Reaper Man

Reaper Man (1991) Terry Pratchett (Discworld)

DEATH has been let go from his job.

SEE! I HAVE TIME. AT LAST, I HAVE TIME!

Albert backed away nervously. “And now that you have it, what are you going to do with it?” he said.

Death mounted his horse. I AM GOING TO SPEND IT.

Unfortunately, the universe hasn’t sent someone else to take over.

Three inexplicable phenomena in one day. Four, if you included the fact of his continued existence. That was really inexplicable.

It needed explicating.

This is another early story, and some of the main characters are still being developed, but the bits that I love about the series are there.

The wizards said that the University stood on magical ground and was therefore exempt from taxation and anyway you couldn’t put a tax on knowledge.

The Patrician said you could. It was two hundred dollars per capita; if per capita was a problem, de-capita could be arranged.

The wizards said that the University had never paid taxes to the civil authority.

The Patrician said he was not proposing to remain civil for long.

The best part of this story, however…

NO, YOU CAN’T RIDE A CAT. WHO EVER HEARD OF THE DEATH OF RATS RIDING A CAT? THE DEATH OF RATS WOULD RIDE SOME KIND OF DOG.

SQUEAK

Publisher: HarperCollins

Rating: 7.5/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant » »
• « « The Day Pass