Product Description

In the eleventh Discworld novel, Death is missing - presumed . . . er . . . gone. Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn. Meanwhile, on a little farm far, far away, a tall dark stranger is turning out to be really good with a scythe. There's a harvest to be gathered in. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4786 in Books
• Published on: 1992-05-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 286 pages

Review
A Terry Pratchett Discworld novel: Reaper Man is in part a western in which a retired Death proves to some young punk which is the fastest scythe in town, in part a horror novel in which wizards ally with a small suburban horde of the Undead to combat an alien shopping mall. Meanwhile, Pratchett's collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, is now in paperback, a comic apocalypse which will head for the best seller charts faster than its sinister child hero could destroy the world. (Kirkus UK)

From the Back Cover
DEATH IS MISSING - PRESUMED...ER...GONE.

Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn.

Meanwhile, on a little farm far, far away, a tall dark stranger is turning out to be really good with a scythe. There's a harvest to be gathered in...

About the Author
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and his trilogy for young readers, The Bromeliad, is scheduled to be adapted into a spectacular animated movie.

Customer Reviews

Book Eleven in the Discworld Series

Terry Pratchett was born in 1948 and is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series

There is just no other author about who writes like Terry Pratchett. His humour is second to none. There are one or two writers who are trying to get close to him, but failing miserably.

When the dustbin men or the bus driver's go on strike you know what chaos is caused to the infrastructure of society, so imagine what it must be like when Death goes missing, after all he is probably the Number One Public Service. For all his rough manner, Death was a likeable guy who will be sadly missed.

Death's disappearance is the key to all sort of mayhem and laughter on the Discworld as Terry Pratchett weaves his magic yet again. (Perhaps he went to the Unseen University as well). Anyone who has read a Discworld book will know what to expect in spades. Anyone who hasn't, you don't know what you are missing.

One plot shone like a diamond, the other sunk like lead
Reaper Man was the last Discworld novel I had left to read. I really want to say that it wasn't a let-down and that I thorougly enjoyed it, but that wouldn't be entirely true. The story has two, relatively-unassociated plot arcs, one which follows the trials of Death attempting to live as a mortal, and the other which tells of Ankh Morpork laying eggs that give rise to killer shopping trollies.

It was this latter story arc where my dissatisfaction fell. It started out interesting, and I was anticipating the chaos that would ensure when the undead took over the streets of Ankh Morpork. I thought the mysteriously-appearing snow-globes were going to be some sort of 'lifetimes' for the people who weren't dying, and that Poons and the Fresh Start club would have to retrieve every globe in the city to end the chaos. And I really wish this (or something along these lines) had have happened, because I believe it would have had funnier, more far-reaching consequences than the absurdity that was about to unfold. Killer shopping trollies and a giant organic shopping-mall thing??? Not funny, not plausable for the Discworld, NOT ENTERTAINING. Other instances where chaos had fallen on the city (eg. the events of Sourcery, Moving Pictures, Soul Music, and fires and civil wars) have been alluded to again in later books, but not so in this case and with good reason.

Next time I read Reaper Man I will probably skip the chapters with this story arc, which is a shame because TP introduces some great new characters here; namely, the members of the Fresh Start club and Mrs Cake and her daughter. It would be nice to see more of these characters in future stories because I believe they have some great potential. It's just the plot they found themselves in that stunk.

You might be wondering why I gave it 4 starts, after all this complaining I've just done. The reason is because of the OTHER story that gets told: that of Death and his relationship with Miss Flitworth. I think it's the most becautiful story Pratchett has ever written. Simple, but extremely dignified. You know how it will ultimately end, but Pratchett weaves a masterpeace that you can not stop reading. It is a fablel with a hundred simple messages, yet it is also a story of unfathomable depth. It more than makes up for events set in Ankh Morpork.

So for any other TP fans out there who haven't yet read Reaper Man, I suggest you go for it. Just be prepared for the Windle Poons plot to fizzle out. And read this book sooner than later, because the Death storyline introduces some of the concepts of later novels, such as the Dark Morris dance that the recent 'Wintersmith' revolves around, and the introduction of the Death of Rats, who appears in all later Death novels.

Au Lait ?
"Reaper Man" is the tenth book in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series. He has gone on to win the Carnegie Medal for "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" and was awarded the OBE in 1998.

Death - tall guy, somewhat underfed, big grin, wears a black robe - appears in more Discworld books than any other character. However, "Reaper Man" is only the second - after "Mort" - where his appearance in anything other than a very brief cameo. Unfortunately, if the Auditors have anything to do with it, it'll also be his last appearance, Since his personality has led to certain 'irregularities', they've decided he should be retired. Unfortunately, one of the side-effects of his retirement will lead to Death's death. However, in the time that he has left, Death packs his belongings and decides to live : he begins by taking a job as a farmhand at harvest-time. Luckily, he has some experience with a scythe....

Death never actually did the killing himself - he left that to assassins and soldiers, for example - he just took over when people died. His retirement has now caused certain complications : since no suitable replacement has yet been brought into existance, the dead aren't quite...staying deceased. Up until this point, one of the perks of being a wizard was that Death himself - and not one of his minor demons - turned up to usher you into the next life. Unfortunately, when Death fails to arrive for Windle Poons, the Unseen University's oldest wizard has nowhere else to go but back to his old body. Windle isn't impressed : he'd planned for reincarnation, not an afterlife as a zombie. With the help of the Fresh Start Club (for the recently undead), he intends to find out what's happening...though with his former colleagues at the University assisting, he might just die trying.

Despite his profession, Death is one of the funniest characters on the Discworld - nobody does deadpan (boom boom) quite like him ! As the second book to give him a starring role, it may prove a slight advantage to have "Mort" - which is also very funny. However, even if you've never read anything by Pratchett before, you should still enjoy "Reaper Man". Very highly recommended.