MORT follows, well, Mort as he signs on to be an apprentice for Death. Yeah, that Death. You may know him as the Grim Reaper? As an apprentice, Mort must learn the ways of bringing about the end of one’s life and ushering them into the void when their time comes. But is Death really looking for help? Or is he looking for a potential replacement? Do any job long enough and you begin to feel the fatigue. But in Death’s case, he has been doing this job since the beginning of time. Is this something he wants to continue for all eternity?

Pratchett does it again! I guess he’s beloved for a reason? Death’s brief appearance in Guards! Guards! had me very excited to check out his standalone series especially given that one of his books down the line has him taking over the job of The Hogfather (a version of Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick). Death’s sojourn into the human world to try and find another passion came across as both philosophical as well as damn hilarious – the scene where Death attempts to get plastered in a bar alone had me laughing out loud.

Mort on the other hand, is the novel’s backbone as he takes a critical look at mortality and what it means to defy fate. As Mort attempts to right a perceived wrong, he creates two alternate realities where the one created as a result of his decision ultimately has to fight with the “correct” reality driven by fate. This raises a lot of questions about Death’s duty and if swimming upstream against destiny is truly a trip you want to take.

While Mort doesn’t quite hit the heights of Guards! Guards! (my first Discworld experience), it is still high quality comedic fantasy goodness. I’m looking forward to continuing down this path and spending a good few years in Discworld.