Roy Adams reviewed Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, #11)
The interesting afterlife of Wizard Poons
5 stars
DEATH is still my favorite character.
Paperback, 289 pages
English language
Published July 2, 2005 by Corgi.
They say there are only two things you can count on ...But that was before DEATH started pondering the existential. Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now DEATH is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use.But like every cutback in an important public service, DEATH's demise soon leads to chaos and unrest -- literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons. The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University -- home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners -- Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine. To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork's undead and underemployed …
They say there are only two things you can count on ...But that was before DEATH started pondering the existential. Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now DEATH is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use.But like every cutback in an important public service, DEATH's demise soon leads to chaos and unrest -- literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons. The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University -- home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners -- Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine. To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork's undead and underemployed set off to find DEATH and save the world for the living (and everybody else, of course).
DEATH is still my favorite character.
Reaper Man was the first Discworld novel I ever read, and one of the ones I have read the most often, but I haven't read it since either my mother or Sir Pterry died.
It was good to read it again, after having known the grief of losing mom. Comforting. Such insight into death, and Death, and what it means to know that life has to come to an end. This remains one of my favorite Discworld Novels, and it is unquestionably one of the most profound.
But Terry always delivered even the hard lessons with a nice dose of laughter.