Reaper Man

“...no-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away... The span of someone's life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence.”
― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

This was one of the first Discworld books I ever read and I had no idea when I picked it up what I was in for. Turns out it was the perfect book for me; a far out story with wacky, witty humor. I had no idea at the time that Discworld was a fantasy series parody; to me this book had a life of its own and much better than any standard warrior and wizard novel. You don't have to read the series in any particular order. You can pick up any of these books and enjoy them without feeling lost.

Re-reading I came to appreciate it on a deeper level besides just “woo, zany comedy.” There is a tidy symmetry between the two main stories. The Death incarnation from Discworld is fired and has to live as a mortal human. Rather than existing as an eternal, unchanging being, he experiences a life with limited time. He also needs an occupation, so he gets a job as a farm hand and becomes a companion to an old woman, and even risks his life to save a child.

The second part of the story is Windle Poons, a wizard who dies but is not allowed to move on because Death is absent. He is forced out of his sheltered life at the University and becomes active and observant, something he never was when he was alive. He discovers an evil entity that's trying to take over the city by means of a shopping mall, and he and his new undead friends help foil it.

Both Death and Windle Poons have greater adventures and deeper human connections than they would have been capable of in their original incarnations. It may be a cliche but it seems the characters needed to face death in order to live life fully. With Pratchett this message never becomes too cheesy because he knows how to throw in the jokes at the right moments.

There is also an assortment of eccentric characters if the two above don't strike a chord with you. There's a psychic who answers your questions before you know you're going to ask them. The bullheaded wizard archchancellor whose curse words turn into flying insects. And don't forget the boogeyman who is just looking for a door to hide behind.

If you like Discworld and haven't read this one yet, it's worth picking up. If you're thinking about trying the series this is a fine place to start. Good for fans of humor, fantasy, SciFi, and intelligent thoughtful writing.

Y'know what, I was prepared to give this book maybe a 4 stars until the ending hit me straight in the feels and I cried throughout the last 10-20%.

It's not even a particularly sad ending. Pratchett keeps the action and the plot light-hearted and completely absurd throughout the entire book. But Reaper Man really showcases how masterful he is in writing about such complex, deep, and abstract thoughts in such a light-hearted and absurd way. (Huge kudos to Nigel Planer whose narration of the audiobook and performance for each character significantly amped up my enjoyment of this book)

Reaper Man's plot is fairly simple - Death has been sort of “suspended” from his work and has gone to seek work elsewhere. In the meantime, all around Discworld, lives are ending but Death isn't there to take it away, resulting in an overabundance of life force which makes things happen.

The humour here is still very much on point, but what struck me as the biggest difference between this one and the first book in the series, Mort, is that it's more - introspective somehow? It's funny that this book is more philosophical and thought-provoking than actual philosophy or self-help books.

I don't know if it's just me being emotional or hormonal, but the themes in this book and the semi-abusrd way Pratchett dealt with them just went straight to my feels. This review is all over the place because this book is truly one of a kind. I'll end it with some amazing quotes:

Alone of all creatures in the world, trolls believe that all living things go through Time backwards. If the past is visible and the future is hidden, they say, then it means you must be facing the wrong way. Everything alive is going through life back to front.

“If people knew when they were gonna die, they'd probably lead better lives.”IF PEOPLE KNEW WHEN THEY WERE GONNA DIE, THEY WOULDN'T LIVE AT ALL.

Death travels inside that space where time has no meaning. Light thinks it travels faster than anything, but it's wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds that darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.

I truly enjoyed the adventures of Bill Door, and Pratchett has some lovely sentiments about the human condition. But I always feel like he's amusing himself far more than he's amusing me, and the wizards' plot grew tiresome. Still, the other side of the story deserves 4 stars on its own, and Mrs. Cake & Ludmilla are well worth getting to know.