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Discworld #16
Soul Music
The sixteenth Discworld novel.
There's no getting away from it. From whichever angle, death is a horrible, inescapable business. But someone's got to do it. So if Death decides to take a well-earned moment to uncover the meaning of life and discover himself in the process, then there is going to be a void of specific dimensions that needs to be occupied, particularly so when there is trouble brewing in Discworld. There aren't too many who are qualified to fill Death's footsteps and it certainly doesn't help the imminent cataclysm that the one person poised between the mortal and the immortal is only sixteen years old.
There's no getting away from it. From whichever angle, death is a horrible, inescapable business. But someone's got to do it. So if Death decides to take a well-earned moment to uncover the meaning of life and discover himself in the process, then there is going to be a void of specific dimensions that needs to be occupied, particularly so when there is trouble brewing in Discworld. There aren't too many who are qualified to fill Death's footsteps and it certainly doesn't help the imminent cataclysm that the one person poised between the mortal and the immortal is only sixteen years old.
420 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
2084 people are currently reading
23856 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
684 books46k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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August 23, 2020
Stereotyping music, its industry, and the completely overrated impact of this terrible noise disturbance played by teenagers the next house across the street or, worse, next door. Stop that or I´ll call the police, you spoiled punk brats!
Creative commons, social collaboration, everything sharing, Kickstarter, Patreon, all that eco social stuff I am into too, etc. are all things Pratchett promotes indirectly by criticizing monopolies, dealers of content,
swivelers of adhesion contracts who give crumbs to the artists and the real cash to the temporary owners of their creativity, and the general mainstream plague destroying most of music, movies, series, and even books. They don´t even stop there, it´s terrible! It could also be seen as a criticism of the quality of overappreciated music itself by some, but I prefer the organized crime style music conglomerate guild hunting unlicensed musicians scheme.
The magic aspect of music is there too, so let´s get fringe pop fantasy sciency. Humans can hear it and it´s a wave, it´s even vibrating a bit if it´s dosed right, and we know close to nothing about physics and the universe. So why can´t it be that the effect of altogether, the words, possibly magic and hypnotizing effects, the right combination of notes like a code to manipulate physics, and the already existing abilities of the singer and the instruments, open up parallel universes, anomalies, haunt, invoke demons and angels, change reality, and assist and motivate during boring routine household activities.
That´s not just meant as a joke, just the impact of dancing, singing, and instruments in many cultish actions, be it institutionalized, satanic, indigenous peoples with drugs, or the equivalent in the form or a rave, beer tent, or music festival, should let one think. The participants, already stoned as hell, have their epiphanies, visions, etc., so it´s real for them, possibly even lifechanging or at least endangering. Would be pretty arrogant to say that there is nothing special about the mixture of annoying catastrophic cacophonic caterwauling and the mentioned influences. Just a pity that we have so few senses and reduced perceptiveness, more sensible humans or aliens might get even more out of it or directly interact with whatever.
DEATH is having one more of his midlife, endless life crisis, cry for attention crisis,… that dude should seriously consider a career change, it´s never too late, even after one or some eternities. Possibly something else with people or once something without, more professional gardening, something with animals, or why not try it with accounting or internal audit? „I could very well imagine you in that position.“, the human resources manager nodded towards the somewhat strange applicant. Also, his grandparenting skills are about as good as his parenting skills,
As I tend to repeatedly say, I don´t know much about music and musicians, so there are certainly hidden treasures, probably for both the groups and musicians Pratchett liked himself and the very famous ones. But because I am highly susceptible to earworms, I will hardly ever be able to improve my knowledge, I even subconsciously know a bit more about the classics and ancient writings I normally use in this sentence to glorify my incompetence. I don´t rudimentarily get, for instance, the hidden innuendos of how the music influences the wizards of The Unseen university. It´s a shame.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
Creative commons, social collaboration, everything sharing, Kickstarter, Patreon, all that eco social stuff I am into too, etc. are all things Pratchett promotes indirectly by criticizing monopolies, dealers of content,
swivelers of adhesion contracts who give crumbs to the artists and the real cash to the temporary owners of their creativity, and the general mainstream plague destroying most of music, movies, series, and even books. They don´t even stop there, it´s terrible! It could also be seen as a criticism of the quality of overappreciated music itself by some, but I prefer the organized crime style music conglomerate guild hunting unlicensed musicians scheme.
The magic aspect of music is there too, so let´s get fringe pop fantasy sciency. Humans can hear it and it´s a wave, it´s even vibrating a bit if it´s dosed right, and we know close to nothing about physics and the universe. So why can´t it be that the effect of altogether, the words, possibly magic and hypnotizing effects, the right combination of notes like a code to manipulate physics, and the already existing abilities of the singer and the instruments, open up parallel universes, anomalies, haunt, invoke demons and angels, change reality, and assist and motivate during boring routine household activities.
That´s not just meant as a joke, just the impact of dancing, singing, and instruments in many cultish actions, be it institutionalized, satanic, indigenous peoples with drugs, or the equivalent in the form or a rave, beer tent, or music festival, should let one think. The participants, already stoned as hell, have their epiphanies, visions, etc., so it´s real for them, possibly even lifechanging or at least endangering. Would be pretty arrogant to say that there is nothing special about the mixture of annoying catastrophic cacophonic caterwauling and the mentioned influences. Just a pity that we have so few senses and reduced perceptiveness, more sensible humans or aliens might get even more out of it or directly interact with whatever.
DEATH is having one more of his midlife, endless life crisis, cry for attention crisis,… that dude should seriously consider a career change, it´s never too late, even after one or some eternities. Possibly something else with people or once something without, more professional gardening, something with animals, or why not try it with accounting or internal audit? „I could very well imagine you in that position.“, the human resources manager nodded towards the somewhat strange applicant. Also, his grandparenting skills are about as good as his parenting skills,
As I tend to repeatedly say, I don´t know much about music and musicians, so there are certainly hidden treasures, probably for both the groups and musicians Pratchett liked himself and the very famous ones. But because I am highly susceptible to earworms, I will hardly ever be able to improve my knowledge, I even subconsciously know a bit more about the classics and ancient writings I normally use in this sentence to glorify my incompetence. I don´t rudimentarily get, for instance, the hidden innuendos of how the music influences the wizards of The Unseen university. It´s a shame.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe...
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
September 13, 2024
Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the Discworld.
Except there’s really not any sex to speak of, and … to be honest really not any drugs either.
But 1 out of three ain’t bad, er, well, I guess that’s 33 percent, so really not that good but …
But in Sir Terry Pratchett’s able writing, it is good, as the Discworld experiences rock and roll –
or actually, Music with Rocks In as performed by The Band with Rocks In.
Imp Y Celyn (which literally means "bud of holly,") calls himself Buddy, and his band mates Glod (as in on a mission from Glod) and their troll drummer Cliff set out to hit the big stage of Ankh-Morpork and things get bigger than they ever imagined as Buddy finds a magical, mystical guitar that takes over and makes things interesting.
Checklist of Discworld characters:
Death – check
The Librarian – check
Cut-me-own-throat Dibbler – check
The Wizardly staff at Unseen University – check
Susan – check
Sgt Colon and Corporal Nobbs - check
And a host of other fun folks who inhabit Pratchett’s Discworld. Most of the action takes place in Ankh-Morpork but the Band also goes on tour. As in most of Pratchett’s work, this is also a satire on a great many things, most notably here commercialism, music industry, art and music, and human nature.
Fun, fun, fun.
*** 2024 reread -
My 2024 Discworldapalooza rolls in to this TASTY bit of fantasy served up by my man Terry.
As in all rereads I picked up on more detail and this is chock full of music references, he was having fun writing it.
And it’s fun to read, my Pratchett smile o meter was in the red frequently and there were many laugh out loud moments. He was a comedic genius.
We are introduced to Susan, Death’s granddaughter and there are many fine scenes with Death but let’s give a shoutout to a character who damn near stole the show, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler.
Dibbler, Ankh-Morpork’s most spectacularly unsuccessful entrepreneur, has his greatest role here and Pratchett does not disappoint.
Except there’s really not any sex to speak of, and … to be honest really not any drugs either.
But 1 out of three ain’t bad, er, well, I guess that’s 33 percent, so really not that good but …
But in Sir Terry Pratchett’s able writing, it is good, as the Discworld experiences rock and roll –
or actually, Music with Rocks In as performed by The Band with Rocks In.
Imp Y Celyn (which literally means "bud of holly,") calls himself Buddy, and his band mates Glod (as in on a mission from Glod) and their troll drummer Cliff set out to hit the big stage of Ankh-Morpork and things get bigger than they ever imagined as Buddy finds a magical, mystical guitar that takes over and makes things interesting.
Checklist of Discworld characters:
Death – check
The Librarian – check
Cut-me-own-throat Dibbler – check
The Wizardly staff at Unseen University – check
Susan – check
Sgt Colon and Corporal Nobbs - check
And a host of other fun folks who inhabit Pratchett’s Discworld. Most of the action takes place in Ankh-Morpork but the Band also goes on tour. As in most of Pratchett’s work, this is also a satire on a great many things, most notably here commercialism, music industry, art and music, and human nature.
Fun, fun, fun.
*** 2024 reread -
My 2024 Discworldapalooza rolls in to this TASTY bit of fantasy served up by my man Terry.
As in all rereads I picked up on more detail and this is chock full of music references, he was having fun writing it.
And it’s fun to read, my Pratchett smile o meter was in the red frequently and there were many laugh out loud moments. He was a comedic genius.
We are introduced to Susan, Death’s granddaughter and there are many fine scenes with Death but let’s give a shoutout to a character who damn near stole the show, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler.
Dibbler, Ankh-Morpork’s most spectacularly unsuccessful entrepreneur, has his greatest role here and Pratchett does not disappoint.
June 2, 2022
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books as soon as I finish the book.
2.5 stars. With only brief flashes of Pratchett brilliance, this remains one of the weakest Discworld books.
This book fell flat for me for a number of reasons, and while Death still remains one of my favorite all time fantasy characters, I just couldn't connect with him (or any other character) in this book.
Soul Music is one of those Discworld books that specifically parodies a specific thing, in this case rock-and-roll music. So in order to really get enjoyment out of this book, you need a prerequisite which I do not have - and that is a knowledge of Rock music from the 1980s and earlier. There are clearly many references that I'm sure are enjoyable to some that I am just missing out on, and it left me feeling out of the loop.
The humor didn't work for me, the typical philosophical insights are noticeably lacking, and there doesn't feel like there is any "bite" to it.
2.5 stars. With only brief flashes of Pratchett brilliance, this remains one of the weakest Discworld books.
This book fell flat for me for a number of reasons, and while Death still remains one of my favorite all time fantasy characters, I just couldn't connect with him (or any other character) in this book.
Soul Music is one of those Discworld books that specifically parodies a specific thing, in this case rock-and-roll music. So in order to really get enjoyment out of this book, you need a prerequisite which I do not have - and that is a knowledge of Rock music from the 1980s and earlier. There are clearly many references that I'm sure are enjoyable to some that I am just missing out on, and it left me feeling out of the loop.
The humor didn't work for me, the typical philosophical insights are noticeably lacking, and there doesn't feel like there is any "bite" to it.
January 17, 2022
I am having such fun rereading some of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this one is so rock'n'roll with its multitude of references to our pop culture whilst skilfully satirising the music industry. Death is having a hard time processing the pain of his grief, his losses leaving him unable to cope and leaving his position as the Grim Reaper, a scenario that leads to his granddaughter, Susan, filling his role as she becomes aware of a past that had been kept from her. Imp becomes 'Buddy' in his group with a troll and a dwarf, The Band With Rocks In It, when he acquires a special guitar with its awareness of a magical primordial music that sees him losing his sense of self. They acquire a manager, Dibbles, and go on an organised tour that turns into quite an adventure that has Susan getting involved. A wonderfully entertaining and funny addition that reminds me just how brilliant a writer the author was. Many thanks to the publisher.
January 5, 2024
Are there any cultural or social phenomena that haven't been ironically depicted by Pratchett? Although this one isn't the best/funniest of his books, the rock music parody was amusing.
August 27, 2024
Re-Read 8/27/24:
I just upped my star rating for this one.
There comes a time in a man's life when if you're still quibbling over a star rating after having read a book FOUR TIMES and having enjoyed it every single time, then maybe it's time to stop, look at your life choices, and just accept the fact:
You're a fanboy.
It's like being one of those idiots who do nothing but complain about a movie you've seen 15 times. Or a game that you endlessly grouse about after having spent over 600 hours in.
Anyone else can look at you and see right away that you're an idiot.
So, here's to rocks-in-it! I've been on a roll and now it's time to just accept that fact.
Original Review:
A very nice re-read 9/13/18:
I love music. I love humor. I love seeing wizards rock the house. Oh, and everyone else getting slipped an extra-dimensional mickey in their drinks, too. :)
If we're really talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll, I know we have the rock and roll down. There are even a few trolls to do it RIGHT. The drugs bit is Discworld itself, OF COURSE. And if you really think about it, our universe really is doing a little slip & slide with Discworld, too.
SEE? METAPHOR STRETCHED, NOT BROKEN. :)
I loved seeing Susan here. She's a real trip. Death, too, of course. But it was a certain raven and a few unwashed rockers who stole the show today. :)
I just upped my star rating for this one.
There comes a time in a man's life when if you're still quibbling over a star rating after having read a book FOUR TIMES and having enjoyed it every single time, then maybe it's time to stop, look at your life choices, and just accept the fact:
You're a fanboy.
It's like being one of those idiots who do nothing but complain about a movie you've seen 15 times. Or a game that you endlessly grouse about after having spent over 600 hours in.
Anyone else can look at you and see right away that you're an idiot.
So, here's to rocks-in-it! I've been on a roll and now it's time to just accept that fact.
Original Review:
A very nice re-read 9/13/18:
I love music. I love humor. I love seeing wizards rock the house. Oh, and everyone else getting slipped an extra-dimensional mickey in their drinks, too. :)
If we're really talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll, I know we have the rock and roll down. There are even a few trolls to do it RIGHT. The drugs bit is Discworld itself, OF COURSE. And if you really think about it, our universe really is doing a little slip & slide with Discworld, too.
SEE? METAPHOR STRETCHED, NOT BROKEN. :)
I loved seeing Susan here. She's a real trip. Death, too, of course. But it was a certain raven and a few unwashed rockers who stole the show today. :)
December 14, 2025
„Музика на душата“ е една от най-силните и въздействащи книги на Тери Пратчет, които съм чел! В тази история Сюзън трябва да изпълнява задълженията на Смърт, докато той е изчезнал някъде... Междувременно в Анкх-Морпорк се заражда и набира популярност нов музикален стил, наричан Музиката С Камъни В Нея... Начинът на живот на музикантите е доста реалистично представен, въпреки че се намират в „Света на диска“. Разбира се, чувството за хумор на Пратчет е все така страхотно!
„— Не, няма да го направиш — каза гарванът. — Никой, който има смела кръв във вените си, не би го направил. Ако сега се върнеш обратно, никога няма да разбереш нещата. Просто ще станеш образована.
— Но аз нямам време — изскимтя Сюзън.
— О, времето — рече гарванът. — Времето е главно навик. За теб времето не е особено важна характеристика на нещата.“
„Освен това, Лорд Ветинари — върховният управител на Анкх-Морпорк, обичаше музиката.
Хората се чудеха каква ли музика би допаднала на човек като него. Високо стилизирана камерна музика, в��роятно, или гръмотевични оперни партитури.
Всъщност, музиката, която той наистина харесваше, беше онази, която никога не се свиреше. Музиката, според него, се съсипваше, като я измъчваха, омотавайки я в изсъхнали кожи, парчета от умрели котки и топки метал, наблъскани в жици и тръби. Трябваше да си седи записана, на листа хартия, в редици от малки точици и четвъртинки, всички здраво хванати между линиите. Само там тя беше чиста. Едва когато хората се захванеха да правят нещо с нея, настъпваше развалата. Колко по-добре беше да си седиш тихичко в някоя стая и да си четеш нотите, и между теб и съзнанието на композитора да стои единствено изписаното мастило.“
„Краш нямаше твърде много мозъчни клетки, а и те често трябваше да махат с ръка, за да си привлекат една друга вниманието, но у него проблесна нищожното пламъче на съмнението, че звукът, който „Умопомрачение“ беше постигнала, наистина бе добър звук, но не беше същият звук, който той снощи чу в „Барабана“.
„Съществуват милиони акорди. Съществуват милиони числа. И всички забравят онова, което е нула. Но без нулата, числата са просто аритметика. Без празния акорд, музиката е просто шум.“
„— Не, няма да го направиш — каза гарванът. — Никой, който има смела кръв във вените си, не би го направил. Ако сега се върнеш обратно, никога няма да разбереш нещата. Просто ще станеш образована.
— Но аз нямам време — изскимтя Сюзън.
— О, времето — рече гарванът. — Времето е главно навик. За теб времето не е особено важна характеристика на нещата.“
„Освен това, Лорд Ветинари — върховният управител на Анкх-Морпорк, обичаше музиката.
Хората се чудеха каква ли музика би допаднала на човек като него. Високо стилизирана камерна музика, в��роятно, или гръмотевични оперни партитури.
Всъщност, музиката, която той наистина харесваше, беше онази, която никога не се свиреше. Музиката, според него, се съсипваше, като я измъчваха, омотавайки я в изсъхнали кожи, парчета от умрели котки и топки метал, наблъскани в жици и тръби. Трябваше да си седи записана, на листа хартия, в редици от малки точици и четвъртинки, всички здраво хванати между линиите. Само там тя беше чиста. Едва когато хората се захванеха да правят нещо с нея, настъпваше развалата. Колко по-добре беше да си седиш тихичко в някоя стая и да си четеш нотите, и между теб и съзнанието на композитора да стои единствено изписаното мастило.“
„Краш нямаше твърде много мозъчни клетки, а и те често трябваше да махат с ръка, за да си привлекат една друга вниманието, но у него проблесна нищожното пламъче на съмнението, че звукът, който „Умопомрачение“ беше постигнала, наистина бе добър звук, но не беше същият звук, който той снощи чу в „Барабана“.
„Съществуват милиони акорди. Съществуват милиони числа. И всички забравят онова, което е нула. Но без нулата, числата са просто аритметика. Без празния акорд, музиката е просто шум.“
September 13, 2018
Music is immortal. Some say it has always been there and always will. Some can apparently hear its beat. Like the pulse of the universe itself. I think Terry Pratchett had that same kind of appreciation for this particular art.
In this 16th installment of the phenomenon that is the Discworld series, Death has a family-related crisis so he goes away for a while. Unlike the last time, there is someone to take over though and the Death of Rats and Binky are getting her. Yes, HER. Susan, Death's granddaughter (who is kinda blissfully unaware).
As she learns to wield the scythe as much as her unique form of memory and everything inherited from her grandfather, music arrives on the Discworld in the form of a guitar bought in a peculiar shop (think of the "woodcarver shop" in Pixar's Brave). It wants to be played and not by anyone.
Thus, we are treated to a grande tour by some ... music with rocks in it.
Along the way, we get a lot of musical references many of which even I understood *is very proud of herself* and which added to the hilarity of the absurdness unfolding in Ankh-Morpork, the Unseen University and many other places. Underwear being thrown onto the stage was the most innocent of the incidents. *snort-giggles*
A wonderful adventure through dark alleys, in stinking taverns, along sharply winding roads and up on stages that is the introduction of one of the best characters, apparently: Susan. I already liked the novel with her future father way back when, but she's even better, especially when paired with a talking raven and the Death of Rats (Binky is not to be underestimated either).
Though I have to say that the Librarian, Ridcully and the other wizards were marvellous, once again, as well.
Moreover, as is almost to be expected especially from the novels about Death, the author had a wonderful way of weaving pop culture references with action and, most impressively, resoundingly deep and important messages about life (and death) itself.
May 27, 2025
July 14, 2023: Re-reading, this time with my daughter. We listened to 3 of 9 discs this afternoon while we completed online jigsaw puzzles. Very fun!
Update on August 12, 2023: We have resumed after taking a break due to traveling. I'm adding quotes as we listen:
"The Bursar himself in any normal society would have been considered more unglued than a used stamp in a downpour."
Having recently visited Hereford Cathedral Chained Library in Herefordshire, England, the following quote is especially poignant: "The Library didn't only contain magical books, the ones which are chained to their shelves and are very dangerous."
“In my experience,” said Glod, “what every true artist wants, really wants, is to be paid.” How true!
So many puns from the rock music scene, which we loved. Here's one example: Surreptitious Fabric = Velvet Underground!
Updated August 13, 2023: we have completed 7 of 9 discs so far. Cheers until next time we are together with our daughter. Hopefully, we will finish the final 2 discs.
Updated August 19, 2023: we are enjoying a mum/daughter day today and should finish this story later this afternoon. When I heard the following quote, I thought how quintessentially British:
"He removed an extremely grubby handkerchief from a pocket, knotted it in all four corners, and put it on his head."
This reminds me of the husband/wife scenes from the saucy postcards we used to be able to buy at seaside resorts in England. I doubt that many gentlemen wear knotted handkerchiefs on their heads these days, however in days gone by they put a knot in their handkerchief to remind themselves of a particular task that shouldn't be forgotten.
Final quote, and one that I have learned is profoundly true. "Sometimes the only thing you could do for people was to be there." Sometimes, just being there is enough, there is strength in gifting your presence, standing together, no words are needed.
*Update - re-reading with Simon, May 2025.
"Every note was sharp as a bell and simple as sunlight, so that in the prism of his brain it broke up and flashed into a million colors."
"It was sad music, but it waved the sadness like a battle flag, it said, "The universe had done all it could but you were still alive!"
Update on August 12, 2023: We have resumed after taking a break due to traveling. I'm adding quotes as we listen:
"The Bursar himself in any normal society would have been considered more unglued than a used stamp in a downpour."
Having recently visited Hereford Cathedral Chained Library in Herefordshire, England, the following quote is especially poignant: "The Library didn't only contain magical books, the ones which are chained to their shelves and are very dangerous."
“In my experience,” said Glod, “what every true artist wants, really wants, is to be paid.” How true!
So many puns from the rock music scene, which we loved. Here's one example: Surreptitious Fabric = Velvet Underground!
Updated August 13, 2023: we have completed 7 of 9 discs so far. Cheers until next time we are together with our daughter. Hopefully, we will finish the final 2 discs.
Updated August 19, 2023: we are enjoying a mum/daughter day today and should finish this story later this afternoon. When I heard the following quote, I thought how quintessentially British:
"He removed an extremely grubby handkerchief from a pocket, knotted it in all four corners, and put it on his head."
This reminds me of the husband/wife scenes from the saucy postcards we used to be able to buy at seaside resorts in England. I doubt that many gentlemen wear knotted handkerchiefs on their heads these days, however in days gone by they put a knot in their handkerchief to remind themselves of a particular task that shouldn't be forgotten.
Final quote, and one that I have learned is profoundly true. "Sometimes the only thing you could do for people was to be there." Sometimes, just being there is enough, there is strength in gifting your presence, standing together, no words are needed.
*Update - re-reading with Simon, May 2025.
"Every note was sharp as a bell and simple as sunlight, so that in the prism of his brain it broke up and flashed into a million colors."
"It was sad music, but it waved the sadness like a battle flag, it said, "The universe had done all it could but you were still alive!"
December 29, 2018
Cómo me gusta reencontrarme con La Muerte en mi lectura cronológica de Mundodisco. Este es el tercer libro de su subsaga y es un poco el más extraño que he leído hasta ahora, puesto que La Muerte como tal apenas aparece. Nuevamente, el personaje toma un respiro en su trabajo (por cuestiones filosóficas y metafísicas) y su papel es ocupado por su nieta, Susan. Sí, su nieta. Llegando a este punto, creo que es necesario haber leído previamente los otros dos libros de la saga de La Muerte y, de hecho, alguno más de otras sagas, porque esto ya empieza a mezclarse con muchos personajes que han aparecido en otros tomos (hay magos, gente de la Guardia de la Noche, Escurridizo...). Y es más, Terry Pratchett ya da por hecho en este libro que conoces a todos ellos, las particularidades de la ciudad de Ankh-Morpork y el funcionamiento de los Gremios. Entra a saco, va directo al grano, y si no sabes todas esas cosas, es fácil perderse y no ver ningún sentido en este libro. Ahora más que nunca me alegro de estar leyendo toda la saga cronológica, porque son muchas las cosas que van conectando y que hacen que la experiencia de leer a Pratchett sea más divertida.
"Soul Music" es un libro entretenido y divertido, no tan profundo como la entrega anterior de La Muerte, "El Segador", que hasta ahora creo que es el libro más serio de Mundodisco. "Soul Music" es, entre otras cosas, una parodia de todo lo que rodea al mundo del rock (aplicable a otros estilos musicales), del rápido ascenso a la fama y la fácil caída y, también, una crítica al negocio feroz que son las discográficas y a los productores musicales, siempre tan... avispados. Hay cantidad de referencias a nombres de bandas, artistas y canciones rockeras, algunas adaptadas y otras que sin duda tienen más gracia en la versión original del libro; y hasta la portada recuerda a la de un álbum de Meat Loaf ("Bat Out of Hell").
En fin, que lo he leído a pasitos cortos, pero lo he pasado pipa con este libro. Hasta la mitad me parecía normalito y además al principio me costó centrarme porque llevaba mucho tiempo sin leer Mundodisco, pero al final me doy cuenta de que lo he disfrutado mucho y es de los libros de la saga que más poso me van a dejar.
"Soul Music" es un libro entretenido y divertido, no tan profundo como la entrega anterior de La Muerte, "El Segador", que hasta ahora creo que es el libro más serio de Mundodisco. "Soul Music" es, entre otras cosas, una parodia de todo lo que rodea al mundo del rock (aplicable a otros estilos musicales), del rápido ascenso a la fama y la fácil caída y, también, una crítica al negocio feroz que son las discográficas y a los productores musicales, siempre tan... avispados. Hay cantidad de referencias a nombres de bandas, artistas y canciones rockeras, algunas adaptadas y otras que sin duda tienen más gracia en la versión original del libro; y hasta la portada recuerda a la de un álbum de Meat Loaf ("Bat Out of Hell").
En fin, que lo he leído a pasitos cortos, pero lo he pasado pipa con este libro. Hasta la mitad me parecía normalito y además al principio me costó centrarme porque llevaba mucho tiempo sin leer Mundodisco, pero al final me doy cuenta de que lo he disfrutado mucho y es de los libros de la saga que más poso me van a dejar.
September 23, 2020
Just like the subject that Prachett is parodying, Soul Music feels like a greatest hits compilation of some of the earlier Discworld novels.
There's lots of similarities to Reaper Man and Moving Pictures, whilst it's also great direct sequel to Mort.
This is only my second Discworld read of the year, so probably meant that I'd enjoyed it more - I really should pick these up more regularly.
Gags about popular music is always going to be a winner for me and felt that I caught most of the references.
Many of the bands and songs that Prachett riffs on are so popular that it was easy to spot plenty of them, 'Cavern Deep and Mountain High' being a particular favourite!
It was slightly disappointing that Death didnt feature too heavily in this novel, I felt a little short changed. But meeting his granddaughter Susan made up for it.
I actually quite like Pratchat Podcast theory that 'Susan' is a Doctor Who reference, slightly kicking myself for missing it - but shows that this series is a perfect buddy/readalong pick.
Both the topics on how influential music is to a person whilst the struggle for exposure and touring for musicians make a perfect subject for Prachett to tackle.
I just wished the overarching plot was a little more unique.
There's lots of similarities to Reaper Man and Moving Pictures, whilst it's also great direct sequel to Mort.
This is only my second Discworld read of the year, so probably meant that I'd enjoyed it more - I really should pick these up more regularly.
Gags about popular music is always going to be a winner for me and felt that I caught most of the references.
Many of the bands and songs that Prachett riffs on are so popular that it was easy to spot plenty of them, 'Cavern Deep and Mountain High' being a particular favourite!
It was slightly disappointing that Death didnt feature too heavily in this novel, I felt a little short changed. But meeting his granddaughter Susan made up for it.
I actually quite like Pratchat Podcast theory that 'Susan' is a Doctor Who reference, slightly kicking myself for missing it - but shows that this series is a perfect buddy/readalong pick.
Both the topics on how influential music is to a person whilst the struggle for exposure and touring for musicians make a perfect subject for Prachett to tackle.
I just wished the overarching plot was a little more unique.
March 5, 2016
I re-read this book slowly past few weeks.So slowly I even forgot to added it to GR.
Sadly my initial opinion still remains:This is the worst Discworld book I read (but not worst Pratchett's book that title goes to Long earth).That doesn't mean it's bad book but it's way bellow sir Terry's best works.Death is my second favorite Discworld character (first one being Sam Vimes) but like in Thief of time him Susan ended in totally uninteresting plot with overall very weak cast of characters.
Soul music has brief flashes of Pratchett's brilliance but it's not enough and I feel this re-read was wasted time.TIme I should have spent reading or re-reading better Discworld books.
Sadly my initial opinion still remains:This is the worst Discworld book I read (but not worst Pratchett's book that title goes to Long earth).That doesn't mean it's bad book but it's way bellow sir Terry's best works.Death is my second favorite Discworld character (first one being Sam Vimes) but like in Thief of time him Susan ended in totally uninteresting plot with overall very weak cast of characters.
Soul music has brief flashes of Pratchett's brilliance but it's not enough and I feel this re-read was wasted time.TIme I should have spent reading or re-reading better Discworld books.
October 7, 2025
Considering I just decorated my Stanley cup for Halloween and added a charm with the grim reaper on it that oddly reminds me of Death, I’m pretty salty that this book let me down so badly.
Yikes, this was messy! I am going to have to declare this the worst Discworld book I’ve read thus far (but not that I’ve read too many yet). Maybe, there is still hope for future books. 🤞
What I didn’t like:
✗ My beloved favorite character Death💀 was ever so absent. 😰
✗ With 2 unrelated storylines, the plot was quite chaotic and disjointed, which is not at all typical Pratchett fashion since it eventually always flows together in some sensical way or another.
I understand this is a parody of music culture, and I did appreciate the musical references along the way; however, it was just so conflicting and not fun to try to navigate through as a reader. I mostly just stuck around for Susan’s storyline and for the continuation of the series. I definitely plan on reading Hogfather next for the holidays!
So, even though I had to rate it poorly overall, it wasn’t a complete waste of my time. I just can agree with the consensus that this is one of the weakest books of the series.
What I loved: 🖤💀
• The Raven and The Death of Rats – my favorite side characters!
• Susan! She is the voice of logic in this quirky universe. Total Wednesday Addams vibes ✨️✔️
FAVORITE QUOTES
🪦“BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE RATHER STUPID AND WASTE THEIR LIVES. HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THAT? HAVE YOU NOT LOOKED DOWN FROM THE HORSE AT A CITY AND THOUGHT HOW MUCH IT RESEMBLED AN ANT HEAP, FULL OF BLIND CREATURES WHO THINK THEIR MUNDANE LITTLE WORLD IS REAL? YOU SEE THE LIGHTED WINDOWS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO THINK IS THAT THERE MUST BE MANY INTERESTING STORIES BEHIND THEM, BUT WHAT YOU KNOW IS THAT REALLY THERE ARE JUST DULL, DULL SOULS, MERE CONSUMERS OF FOOD, WHO THINK THEIR INSTINCTS ARE EMOTIONS AND THEIR TINY LIVES OF MORE ACCOUNT THAN A WHISPER OF WIND.”
🪦”IT’S AN INTERESTING FACT THAT MUSIC. BEING OF ITS NATURE IMMORTAL. CAN SOMETIMES PROLONG THE LIFE OF THOSE INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED WITH IT.”
🪦"Be careful what you wish for. You never, know who will be listening. Or what, for that matter. Because, perhaps, something could be drifting through the universes, and a few words by the wrong person at the right moment may just cause it to veer in its course."
🪦”Susan did not know much about history. It always seemed a particularly dull subject. The same stupid things were done over and over again by tedious people.”
🪦”This wasn’t human. It was tall, and haughty, and terrible. He might unbend enough to bend the Rules, Susan thought, but that doesn’t make him human. This is the keeper of the gate of the world. Immortal, by definition. The end of everything. He is my grandfather.”
╔══════╗
Stats:
Overall Rating: 2☆
Death Novels {3/5}
Discworld {3/41}
╚══════╝
Yikes, this was messy! I am going to have to declare this the worst Discworld book I’ve read thus far (but not that I’ve read too many yet). Maybe, there is still hope for future books. 🤞
What I didn’t like:
✗ My beloved favorite character Death💀 was ever so absent. 😰
✗ With 2 unrelated storylines, the plot was quite chaotic and disjointed, which is not at all typical Pratchett fashion since it eventually always flows together in some sensical way or another.
I understand this is a parody of music culture, and I did appreciate the musical references along the way; however, it was just so conflicting and not fun to try to navigate through as a reader. I mostly just stuck around for Susan’s storyline and for the continuation of the series. I definitely plan on reading Hogfather next for the holidays!
So, even though I had to rate it poorly overall, it wasn’t a complete waste of my time. I just can agree with the consensus that this is one of the weakest books of the series.
What I loved: 🖤💀
• The Raven and The Death of Rats – my favorite side characters!
• Susan! She is the voice of logic in this quirky universe. Total Wednesday Addams vibes ✨️✔️
FAVORITE QUOTES
🪦“BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE RATHER STUPID AND WASTE THEIR LIVES. HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THAT? HAVE YOU NOT LOOKED DOWN FROM THE HORSE AT A CITY AND THOUGHT HOW MUCH IT RESEMBLED AN ANT HEAP, FULL OF BLIND CREATURES WHO THINK THEIR MUNDANE LITTLE WORLD IS REAL? YOU SEE THE LIGHTED WINDOWS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO THINK IS THAT THERE MUST BE MANY INTERESTING STORIES BEHIND THEM, BUT WHAT YOU KNOW IS THAT REALLY THERE ARE JUST DULL, DULL SOULS, MERE CONSUMERS OF FOOD, WHO THINK THEIR INSTINCTS ARE EMOTIONS AND THEIR TINY LIVES OF MORE ACCOUNT THAN A WHISPER OF WIND.”
🪦”IT’S AN INTERESTING FACT THAT MUSIC. BEING OF ITS NATURE IMMORTAL. CAN SOMETIMES PROLONG THE LIFE OF THOSE INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED WITH IT.”
🪦"Be careful what you wish for. You never, know who will be listening. Or what, for that matter. Because, perhaps, something could be drifting through the universes, and a few words by the wrong person at the right moment may just cause it to veer in its course."
🪦”Susan did not know much about history. It always seemed a particularly dull subject. The same stupid things were done over and over again by tedious people.”
🪦”This wasn’t human. It was tall, and haughty, and terrible. He might unbend enough to bend the Rules, Susan thought, but that doesn’t make him human. This is the keeper of the gate of the world. Immortal, by definition. The end of everything. He is my grandfather.”
╔══════╗
Stats:
Overall Rating: 2☆
Death Novels {3/5}
Discworld {3/41}
╚══════╝
November 13, 2023
The Death books are probably my favourite "series" within the Discworld. For a man who doesn't say much Death has a huge personality.
The thing is with these new recordings (Indira Varma and Peter Serafinowicz) that once you start with them, you can't stop. It also reminds me that it's been a very long time since I listened to some of the books (since I'm not much of a re-reader). Soul Music was originally published in 1994 so I'd have last read it then (nearly 30 years ago).
The story follows Imp (and his harp) who follows his heart to Ankh Morpork where he meets up with a dwarf and a troll. The harp unfortunately takes a direct troll hit so off to the mysterious shop that may or may not have been there for ages. Imp walks out with a guitar and history is made.
The three begin to make "music with rocks in it" or rather, the guitar makes the music and the musicians merely try to keep up. Unfortunately CMOT Dibbler ends up as their manager and since Imp (stage name Buddy) thinks the music should be free and Dibbler is ALL about the profits there's going to be artistic differences.
Add to this the second storyline where Susan Sto-Helit has had to take over from grandfather Death because Death is fed up with remembering everything. (There are some excellent vignettes with Death trying various ideas of how to forget including the Klatchian Foreign Legion). Susan however has very different ideas about who should get it in the neck and who should be spared. You know this is not going to end well.
Soul Music was one of those books that I remembered as a bit meh. I was wrong. It's brilliant. I laughed all the way through. The band stuff is so clever, Albert and Death of Rats show their faces Vetinari is his insouciant best and Susan is always a joy to read.
I am now looking forward even more to a re-listen to the new Hogfather recording. I thoroughly enjoyed this as an aperitif to the main course.
Also I miss Terry Pratchett all over again.
The thing is with these new recordings (Indira Varma and Peter Serafinowicz) that once you start with them, you can't stop. It also reminds me that it's been a very long time since I listened to some of the books (since I'm not much of a re-reader). Soul Music was originally published in 1994 so I'd have last read it then (nearly 30 years ago).
The story follows Imp (and his harp) who follows his heart to Ankh Morpork where he meets up with a dwarf and a troll. The harp unfortunately takes a direct troll hit so off to the mysterious shop that may or may not have been there for ages. Imp walks out with a guitar and history is made.
The three begin to make "music with rocks in it" or rather, the guitar makes the music and the musicians merely try to keep up. Unfortunately CMOT Dibbler ends up as their manager and since Imp (stage name Buddy) thinks the music should be free and Dibbler is ALL about the profits there's going to be artistic differences.
Add to this the second storyline where Susan Sto-Helit has had to take over from grandfather Death because Death is fed up with remembering everything. (There are some excellent vignettes with Death trying various ideas of how to forget including the Klatchian Foreign Legion). Susan however has very different ideas about who should get it in the neck and who should be spared. You know this is not going to end well.
Soul Music was one of those books that I remembered as a bit meh. I was wrong. It's brilliant. I laughed all the way through. The band stuff is so clever, Albert and Death of Rats show their faces Vetinari is his insouciant best and Susan is always a joy to read.
I am now looking forward even more to a re-listen to the new Hogfather recording. I thoroughly enjoyed this as an aperitif to the main course.
Also I miss Terry Pratchett all over again.
May 9, 2025
*** 3.75 ***
Terry Pratchett can do no wrong in my eyes. I absolutely adore his prose and sense of humor and irony. His turn of phrase is unmatched by any of his contemporaries. Still, his plotting often leaves a lot to be desired and this book was one of those that didn't have much meat to it. Don't get me wrong, he will never lose his shine, just Soul Music wasn't as shiny as some of his other works. 🙂
Terry Pratchett can do no wrong in my eyes. I absolutely adore his prose and sense of humor and irony. His turn of phrase is unmatched by any of his contemporaries. Still, his plotting often leaves a lot to be desired and this book was one of those that didn't have much meat to it. Don't get me wrong, he will never lose his shine, just Soul Music wasn't as shiny as some of his other works. 🙂
July 26, 2022
This Discworld volume has Death, his granddaughter, the unseen academicals and music with rocks in.
It’s definitely not my favourite discworld story (I’m not into the Death stories so much), but the references to rock music and the music business behind it were highly entertaining.
4 stars and recommended particularly to rock fans.
It’s definitely not my favourite discworld story (I’m not into the Death stories so much), but the references to rock music and the music business behind it were highly entertaining.
4 stars and recommended particularly to rock fans.
September 22, 2024
The 16th in my re-read of the entire Discworld series - the books are flying by ... kinda like time if you're not careful!
One reason why I decided to re-read the series is that I can never just indulge in one of the volumes. The other is that the audiobooks were newly produced and the casts looked amazing.
Reading this 16th book (in chronological order) are:
DEATH is gone. Again. I swear, someone should put a bell around his neck. *chuckles while imagining Albert trying that*
This time is different from the last, though, since Susan exists. Susan is ... well, to make matters simple, she's his granddaughter. Don't ask, it's possible and that is that. She has INHERITED (even the voice) and Binky can confirm. So at least people keep on dying this time. However, the girl first has to regain all her memories and accept the position and the rules that come with it. Ahem.
Meanwhile, DEATH is trying a few things, never staying in one place long, eventually discovering music. What caused his ... erm ... mid-life-crises? yeah, let's go with that ... was actually very sweet and definitely very tragic. I definitely pitied the Grim Reaper.
I have to at least slightly adapt my opinion on Susan since I discovered I was no longer a fan of her and her attitude. From how she treats the raven (who else is thinking of Matthew?) and DOR ... (Albert kinda deserves it) ... to her refusal to accept facts (as bent-out-of-shape as they might be). However, she still has quite a few things going for her, like her not scaring easily if at all and her practical way of addressing certain creatures that cause mayhem. And once she gets the hang of things ...
The main character of this novel was music. Yep, that's right. Music is so universal, it has POWER and at least in this book it came in the form of a very special guitar that appeared in a peculiar shop and DEMANDED to be played (I'm still reminded of Brave). After all, music needs to be played, it needs to be heard, it needs to be unleashed.
What else had to be released thanks to the shenanigans started by the "band with rocks" was nothing short of hilarious. It made for a very nice background before which we took a look at different types of music, instruments, musicians (professional and otherwise), as well as the silly aspects such as fandom (the whole underwear and screeching bit, particularly), concerts, agents and such.
Really cool, dude! Is it my favorite in the series? No. Is it my favorite about DEATH? No. But it has ROCKS IN IT! And the narration by Sian Clifford was once again wonderful. *happy sigh*
One reason why I decided to re-read the series is that I can never just indulge in one of the volumes. The other is that the audiobooks were newly produced and the casts looked amazing.
Reading this 16th book (in chronological order) are:
DEATH is gone. Again. I swear, someone should put a bell around his neck. *chuckles while imagining Albert trying that*
This time is different from the last, though, since Susan exists. Susan is ... well, to make matters simple, she's his granddaughter. Don't ask, it's possible and that is that. She has INHERITED (even the voice) and Binky can confirm. So at least people keep on dying this time. However, the girl first has to regain all her memories and accept the position and the rules that come with it. Ahem.
Meanwhile, DEATH is trying a few things, never staying in one place long, eventually discovering music. What caused his ... erm ... mid-life-crises? yeah, let's go with that ... was actually very sweet and definitely very tragic. I definitely pitied the Grim Reaper.
I have to at least slightly adapt my opinion on Susan since I discovered I was no longer a fan of her and her attitude. From how she treats the raven (who else is thinking of Matthew?) and DOR ... (Albert kinda deserves it) ... to her refusal to accept facts (as bent-out-of-shape as they might be). However, she still has quite a few things going for her, like her not scaring easily if at all and her practical way of addressing certain creatures that cause mayhem. And once she gets the hang of things ...
The main character of this novel was music. Yep, that's right. Music is so universal, it has POWER and at least in this book it came in the form of a very special guitar that appeared in a peculiar shop and DEMANDED to be played (I'm still reminded of Brave). After all, music needs to be played, it needs to be heard, it needs to be unleashed.
What else had to be released thanks to the shenanigans started by the "band with rocks" was nothing short of hilarious. It made for a very nice background before which we took a look at different types of music, instruments, musicians (professional and otherwise), as well as the silly aspects such as fandom (the whole underwear and screeching bit, particularly), concerts, agents and such.
Really cool, dude! Is it my favorite in the series? No. Is it my favorite about DEATH? No. But it has ROCKS IN IT! And the narration by Sian Clifford was once again wonderful. *happy sigh*
May 12, 2015
“He had the feeling, once again, that he’d missed out on something somewhere. He’d never really realized it until the last couple of days. He didn’t know what it was. He just wanted to do things. He didn’t know what they were. But he wanted to do them soon.”
“There are millions of chords. There are millions of numbers. And everyone forgets the one that is a zero. But without the zero, numbers are just arithmetic. Without the empty chord, music is just noise.”
It was just happenstance that the first Pratchett book I got to read after Sir Terry died last month is one of those that feature DEATH, and musings on, but it certainly made the experience of reading Soul Music more bittersweet than it would have been otherwise. It didn’t end up being my favorite Discworld book, but it’s still a reminder of what we’ve lost in losing* Terry Pratchett.
*A euphemism implying we can probably find him hiding under our beds or stuffed in the fridge next to the ketchup if only we just looked hard enough.
The Discworld books don’t have to be read in order, but I have to read them that way. If you’re looking for a way in to the series, you could do worse than with this book. I feel it’s good, not great. But if you want a stellar one to start with I’d recommend Guards! Guards! instead, or even Reaper Man, which was the previous book in the DEATH sub-series. Terry Pratchett’s version of Death is an anthropomorphized, soulful, skeletal sort of guy who’s always having emotional crises, losing faith in his job, and then wandering off for a while to find himself. He also speaks IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
This time around, his crisis precipitates his granddaughter, Susan, taking over the business. Susan is a very practical girl, raised by her parents (Death’s adopted daughter and his old apprentice) to disregard anything even remotely nonsensical. While Susan is busy learning the Family Business, magical disaster is of course once again invading the Discworld, this time in the form of music. Specifically of the type “with rocks in.” Imp y Celyn (Welsh for Bud of the Holly . . . get it?) and two new acquaintances also new to the fine disaster of a city known as Ankh-Morpork decide to start a band after being rejected by the Musician’s Guild, and after finding a guitar in a Mysterious Shop that produces the most wondrous music . . .
As they tend to do in Discworld books, the two stories converge in a manner I can only describe as “wonko,” but the twin themes of Death and Music actually work really well together, and I ended up coming out of the book sort of teary-eyed, and not just because I was thinking about its dearly departed author.
July 20, 2012
I am convinced that Sir Pratchett wrote this book for the sole reason of putting in a "grateful Death" joke.
It wasn't my favorite Discworld book, but the phrase "Music With Rocks In" is so charmingly Pratchett that I kind of wanted to hug it.
It wasn't my favorite Discworld book, but the phrase "Music With Rocks In" is so charmingly Pratchett that I kind of wanted to hug it.
September 15, 2018
Any Discworld that features Death is a winner in my book. I love the addition of the raven, and Susan's journey as Death's granddaughter was an interesting one. And of course all the musical references were pretty great.
Audiobook narrated by Nigel Planer. Thumbs up!
Audiobook narrated by Nigel Planer. Thumbs up!
July 8, 2022
Депресуєш, всілась на шию меланхолія, тонеш в прокрастинації?
Вихід є- береш в руки книги Террі Пратчетта і миттю повертаєшся до життя!
Вихід є- береш в руки книги Террі Пратчетта і миттю повертаєшся до життя!
April 27, 2025
Rock and roll.
and bone
Recenzja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUuDv...
and bone
Recenzja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUuDv...
February 1, 2021
I vaguely recall reading this as a young adult and hating it. I don't remember why.
This time, I still hated it—for the first third of the book. After that, the rough edges in the plot progress smoothed out. It was not enough to fully rescue the book but sufficient to prove how much Pratchett's scene-building craft improved in the preceding ten years, and prevented it from being a complete disaster like Sourcery.
Even at its best, the book suffered from multiple flaws. Characters were inadequately developed, and this severely diminished the emotional weight of late scenes. Two storylines were forcibly mashed together: Music With Rocks In, and Death's Granddaughter; there was no compelling reason for these to coincide. Pratchett had already done the schtick about Death getting a bee in his bonnet and drifting away to experience human foibles, twice. The birth of rock music on the Discworld was a jumble of 50s, 60s and 70s music scenes. Only Pratchett's trademark humor and previously-established characters saved the day. There was a concerted effort to pull off an emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking ending, with scenes that could have worked beautifully with better front-end material.
For this and other less-than-stellar Discworld entries, I would like to say that they are skippable. I don't yield myself that option in my current series re-read, and would not recommend it for any completionist because story elements appear again later. This book closely follows events from Mort. I would like for Reaper Man to be skippable, but it introduces the Death of Rats. This book's protagonist, Susan, will appear again in Hogfather. You have to take the good with the less good to get the full Discworld experience.
I do love this picture of a younger Pratchett from the book club hardcover edition:
But the Josh Kirby cover art on the paperback will always win:
This time, I still hated it—for the first third of the book. After that, the rough edges in the plot progress smoothed out. It was not enough to fully rescue the book but sufficient to prove how much Pratchett's scene-building craft improved in the preceding ten years, and prevented it from being a complete disaster like Sourcery.
Even at its best, the book suffered from multiple flaws. Characters were inadequately developed, and this severely diminished the emotional weight of late scenes. Two storylines were forcibly mashed together: Music With Rocks In, and Death's Granddaughter; there was no compelling reason for these to coincide. Pratchett had already done the schtick about Death getting a bee in his bonnet and drifting away to experience human foibles, twice. The birth of rock music on the Discworld was a jumble of 50s, 60s and 70s music scenes. Only Pratchett's trademark humor and previously-established characters saved the day. There was a concerted effort to pull off an emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking ending, with scenes that could have worked beautifully with better front-end material.
For this and other less-than-stellar Discworld entries, I would like to say that they are skippable. I don't yield myself that option in my current series re-read, and would not recommend it for any completionist because story elements appear again later. This book closely follows events from Mort. I would like for Reaper Man to be skippable, but it introduces the Death of Rats. This book's protagonist, Susan, will appear again in Hogfather. You have to take the good with the less good to get the full Discworld experience.
I do love this picture of a younger Pratchett from the book club hardcover edition:
But the Josh Kirby cover art on the paperback will always win:
March 20, 2025
Die Musik mit Steinen drin bekommt 🤔... fünf Steine 😅
November 11, 2023
Sadly, the humor was not enough to save this story for me. Death was barely in it and I didn't care about anything that was going on. It honestly could have been a DNF 😬
November 16, 2019
"Душевна музика" таки ліпша за "Морта": із глибшою міфологією, із проробленими побічними лініями, витриманим темпом та незлецьким стьобом над всією музикою та її поціновувачами: від академічних магів-любителів класики та до панків, що ніяк не можуть вигадати назву для власного гурту.
Власне, саме музична складова грає книзі у неабиякий плюс: коли у графічному малюнку "та-да-да-дааа" тощо впізнаєш знайомі мелодії, це безцінно.
За Сюзен, Смертю Щурів, круком та Альбертом спостерігати неабияк цікаво. Наче як, у "Батько Вепр" вони мають повернутится, на що дуже навіть чекаю.
Власне, саме музична складова грає книзі у неабиякий плюс: коли у графічному малюнку "та-да-да-дааа" тощо впізнаєш знайомі мелодії, це безцінно.
За Сюзен, Смертю Щурів, круком та Альбертом спостерігати неабияк цікаво. Наче як, у "Батько Вепр" вони мають повернутится, на що дуже навіть чекаю.
April 16, 2020
Brilliant! Read all about Music with Rocks in it and how Death has a mid life crisis.
February 12, 2017
40 books on my Pratchett shelf, 40 books to review, if I write one now, there'll 39 books on my Pratchet shelf left to review.
But it should be interesting.
The way I remember it, through the first half of the DW series, Terry was busy exploring existentialism in different ways, with witches, death (and associates), a fast-running coward, the genius Night Watch (my favorite) ...
... before he finally nailed it. He eventually got well comfortable with his own writing, and the series picked up pace, quality, humor, and depth, and he abandoned some of the darker characters.
Soul Music is a largely forgettable if fun yet slightly grim novel, which straddles the two worlds, between the initial heavy tone and the more over-arching adventure-driven second half. We have Death of course, but then we also get Susan, who replaces Mort as a sidekick. That is just the backdrop, as the main story is around a music band who almost destroys the fabric of time with their performance.
There isn't too much to say that won't be a spoiler. Soul Music is a nice piece of written work, but it does not have the punch like some of the later works, mostly because its theme is a one-off. I guess this was a turning point for Terry, although I cannot be sure he wrote the books sequently, as the books later in the series suddenly become more vibrant and interesting.
If you're a DW fan, you will like this. It has its special charm and flavor, and it's one big pun, after all.
No limerick, as this book is about music. Mwuahahahaha.
Igor
But it should be interesting.
The way I remember it, through the first half of the DW series, Terry was busy exploring existentialism in different ways, with witches, death (and associates), a fast-running coward, the genius Night Watch (my favorite) ...
... before he finally nailed it. He eventually got well comfortable with his own writing, and the series picked up pace, quality, humor, and depth, and he abandoned some of the darker characters.
Soul Music is a largely forgettable if fun yet slightly grim novel, which straddles the two worlds, between the initial heavy tone and the more over-arching adventure-driven second half. We have Death of course, but then we also get Susan, who replaces Mort as a sidekick. That is just the backdrop, as the main story is around a music band who almost destroys the fabric of time with their performance.
There isn't too much to say that won't be a spoiler. Soul Music is a nice piece of written work, but it does not have the punch like some of the later works, mostly because its theme is a one-off. I guess this was a turning point for Terry, although I cannot be sure he wrote the books sequently, as the books later in the series suddenly become more vibrant and interesting.
If you're a DW fan, you will like this. It has its special charm and flavor, and it's one big pun, after all.
No limerick, as this book is about music. Mwuahahahaha.
Igor
October 6, 2018
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul? *
A fab foursome causes wizards to shake, rattle and roll, and manages to bring some hot times (not to mention broken furniture) to the Mended Drum. Suddenly, there's an earworm loose in Discworld, and now everyone's got their toes-a-tappin' and a song in their hearts.
Though I can't say exactly what was wrong, this one fell flat for me. It squeaks by with 3 stars ONLY because I liked the Death of Rats, Susan, the swing that Death built for her (Awww!), and the part in the book where an inebriated Death gets his pockets picked by the bar patrons before they toss him into the river. (Or, more precisely, ONTO the river.)
*Don MacLean
Can music save your mortal soul? *
A fab foursome causes wizards to shake, rattle and roll, and manages to bring some hot times (not to mention broken furniture) to the Mended Drum. Suddenly, there's an earworm loose in Discworld, and now everyone's got their toes-a-tappin' and a song in their hearts.
Though I can't say exactly what was wrong, this one fell flat for me. It squeaks by with 3 stars ONLY because I liked the Death of Rats, Susan, the swing that Death built for her (Awww!), and the part in the book where an inebriated Death gets his pockets picked by the bar patrons before they toss him into the river. (Or, more precisely, ONTO the river.)
*Don MacLean
July 19, 2023
Not enough granddaddy death but 4 stars because I love Susan.
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