“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”

This is my second dive into the world of Terry Pratchett, and unfortuantly I didn't enjoy this book as much as Mort. I found it hard to find my rhythm with this one, it all felt too random and I couldn't figure out the plot, plus I couldn't get attached to any of the characters a part from Death. Even though this is part of the Death Collection I feel like it took a while before he was properly in it.

I really like Prachett's way of writing, the humour and how just plain bonkers it all is, however I found the structrure of this book to be differnent from Mort and more confusing. Due to the events of the previous books and Death not really acting quite himself it's been decided he's to be replaced...times up. And instead of working till the sand runs out of his hourglass Death decides to use his remaining time.

Enter Windle Poons, a wizard about to die, but that's fine, wizards understand this sort of thing. When his big moment arrives Windle finds no one waiting to escort him off, so he climbs back into his body. From this point we follow him trying to figure out what to do, as he did die and is still dead, whilst his fellow colleagues and wizards trying all manner of supernatural ways to re-kill Windle and whilst Death begins working on a farm.

It didn't feel like this book had any drive or knew where it was going, but maybe that was my own confusion; the mysterious snow globes didn't help either. Or perhaps it was because I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. But regardless, this won't put me off, by the end Death is easily an absolute favourite of mine.

“Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.”

Discworld #28

This was a reread although it's been so long that I didn't really remember it. I think I enjoyed it more this time around, mainly because I wasn't stuck so much on it being for "younger readers" and I just really love Maurice's character. I wish he'd retire with one of the old ladies though.

Die Scheibenwelt und der TOD. Es ist einfach sehr unterhaltsam. Und ich merke, dass es mir immer leichter fällt, wenn die Abstände nicht so groß werden, in denen ich die Bücher lese. Ich erinnere mich an all die abstrusen Charaktere. Dann machen mir auch die 29467 Handlungsstränge und Szenenwechsel gar nicht mehr so viel aus... Also fast gar nichts mehr. Es ist immer noch alles sehr bizarr. Und manchmal frage ich mich auch, was der Autor mir eigentlich sagen will. Aber vielleicht ist das einfach alles gute Unterhaltung. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Kann doch auch mal reichen. 

Tatsächlich gab es in diesem Band auch einen tiefergehenden Schmerz: der Sinn und die Gerechtigkeit vom TOD. Und das stellt auch die Sinnkrise dessen dar-verständlicherweise, wenn man bedenkt, dass der TOD seine eigene Ziehtochter und ihren Ehemann (seinen ehemaligen Lehrjungen) abholen muss. Allein der Gedanke stürzt mich in ein Debakel.

Also neben all dem Humor und der abstrusen Nebenschauplätze - sehr gute und tatsächlich auch berührende Unterhaltung. 

Sex on a Stick (Greebo by Paul Kidby)