Reaper Man
They say there are only two things you can count on...But that was before DEATH started pondering the existential. Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now DEATH is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use.But like every cutback in an important public service, DEATH's demise soon leads to chaos and unrest -- literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons. The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University -- home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners -- Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine. To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork's undead and underemployed set off to find DEATH and save the world for the living (and everybody else, of course).
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- The quote that really has stuck with me was also from Pratchett:
"What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the reaper man?"
This caught me in two ways:
1. Death is the release. Whatever suffering you're undergoing, it won't follow you into whatever comes next, even if that is absolute oblivion. The relief would be welcome, I assume. So that's at least one positive way to look at it.
But moreso:
2. Everyone's death is individual and special. The process of getting to it is different for everyone, and the journey is just as much a part of the process as the destination. It isn't something to fear, because you cannot stop it, but it is something to consider as you move through your life.
Cancer is the fucking devil. I, myself, have been lucky enough to avoid it for now, but we spent the last year with my father and lymphoma. It's a fucking nightmare of cancer treatment and chasing side effects from the cancer treatments until the end. He chose to die with hospice on the family farm; it wasn't the most dignified death due to the symptoms of his cancer, but it was peaceful and with family/friends. So that's something.
His treatment didn't really bother me, and his process didn't really depress me; it was the people like the older lady in your write-up that really stuck with me. In his first month on the cancer floor, his across the hall neighbor was just like that. Her only lucid moments were either screaming in pain, or nonsense phrases on repeat from what I assume was her childhood.
Terrifying.
I hope that your life goes well all the way to the end. I genuinely do not know what to say other than that.
- That book has one of my favorite quotes, "What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?"
I don't know why but that brings me to the verge of tears when I read it.
- I love Terry Pratchett. I have read (and reread and reread) nearly everything he has written. His early works were more monty-pythonesque than his later ones (less plot, more random hillarity). I advise against a "let's start from the beginning and read to the end" strategy where Color of Magic or the Light Fantistic were your starters.
Pratchett is a superb satirist (Vonnegut is the only equal I have discovered). His dialog is great. There are so many chuckle worthy moments. And then there are just really deep profound moments as well. You can read them in any order. There are reappearing characters, but each book stands on its own. They focus more on immediate content than overall plot arcs. The more you soak yourself in discworld in general, in any order, the funnier and more rewarding it all gets.
The book that has the most cross over with the reasons we all post to HN is probably Going Postal, because it satirizes the world of information dispersal. Who owns the content? Who gets to be the gatekeepers, etc.
If you like Monty Python style humor, you'll probably enjoy those that have Rincewind and/or the Unseen University the most.
I love any of the books with Death in it (Hogfather, Reaper Man, Mort, Soul Music, Thief of Time).
My son loved all of the Sam Vimes books. If you love police/detective stuff, this is for you.
If you want a little more plot, the Tiffany Aching series has that. Read all of these aloud (multiple times) to all of 3 of my girls.
I don't even know how best to introduce/characterize/promote The Witches (Weatherwax, Ogg, et al). If you value common sense and wish there were more of it in the world?
If you couldn't be bothered to read, then watch the BBC mini series "Good Omens", it's on Prime. It's derived from a book of the same name written by Pratchett and Gaiman (though I think Terry did most of it, since it feels much more Pratchett than Gaiman to me). And they did a superb job of adapting and staying true to the book.
- My first was Reaper Man, which isn't a bad place to start. Better from a context point of view to start with Mort perhaps, but not necessary.
His take on Death often fills the role of the outsider, trying to understand us and by doing so exposing our oddities, much like Data in Trek and other such characters. Possibly that is why the books that feature him heavily are some of my favourites.
- I agree. I’m a big fan of the DEATH story arc, but outside of Mort and Reaper Man, Amazing Maurice might be my favorite book in the series. So very well written and felt like Pratchett was at his best.
- All of Terry Pratchett's books, but especially "Reaper Man".
Read it at a young age, and it has informed my general life philosophy ever since.
