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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780061020681
ISBN: 0061020680
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 243
Publication Date: February 01, 2001
Publisher: HarperTorch
Release Date: February 06, 2001
Sales Rank: 11437
Studio: HarperTorch
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Product Description:
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestseller in England, where they have catapulted him into the highest echelons of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.
In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse -- especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory.As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - good introduction to the series
I tossed this one back in my TBR pile after my son read it to give me an excuse to re-read. 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 emotion stuff.
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, I think, 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.
Rating:  - Discworld virgins, start here!
To people who have never read a Discworld novel, I always recommend they skip the first three novels (The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites)and start with Mort. Pratchett writes the Discworld novels as a series of threads with a small collection of one-off novels. The novels are not written in chronological order. He may do a sequel to one novel and then some time later do a sequel to an earlier novel.
Mort starts what I call the Death thread and my daughter calls the Susan thread, Susan (Death's Granddaughter) being her favorite character. It continues with Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, and Thief of Time. Although the events of these novels interact with the events in his other Discworld novels, (Thief of Time, for instance sets up the events in Night Watch) it is not necessary to have read the others to enjoy these. Nor (I stress this) is it necessary, or even desirable, to read the novels in published order.
Why skip the first three published novels? In my opinion, Pratchett started out writing mediocre parody of other fantasy authors, (Fritz Leiber, Anne McCaffrey, Robert E. Howard, among others) but then, something really clicked with Mort - starting out as a parody of Death Takes a Holiday, it takes an abrupt turn and becomes something truly original and compelling -- funny, sad, silly, and truly suspenseful. The Discworld novels after Mort, with only a couple exceptions, got better and better until Pratchett reached his peak with Night ... Read More
Rating: - Even better than the novel
I loved the novel and I think I like this play even more!
My year 12s are looking for a play to perform and I wasn't sure that this play would be suitable but I'm very pleased that it is. We only have 10 actors but I think with a combination of live action and cinematic theatre we will be able to stage it. That's what I love about Stephen Briggs' adaptations: they are so simple and easy to work with! (NB Performance rights are also very reasonably priced!)
Play has a cast of 24 but many are very small parts. Written in a style that is very easy to stage. Retains the discworld flavour without needing a prior knowledge of discworld to enjoy it!
Rating: - One of Pratchett's best
This book is hilarious! Like all of Pratchett's books, it has that deadpan British humor. In my opinion, the books which involve the Grim Reaper are the funniest, and "Mort" is one of the best.
Rating: - a death novel!
Death:mort, do you know why i asked you to clean the stable?
Mort:(thinking)... becuse they were dirty?
Death:yes.
some of the best moments in the discworld series can be found in this book. a real masterpiece.
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