An awkward young man becomes the apprentice of Death himself and makes a very human mistake
Death takes an apprentice
Mort is a gangly, well-meaning farm boy whom nobody wants to hire. Then, at the last moment of the hiring fair, a tall figure in a black robe with a scythe offers him a job. Death needs an apprentice, and Mort moves into his strange, gloomy house beyond the edge of the world. All goes well until Mort is sent to do the job alone and decides to save a princess who was meant to die.
Who will enjoy it
Fans of comic fantasy and anyone looking for a funny, clever and surprisingly touching entry point into the Discworld series.
What you will get
A hilarious, warm-hearted and clever fantasy that finds jokes, wisdom and real feeling in the unlikely partnership of an awkward boy and Death himself.
Mort Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Discworld · Humor · Apprentice
Length
304 pages · ≈ 9 h
More about this book
Pratchett's Death is one of his greatest creations: a skeletal figure who speaks in capital letters, rides a white horse called Binky, loves cats and is endlessly curious about human life. In his house, Mort meets Albert, Death's grumpy servant, and Ysabell, Death's adopted daughter, with whom he constantly quarrels. As Mort learns the job, Death becomes interested in what it is like to be human, and he takes time off to try fishing, dancing, drinking and even working as a cook in a city restaurant.
Meanwhile, Mort's decision to save Princess Keli of Sto Lat from an assassin creates a split in reality. The world around Keli insists that she is dead, people forget she exists, and a bubble of the wrong reality slowly shrinks toward her. With the help of Igneous Cutwell, a young and rather incompetent wizard, Mort races to fix things before it is too late. Pratchett's humor works on every level, from wordplay to satire, and beneath the jokes lie thoughtful ideas about duty, fate and kindness.
Funny, fast and full of heart, and readable without knowing other Discworld books. About 304 pages in the Harper paperback.
The Light Fantastic
The Wee Free Men
Good Omens
Wyrd Sisters
Guards! Guards!
Men at Arms
Going Postal
Neverwhere
The Color of Magic
Hogfather
Dealing with Dragons
Howl's Moving Castle