This instalment, the first in the ‘Death’ sub-series, was perfectly fine, but didn’t deliver the major step-up in quality that I’m still hoping for. Mort was the first Discworld novel to be a bestseller, and Pratchett said it was the first Discworld novel with which he was “pleased” in terms of plot: certainly I noticed the latter element was much more substantial, without the density of and emphasis on jokes of the first two Rincewind books and the social commentary element of Equal Rites.

Mort, the protagonist, is a dreamy, inquisitive lad who hails from a farming family but becomes an apprentice to the Grim Reaper, initially going through a lot of the standard trials of the young grasshopper (cleaning out stables etc. in the mode of early training montages in martial arts films) but later inadvertently tearing the fabric of reality the minute he’s left to strike out on his own. Death makes cameo appearances in some of the earlier novels, but is much more fleshed out here (no pun intended), and plenty of the amusement stems from him taking time off work to put himself in unfamiliar environments such as dancing and drinking — I particularly liked the scene where he applies for a new job.

Not only was this very plot-driven, but the story itself is surprisingly complex, involving alternate reality timelines and spells that can ‘shrink’ or change them as a form of manipulation, meaning we get a rather challenging exploration of morphogenetic fields and the like interwoven with the usual cheesy jokes. This ties into themes about the importance of accepting the inevitability of death and not attempting to avoid the inevitable: Death is neither moral nor immoral, but simply is, so it makes no sense to impose human values of justice or fairness on what amounts to a force of nature. There’s a surprisingly poignant message here among the easygoing tone, particularly in light of Pratchett’s own untimely death.

My favourite aspect, in deeper exploration of this theme, was the character of Albert, Death’s elderly, unassuming servant who

Spoiler

turns out to be over 2,000 years old, having achieved immortality by accidentally establishing himself as Death’s servant through a Rite gone wrong, and avoiding death through his everyday proximity to the Grim Reaper, allowing him a permanent role outside of ordinary human existence

. The direction taken with his character caught me completely by surprise and showed how Pratchett had considered some of the complexities resulting from the choices he made in Death’s characterisation. Sex and gender are not as thematically prominent here as in Equal Rites, but we do get the subverted trope when

Spoiler

Mort rescues a princess, only to decide to shack up with an, ordinary, chubby common girl instead

.

I understand some of the weaker aspects here (such as the protagonist, who is deliberately written in a pretty stereotypical way) are discarded in future instalments in this sub-series, and we enjoy an increasingly complex portrayal of Death himself, so I look forwards to that. I agree with those who suggest this as an entry option into the Discworld books, as long as they don’t go in with overly heightened expectations.