Review: Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.

[Marky Lazer]

Terry Pratchett, Soul Music. New York: HarperTorch, 2000. Pp. 373. ISBN 0-06-105489-5, (paperback.) $7.99.


Pratchett needs only 373 pages to interweave the curious incidents and lives of Death, his granddaughter Susan, the musicians Imp y Celyn, Glod Glodsson and Lias Bleustone, and a bunch a wizards…

In the third Discworld novel revolving around Death, he is gone missing. Again. This time in order to find out how “HUMANS FORGET” (Pratchett, 19). As with the previous Discworlds centring around this peculiar character, the plot is cunning and clever when many odd personas meet each other during the story in order to unleash one big finale.

In Soul Music,Susan needs to take up her grandfather’s job because he is gone missing, and, just as her father, messes up when she “does not want him dead” (118). Him is Buddy, formerly known as Imp and is about to become the greatest musician ever with his Music With Rocks In. Add to this the senior wizards who caught the Music With Rocks In fever, the exploiting businessman C.M.O.T. Dibbler (Pratchett, 154), a troll and a dwarf as band members, a magical guitar and an obsessive Musicians Guild chasing the musicians for playing without joining the Guild, and all the ingredients for a hectic adventure are present once more. As expected in a book from the Death series, the reader meets Albert (10) and Binky (20) again, but there are also cameo appearances for Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobby (21-23), and the Librarian: “[f]at, red hair, says ‘ook’ a lot” (129).

“By and large, most Discworld books have stood by themselves, as complete books. It helps to have read them in some kind of order, but it’s not essential,” said Pratchett in his Author’s Note for Lords and Ladies. Soul Music is a book that belongs in that category where it is helpful to have read a previous novel. In this case it is Mort, the fourth Discworld book, which tells about Death’s adopted daughter Ysabelle and his, rather lousy, apprentice Mortimer. Without having read the previous Death-novels the reader would still thoroughly enjoy this novel, but it surely “helps” if one would have done so (and subsequently it is a very good excuse to buy and read some more novels* of Discworld if one felt inclined to need any excuse). The scene on pages 140-1 shows the final encounter with Mortimer versus Death where Susan more or less interferes.

Then for satire. Rock music and related phenomena such as image and style lay at the centre of the story. Many references are to be found by the careful reader who knows his music history: Bruce Springsteen (Pratchett, 201), Buddy Holly (Pratchett, 114) and Elvis Presley (Pratchett, 132) to name a few very obvious examples. The Big Bang theory drops by as well (more or less). It was actually some music that started life; and it started with counting: “One, Two. One, Two, Three, Four” (152). Finally, the award for best Pratchettism. This time a very close tie. There is the equally funny as true statement: “Susan hated literature. She’d much prefer to read a good book” (Pratchett, 15) and there is:

“You just play the harp?”

“Anything with strings on it,” said Imp. “But the harp is the queen of instruments, see.”

“I can blow anything,” said Glod.

“Realllly?” said Imp. He sought for some polite comment. “That must make you very popular” (Pratchett, 25).

And then, one final warning. If you discuss with someone how sweet it was that Death made Susan a swing (Pratchett, 287, 292-3, 366), do not be surprised if people throw you funny looks when you say something like “Aaaah, how sweet is Death?”

* Which happens to be Reaper Man besides Mort.