Soul Music

Black humor and puns galore invade this farce about death and many mythical and made-up characters of the underworld. Susan is Death's granddaughter, slowly discovering her true nature while Discworld conspires to wreak havoc on the world. Planer skillfully navigates the numerous scene shifts, characters and plots, keeping all straight and all with their individual voices. Plot shifts every minute make the audiobook difficult to follow. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

January 2, 1995
Nepotism is given an unusual spin in Pratchett's 14th Discworld novel, as Death's granddaughter picks up the scythe when the Grim Reaper takes a vacation. Trolls, dwarves, magicians and rock music--music played with rocks--figure in this amusing but overlong romp, which begins with the formation of a band by aspiring musician Imp y Celen (aka Buddy). Arriving in the city of Ankh-Morpork, Buddy finds a magical guitar which enables the group--a rock-playing troll, an ax-wielding dwarf and an Orangutan pianist--to drive crowds wild. But the instrument causes conflict between the motley crew and Susan, Death's granddaughter, who is just adjusting to her new post. Many of the ensuing comic situations involve Death trying to get drunk, though Pratchett's liberal application of jokes scores as many misses as hits. Extraneous plot information slows the pace as the narrative rattles to a colossal, albeit uninspired, conclusion. Science Fiction Book Club main selection.