Gollancz Mort: Discworld: The Death Collection

Nothing that the late great Terry Pratchett did was poor. This is no exception.I started my Discworld journey with Mort nearly 25 years ago! I enjoyed it this time just as much as I did then. The characters are so vividly written and the Discworld is a truly humorous mirror of our own world.It saddens me to realise that there will never be another novel by Sir Terry, but being able to revisit the old books is a constant delight.I do have some on my kindle but I love the paper books too. You can't take a kindle into the bath!If you've never had the chance to read any of these novels then Mort is a good place to start.

As this review seems to be copied onto the reviews for both Mort and Hogfather I will put both reviews here.MortThe forth Discworld novel, `Mort' is the first to centre on the character of Death and is probably my favourite of the early Discworld books. The story sees Death take on an apprentice called Mort who begins to learn the trade and get to know the eccentric members of Death's household. Things get more complicated though when, on his first solo mission, Mort makes a decision that could derail the course of history but with Death becoming more human and Mort becoming less so things only go from bad to worse.The series of Discworld books that focus on Death and his family are my favourite of the Discworld series and while this book is probably the weakest of that series it is still one of the better books from the early novels. The plot is good and the characters are all as interesting as you would expect from Discworld characters. Death himself is easily the best character in the book and this book is where he first starts becoming one of the best characters in the Discworld series. The style of writing is still not as polished as some of the later books but it is still recognisably Terry Pratchett.HogfatherThe year is ending, and the Discworld is gearing up for Hogswatch, the Disc’s version of Christmas. Something is different this year as the role of Hogfather, the Disc’s Santa Claus, is being played by a certain skeleton who is more comfortable on a white horse and carrying a scythe than with riding a flying sleigh and giving out gifts. After a fateful encounter on Hogswatch Night, Susan Sto Helit is determined to get to the bottom of things, with the help of some wizards and the Oh God of Hangovers.The twentieth novel in the 'Discworld' series, and the fourth to focus on Death’s household, 'Hogfather' has been one of my favourite 'Discworld' books since I first read it and after rereading it again for Christmas this year I must say that it is still a truly excellent book. Written in Pratchett’s brilliantly easy to read style, the book is incredibly engaging and is difficult to put down in places. The characters are al very interesting and it was this book that cemented death granddaughter Susan as one of my favourite fictional characters. The main antagonist of the novel, Mr. Teatime, is also a very nicely written and totally unhinged villain. Taking place during the Discworld’s version of Christmas, the book references, deconstructs and pokes fun at many different yuletide stories, tropes and clichés in Pratchett’s typically intelligent yet irreverent manner. If I had to criticise the book at all I would say that it is somewhat slow to start, but it does more than make up for it as the book goes along and the somewhat philosophical denouncement by Death towards the end of the book is one of my favourites from any book I have read.'Hogfather' is a truly brilliant book and is well worth a full five stars at the very least.

Great book! But I’m not writing a book review, I purchased the book! They gave me a delivery date!! It arrived before that date 😀 and it was in great condition and as I would expect it to be. Thank you very much

It's a brilliant book. Some say that this should be the first book you read when starting your Discworld adventure. I'd say start with Equal Rites (the book before) but that's only because Equal Rites, while not as good as this one, is still brilliant.It's a very good start to the series, and the books actually get better!

This is the book Terry Pratchett wanted to be made into a film (I know, because he told me). It stands alone, is hilarious, and quite short, so is a good introduction into the Discworld universe for the newbie. The story in a nutshell is what happens when Death gets himself an assistant so he can have some time off. I got this to give as a present.