Friday Favorites: Personifications of Death

 

Death has been around forever. Most cultures have a personification of Death and cultural traditions associated with him. For example, putting coins on the eyelids of a dead person to make sure they have the fee to give the ferryman to pass over the river Styx into the realm of the dead.

Death is still very much present in modern literature. Today I'd like to talk to you about two of my favorite representations of Death. The first one is from the book Mort by Terry Pratchett. It is part of the Discworld series. Death's appearance is familiar - black cloak, skeletal body, and scythe. Where Death differs is in how he speaks and what all he wants. Death speaks in all caps, all the time. And Death takes on an apprentice because he wants to experience the world he hasn't fully known. What follows are some quotations from the book.

"It was the sort of smile that lies on the sandbanks waiting for incautious swimmers."

"How do you get all these coins?" asked Mort. "IN PAIRS."

It is a fact that although the Death of Discworld is in his own words, an ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION, he long ago gave up using the traditional skeletal horses, because of the bother of having to stop all the time to wire bits back on."

Death was standing behind a lectern, pouring over a map. He looked at Mort as if he wasn't entirely there. "YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE BAY OF MANTE, HAVE YOU?" he said. "No sir," said Mort. "FAMOUS SHIPWRECK THERE." "Was there?" "THERE WILL BE IF I CAN FIND THE DAMN PLACE."

"I USHERED SOULS INTO THE NEXT WORLD. I WAS THE GRAVE OF ALL HOPE. I WAS THE ULTIMATE REALITY. I WAS THE ASSASSIN AGAINST WHOM NO LOCK WOJULD HOLD."

"Yes, point taken, but do you have any particular skills?" - Death consulting a job broker.

"I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU," he said, "BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY."

The other personification of Death I enjoy comes from the book A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. Charlie Asher's wife passes away unexpectedly. When Death comes to.call he is able to see him. After that it seems that Charlie has been tasked with the job of being Death. Chaos ensues. 

He finds a publication: "So Now You're Death: Here's What You'll Need."

"In order to hold off the Forces of Darkness, you will need a number two pencil and a calendar, preferably one without pictures of kitties on it."

"Funny how the illusion of safety can make us careless." 

"Know what I like about mysteries? They're mysterious."

"He realized, with no little sense of irony, that until he became Death, he'd never felt so alive."

"Sometimes, a man must muster all of his courage simply to sit still. How much humanity has been spoiled for the confusion of movement with progress, my friend? How much?"

"He crossed against the light, limping slightly under the weight of the subtext."

And this one from his daughter Sophie, "Kitty!"

I hope you've enjoyed the Friday Favorites. Do you have a favorite Death character? Let us know in the comments. Make sure to add the book name so we can add it to our TBR. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld - Terry Pratchett

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read 2: Open to a random page 3: Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

“You don’t understand!” screamed the tourist, above the terrible noise of the wingbeats. “All my life I’ve wanted to see dragons!” 

“From the inside?” shouted Rincewind.

location 139 of 5213

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #472: A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Prachett

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

A delightfully funny, fantastically inventive collection of twenty newly unearthed short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett, the award-winning and bestselling author and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld fantasy series. This special trove—featuring charming woodcut illustrations—is a must-have for Pratchett fans of all ages and includes a foreword by Neil Gaiman.

These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for a British newspaper during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now, and might never have been found—were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans. 

As Neil Gaiman writes in his introduction, “through all of these stories we watch Terry Pratchett becoming Terry Pratchett.” Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create.

Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork . . .

Irresistibly entertaining, A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett, a “master storyteller” (A. S. Byatt) who “defies categorization” (The Times); a writer whose “novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies” (Independent UK).

A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett is expected out October 10th, 2023 from Doubleday.

Why am I waiting on this book? I love Terry Pratchett. He is a fantastic writer - imaginative and talented at expressing himself.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #80 - Darwin's Watch by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

A welcome addition to the Discworld books, Darwin's Watch is scheduled for release June 9, 2015 from Anchor, a division of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 

Synopsis from the publisher:

Something terrible is happening on Roundworld: when Charles Darwin writes Theology of the Species, science is set back one hundred years and the wizards of Discworld must struggle to save the inhabitants of Earth...er, that's Roundworld...from an apocalyptic end.

The mind-bending Science of Discworld series offers a wizard's-eye view of our world in a clever mash-up of fiction and fact. When a wizardly experiment inadvertently brought about the creation of Roundworld the wizard scholars of Unseen University did their best to put things on the right course. In Darwin's Watch they may face their greatest challenge yet: A man called Darwin has written a bestselling book calledThe Theology of the Species, and his theory of scientific design has been witlessly embraced by Victorian society and scientific progress has consequently slowed to a crawl. Now the question is can the wizards find a way to change history back to the way it should have been? In Darwin's Watch, the authors explore the impact of major scientific advances on our planet and our culture, the dangers of obscurantism, and the evolution of the theory of evolution as you have never seen it before. This brilliant addition to Pratchett's beloved Discworld series illustrates with great wit and wisdom how the laws of our universe truly are stranger than fiction.

Why am I looking forward to it?

Well. Discworld and Terry Pratchett. I've really enjoyed his writing over the years. And, I am curious as to how the theory of evolution is presented, as a former biology teacher.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Terry Pratchett and Soul Music

The Discworld writer's death was announced on his Twitter profile.

Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.

Terry Pratchett (@terryandrob) March 12, 2015

The End.

Terry Pratchett (@terryandrob) March 12, 2015

Among other things that happened not long after his death, over 3,000 people signed a petition asking Death to bring him back. 

That made me think of Soul Music, when Death disappears and his granddaughter takes over. Maybe people are asking the wrong person to bring him back? I'm pretty sure he would be amused by the petition. I  kept hoping we would hear, like from Mark Twain, that the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. 

And oddly enough I had just shared the first book in the series with my daughter about a month ago. I had shared Soul Music with some of my students when I was teaching. I hope that they will all enjoy his books for a long time to come. 

The edition of Soul Music in the picture was published in May of 2003. Synopsis from Goodreads.com: 

When her dear old Granddad -- the Grim Reaper himself -- goes missing, Susan takes over the family business. The progeny of Death's adopted daughter and his apprentice, she shows real talent for the trade. That is until a little string in her heart goes "twang." 

With a head full of dreams and a pocketful of lint, Imp the Bard lands in Ankh-Morpork, yearning to become a rock star. Determined to devote his life to music, the unlucky fellow soon finds that all his dreams are coming true. Well almost. 

In this finger-snapping, toe-tapping tale of youth, Death, and rocks that roll, Terry Pratchett once again demonstrates the wit and genius that have propelled him to the highest echelons of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.

I don't need to really review it here. Suffice it to say that I really loved the book. And it was one of many of his Discworld books that I found to be so entertaining.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Soul Music:

"The hippo of recollection stirred in the muddy waters of the mind."

"She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept on trying to interfere with it."

"Be careful what you wish for. You never know who will be listening."

"She had a tall bearing and a tall voice and a tall manner and was tall in every respect except height. Amazingly, she'd apparently been able to keep this a secret from people."

Terry Pratchett will be missed.