Many years ago I became hooked on the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett after reading Mort. I acquired a copy of the book purely by chance and, once completed, began to read the series from the very beginning. Its not essential to do this, as most of the novels quite happily stand up on their own, but it does help with understanding some of the more long standing characters who will crop up from time to time throughout the whole series. Death, of course, being one of those examples. Although he frequently shows his skeletal face throughout the series it is usually a short cameo appearance.
Death is not your usual anthropomorphic personification – for one his horse is called Binky, he is rather fond of cats and is known to like the occasional curry. He is also intrigued by humans and it is this fascination which results in him adopting Ysabell and hiring Mort as an apprentice (the central character of this book).
When we are first introduced to Mort he is, seemingly, a rather deep thinking son of a farmer. Unfortunately his ungainly body makes him unsuitable even as a scarecrow and so, in despair, his father packs him off to a market for apprentices where after hours of being overlooked is finally hired by Death as his apprentice. An apprenticeship he accepts only after confirming that actual death and skeletal appearance is not a compulsory part of the job description.
After a brief respite at the bottom, mucking out “Binky” and aiding Albert whilst attempting to avoid Death´s adopted daughter Ysabell, Mort is sent on his first solo outing. Unfortunately for Mort, his feelings for a teenage princess of Sto Lat get in the way of his job and he starts off a chain reaction of events by impulsively preventing her assassination. Too afraid to admit this gaffe to Death he attempts to remedy the situation himself, unsuccessfully. After a series of calamities he is forced to confront Death in battle, after which he is given a whole new lease of life (in a manner of speaking). He leaves the realm of Death, marries Ysabell and becomes Lord Mortimer, Duke of Sto Helit.
Back when I read the early books Mort was one of my firm favourites. But recent releases in the Discworld series have been far more developed with complex and interweaving story lines which really cause Mort to pale by comparison. That is not to say I do not adore there simplicity, they work as a wonderful introduction into this fantastical world and are magical in their own right. But the later books have a stronger satirical style and tend, more obviously, to bind real world commentary within their stories.
As always it was a real pleasure to return to a much loved book which formed the beginning of an obsession for fantasy and satire.
[rating=4]
