Death Series by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestseller in England, where they have catapulted him into the highest echelons of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse -- especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory. As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals... moreTerry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestseller in England, where they have catapulted him into the highest echelons of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.In this Discworld installment, Death comes to Mort with an offer he can't refuse -- especially since being, well, dead isn't compulsory. As Death's apprentice, he'll have free board and lodging, use of the company horse, and he won't need time off for family funerals. The position is everything Mort thought he'd ever wanted, until he discovers that this perfect job can be a killer on his love life. less

'Death has to happen. That's what bein' alive is all about. You're alive, and then you're dead. It can't just stop happening.'But it can. And it has. So what happens after death is now less of a philosophical question than a question of actual reality. On the Disc, as here, they need Death. If Death doesn't come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can't have the undead wandering about like lost souls... more'Death has to happen. That's what bein' alive is all about. You're alive, and then you're dead. It can't just stop happening.'But it can. And it has. So what happens after death is now less of a philosophical question than a question of actual reality. On the Disc, as here, they need Death. If Death doesn't come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can't have the undead wandering about like lost souls. There's no telling what might happen, particularly when they discover that life really is only for the living... less

Смерть Плоского мира - не некая абстрактная неприятность, что случается рано или поздно с каждым из нас. О нет! Во-первых, Смерть - это он. Со всеми вытекающими…Во-вторых, Он весьма ответственный, ведь всем известно, как это неприятно - умереть не вовремя.В-третьих, у него есть дочь, собственный дом, слуга Альберт (в миру - самый могущественный волшебник Плоского мира и основатель Незримого университета - Альберто Малих) и лошадь Бинки (да, живая, ибо возня со скелетами уже порядком поднадоела)... moreСмерть Плоского мира - не некая абстрактная неприятность, что случается рано или поздно с каждым из нас. О нет! Во-первых, Смерть - это он. Со всеми вытекающими…Во-вторых, Он весьма ответственный, ведь всем известно, как это неприятно - умереть не вовремя.В-третьих, у него есть дочь, собственный дом, слуга Альберт (в миру - самый могущественный волшебник Плоского мира и основатель Незримого университета - Альберто Малих) и лошадь Бинки (да, живая, ибо возня со скелетами уже порядком поднадоела).В общем, Смерть Плоского мира - весьма примечательная личность. И из-за этого и начинаются проблемы…Впервые под одной обложкой коллекционное издание первых двух романов из цикла о Смерти! less

Other children get given xylophones. Susan just had to ask her grandfather to take his vest off. Yes. There's a Death in the family.It's hard to grow up normally when Grandfather rides a white horse and wields a scythe – especially when you have to take over the family business, and everyone mistakes you for the Tooth Fairy.And especially when you have to face the new and addictive music that has entered Discworld.It's lawless. It changes people.It's called Music With Rocks In... moreOther children get given xylophones. Susan just had to ask her grandfather to take his vest off. Yes. There's a Death in the family.It's hard to grow up normally when Grandfather rides a white horse and wields a scythe – especially when you have to take over the family business, and everyone mistakes you for the Tooth Fairy.And especially when you have to face the new and addictive music that has entered Discworld.It's lawless. It changes people.It's called Music With Rocks In.It's got a beat and you can dance to it, but...It's alive.And it won't fade away. less

Death Trilogy collects three of Terry Pratchett's most beloved Discworld novels--all involving that especially lively character Death. Mort, the first volume, concerns the education of a brash young apprentice: "Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort he offered him a job." Unfortunately Mort lacks the detachment required for the job and starts interfering in the process, causing a rift in reality. In Reaper Man, volume two, "Death is missing presumed ...er ... Gone"... moreDeath Trilogy collects three of Terry Pratchett's most beloved Discworld novels--all involving that especially lively character Death. Mort, the first volume, concerns the education of a brash young apprentice: "Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort he offered him a job." Unfortunately Mort lacks the detachment required for the job and starts interfering in the process, causing a rift in reality. In Reaper Man, volume two, "Death is missing presumed ...er ... Gone". This leads to an increase in the Undead population, hence the emergence of the Fresh Start Club (Undead Yes--Unpeople No). And in the final volume, Soul Music, the story revolves around Susan, Death's granddaughter, and Music with Rocks in it. As with anything in Discworld, Music is magical and the affect it has on the inhabitants is nearly catastrophic. Taken together in one collection, this natural progression of novels is vintage, hilarious Pratchett. --Mark Ridley less

Susan had never hung up a stocking . She'd never put a tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. It wasn't that her parents didn't believe in such things. They didn't need to believe in them. They know they existed. They just wished they didn't.There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo... moreSusan had never hung up a stocking . She'd never put a tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. It wasn't that her parents didn't believe in such things. They didn't need to believe in them. They know they existed. They just wished they didn't.There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo. Anything that undermines superstition has to be viewed with some caution. There may be consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. When those consequences turn out to be the end of the world, you need to be prepared. You might even want more standing between you and oblivion than a mere slip of a girl - even if she has looked Death in the face on numerous occasions... less

Time is a resource. Everyone knows it has to be managed.And on Discworld that is the job of the Monks of History, who store it and pump it from the places where it's wasted (like underwater -- how much time does a codfish need?) to places like cities, where there's never enough time.But the construction of the world's first truly accurate clock starts a race against, well, time, for Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd. Because it will stop time... moreTime is a resource. Everyone knows it has to be managed.And on Discworld that is the job of the Monks of History, who store it and pump it from the places where it's wasted (like underwater -- how much time does a codfish need?) to places like cities, where there's never enough time.But the construction of the world's first truly accurate clock starts a race against, well, time, for Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd. Because it will stop time. And that will only be the start of everyone's problems.Thief of Time comes complete with a full supporting cast of heroes and villains, yetis, martial artists and Ronnie, the fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse (who left before they became famous). less