Your Grandfather is ... Death!
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Even if you haven't read much of the Discworld series, this book will lead you into the the bizarre working of on of our more known fears, Death trying to be human. This story follows the journies of Susan Sto Helit, The astranged granddaughter of death, Imp y Celin (pro-nounced Imppy kelin) and his band possessed by a magic guitar, and finally Deaths journey to find out "how do humans forget"
A bizarre and hillarious book which is fun for established and new discworld lovers. Keep and eye on which story you're following though, the changes come as quick as an episode of Eastenders.
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GENTLEMEN? TAKE IT FROM THE TOP?
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Admittedly I had to read this book a few times over to pick up the plot, but I'm glad I did as it really appealed to me. It could be considered a sequel to Mort, as it introduces the offspring of Mort and Death's daughter Ysabell - the sensible, self-possessed and (in my view) appealingly unlovable Susan, who excels in subjects such as maths and Logic at the Quirm College For Young Ladies - and has no idea about her grandfather, although it should be noted that she has a talent for making herself invisible, excels in sports that involve swinging a stick (it took me ages to work that one out) and has a hairstyle with a life of its own (this should be impossible, since Ysabell was adopted, but what would be the point otherwise?)
Meanwhile, musician Imp Y Celyn has found his way into Ankh-Morpork and grouped up with a dwarf and a troll, also musicians. they form a band, and suddenly a new genre of music enters the Disc - calllled (that was a typing error, but is actually quite apt) Music With Rocks In. And the music has taken over Imp (now known as Buddy) and is captivating people throughout - including the wizards of Unseen University - particularly the Dean, who takes to wearing a robe bearing the legend BORN TO RUNE, painting his bedroom black, etc.
Meanwhile again, Death has disappeared, so Susan is suddenly dragged from her school by a talking raven, the Death Of Rats and Binky, Death's horse.
She would have been quite good at it, had she not had a huge sense of justice and an inclination to try and get things into some kind of working order. Oh, and she's having some doubts about the name Susan, too.
But now she's got involved in the Music With Rocks In affair, which is threatening fateful consequences . . .
When I couldn't be bothered to read the whole book i had a habit of just reading the Susan parts with a few choice other parts - but I actually really liked the rest as well. i would recommend this book to Discworld fans - but logically, any Discworld book can be recommended to Discworld fans.
Featuring some quite inspired music puns.
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One, two, one, two, many, lots...
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Soul Music is (along with Hogfather) my favourite Discworld novel. I first read it at the age of twelve, and finally, five years later, someone got it through their heads to get it for me for Christmas.
The book revolves around a young man called Imp y Celyn (who's name translates roughly to "bud of the holly"), who journeys to Anhk-Morpork in a bid to become the greatest musician in the world. In the city, he meets a troll named Lias (who is incapable of counting to four) and a dwarf named Glod Glodsson (who's only in it for the money), and together, they form The Band With Rocks In. Thier style of music, dubbed "Music With Rocks In", takes the Discworld by storm, causing it's inhabitants to become obsessed with songs such as "Don't Step On My New Blue Boots" and "Good Gracious Miss Polly". Even the wizards in the Unseen University have been tranformed by it, with the Dean painting his bedroom black and weaing a studded leather robe that says "BORN TO RUNE".
Many aspiring Music With Rocks In bands spring up in The Band With Rocks In's wake, such as "We're Certainly Dwarfs" and a band that changes it's name so much they just end up being known as "Ande Supporting Bandes".
Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler also appears, eager to exploit the new fad to make himself a quick fortune.
Only thing is, Music With Rocks In is alive. And it's the only thing stopping Imp from meeting an early death.
Meanwhile, Death has joined the Klatchian Foriegn Legion in a bid to forget, and it's fallen to his granddaughter, Susan Sto-Helit, to take on the Duty. And she's more interested in saving Imp from his "Live fast, die young" destiny, which causes a lot of trouble for Albert and the Death of Rats.
All in all, Soul Music is a hilarious book and one of the best in the Discworld series, with many puns on well known aspects of music.
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Bigger Than Cheeses!
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Read all terry pratchetts books, and this is my favourite (well... it's tied with night watch) it's exciting, it's funny and there's so much depth to it you can get lost in it instantly. it's a must have, even if you haven't read the other books.
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There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvish
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"Soul Music" is the sixteenth book in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 1994. He has gone on to win the Carnegie Medal for "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" and was awarded the OBE in 1998.
Death - tall guy, a little thin, carries a scythe, likes the colour black - appears in more of the Discworld books than any other character. By and large, he makes only a very brief appearance and - while the role he plays in "Soul Music" is still a supporting role - he has a huge influence on what happens in the book. Back in "Mort", he took an apprentice who eventually went on to marry Ysabell - Death's adopted daughter. In time, the pair had a daughter called Susan, who makes her first appearance here. As the book opens. Susan is a pupil at the Quirm College for Young Ladies. She can't quite remember her maternal grandfather, let alone what he does for a living...however, she has inherited some of his abilities. Unfortunately, Death is feeling a little depressed, and it seems there are certain things he'd rather forget. (The problem is that he's not quite sure how to go about forgetting). It's all causing Albert, Death's butler, and the Death of Rats quite some concern. When Death takes soe time off in order to try and forget, it also causes Susan a great deal of bother...you see, somebody's got to do Death's job...
Imp y Celyn, meanwhile, is a promising young harp-playing bard from Llamedos (a country with Welsh tendencies). After a blazing row with his father, he sets off to become the greatest musician in the world, and eventually arrives in Ankh-Morpork. While trying to join the Guild of Musicians, he meets Glod Glodsson (a horn-playing dwarf) and Lias (a troll who specialises in percussion). The trio, however, are a little short on funds and can't quite meet the subscription fee. This means they're barred from playing music professionally in the city...which is unfortunate, as the on ly way they can raise the money for the fee is by playing music professionally. Things get even worse when Lias accidentally breaks Imp's harp - though they soon make the mistake of replacing it with a guitar from a magical music shop. Inspired by the guitar, the trio invent a new style of music the becomes known as "Music With Rocks In" - something that leads them hurtling towards disaster. By the way, a rough translation for "Imp y Celyn" is "Bud y Holly"...
A big plus for the book is the return of Death of Rats and the introduction of his sidekick, Quoth the Raven. Quoth, named by a wizard who thought he was also a comedian, is partial to an eyeball and - like the skull he roosts on - can talk. However, he absolutely refuses to say "nevermore". A very funny book, with a plenty of nods to famous songs, bands and movies, it's highly recommended. It may be a slight advantage to have read "Mort" - though as the book begins with a brief introduction, you'll not really miss out if you haven't.
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