Death gets retired because he was developing a personality, so he decides to go and experience life for a change. As a farmhand for Ms. Flitworth, Death, now known as Bill Door, learns how to harvest corn, cut grass (perfect job for him, since who can be better with a scythe than Death), teaches a rooster how to crow, saves a child's life, fights the new Death for his existence, and learns the meaning of life.

Pratchett is at his best with Reaper Man, a hilarious story about what happens when Death comes to terms with his purpose. Meanwhile, the souls of the dead crowd out the living because, with the absence of Death, they lack focus and direction. Peopled with such unforgettable characters such as Mrs. Flitworth, the spinster who was widowed too early, the united undead fighting to keep their rights even beyond the grave, the whole gaggle of wizards from the Unseen University, and the Librarian (Oook!), this book is an outstanding novel which has a high re-readability factor. Never bitter or gloomy, the story offers a wonderful and funny take on such though-provoking questions as Where do we go when we die? and What do dead people do, really? After this book, readers will realize, Who would have known that the meaning of life can be found in Death?





Recommended: Yes