Review: Soul Music by Sir Terry Pratchett

This one definitely ranks as one of my favorite Discworld novels. I won't pretend I have anything less than fondness for Terry Pratchett. His legacy is his tremendous contribution to satirical fiction, the intelligently-written fantasy, and dozens of novels with too many fully-realized characters to count off the top of anyone's head. Widely known for his Discworld novels, the man left our Roundworld much too soon (isn't that always the way?) and left us with a treasure trove of excellent and hilarious books, including the soon-to-screens-everywhere Good Omens (written with Neil Gaiman.)

Now, for some Soul Music: an irreverently reverent and pedal-to-the-metal take on rock'n'roll and the age old question of What Gives Anyone the Right to Decide What's Fair When Bad People Get to Be Bad and Good People Don't Get Good? There’s so much craft and clarity to Sir Terry’s work, especially as you begin what always becomes a bizarrely intricate plot with more players than you can shake a stick at. (You've got favorites like The Librarian and Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler here along with Death and his granddaughter Susan, and Death of Rats, and, oh man, you think I kept track? No. You don't have to.) You are in for a treat, whenever you open a Discworld novel, and Soul Music is no exception.

A Plotted Summary?
Imp de Celyn (is he an elf?) wants to be a musician in the big city, but the music industry tells him and his pals NO. But guess what? A mysterious shop has not-at-all-conspicuously appeared out of nowhere to sell him a magic guitar that starts him off on the journey of Music With Rocks In! Meanwhile, Death has decided to abscond. Who should search him out but Susan, the granddaughter Death doesn't know she is! Susan soon grapples with the same question her father, Death's former apprentice, once did: why should she be swinging the scythe? Susan sets out to challenge fate and mortality itself, and finds herself saving the life of Imp just as the dude that rocks sets off on his defiant journey to be a musician. Will the mortal plane come undone? Why are the wizards of Unseen University suddenly so unruly as... well, this, this time? And what is Music With Rocks In? Terry takes us on a fantastic whirlwind adventure across the Disc that stumps even Lord Vetinari.

In Review:
I have been taking my time finishing my first read-through the entire series so I can say that for sure, given the disease that took him from this ‘verse and that of the Disc’s, but when I find myself utterly enthralled by a book like this? Sir Terry and his Discworld are necessary and incredible: Susan and her grandfather, Death, are written with such love and depth, they read real as real. And there is a masterful display of plotting here, in a story with so many characters and Things Happening, but you don’t get exhausted or confused by it all at all. I found myself grinning ear to ear whenever I wasn't laughing aloud, nodding and grunting in appreciation and agreement, turning pages like my fingers were on the fret of a guitar. This is such a fun and intelligent book! 4.5/5

- Frank

More But I'd Rather Be Reading! here.