Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
Blurb:
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.
The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Soul Music is the third book in the Death series and the sixteenth book in the Discworld series. The Death collection includes:
Mort
Reaper Man
Soul Music
Hogfather
Thief of Time
Review:
A few years ago… oh damn, it’s been almost a decade. Wow, it just hit me as I sat down to write this review that Discworld has been a constant in my life for seven years now. Well, this series is one of my annual comfy reads, and returning to this absurdist world feels like going on a cozy little vacation.
Honestly, I hit a reading slump at some point in early August. And it took me two days of no reading before I got myself a copy of the next Discworld book on my TBR. Lucky for me, Discworld #16 ended up being Death #3; the Death books are my favorite sub-series. Plus, the title made it seem like the book was going to be about jazz.
Wrong. It’s Music With Rocks In! So, we have Death, and we have one of my favorite music genres. The perfect recipe for a slump-buster. At least for me, personally.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
What I liked:
Death is going through an emotional crisis after the deaths of his adopted daughter Ysabell and his son-in-law, Mort. He takes an impromptu sabbatical, leaving the post of Death unoccupied. His attempts at regaining normalcy through the mundane really resonated with me, especially in the headspace I was in while reading this book. As I mentioned earlier, I was in a reading slump. The slump was a result of many different reasons I won’t get into here. I did take a break from some of my responsibilities as well as social media, and Death’s entire arc felt like it was mirroring my own life. And his coping mechanisms were so human, so real. It’s these little things that Pratchett does with his characters that really strike a chord with readers, making us feel seen and heard. Even if it is through the anthropomorphic personification of Death.
As a result of Death’s sabbatical, his granddaughter, Susan—raised without knowledge of her grandfather—slowly starts gaining Death’s powers in an attempt by the universe to keep things flowing. As much as I love Death, it was Susan’s storyline that resonated with me the most. It was fantastic, it was emotionally moving, and her character really carried this book forward. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of her time in her boarding school, the moment she’s called to adventure by the Death of Rats, her arc really picked up. I especially loved the montage of her picking up souls right after they had died… it was hilarious and quite different from how Death would handle it. As someone who’s managed projects that weren’t his responsibility, but was forced to because no one else could at the time, Susan’s struggles made complete sense to me. All that, whilst coming to terms with who her grandfather really is, or even her attempts at bending the rules… simply beautiful. She is a teenager after all. And it’s too much for a teenager to grapple with cosmic concepts of immortality and causality.
And then there’s Imp, Glod and Lias. Or Buddy, Glod and Cliff. Whichever you prefer. This story with the mysterious shop that sells them an enchanted/cursed guitar made up for the other half of the main plot. It progressed as expected, the antics hilarious, if not a tad predictable. I was pleasantly surprised that the ‘Soul Music’ referenced in the title wasn’t Jazz, Blues, or R&B, but Rock! It added a hilarious spin with regards to the cultural impact it has on the citizens of Ankh-Morpork. Pretty much like Rock Music did in the real world. And of course, when popularity soars and money is to be made… Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler was bound to make an appearance. In fact, I really loved how Pratchett used Dibbler here, standing in for the exploitative record labels profiting off their artists. I don’t follow music as much, so the story didn’t resonate with me as much as the two Death arcs, but the ‘Rocks’ aesthetic and the writing made this one an enjoyable experience too.
The remaining plots and characters—the Unseen University staff including the librarian (adding the customary ‘ook’ here), the beggars, and the Night Watch scenes—were all hit or miss. The hits were laugh out loud funny, while the misses were maybe just a soft exhale. Either way, their plots added more meat to the overall storyline, so I can’t complaint. Their inclusion made the book feel a lot more complete, resulting in an exciting finale and a satisfying ending.
What I didn’t like:
Honestly, not much. The beginning did feel a tad slow to me. However, thanks to the humor and Pratchett’s marvelous writing, the story picked up not much later.
Also, as can be expected from books with so many gags and jokes, some didn’t land. Other than that, a few scenes that felt like a slog did diminish my overall enjoyment of the book. The finale felt like it was going to bring back the dungeon dimensions. SPOILERS! I’m glad it did not. The ending did feel a tad too easy and too good to be true. But this is a Discworld book after all, and I came here for that warm feeling anyway.
However, all of these things are mere complaints. The positives resonated with me far more than the negatives interfered with my reading experience.
Conclusion:
Soul music isn’t the best Discworld book I’ve read, but it’s certainly one that’ll stay with me. It’s warm, it’s funny, it’s thought provoking… but most importantly, it’s a damn good read.
Death and Discworld’s equivalent of Rock Music, the perfect combo for a thrilling, hilarious tale that’s as profound as it is cozy. Pratchett never disappoints.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: Susan, Death, Music With Rocks In, Pratchett’s writing, most of the plot and characters
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Some jokes didn’t land, some boring scenes, a few minor issues with the climax/finale
