Hands down 5 stars! I loved it previously I had only read the Witches books of the Discworld and I think I may have to add the Death books too!
Although this is book 4 in the Discworld book series, it could easily be read as a standalone
Mort is a bit of a free-spirit, not quite cut out for life as a farmer like his family so when a neighbour suggests he be someone else's problem as an apprentice his father thinks this is best. I mean, he can't even scare the birds from the land!
Just as the bell is tolling midnight Death comes to claim Mort - not in that way, he wants to take him on as his apprentice but will Mort be a better Reaper than farmer?
Mort feels quite badly for the souls he is being taught to collect but Death has warned him not to interfere with Fate because it could destroy the whole world with his compassion.
But when Death wants the day off to go fishing and leaves him in charge, Morts day goes from bad to really bad in this funny adventure. How badly can Mort mess reaping up? A lot!

DEATH comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job. Having been assured that being dead was not a pre-requisite for being apprentice to the Grim Reaper, Mort accepted. But from there things started to get complicated. Fourth in the series, this is generally accepted as the book where Pratchett truly cracked it and I have listened to the BBC radio adaption at least seven times. Another great entry point for novice readers, we see Mort trying to keep the business going when DEATH decides that he wants a few days off to let down his non-existent hair.

While DEATH has made appearances before, this is the first book where we get to know him as one of the strongest supporting characters in the whole series. DEATH is a kindly figure with a soft spot for cats. Early on we see him absolutely furious at the discovery of a bag of drowned kittens. He likes to eat curry and wants to understand the human race better. To that end, he adopted young Ysabell as a baby but he allowed her to grow into a teenager since he (naively) believed that a teenager would be easier to care for than a young child. The novel switches back and forth between DEATH sampling the best that humanity has to offer and young Mort getting himself into bother when he finds himself unable to reap the soul of the young Queen Keli.

Mort was the first Discworld novel that seemed to embrace the fact it is a novel, driven by plot rather than jokes and with a fairly close cast of characters. It deals with some interesting questions around employment as DEATH navigates his personal mid-life crisis around who he is beyond the job and Mort tries to stop the job changing him. There are also wonderings about mortality as well as some pretty great one-liners in its own right. I picked it as my number one because Mort is perhaps the most quintessentially Discworld novel of the series. Super plot, sharp humour, strong characters and a lot of subtext. If you read this and you like it, you may as well just turn around and read all the other books too. And you should. They're amazing.

Despite it being obvious that Pratchett is an icon of fantasy writing, his Discworld work is too removed from real world for me and I found this frankly harder than Shakespeare to read, like the other books I idiotically requested in a spree after they came highly recommended by someone who knows my taste (not as fantasy as this), and whom I highly trusted. These were a real miss for me and has totally put me off reading any other Pratchett. I will recommend them to anyone who really loves high fantasy and just hope that these are their cup of tea instead.

What’s not to Love about a Pratchett book. Mort is the first book in the Death series out of the discworld novels. A hugely creative and mesmerising fantasy world with series depth. Despite the seriousness suggested by the use of Death within the novel it’s actually full of humour and banter between the characters. Well worth a read and a dive into the Discworld novels.

A classic Pratchett novel which invites us to examine the meaning of life and Death. Mort is an entertainingly flawed hero and Death is, well, himself.

Review by The Mole
My first book in the Discworld series was, unsurprisingly, The Colour of Magic - the first in the series. What is more surprising is how it came about. My wife was getting birthday presents and asked our youngest (about 4 at the time) which she should buy and she chose it because it had the nicest cover! Since then I became a fan. In The Colour of Magic apart from Rincewind we also meet Death. Death is obviously a busy man as he shepherds the dying into their next... well we never really know what's next.

Death is also one of the most recurring characters in the series even if only in cameo roles. And such a busy individual needs help from time to time so he decides to visit a job fair and take on an apprentice - enter Mortimer, Boy or Mort in book 4 of the series.

Do complications arise when Mort meets Death's "daughter"? Or is it part of a greater plan? Is Mort ready to deputise when Death decides to take a break or is that a complication?

This is a story that can either mess with your head or you can sit back and just enjoy the ride. Enjoying the ride is what Pratchett would have wanted from you.

Another fabulously comical story and another great cover!

Mort is the natural starting place for all readers new to the inimitable Discworld, one of the greatest series of any genre of all time. High praise? Absolutely. But deserved without a doubt.

I've read this book many times and it never gets old, I love this odd found family and wonderfully bonkers take on the 'Death takes a holiday' trope, and as a long time Discworld lover it's always a treat to see the beginnings of Terry Pratchett's sarcastic genius take root in these early works. Mort is beloved for many readers - it's a perfect standalone introduction to the intimidatingly long fantasy series, the first story starring the fan favourite character of Death, a delightful parody of multiple genres and cliches, but most importantly it's just plain fun to read. Oh, and it has a lovely heart at the core of it, like all of Terry's best works do. As this was written decades ago some things haven't aged particularly well, but it's not off-putting and doesn't negate the good feeling and humour of the entirety of the book. I highly recommend Mort - and do on an almost daily basis at work - to anyone looking to begin their Discworld journey.

Fun and hilarious, the wonderful character of Death takes on a apprentice, Mort, satisfied with a position with a number of benefits, he makes a catalogue of errors! Absolutely brilliant!

Mort by Terry Pratchett is one of my all time favorite books. It take you on a journey of death positivity and a unique representation of the grim reaper.

Another Death book and an explanation of sorts as to how Death came to have a granddaughter in the first place. Instead of delivering Mort to the afterlife, Death offers him a job as his apprentice. Which is when things start to get weird. Really funny book about living and dying. Read with Reaper Man for full effect.

Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job.

Mort is the first book in the Death sub series, and book number 4 in the Discworld series.
In my opinion, it's a good place to start, and my favourite sub series starter book.

A fantasy adventure novel that deals with complexities and concept of death....and is also funny. This book nails all three of the above aspects, and how they interact with one another - truly a mad idea when you read that sentence with no concept of who Pratchett is or what his writing style consists of.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

I loved reading this book again as much as I did 30 years ago. The difference is that now I could appreciate the more nuanced humour as much as the slapstick. A brilliant story that begins STPs study of the concept of DEATH, which continues in later novels. Like all of the Discworld books the veneer of the fantasy adventure story overlays a serious commentary of mortality

‘Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job. ….’

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Mort’ by Terry Pratchett in exchange for an honest review.

‘Mort’ was originally published in 1987 and is Book 4 of The Discworld series and Book 1 of the Death series. I had originally read its first paperback edition in 1988. I welcomed the opportunity to reread and complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook narrated by Nigel Planer.

After failing to be chosen at an apprentice fayre, Mort and his father are stopped on the road by a black-cloaked skeleton. Death, the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, offers Mort an apprenticeship. He accepts as there’s job security, free board, use of the company horse, and best of all being dead isn’t compulsory.

Mort slowly adapts to his new responsibilities yet on his first solo mission gets himself into a spot of bother. He has to correct the situation before the boss finds out and receives unexpected assistance from Death’s daughter, Ysabell.

Death is one of my favourite Discworld characters and this novel was just so much fun. I was frequently in tears of laughter. The banter between teenagers Mort and Ysabell was especially amusing.

The Discworld always delights and Terry Pratchett was so skilled in sending up various fantasy tropes alongside social satire. I plan to reread others in the series in the near future.

On a side note, I was pleased to see that the publishers have retained Josh Kirby’s iconic cover art.

Highly recommended.

Rereading Pratchett is always a joy - and Mort has always been a favourite character. The only sadness is knowing that Sir Terry has now had his own meeting with Death - and we'll never get to read that conversation...

I have no idea, why it took me so long to get to T.Pratchett's books... I kept hearing about Mort and had it sitting in a back on my mind, that I definitely need to read it at some point. So happy I finally did!
It's the whole world of it's own - rules and laws, languages and countries.. I just emerged myself in it. Very interesting and engrossing, I could not put it down! Devoured really quick and I think that's where my journey in the magic world(s) of Terry Pratchett begins.
I would recomend for anyone with even slightest interest in fantasy/sci-fi literature...

Ah, where do I begin, my first love, my first meandering into the magnificent discworld that I never want to leave, fantastic characters, great plots, fantastic and world beating humour. I love the Death novels the most, although the witches are almost equal with Death, but Mort is where I first fell in love with Death at a young age when introduced by my big brother, an eternal debt I owe him, but to return to this, after so many years apart it was like I was a teenager again, these books are for any age, as long as you have a heart and a sense of humour. Mort is my first love , I think it may be my last too.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Witches will always have a special place in my heart, but the Death novels by Pratchett are a close second.

In this first novel in the Death sub-series Death is taking on an apprentice, who then upsets the history of the future of Discworld and creates two versions of reality.

Yes, Pratchett might not be at his peak in this early Discworld novel, nevertheless this is a great book; the dark and absurdist humour, the characters, the world building.

This was my first introduction to Terry Pratchett many years ago, and still remains one of my favourites. Mort is looking for a job but he's somewhat taken aback when Death himself, a skeleton in a black cloak, offers to make him his apprentice. Once he finds out he doesn't have to be dead himself to take on the job, he begins to relax. Death, who ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS, has a daughter called Ysabell, rides a white horse called Binky and has a room full of life-timers. It's all going very well until Mort, grim reaper in training, takes on the duty by himself. There are some lovely moments. When Death gives Mort the afternoon off, he gives him a bag of pennies to spend. Since Death is not materialistic Mort asks how he gets pannies and DEATH replies, 'IN TWOS, MOSTLY.' If you haven't read Terry Pratrchett before (and if not, where have you been?) this is a good starting place.

Death is one of my favorite characters in the Discworld and this is the first book in the Death series.
I find hard to review a Pratchett book because I loved them all and loved anything featuring DEATH.
This is another funny and clever book, I found the plot well crafted and the world building amazing.
There's a lot of description of Death realm but this one is fascinating and dreamlike at the same time.
I laughed a lot and read this book quite fast. There's plenty of things going on, Mort is an unlikely apprentice and his story with Ysabel quite funny.
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (written in Death style)
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Mort was the first Pratchett I've ever read, in German back then. It was a joy to read it again in it's original language, there are some jokes that never make it past a translation. Go, read the book!!