Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Gollancz (2013), 304 pages
Description
They say there are only two things you can count on ...But that was before DEATH started pondering the existential. Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now DEATH is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use. But like every cutback in an important public service, DEATH's demise soon leads to chaos and unrest -- literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons. The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University -- home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners -- Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine. To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork's undead and underemployed set off to find DEATH and save the world for the living (and everybody else, of course).… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Terry really hits his stride on this one. It is readable on two completely different levels. Firstly and most obviously - what happens when Death takes a break (without an apprentice this time)? People get killed but they don't die. 130yr old Wizard Windle Poons comes back to life as one of the
The other level almost independant of the plot is a parable against modern corporate business practise. Shopping malls prey on the city's life, and the doom of independant thought appears as auditors. Sixpence may well be sixpence but each stalk of corn is unique and should be appreciated by those who cut it short, not mown down in the face of progress.
Interspersed are the numerous trademark jokes and references to other events, Indiana Jones, a poor pun in French etc.
Great fun, one of my favourites.
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undead. Life energy builds up in the city of Ankh Morpock and all sorts of things start to happen. Meanwhile Death helps bring in the harvest and learns some more of what it means to be human.The other level almost independant of the plot is a parable against modern corporate business practise. Shopping malls prey on the city's life, and the doom of independant thought appears as auditors. Sixpence may well be sixpence but each stalk of corn is unique and should be appreciated by those who cut it short, not mown down in the face of progress.
Interspersed are the numerous trademark jokes and references to other events, Indiana Jones, a poor pun in French etc.
Great fun, one of my favourites.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Paper or Plastic?: Imagine, for a second, this reviewer's bookshelves. Let your eye wander; there's the hardcovers, the Vonnegut collection, Asimov heaped carelessly near the top, next to a carelessly tossed collection of old batteries. And there's the Pratchett collection, book after book dealing
Reaper Man is obviously one of my favorite books in the Discworld trilogy. It was also the first: I randomly picked it up around the age of fifteen or so at an airport, because the cover intrigued me. (I possess what looks like th English version, with various characters parading across the cover on and around Death's horse: the black hardcover shown on Amazon looks nice, but the new bland paperbacks being issued now of this one are awful.) Suffice to say, I was immediately hooked, and what a book to start off with when it comes to an introduction to this series. It's held up well.
When we get down to the facts, this is a DEATH novel. In the Discworld, the reaper man has slowly become a full-fledged character, and because he's no longer just an abstract concept, he suddenly decides he doesn't want to do it anymore. (Existential psychosis: the bane of all thinking creatures.) Suffice to say, the powers that be are not happy, and they set out to make things right. Along the way, a recently deceased wizard who gets a second shot at life has to figure out, along with some very entertaining friends, on what exactly is happening with all this 'unreaped' life around...
This is primarily a book about redemption, the second chance, and what it means to be human. If you read this book and want to learn more about the character of death, here is his serial arc in terms of book titles, although, honestly, it's OK to start with Reaper Man:
ERIC , REAPER MAN , SOUL MUSIC , HOGFATHER
He also, of course, shows up quite regularly in other books as a special sort of cameo. Happy reading, I hope this review was helpful to you.
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with the delightfully organic and weird universe of the Discworld. All of the paperbacks are worn from use, but two stand out: Small Gods, which is waterlogged from being dropped in water, stained from coffee, and so helplessly battered that the front cover has fallen off, and Reaper Man, which isn't much better. Reaper Man is obviously one of my favorite books in the Discworld trilogy. It was also the first: I randomly picked it up around the age of fifteen or so at an airport, because the cover intrigued me. (I possess what looks like th English version, with various characters parading across the cover on and around Death's horse: the black hardcover shown on Amazon looks nice, but the new bland paperbacks being issued now of this one are awful.) Suffice to say, I was immediately hooked, and what a book to start off with when it comes to an introduction to this series. It's held up well.
When we get down to the facts, this is a DEATH novel. In the Discworld, the reaper man has slowly become a full-fledged character, and because he's no longer just an abstract concept, he suddenly decides he doesn't want to do it anymore. (Existential psychosis: the bane of all thinking creatures.) Suffice to say, the powers that be are not happy, and they set out to make things right. Along the way, a recently deceased wizard who gets a second shot at life has to figure out, along with some very entertaining friends, on what exactly is happening with all this 'unreaped' life around...
This is primarily a book about redemption, the second chance, and what it means to be human. If you read this book and want to learn more about the character of death, here is his serial arc in terms of book titles, although, honestly, it's OK to start with Reaper Man:
ERIC , REAPER MAN , SOUL MUSIC , HOGFATHER
He also, of course, shows up quite regularly in other books as a special sort of cameo. Happy reading, I hope this review was helpful to you.
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LibraryThing member 391
Reaper Man nicely evolves Death's character arc. This was the first Discworld book I ever read, and although I was a bit confused, the added backstory helped me to appreciate Death in his appearances throughout the rest of the series.
LibraryThing member jnicholson
When the auditors decide that Death is taking too personal an interest in his job, they fire him. Until the new Death is constructed by conglomerate belief, no-one is collected. Meanwhile, Death gets a job as a farmhand.
Terry's 'Death' character is possibly one of his most interesting. He starts as
An excellent read on many levels.
Terry's 'Death' character is possibly one of his most interesting. He starts as
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a shallow character whose motivation is to catch Rincewind, who keeps narrowly evading him. In 'Mort', we learn that he doesn't understand humans but is trying to. Here, he experiences mortality and consequently there is another shift in his understanding.An excellent read on many levels.
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LibraryThing member Darla
What can I really say about this? I re-read it because my older son's been reading them, and when he finishes one, I stick it in my TBR pile to re-read, the TBR pile being so huge that I need an excuse to re-read anything.
DEATH's got too much of a personality, so TPTB fire him. While he's off
One of those problems is Wizard Windle Poons. Wizards know when their time is up, and DEATH comes personally to collect them. The wizards at the Unseen University have thrown a farewell party for old Windle, but the time comes and goes, and, well, Windle doesn't.
To say that hilarity ensues would be putting it mildly. It would also be missing a good part of the point. There is incredible hilarity; there's also a large dollop of existentialism and pathos--much about the meaning of life and death, and there's even the poignancy of a relationship between Bill Door and his employer, aged spinster Miss Flitwick.
Reaper Man is one of the earlier books in the Discworld series--the 2nd in the DEATH sub-series, and, I believe, the 11th overall, so it's somewhat less complex than the later books. It's still an amazing, deceptively simple story.
DEATH's got too much of a personality, so TPTB fire him. While he's off
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finding a new job and a new identity as farm hand Bill Door, his job is being left undone on the Discworld, leading to all kinds of problems.One of those problems is Wizard Windle Poons. Wizards know when their time is up, and DEATH comes personally to collect them. The wizards at the Unseen University have thrown a farewell party for old Windle, but the time comes and goes, and, well, Windle doesn't.
To say that hilarity ensues would be putting it mildly. It would also be missing a good part of the point. There is incredible hilarity; there's also a large dollop of existentialism and pathos--much about the meaning of life and death, and there's even the poignancy of a relationship between Bill Door and his employer, aged spinster Miss Flitwick.
Reaper Man is one of the earlier books in the Discworld series--the 2nd in the DEATH sub-series, and, I believe, the 11th overall, so it's somewhat less complex than the later books. It's still an amazing, deceptively simple story.
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LibraryThing member utbw42
A hilarious look at what happens when Death decides to take some time off from his job: literally all hell breaks loose. This could only be told this hysterical by Terry Pratchett, one of the all-time masters of satire. Parts of this book had me rolling, but I have to say the last 1/4 of the book
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got a bit muddled, but it was still a very enjoyable book. The scene of Death being asked if he had any experience with a scythe before he goes out to reap corn on a lady's farm is just a freaking riot. Show Less
LibraryThing member ecumenicalcouncil
Definitely my favourite Pratchett novel Reaper man manages to seamlessly blend absurdity with metaphysical speculation. It's in this novel that the character of Death is developed to its full extent. Pratchett at his best.
LibraryThing member pwaites
Reaper Man is an excellent novel about mortality and the value of life. While it is the eleventh Discworld novel, it can be read independently of the others and is a fairly good book to start the series with.
“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away…”
Reaper
From this initial beginning the book splits into two plot lines. The majority of the page time is spent on Windle Poons, a 130 year old wizard who dies but doesn’t end. Instead, Windle becomes one of the undead. Together with his fellow undead and the staff of the Unseen University, Windle must deal with an overabundance of life force and a new threat to the city. The other plot line deals with Death himself. When he’s fired he’s given time before an eventual death of his own. He gets a job on a small farm and begins to live among humans.
Death’s a wonderful character, and his journey through Reaper Man is beautiful. He’s eager to understand humans and human experiences, but everything is new and almost out of his grasp. He starts to feel time encroaching when he wants nothing more than to go on living.
“Was that what it was really like to be alive? The feeling of darkness dragging you forward?
How could they live with it? And yet they did, and even seemed to find enjoyment in it, when surely the only sensible course would be to despair. Amazing. To feel you were a tiny living thing, sandwiched between two cliffs of darkness. How could they stand to be alive?”
While I’m not as interested in Windle’s character, it’s interesting how his path is almost the opposite of Death’s in that he suddenly has more time, not less. But both Death and Windle learn to find value in the time they have.
Like with the best Discworld books, Reaper Man makes you both laugh and think, moving from hysterically funny one moment to thought provoking the next, sometimes managing to be both at the same time. It’s a book I’ve loved for a long time and have been able to share with friends and with my dad. It’s a book that I would recommend to everyone. After all, we are all human and will have to meet Death someday.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away…”
Reaper
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Man, in short, is a book where Death gets fired. Not death, the end of living, but Death, the grim reaper who who carries away the souls.From this initial beginning the book splits into two plot lines. The majority of the page time is spent on Windle Poons, a 130 year old wizard who dies but doesn’t end. Instead, Windle becomes one of the undead. Together with his fellow undead and the staff of the Unseen University, Windle must deal with an overabundance of life force and a new threat to the city. The other plot line deals with Death himself. When he’s fired he’s given time before an eventual death of his own. He gets a job on a small farm and begins to live among humans.
Death’s a wonderful character, and his journey through Reaper Man is beautiful. He’s eager to understand humans and human experiences, but everything is new and almost out of his grasp. He starts to feel time encroaching when he wants nothing more than to go on living.
“Was that what it was really like to be alive? The feeling of darkness dragging you forward?
How could they live with it? And yet they did, and even seemed to find enjoyment in it, when surely the only sensible course would be to despair. Amazing. To feel you were a tiny living thing, sandwiched between two cliffs of darkness. How could they stand to be alive?”
While I’m not as interested in Windle’s character, it’s interesting how his path is almost the opposite of Death’s in that he suddenly has more time, not less. But both Death and Windle learn to find value in the time they have.
Like with the best Discworld books, Reaper Man makes you both laugh and think, moving from hysterically funny one moment to thought provoking the next, sometimes managing to be both at the same time. It’s a book I’ve loved for a long time and have been able to share with friends and with my dad. It’s a book that I would recommend to everyone. After all, we are all human and will have to meet Death someday.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member barpurple
The first Discworld novel I read and the reason I fell in love with the pancake world.
Death is fired by the Auditors of Reality and that causes all manner of problems for Windle Poons and everyone else on the Disc who was schedualed for their Final Appointment.
There's two storylines that run side
It's laugh out loud funny in places and well worth a read.
Death is fired by the Auditors of Reality and that causes all manner of problems for Windle Poons and everyone else on the Disc who was schedualed for their Final Appointment.
There's two storylines that run side
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by side and intertwine. One follows Windle Poons, wizard deceased, and the mystery of the snowglobes. The other follows Death as he learns to cope with this human concept called time and the importance of the harvest.It's laugh out loud funny in places and well worth a read.
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LibraryThing member Zmrzlina
I've read a few Discworld books now and this is up among my favorites. Death is lead character and goodness he is such a likable guy..erm...character. Death has had it with his job and decides to call in sick, or perhaps leaving it all behind is more apt, like the high power corporate exec does
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when she decides to go live in the mountains and enjoy life. But Death finds enjoying life isn't so easy when one hasn't experienced life. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nikkles
I love DEATH! This may be one of the best fictional . . . characters of all time. The story is fun and engaging. Disc world humor at its best!
LibraryThing member John5918
As funny as ever. This one concentrates on Death. And supermarket trolleys.
LibraryThing member jkholm
Reaper Man
By Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett takes on the concept of what would happen if Death took a holiday and stopped taking dead people to wherever it is they go when they die. Since this is a Discworld novel, Death is personified as a robed, skeletal figure WHO ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL
Reaper Man contains the usual assortment of wacky characters, puns, and jokes one would expect in a Discworld novel. I liked the self-help group of the recently Undead and the wizards were funny too. Unfortunately, the book isn’t as hilarious as the last two Discworld novels I read, Guards Guards and Wyrd Sisters. The plot of a strange threat about to take over the Disc is too similar. Also, the explanation for why a city is somehow evolving and taking the form of snow globes and shopping carts is convoluted and murky. Similarly, the philosophical reasons behind how Death works and the idea of “life force” are too abstract to make much sense.
Overall, this is an average Pratchett novel. If you’ve never read one of his books, I recommend starting with Guards Guards. Reaper Man is best saved for later when you’re trying to complete your collection.
By Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett takes on the concept of what would happen if Death took a holiday and stopped taking dead people to wherever it is they go when they die. Since this is a Discworld novel, Death is personified as a robed, skeletal figure WHO ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL
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LETTERS. The plot follows Windle Poons, an extremely old wizard who is ready to die and get on with the afterlife. When his appointed time comes (and every wizard knows exactly when he’s going to die) Death doesn’t show up and Windle discovers that in addition to still being dead, his mind is now more alert than ever and his body is stronger than it has been in decades. Still, it’s no picnic being dead and still hanging around so Windle decides to find out what has happened. Meanwhile, Death decides to see what it’s like being a human and takes on a job as a farmhand for a widow. (He’s very handy with a scythe during harvest time.) In addition, the wizards at Unseen University must deal with some very strange occurrences as a living city (more on that later) tries to take over the town of Ankh-Morpork. Reaper Man contains the usual assortment of wacky characters, puns, and jokes one would expect in a Discworld novel. I liked the self-help group of the recently Undead and the wizards were funny too. Unfortunately, the book isn’t as hilarious as the last two Discworld novels I read, Guards Guards and Wyrd Sisters. The plot of a strange threat about to take over the Disc is too similar. Also, the explanation for why a city is somehow evolving and taking the form of snow globes and shopping carts is convoluted and murky. Similarly, the philosophical reasons behind how Death works and the idea of “life force” are too abstract to make much sense.
Overall, this is an average Pratchett novel. If you’ve never read one of his books, I recommend starting with Guards Guards. Reaper Man is best saved for later when you’re trying to complete your collection.
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LibraryThing member gercmbyrne
Terry Pratchett is a god who walks among men. The entire Discworld series is a joy and only a strange mad creature cursed by gods and man would refuse to read and love these books!
Death is made redundant, and takes himself off to experience a little life before well, the End. Of Everything. But he
Death is made redundant, and takes himself off to experience a little life before well, the End. Of Everything. But he
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finds himself enjoying life among the mortals and a feeling that life is too precious to waste stirs him to rebellion! Show Less
LibraryThing member ironicqueery
It's nice to read about Death. He appears in just about all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, but is never quite fleshed out (pardon the pun). With Reaper Man, a deeper glimpse of Death is finally given as he fights for his life, so to speak.
There aren't so many parallels between Discworld and
There aren't so many parallels between Discworld and
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modern time as are usually found in the Discworld books, but this was still an entertaining read. I personally prefer the more "philosophical" books of Pratchett's, but given his large catalog of works, I suppose I can forgive an occasional foray into straight fantasy. Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
In which Death takes forced retirement and acquires time, the Auditors cause much drama, death (lower case D) backs up and life overflows, a dead wizard takes a hand in his own afterlife, and predatory seeds infest Ankh-Morpork.
One of my favorite Discworld novels, and the one in which Death of
One of my favorite Discworld novels, and the one in which Death of
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Rats first appears. Funny and pointed, and I discovered new details while re-reading, as always. Show Less
LibraryThing member Zommbie1
Synopsis: Death is given time and goes off to use it. Chaos ensues because without death life cannot move on and in classic Discworld manner life hangs around.
My Thoughts: I think I read my first Discworld novel about ten years ago and it was instant love, and the character I fell the most in love
When the auditors decide that Death has become a personality contrary to regulations they give him time. And in typical Death manner he goes off to use it. He becomes farm hand Bill Door. Deaths absence as, well...Death, leads to problems for the other Discworld inhabitants, amongst them the Wizards at the Unseen University (or UU one of the few reasons I considered going to Uppsala University was the acronym UU). The Wizards are, erm...special people. Very set in their ways as befits proper Wizards and when one of their own fails to move on they set about solving the problem. However, when Wizards solve problems this tends to create other problems.
Pratchett has a way of seeing society in a way that you yourself could not but when he writes it down you go "oh yeah, of course". One of these incidences comes at the beginning of the book when the Wizards are throwing Windle Poons a death party. It reminded me strongly of the leaving parties that pop up occasionally at work, where everyone pretends to like the person and hope them well but secretly just want to get on with their own lives. The forced jollyness is always palpable.
As with any Pratchett book it is hard to explain what happens without giving away the whole story but I will say that I haven't laughed this much over a book in absolutely ages.
My Thoughts: I think I read my first Discworld novel about ten years ago and it was instant love, and the character I fell the most in love
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with was Death. Death has always been a bit different from how death should be, sure he has a hood, carries a scythe and is a bit of a skelington* but he also has a contemplative side and he does have family.When the auditors decide that Death has become a personality contrary to regulations they give him time. And in typical Death manner he goes off to use it. He becomes farm hand Bill Door. Deaths absence as, well...Death, leads to problems for the other Discworld inhabitants, amongst them the Wizards at the Unseen University (or UU one of the few reasons I considered going to Uppsala University was the acronym UU). The Wizards are, erm...special people. Very set in their ways as befits proper Wizards and when one of their own fails to move on they set about solving the problem. However, when Wizards solve problems this tends to create other problems.
Pratchett has a way of seeing society in a way that you yourself could not but when he writes it down you go "oh yeah, of course". One of these incidences comes at the beginning of the book when the Wizards are throwing Windle Poons a death party. It reminded me strongly of the leaving parties that pop up occasionally at work, where everyone pretends to like the person and hope them well but secretly just want to get on with their own lives. The forced jollyness is always palpable.
As with any Pratchett book it is hard to explain what happens without giving away the whole story but I will say that I haven't laughed this much over a book in absolutely ages.
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LibraryThing member Homechicken
This is the second book in the Death/Susan series (the first is Mort). It was a great book,although reading Mort is not a requirement for reading this book. Quite enjoyable and full of witty puns, I love each one of Pratchett's novels.
In this story, Death finds out he's going to die and be replaced
It's a great read and well worth your time.
In this story, Death finds out he's going to die and be replaced
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by a new death, so he takes his last days off and goes and lives like a normal human. You can imagine how he doesn't quite fit in. During his hiatus, and before the new Death starts, all the people dying in the world aren't being taken care of, and the excess life energy is causing strange things to happen. Wizards at the Unseen University are trying to figure out what's going on and how to put things right in their usual, argumentative ways.It's a great read and well worth your time.
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LibraryThing member ronincats
I've quite an extensive collection of Pratchett, but somehow had missed this one. I'm filling in the gaps in my library with PaperBackSwap, and this one showed up a few days ago, to my delight. I have a pretty steep standard on my ratings. 5 is reserved for those true classics, far above the
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madding crowd, 4 is reserved for those books that, as you close the last page, you sigh in regret and say to yourself, "Ah, now THAT was a story!" And this book IS a 4. I loved the development of DEATH, even though I had already met him in [Mort] and [Hogfather]. The wizards' plot was the low comic relief, clever as always, but not as moving as the other plotline. I always enjoy [Pratchett] but some of his books take that step above, and this is one of them. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleepydumpling
A little bit of a slow starter, but once it got going, lots of fun and an engaging story. I loved Miss Flitworth. And Lupine and Ludmilla (I have a thing for werewolves though). I think I will read more of the Discworld series soon.
LibraryThing member Cauterize
The second book in the Death novels. Death is given his termination notice by the higher ups, and he decides to live his retirement on the Discworld. Meanwhile, the wizards at the University are investigating some mysteriously multiplying snowglobes that are showing up on campus. I thought anything
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to do with the Death storyline was absolutely hilarious, but that the wizard storyline lagged until near the end with the “Yo!” parts Show Less
LibraryThing member Sean191
This was one of my favorite Pratchett Discworld offerings to date. Containing probably my second favorite character (first favorite being a certain cranky box with hundreds of little legs).
LibraryThing member lecari
The next book in the Death series after 'Mort'. I really enjoyed this one. I love the Unseen University wizards anyway but I thought they were particularly funny in this one, and I loved Death as Bill Door! I found the trolleys really funny as well. A really good story, with lots of clever wit and
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laughter in it too. Show Less
LibraryThing member mossjon
Probably a 3.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous today.
I enjoyed the humor and the silliness churned out by Terry Pratchett in this Discworld novel. I also liked the philosophical wonderings of Death that resulted in a kinder, gentler Grim Reaper.
I enjoyed the humor and the silliness churned out by Terry Pratchett in this Discworld novel. I also liked the philosophical wonderings of Death that resulted in a kinder, gentler Grim Reaper.
LibraryThing member ablueidol
A story for those rainy days when only the imagined life told with wit and wonder brings back the sun. Why aren't his books filmed more?
Awards
Prix Imaginales (2002)
Prix Ozone (1999)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991-05
Physical description
304 p.; 7.87 x 5.35 inches
ISBN
1473200113 / 9781473200111