Terry Pratchett's Discworld - Mort
So here we go the book that commonly thought of as the moment that Discworld feels to click. I’ve talked in other readalongs about 1987 so let’s look at 1992 because I think this was definitely an early read when I got to it and this paperback is definitely based on the spine well loved so I may be spoiling the review for you.
In 1992 the Labour Party lost an election it was expected to win; Whitney Houston had the charts with I Will Always Love You, Charles and Diana separated and I was 15. The GCSEs are dawning big I think I felt more together back then I was starting to have a little gang of friends who I speak to even now. My memory is that I had started to track Discworld novels down after book 10 had given me the bug then I’d pass on to friends - book tempting was a thing early on.
My Copy
Publisher - Corgi
Price - £4.99!!
Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job.
After being assured that being dead was not compulsory, Mort accepted. However, he soon found that romantic longings did not mix easily with the responsibilities of being Death’s apprentice…
I think we need to remember that only four books ago Death was almost a proxy villain taking glee in Rincewind’s misfortunes. I noted at the time that this was jarring to the reader and this is a great explanation as to why I felt like that. While I think Mort is a very simple novel it’s brilliantly plotted AND manages to create some very interesting and human characters. Here a lot of the elements that have been threatening to get out of second gear finally let rip.
The plot is simple Mort is a gangly possibly useless teenager who asks too many questions and is out up for apprenticeship. At midnight he meets Death is is only hiring and wants Mort to learn his craft. Mort though gets a pang of conscience as a young princess Keli is due to be assassinated so Mort takes the assassin’s life - all good bar the unravelling of reality. Meanwhile Death begins to start to seek a life for himself…
So I’d argue this is the first tale that tells a complete story in itself it’s a clear middle, beginning and end. Pacing here is important and unlike Equal Rotes it never feels sped up. How’s that being done well I notice although reality is on the cusp of being altered and Mort could end up SPEAKING IN CAPITALS the scope is much tinier - the fate of the Disc is not at stake here it’s Keli and Mort’s lives. This gives the story a personal dimension and by the end where it’s Death Vs Mort we have a very powerful climax and one of my favourite endings. The odds are personal and that makes the story a lot more immersive for the reader.
And the personal really works here too. Mort is a personable young man with a conscience and while he’s clearly not the sharpest in the room he’s growing and we like him. As Death notes Mort acts out of compassion not pleasure. Pratchett gives us someone young working out their place in the world and even in Death’s team that is a role many of us can relate to. This leads us nicely to Death - no longer a villain but here shown as humane. He loves curry, mourns dead cats and there is a sense of humour but as the novel goes on we see someone incredibly lonely - Death has to put the chairs up at the end of the party and that is hurting him. It would have been easy to make Death a two dimensional villain for Mort to beat - actually we get someone we can understand and possibly knew the end result anyway. It’s an interesting tale where the only villain is the Duke of Sto-Helit and he’s really only a plot device. Here everyone is trying to find their place even Death and that’s quite a refreshing plot after multiple evil entities.
I also like the two central female leads here. Keli isn’t the eventual love interest and Pratchett shows her with good and bad points. Ysabelle also deepened understanding from apparent spoilt rich girl to capable heroine bailing Mort out of trouble - not sure they quite justify the instalove at the end but female characters here are evolving past stereotypical roles as the story develops.
I find the humour here sharper and all of it serves the story. The combination of Death, Ysabelle and Albert with Mort make some great jokes and misunderstandings. I love how Ankh Morpork is now much more the Mos Eisley of fantasy with thieves and amoral merchants all wanting to fleece someone of money and lives. It’s a much more interesting set-up. As well as lots of punchy dialogue Pratchett gets to create short asides that still serve the plot - I love the appearances of Goodie and the Abbot that shows Death isn’t simple it can be welcomed and it can be viewed as a short break. This adds to showing us Discworld’s death carries out a great service not just killing people. Keep an eye out for the #DiscworldReads thread shortly and I will share with you the gems I found.
I think this novel is sharp it may not have the biting social commentary but there is some lovely examination of life and death as concepts here plus some very funny lines. For me the key is everything here serves the story first not nods to other books but random side quests it’s all focused on building up to the last page. The strongest entry yet
next week - Sorcery (eek!)
