Not bad for a Pratchett ( )

My first non-Watch Discworld book. I really like Death as a character but none of the others really did it for me. Some things happened pretty abruptly, or too much off-camera. I also got lost for a bit because I mixed up two cities with very similar names. And it's not the book's fault, but I've never cared for that particular plot trope (the dramatic one, not the apprentice set-up). The development of the apprenticeship itself was very well done, however. ( )

Having read this many years ago and remembering little about it other than that I thought it was one of the best of the early discworld books, I decided that Mort was up for a re-read. The basic plot revolves around one of my favourite dsicworld characters - Death - who takes on an apprentice to whom he hands over the grim job of reaping souls. Overall I found the characterisation more superficial than in Pratchett's more reccent works. The storyline, once the plot device of Death taking on an apprentice is put into play, is rather mediocre (with a rather disappointing resolution to the story at the end). Pratchett is on song as far as the humour and the jokes are concerned. Overall this doesn't stand in the top rank of discworld novels, but in delving in the character of Death its still an essential read for Pratchett fans. ( )

Terry Pratchett here came up with one his three best characters. Ok, he didn't make him up, but the earnest deadpan characterisation, and the use of capitalisation to signify Death speaking works wonderfully well, and is a lot of fun.

Throw in one of his other best characters, the Librarian, and guaranteed to be decent.

A seemingly useless young boy becomes Death's apprentice. Silliness and adventure ensue.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/01... ( )

Death is looking for an apprentice. He ends up with an awkward, gangling lad, whose name happens to be Mort. Walking through walls, falling in love with princesses, interacting with Death's daughter, cook and horse, and interfering with the basis of reality are all part of Mort's new life with Death.

Not as hilariously funny as some of the Discworld books, but still pretty good. As always, Pratchett manages to comment obliquely on various aspects of our world with a dry humour. ( )

Mort is a hapless youth, useless on his father's farm despite his best efforts. Mort's uncle suggests that they go into a nearby town for the next apprenticeship fair, little did they know that the one would take Mort on would be none other than Death himself. Death's adopted daughter, Ysabell finds something admirable about him. However, as Death's apprentice Mort is a catastrophe yet again putting the Disc in peril. ( )

This was a present from an ex - I hadn't read it before, despite enjoying many other Discworld novels.

I finished it in about three hours because I just couldn't put it down. Death is my favourite Discworld character, I love the way he looks at things and his witty sense of humour. My favourite scene was maybe in the pub, or when he was helping in the café - they had me laughing out loud! Mort was also good, and it was interesting to hear about Albert's past. ( )

I adored this book! On many occasions, I found myself laughing out loud. The humor is amazing, the story line is absorbing, and though I know this is satire, you can't help caring for the characters. There was even a final battle (sort of) and a little bit of angst thrown in. There's something for everyone!

In this Discworld story, Mort has become Death's apprentice. However, his human emotions start making Death wonder if he's missed something in his life (existence?) and when he suddenly disappears, Mort must attempt to take over the business. Throw in Death's feisty adopted daughter, a servant who is actually a 2,000 year old wizard, and a princess who is simultaneously dead but alive and you've got one interesting story.

This was a fabulous second introduction in the Discworld series. I enjoyed it immensely more than The Color of Magic (though the cameo appearance by Rincewind made me laugh) and I have every intention of continuing to read the rest of the series. Sadly, Death's saga will have to wait a little bit as I currently have the first four of witches' saga sitting on my coffee table...staring at me...waiting to be read...*cracks open Equal Rites and starts to read* ( )

I love the character of death, infact i love this book, it really launched the discworld series more so than colour of magic and light fantastic did. Death is a wonderful character that always makes me laugh and the idea of him taking on an apprentice leads to so many thrills on nearly every page. ( )

Mort -- Terry Pratchett

Mort was the first discworld novel I read, and it's a very good introduction to Pratchett's bestselling series. The brilliant thing about the Discworld, is that it starts of good, but just keeps getting better. It's hard enough to write a series that is consistently good, but to frequently improve on yourself is quite amazing.

Mort is the ideal start because it is not only very funny, but also shows glimpses of what the Discworld will grow into in terms of maturity of the material. Where The Light Fantastic and The Colour of Magic were mostly just funny parody sketches added to eachother, Mort has a storyline and an underlying idea. Plus it features DEATH (who takes on an apprentice) and DEATH is one of my favourite characters.

So, in short, though not brilliant yet, well worth the read and a better introduction to the Discworld than the first two.

--A-- ( )

Bit of a deux ex machina ending, but still a fun read. ( )

This is an absolutely delightful read. I am not a huge fantasy fan, so my fantasy is usually served up best with a heaping helping of humor. This book did just that.
The story revolves around a young man who is just coming of age. He needs to get a job, and ends up being the apprentice to Death. Death is somewhat burnt out on doing his job day in and day out and has a "mid life crisis" of sorts. That leave Mort with the most of the regular duties. He promptly messes up, causes a rift in time, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket!
I will definitely be reading more Pratchett in the future! ( )

Fourth Discworld book and the introduction to one of my favorite characters, DEATH. What happens when Death takes on an apprentice and goes fly fishing for an afternoon? His apprentice, Mort, interferes with the pre-ordained demise of the young Princess Keli of Sto-Lat, that’s what. And of course, that threatens to tear the fabric of the universe, with rather humorous consequences. You’ll have to read this book to find out more. Heh! Much hilarity…that’s all the clues you’re getting. ( )

The first of the "Death" Books. ( )

Wonderful humor. I especially like the fact that Death has a talent for cooking- I would never have imagined it but it suits him perfectly. This is the first book from the Discworld series that I have read, but I will probably read many more. ( )

I tossed this one back in my TBR pile after my son read it to give me an excuse to re-read (we don't really want to get into a discussion of the convoluted ways my mind works, do we?). I hadn't forgotten how much I enjoyed this first Death book, and hadn't really forgotten the details either, but it was wonderfully fun revisiting it.

The basic premise, for anyone who hasn't read the Discworld books, is that Death takes an apprentice, Mort. This is where we learn of the theory behind Death's job, and his affection for kittens, as well as his curiosity about and inability to understand humans, particularly that YEC*. (whoops, mixing author catch-phrases here--is that worse than mixing metaphors?)

Mort, unsurprisingly, makes a bit of a mess of things, and his attempts to fix it just make things worse. There's some interesting (and hilarious, of course--nobody missed the memo on that, right? Terry Pratchett = very, very funny unless otherwise indicated) theory about destiny and what happens when you mess with it, and also about the nature of history.

Mort's one of the earlier Discworld books, and it shows, because it's not nearly as complex as later ones, but it's got the serious bones overlaid with fantasy and humor that's common to the whole series.

It's also a very good introduction to the series, better, IMO, than the first, Rincewind books. It's short, uncomplicated, and doesn't draw on knowledge or events from previous books. And did I mention it's funny? I'm incapable of reading a Pratchett book if there's anyone within shouting distance without reading lines aloud to them. In lieu of copy-and-pasting some here for you, I'll just send you to the L-Space page: Mort Quotes. Pretend I'm reading them aloud to you. You're welcome.

*"YEC: Scenes with lots of emotion (from Bob's request that he not have to write the Yucky Emotional Crap)" --from http://www.jennycrusie.com/cherries.p... ( )

A very fun look at the life and passions of Death. We are introduced to his new apprentice, Mort, a boy on the cusp of manhood. I had a longer review written, but the site messed up and I lost it. Just read it, it's a lot of fun. ( )

The flights of fancy and frustration in store for Death are THE best tales in Pratchett's Discworld series. The man of the CAPITAL-LETTER SPEECH is great. ( )

Moderately amusing. Can't see what all the fuss is with his work. ( )

Death takes an apprentice. ( )

I'd always heard of this as one of the very best Discword novels, but I was pretty underwhelmed. Whilst Death is one of my favourite characters in the series, Mort himself seemed a little - meh. ( )

Death takes on an apprentice, and starts living it up a bit with his free time, while his apprentice threatens to destroy the world by saving a princess destined to die. For some reason, I find this one a little more contrived and annoying than the others, although there were some very funny sections and inventive ideas. ( )

One of my favorite Pratchett 'death' novels. Hogfather is second. I enjoyed gettin more background info on Death, his life, and whatnots. ( )

An unlikely coming-of-age experience is about to happen to Mort, as he is acceptable as an apprentice to Death. We have met Death before in the Discworld novels, but this version seems to be going through a mid-life crisis and the result is a much more sympathetic character. Pratchett was to re-use the characters from this novel considerably in future outings. ( )

I want more Death. He entertains me. Especially when drunk. ( )