When Death Came to Discworld—and Never Left
How the Grim Reaper became a regular character carrying his scythe across the fantasy landscape.
“There were so many outrageous things done in the name of fantasy,” noted Discworld author by Sir Terry Pratchett. “I thought ‘It’s time to have a laugh at it now’.”
The Discworld books built a massive comedy fantasy saga created by Sir Terry Pratchett (1948-2015). The series—set in world full of myths and magic and more other-worldy things—was famous for being hilarious while offering social commentary. The brand began with all those novels, but eventually expanded to be on stage, TV, radio, movies, and video games.
Sir Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist. Beginning his writing career as a journalist and press officer, his first novel was 1971’s The Carpet People. His first Discworld novel was 1983’s The Colour of Magic—after which Pratchett averaged writing two books a year.
He wrote more than 50 bestselling books. Oh—and widely adapted for screen and the stage, they have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world. Best known for the Discworld novels, his other fiction also included the apocalyptic comedy 1990 novel Good Omens, adapted into the TV show starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant.
As an author, he won several prizes. In fact, Sir Pratchett was even awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his fiction in 2009. After that, it’s sort of a letdown to mention that he also won the Carnegie Medal, the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award, the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award, and eight honorary doctorates.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Pratchett died March 12, 2015. He was 66.
Reading the Discworld series
(BTW, there’s a clickable TOC below so you can jump to other sections of the article)
Sir Pratchett’s blockbuster Discworld series revolved around lots of different characters there, with the books focusing on different parts of that world. As such, while the set includes 41 titles (!), it has been said that these books can be read in any order.
Making it even easier to visit that world is that there are subsets of the series where a handful of books focus on a particular set of characters. In fact, what pulled me in is that there are five books that focus on… well, Death. Literally. You know, the skeleton guy in the hooded robe with the big sharp weapon.
So, yes, one of the residents of Discworld is Death. And, apparently, he makes appearances in most of the books. But there are five books where he is one of the central characters.
As Pratchett told ABC News (Australia):
“[Death is] a rather likable character in the books. Yes, he owes me a lot of money. Who can be afraid of death? What’s there to be afraid of? I treasure the unknown. It’s the here and now that worries me.” (Source: “Sir Terry Pratchett on life and death”)
Now, at this moment I have just finished the first book that featured Death—Mort. The novel is hilarious. And brilliant. And one of those wonderful books where I had zero idea where it would end up. (So, I have already bought all five of the “Death” titles and am totally planning to read all these books ASAP.)
Which may make me less scared to eventually commit to reading a series that has, you know, more than 40 novels.
TOC
TOC for “When Death Came to Discworld”
In this article below, I’ll be sharing these sections. (Feel free to click on one of the titles to jump to that section directly.)
1
The Setup for the Discworld series
So, Discworld is a flat planet. Balanced on the backs of four elephants. Which, it turns out, are standing on the back of a giant turtle. That is swimming. Through space.
And Discworld creator Sir Terry Pratchett used the location to write some hilarious (and bestselling) novels. His fiction has been compared to the likes of parody writers Douglas Adams, Carl Hiaasen, Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut.
(I can definitely confirm the, “Oh, cool—this reminds me of Douglas Adams. In the good way.”)
In a 1992 interview with the BBC, Pratchett shared what inspired him to start the Discworld series:
“There were so many cliches in the in the fairytale view of fantasy—of the wizards and the witches and so forth—so that it may be fun just to treat them as if they were real life where I work. Tolkien was great, but lots of people have copied Tolkien, and they’ve not really done fantasy much of a service. And there were so many outrageous things done in the name of fantasy, so many silly films, I thought it’s time to have a laugh at it now.” (Source: “TERRY PRATCHETT on making FANTASY funny”)
Pratchett’s Discworld started with 1983’s The Colour of Magic. The series went on—for dozens of more books (and lots and lots of characters)—until it wrapped up with 2015’s The Shepherd’s Crown, published after the author’s death.
While I’m still new to reading the books, I’ve been told that the Discworld tales often celebrate (or, frankly, outright parody) familiar tales from folklore, mythology, science fiction, and fantasy. And then often uses those riffs to comment on real-world issues, culture, science, technology, politics, and more.
In addition to the official books, there are apparently some related short stories, some science books, and even supplements and reference guides. And, as already mentioned, there have also been all those adaptations. (So, clearly, my schedule is full at this point.)
The Discworld fiction is, essentially, stand-alone stories. But some of the books connect together as character arcs. Which, of course, brings us back to why I wrote this article…
2
The deal with Death (as a Discworld character)
While the character of Death as seen on Discworld is Terry Pratchett’s own character, the author is clearly borrowing elements from several images we’ve seen over the years. As such, this Death is a skeleton. Wearing one of those hooded black robes. And he’s carrying around a scythe. And sometimes even a sword.
Now, if I understand correctly, this particular Death is only authorized to work in Discworld. So he works for the larger system that deals with the larger universe.
And one of the more interesting details—at least, as I’ve read so far—is that Death is not responsible for killing anybody. His job is to go to a person who has already died in order help them move forward into whatever is their next realm. (Granted, as demonstrated at least in Mort, mistakes are possible.)
But on Discworld, Death plays his role in a (relatively) sympathetic fashion. In fact, Pratchett uses the role of Death to contemplate human existence. And, as I study more discussions of Discworld, apparently Death becomes more sympathetic throughout the series as it progresses…
Now, Death appears in almost every Discworld novel. (The two exceptions are The Wee Free Men and Snuff).
That said, Death is only the main character in five of the titles. (Which we talk about below.) Otherwise, when the character makes an appearance, it may be a minor mention or “just passing through.”
In the series, Death doesn’t kill anyone. (Well, not on purpose. ) His job is to come to someone who has died and then help lead their souls from this world to whatever comes next. (As I understand it, the “whatever comes next” changes from one deceased person to another—based on what they expected.)
When I met the character in the novel Mort, Death was fascinated with humanity. He has adopted a daughter, and he has hired an apprentice. Eventually, those two will (spoiler) become a couple and (oh, another spoiler) have their own daughter, which will be (probably also a spoiler) considered his granddaughter.
(There is more to come in the series, but I don’t want to spoil any more of it for myself. If you want even more spoilers, you’ll have to go read more about all this somewhere else. Like probably one of the reference books.)
3
Death’s character arc in Discworld
As we discussed before, the Death we meet in Discworld essentially parodies several familiar ideas for the Grim Reaper. And his jurisdiction is the Discworld itself. (Others handle the job in other parts of reality.)
Now, this particular Death almost never actually kills anyone on purpose. Instead, his determined role is to visit someone who has just died—and help them move on to where they expect they should go.
Death appears in almost every Discworld book—to at least some extent. (Except for the titles The Wee Free Men and Snuff.) In some of these books, he’s just a mention or merely passing through.
But in some of those books—especially in the titles we’re focusing on in this article—Death plays a pretty significant role.
As I mentioned before, I’m still reading these books. (But was so quickly impressed that I couldn’t help but jump into talking him up in this article.)
It’s been said that Death—that is, the hooded person in Discworld—grows as a character over the course of these appearances. For that matter, in the books where Death is one of main characters, he goes through significant character development.
These are the novels that are about Death. For more info on a specific book in the series, click on the book title. (Or you can just keep scrolling. That’s what I’m doing.)
Death also appears in these short stories:
“Death and What Comes Next” (online at L-Space Web)
“Theatre of Cruelty” (also online at L-Space Web)
“Turntables of the Night”
(All three of these stories are included in Pratchett’s short story collection A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction)
The Death arc novels in the Discworld series
Mort
Mort (1987)
Death comes to us all. Of course, when he came to Mort, Death offered him a job.
After being assured that being dead was not compulsory, Mort accepts a role as Death’s apprentice. However, he soon finds that romantic longings do not mix easily with his new responsibilities. With, you know, working for Death.
Death comes to everyone eventually on Discworld. And now he’s come to Mort with an offer the young man can’t refuse. (Literally. Seeing as how “being dead” is, you know, required.)
Actually, it’s a pretty good deal. As Death’s apprentice, Mort will have free board and lodging. He’ll get use of the company horse. And he won’t have to take any time off for family funerals.
But despite the obvious perks, young Mort is about to discover that there is a serious downside to working for the Reaper Man. Because this perfect job can be a killer on one’s love life…
Buy Mort
Reaper
Reaper Man (1991)
When Death is fired, the undead and underemployed set out to find him.
They say there are only two things you can count on. But that was before Death started pondering the existential.
Of course, the last thing anyone needs is a squeamish Grim Reaper and soon his Discworld bosses have sent him off with best wishes and a well-earned gold watch. Now Death is having the time of his life, finding greener pastures where he can put his scythe to a whole new use.
But like every cutback in an important public service, Death’s demise soon leads to chaos and unrest—literally, for those whose time was supposed to be up, like Windle Poons.
The oldest geezer in the entire faculty of Unseen University—home of magic, wizardry, and big dinners—Windle was looking forward to a wonderful afterlife, not this boring been-there-done-that routine.
To get the fresh start he deserves, Windle and the rest of Ankh-Morpork’s undead and underemployed set off to find Death and save the world for the living(and everybody else, of course)…
Buy Reaper Man
Soul
Soul Music (1994)
Death’s granddaughter Susan has to take over the family business.
When her dear old Granddad—the Grim Reaper himself—goes missing, Susan takes over the family business. The progeny of Death’s adopted daughter and his apprentice, she shows real talent for the trade. That is, until a little string in her heart goes “twang.”
With a head full of dreams and a pocketful of lint, Imp the Bard lands in Ankh-Morpork, yearning to become a rock star. Determined to devote his life to music, the unlucky fellow soon finds that all his dreams are coming true.
Well, almost…
Buy Soul Music
Hogfather
Hogfather (1996)
‘Twas the night before Hogswatch and all through the house... something was missing.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Hogswatchnight, when the Hogfather himself dons his red suit and climbs in his sleigh pulled by—of course—eight hogs, to shower gifts across Discworld.
But when the fat man goes missing, someone has to sit in. It’s up to Death to take up the reigns—otherwise the sun won’t shine tomorrow... or ever again.
Who would want to harm Discworld’s most beloved icon? Very few things are held sacred in this twisted, corrupt, heartless—and oddly familiar—universe, but the Hogfather is one of them.
Yet here it is, Hogswatchnight, that most joyous and acquisitive of times, and the jolly, old, red-suited gift-giver has vanished without a trace. And there’s something shady going on involving an uncommonly psychotic member of the Assassins’ Guild and certain representatives of Ankh-Morpork’s rather extensive criminal element.
Suddenly Discworld’s entire myth system is unraveling at an alarming rate. Drastic measures must be taken.
Which is why Death himself is taking up the reins of the fat man’s vacated sleigh... which, in turn, has Death’s level-headed granddaughter, Susan, racing to unravel the nasty, humbuggian mess before the holiday season goes straight to hell and takes everyone along with it.
Buy Hogfather
Thief
Thief of Time (2001)
Time is at an end for the Discworld unless a trio of unusual allies can save it.
Time is a resource that must be managed. It can be allowed to move quickly or slowly, but it must never stop. In the Discworld, only the venerable Monks of History are entrusted with overseeing time, to ensure that tomorrow always comes.
But a young horologist is about to start a race against time. He’s constructing the world’s first truly accurate clock, and if this Perfect Clock starts ticking, it will stop time completely.
It’s up to Monk Lu-Tze, his apprentice Lobsang Ludd, and Death’s granddaughter Susan to stop him, or there really will be no tomorrow....
Buy Thief of Time
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Note: Thief of Time is also in the process of being adapted into a new graphic novel. More info coming… right below. (Seriously, it’s the next thing we talk about.)
comics
New adaptations of Discworld with graphic novels
Terry Pratchett’s expanse of fantasy comedy—Discworld—has been explored many times. Not just in the more than 40 official works of fiction, but also in media adaptions on stage, on screen, in games, and more. (And, for that matter, even previous comic book editions.)
The latest adaptations are coming with three graphic novels from a new shared universe project: The Wee Free Men, Thief of Time, and Monstrous Regiment. As the Discworld series of novels are one world—full of all these characters and stories—these adaptations will be consciously connected as part of the “Discworld Graphic Novel Universe.”
Rhianna Pratchett—daughter of the Discworld creator—is scripting the new edition of The Wee Free Men.
“I’m delighted to be adapting The Wee Free Men, which is one of my favorite books by my father. Growing up in Wiltshire, England’s ‘Chalk Country’, and having a shepherdess grandmother makes it a very personal book for me, as well as being the gateway into the superb Tiffany Aching series. The book has so much heart, joy and humor that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, and I hope the graphic novel collaboration with Puffin will open up these marvelous stories to a new audience.” (Source: Official Terry Pratchett website)
More specifics about the three adaptations:
Thief of Time
A perfect clock stops time, setting several cosmic beings against each other…
By Terry Pratchett, Gary Chudleigh, Rachael Stott
Intended publication April 2, 2026
Monstrous Regiment
A young woman disguises herself as a man to go off to war…
By Terry Pratchett, Jon Wood, no artist yet announced
Intended publication Fall 2026
The Wee Free Men
A young witch befriends a tribe of barbarian gnomes…
By Terry Pratchett, Rhianna Pratchett, no artist yet announced
Intended publication Spring 2027
Related Terry Pratchett articles
Revisiting Terry Pratchett’s Discworld taught me why I love reading (Guardian)
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to be launched as graphic-novel series by Transworld and Puffin (Bookseller)
Thanks To Its Hollywood Parody, There’s One Discworld Book That’s Perfect For Its New Shared Universe (Screen Rant)
Author C.K. McDonnell picks his top five Terry Pratchett books (Sir Terry Pratchett OBE)
The Best Terry Pratchett Books (Five Books)
All 41 Discworld novels ranked best to worst (Shotsmag Confidential)
Which Terry Pratchett novels are the best starting point for readers new to the Discworld? (Chronicles SF&F Community)
The 13 best Terry Pratchett books according to readers (The Scotsman)
Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Discworld Novels by Terry Pratchett (Unseen Library)
The 15 Best Terry Pratchett Books, Ranked According to Goodreads (Collider)
more
Find more about Terry Pratchett online
Author websites
Bookshop.org (which sells books and eBooks for your local independent bookstore)
Libro.fm (which sells audiobooks for your local independent bookstore)
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How the Grim Reaper became a regular character carrying his scythe across the fantasy landscape of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. “There were so many outrageous things done in the name of fantasy. I thought ‘It’s time to have a laugh at it now’.”