Death has gone missing, leaving Discworld in complete
havoc. Death’s absence means that things which are supposed to die, well,
aren’t. This is where the protagonist - Windle Poons - comes in. Due to Death’s
mysterious disappearance, he is living as a zombie, unable to truly die, like
others who, having completed their allotted time on Discworld, are now left in
limbo. All of the extra living folk create a build-up of ‘life force’, producing
pure mayhem, bringing trolleys to life and other inanimate objects, as well as
causing other more disastrous problems. So where has Death got to? Ironic as it
is, he is dying; his life timer is
rapidly running low, and he has decided to live out his remaining time working
as a corn reaper on a farm.
Reaper
Man
reads almost like two novels; the narrative switches from Windle Poons’ absurd
predicament to Death living out his final days on the farm. Death is a
brilliant and ingenious character; as I mentioned in my review of Mort, Death is personified in the
Discworld novels, being a skeleton with a scythe, flashing blue eyes and a
black, hooded cloak. He is a very amusing character, particularly when it comes to social
situations, into which he finds it difficult to integrate himself - my
favourite moment so far being him heading out to bars and getting drunk in Mort. There are also the one liners he
comes out with, never failing to make me chuckle, such as:
“‘This isn’t some sort of joke, is it?’ he added hopefully.
I AM NOT KNOWN FOR MY SENSE OF FUN.
Pratchett’s writing style is gorgeous. It is a real treat
to read, and is full of delightful witticisms and whimsy. Reaper Man is a very light-hearted, funny novel, featuring a humour
which is quintessentially British, such as mayflies - which live for only
twenty-four hours - reminiscing about the “good old hours”, and how larvae don’t
respect their elders, as well as quotes such as:
“Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.”
“‘Why does everyone run towards a blood-curdling scream?’ mumbled the Senior Wrangler. ‘It’s contrary to all sense.’”
Reaper
Man
is my favourite Discworld novel so far (out of The Colour of Magic, The
Light Fantastic and Mort). It has
a host of comical characters, a beautiful, charming writing style, and a
cleverly woven plot full of magic, danger and humour. It is a truly enjoyable
novel - being one of those books which will make you smile and laugh, and won’t
fail to brighten up your day.
wow It's good!
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