REVIEW - MORT
So I finished The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic (which although are 'standalone', follow one another chronologically to the point where they are frequently published as one book) and, as I did not have access to the 3rd (chronologically published) Discworld book I decided to skip straight to Mort.
I was a bit worried about messing up the plot for myself. But Pratchett is just so good at writing standalone stories that meld into his meta-verse beautifully that I didn't have any problems! Reading Discworld is like watching the best sitcom ever. Each book (episode) makes sense on its own (and is a delight!) but if you've read all the others you find jokes and references, place names and characters that you feel you know intimately, which deepens your emotional connection with the story (in spite of its extreme silliness) and makes it a fantastic reading experience. And the characters! I really thought it was going to be difficult for Pratchett to top Rincewind and Twoflower. They are the two most ridiculous yet loveable characters I've ever read about. But wow! Mort and Death certainly do not pale in comparison.
I was a bit worried about messing up the plot for myself. But Pratchett is just so good at writing standalone stories that meld into his meta-verse beautifully that I didn't have any problems! Reading Discworld is like watching the best sitcom ever. Each book (episode) makes sense on its own (and is a delight!) but if you've read all the others you find jokes and references, place names and characters that you feel you know intimately, which deepens your emotional connection with the story (in spite of its extreme silliness) and makes it a fantastic reading experience. And the characters! I really thought it was going to be difficult for Pratchett to top Rincewind and Twoflower. They are the two most ridiculous yet loveable characters I've ever read about. But wow! Mort and Death certainly do not pale in comparison.
Pratchett's style of description is really great. He doesn't fall into the Robert Jordan fantasy-trap of over-describing everything in the setting - and yet he manages to communicate everything about the setting to the point where your imagination is just alive with details over what the Discworld looks like. He is really great at including the right details, and manages to balance the senses well. Most writers will just describe images, but Pratchett's description is visceral, in that he utilises all of your senses to help you see his world.
