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Reaper Man: A Discworld Novel by: Terry Pratchett

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Average rating -

Rating: - Really rather good...

This was my first Pratchett, and i was impressed. There was some cool bits of story intermixed with solid humour and a bit of death (DEATH). Marvelous.

Rating: - Par for the Pratchett course - all right, but not great

It's pretty pointless reviewing a Terry Pratchett book, since the guy ships 'em by the truckload, but anyway... 'Reaper Man' was the first TP book I read (recommended to me by a Frenchman!! who couldn't stop going on about how funny it was). Now, I think I have a pretty good sense of humour (honest!) and like a good, funny read - the more hilarious and off-the-wall the better - but RM wasn't it. So I went on and read some more of the Discworld series, 19 in fact (before giving up), so I think I can express a reasonable opinion. Here goes:

# The Discworld books are okay. Harmless, inoffensive and mildly amusing. Side-splitters they are not. I never experienced the sort of clutch-your-sides-and-watch-you-don't-choke reaction which many readers obviously did. 'Soul Music' gave me a couple of smiles, but that's not much of a return on a 19-book investment.

# After you've read 4 or 5 (ANY 4 or 5), it becomes obvious that they are formulistic. Something weird happens, mayhem ensues etc. etc. Ultimately, they become repetitive.

# The much-vaunted word-play is frequently laboured and contrived. Puns and gags are often twisted to accommodate an upcoming gag, rather than the gag flowing naturally from the preceding text.

# The quality is variable. In a series of 20-odd titles, this is inevitable. 'Pyramids', for example, rarely rises above the level of a pot-boiler. If it had appeared under a name other than that of TP, it would have sunk without trace.

# Much of the praise heaped upon the series is not objective, but then fans rarely are.

# To maintain that Pratchett is the greatest satirist since Swift, or that the Discworld series are the greatest books ever written, is nonsense (and I suspect that those who so maintain realise it deep down).

In short: sales figures and fan devotion obviously show that there is a market for TP's books, but, in all objectivity, it's hard to see what all the fuss is about. My feeling is that the more Mr Pratchett sticks with the Discworld series, the more he is stagnating creatively, and I would really like to see him write a full-blown adult novel completely divorced from Death, Rincewind, Vimes etc. etc. But then, if MY mortgage depended on it, I probably wouldn't change either.

Rating: - DEAD Funny.

We once again pick up on the trail of DEATH, who is fast becoming the favourite character for so many Discworld fans. However these fans look set to be disappointed when DEATH goes missing! But somewhere out in the back of beyond, a tall dark figure is turning out to be very good with a scythe.

One of Pratchets best books to date, thoroughly enjoyable and extraordinarily funny.

Rating: - DEAD Funny.

We once again pick up on the trail of DEATH, who is fast becoming the favourite character for so many Discworld fans. However these fans look set to be disappointed when DEATH goes missing! But somewhere out in the back of beyond, a tall dark figure is turning out to be very good with a scythe.

One of Pratchets best books to date, thoroughly enjoyable and extraordinarily funny.

Review Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6