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Title: Soul Music |
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Review of Soul Music
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.
Product Description
- Soul Music is the 16th book in the bestselling Discworld series, with close ties to the fourth book, Mort. Susan Sto Helit is rather bored at her boarding school in the city of Ankh-Morpork, which is just as well, since it seems that her family business--she is the granddaughter of Death--suddenly needs a new caretaker. --Blaise Selby
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Comments for Soul Music
- Posted on 2008-04-15
Wherein Death, Death's Grandaughter, Bud y Holly collide
Imp (Bud as in plants in Springtime) Y Celyn (Of the Holly trees) makes music his life (without understanding all the implications) and organizes a band with a troll, a dwarf, and briefly an orangutan; Death's grandaughter Susan considers the consequences of silliness, Death expresses gratitude with a rose in his teeth, a big hearing-impaired spotted cat arranges for a singer to appear with just one glove, the neighborhood witch arrangements are explained, a felonious monk's musical talent is discussed, and music-with-rocks-in is introduced.
One of the absolute best of Pratchett, and definately the best of the thread about Death. There are more rock and roll references per page than any other book in history, and more laughs than a rational man can deal with (I had no problem...) All the hallmarks of Pratchett's finest work; beautifully tangled threads of the story, humor both subtle and flagrent, puns to tears, and more than the customary presense of Death (and Death of Rats, and Death's servant Albert). It stands as well alone as it does as part of the Death stories or Ankh-Morpork stories.
Kudos!
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-04-12
Rockin' Real Rolls Over
It hardly gets any funnier than this: DEATH (skeleton in black robe) has a teenage granddaughter named SUSAN who gets a crush on a young musician Imp y Celyn (which translates Celyn = Holly, Imp = Bud). Ructions in reality ensue when Susan tries to save Buddy from his appointment with Fate.
If there is a musical catchphrase that Pratchett fails to warp, pun or riff off of, than it isn't an important one. Pratchett's characters are lively and engaging; his plot runs on rockets and his humor, whether you find it satiric or merely slapstick, is truly funny. As always, Discworld holds up a warped mirror to our world and shows a true picture. This is one of Pratchett's best. Highly recommended.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2007-01-09
Hey!! this is Terry pratchett. What can I say.
What a story teller. I really enjoy all the disc world books.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2006-09-19
There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvish
"Soul Music" is the sixteenth book in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 1994. He has gone on to win the Carnegie Medal for "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" and was awarded the OBE in 1998.
Death - tall guy, a little thin, carries a scythe, likes the colour black - appears in more of the Discworld books than any other character. By and large, he makes only a very brief appearance and - while the role he plays in "Soul Music" is still a supporting role - he has a huge influence on what happens in the book. Back in "Mort", he took an apprentice who eventually went on to marry Ysabell - Death's adopted daughter. In time, the pair had a daughter called Susan, who makes her first appearance here. As the book opens. Susan is a pupil at the Quirm College for Young Ladies. She can't quite remember her maternal grandfather, let alone what he doesfor a living...however, she has inherited some of his abilities. Unfortunately, Death is feeling a little depressed, and it seems there are certain things he'd rather forget. (The problem is that he's not quite sure how to go about forgetting). It's all causing Albert, Death's butler, and the Death of Rats quite some concern. When Death takes soe time off in order to try and forget, it also causes Susan a great deal of bother...you see, somebody's got to do Death's job...
Imp y Celyn, meanwhile, is a promising young harp-playing bard from Llamedos (a country with Welsh tendencies). After a blazing row with his father, he sets off to become the greatest musician in the world, and eventually arrives in Ankh-Morpork. While trying to join the Guild of Musicians, he meets Glod Glodsson (a horn-playing dwarf) and Lias (a troll who specialises in percussion). The trio, however, are a little short on funds and can't quite meet the subscription fee. This means they're barred from playing music professionally in the city...which is unfortunate, as the on ly way they can raise the money for the fee is by playing music professionally. Things get even worse when Lias accidentally breaks Imp's harp - though they soon make the mistake of replacing it with a guitar from a magical music shop. Inspired by the guitar, the trio invent a new style of music the becomes known as "Music With Rocks In" - something that leads them hurtling towards disaster. By the way, a rough translation for "Imp y Celyn" is "Bud y Holly"...
A big plus for the book is the return of Death of Rats and the introduction of his sidekick, Quoth the Raven. Quoth, named by a wizard who thought he was also a comedian, is partial to an eyeball and - like the skull he roosts on - can talk. However, he absolutely refuses to say "nevermore". A very funny book, with a plenty of nods to famous songs, bands and movies, it's highly recommended. It may be a slight advantage to have read "Mort" - though as the book begins with a brief introduction, you'll not really miss out if you haven't.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2006-08-27
Discworld
I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.
A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.
Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!
Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.
Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.
I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"
I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.
Score: 5