Mort, like many teenagers, is gangly, unpromising, and struggling with a menial job - in his case, as Death's apprentice. He can barely handle his simple task of ushering souls out of Discworld, but he really screws up when he meets the beautiful Princess Keli, who is scheduled to be assassinated. Going against his boss's wishes, Mort kills Keli's assassin instead, which angers and interferes with Fate. But Mort's heroism seems to be for naught, since Discworld proceeds as though Keli had been killed, while Death has too much fun drinking and gambling to be any help. This is the fourth book in the Discworld series.
Browse more novels of Discworld.
Download and start listening now!
"This was the second Terry Pratchett Discworld novel I have read. After reading it, I was glad there are thirty or so books in the series. Don't be intimidated by that number-you don't need to read them in order. Terry Pratchett's books have the adventure/fantasy backdrop I like, but unlike many fantasy novels which tend to be quite serious, these are mostly comedic. I found myself laughing numerous times while reading Mort."
— Daniel (4 out of 5 stars)
" My favourite of the Discworld series so far! I'm reading them in order. "
— Nicola, 2/20/2014" Fun Book! Fun characters! Fun plot! Just fun fun fun! "
— Happycat, 1/30/2014" Definitely the best disc world book, read it before your our glass runs out. "
— Victoria, 1/14/2014" Though this book did not fulfill my wish to learn more about magic on the Disc, it did describe the roll of Death and the mundanities of his eternal job. I appreciate how Pratchett writes new stories to fill in minor characters from previous books. "
— Cory, 1/4/2014" Four stars for Death, as he's far and away my favourite Discworld character so far. That being said, his dour awesomeness isn't the main focus of this entry, as the action primarily centres on the character of Mort. As ever Pratchett is always clever and hilarious, but I didn't love this book quite as much as some of his other stuff. "
— Brian, 12/20/2013" Funny, light, breezy, witty, digressive fantasy about a peasant apprentice to Death. Entertaining, high re-readability, mildly profound. First Discworld novel read (thanks, Doyce), but not the last. "
— ***Dave, 12/19/2013" OMG so good!!!!! luved the part where rincewind was like "OMG, don't hurt me!! " and albert was like "what the heck are you talking 'bout, man?" ;D "
— Annabeth, 12/10/2013" Book 4 of my trek through the Discworld novels. Funny as always and I love the character Death. Only Pratchett could take such a dark, scary creature and make him look like a bumbling doofus. Well, I guess Bill & Ted did it in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey but that's a different story. "
— Ron, 10/11/2013" Death hires an apprentice. But why, you should ask. So he can become a short order chef. In the mean time, the apprentice is altering reality. "
— Paul, 6/21/2013" I loved Mort. The Death-centric novels are my favourites in Discworld. "
— Pippa, 1/30/2013" Death takes a holiday. Pratchett takes a simple idea and turns it into an amazing story. "
— Benny, 2/15/2012" I haven't read Terry Pratchett before and I can see the appeal. His writing is well crafted and the turns of phrases are witty and entertaining. I just didn't connect enough with any of the characters to give it three stars. If I could, I'd give it 2.5. "
— Maureen, 1/1/2012" What a great book, before long you will be rooting for Death himself with great compassion for his daily drudgery. "
— Mary, 2/4/2010" One of my favourite ! "
— Zuzka, 11/9/2009" One of the first discworld books I read and one of my favourites "
— Hessie25, 6/25/2009" I really liked this book! Death and his close circle of family/friends are totally awesome pretty much always. It's also quite a romantic one and I'm I a sucker for that. :) I still remember Mort's tribulations quite well and it's probably been close to a decade! "
— Rhaegar, 1/8/2009" Funny, witty and well written, the reader can steal a glance at Pratchett's marvelous Discworld. It sure convinced me to grab with confidence any other book written by him. "
— Sound, 10/7/2003" My first ever Terry Pratchett. "
— Shame, 8/31/2003" The best Discworld novel. "
— Simon, 3/22/2001" The first Discworld novel to look at how DEATH lives from day to day, and the first of his mid whatever crises. What happens when the manifestation of the ultimate reality decides HE wants an apprentice? "
— Niall, 11/22/2000" 3.0 stars. A good book, but seems to have lost a little of of the magic of the first two books which were excellent. "
— Stephen, 8/26/2000" How can you not adore a love story involving Death's apprentice? The first Terry Pratchett book I ever read. After this I was hooked. "
— Richelle, 4/27/2000Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English novelist known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series. His first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971, and after publishing his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983, he wrote two books a year on average. He was the United Kingdom’s bestselling author of the 1990s and has sold more than 55 million books worldwide. In 2001 he won the Carnegie Medal for his children’s novel The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature in 1998 and was knighted in 2009.
Nigel Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist, playwright, and voiceover artist. He has narrated countless audiobooks and, in this capacity, is best known as all the voices of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Nigel has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Hairspray, and has played various roles on screen and on television. His audiobook narration has won him two Earphones Awards.