make his story telling develop.
Highly recommended and a novel that isn't dependent upon reading other Discworld novels to get the most out of it.


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