Mort by Terry Pratchett
Reviewed by: Dave Gibbons, Library Volunteer
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: It’s tough being an apprentice in Discworld – learning a new trade, getting along with co-workers, growing into your place in the world. Mort’s apprenticeship is not made any easier by the simple fact that he has been apprenticed to Death. On the surface an apprenticeship to Death seems like it would be all smiting the enemies of the world and learning the finer points of scythe sharpening. The grim reality is that it is a lot of hard work. This is a fact that will become apparent to all the first time Mort is sent out on his own only to bungle the death of a princess. Now it is up to Mort, with the help of Death’s daughter and maybe even some wizards to try to put everything right lest it wipe out all of reality. No pressure.
My Review: If you don’t like humor and fantasy to mix then this book is absolutely the wrong one for you. Terry Pratchett uses a very “real world” approach to the fantasy genre taking care to point out the weird little quirks of life and making the story feel real. Though this does take place on the magical land of Discworld, the characters, whether human or forces of the very nature of life itself, are the sort that you feel could meet in real life. This is the fifth of the Discworld novels, but a new reader would have no problem jumping right in. This story does not answer the bigger questions of death and reality – rather it takes them out and dances around them, but in a comfortably relatable way that is very down to earth… well as down to earth as Death himself can be.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Humor, Epic, Magical
Give This a Try if You Like… The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Squirrelgirl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!