Mort by Terry Pratchett

Death "lives" in Discworld, and he's having an identity crisis. Maybe he has been detached from humanity for too long, or maybe he's jealous of the complexity of life - either way, Death's solution is to take on an apprentice. When you're alive though, being Death's apprentice is a very strange place to be, and Mort definitely doesn't have an easy time of it. In fact, as Death delves deeper into his study of life, Mort is forced to pick up the slack. The one issue, Mort is still human (and alive) and humans make mistakes.

The cast of characters in this Discworld book are all a little but snotty or snooty - and it works. Of course, Death is full of himself and Mort is snooty in his ignorance of just about everything, but we also have a pair of wizards (think they're better than everyone,) a princess who would be Queen (snob,) and Death's living daughter (adopted.) They all have issues, but are brought together when Mort makes a major mistake on the job. He lets someone slated to die, live.

The fun storytelling, crazy action, and unique sense of humor that populates Discworld novels makes them all worth reading. It's an alternative world where anything can happen (and does,) and the ridiculous isn't silly, but funny and entertaining in an intelligent way. I've enjoyed every book I've read in this series, and especially enjoy being under no obligation to read them in order. Pick any title that sounds interesting and welcome to Discworld.

Other Discwold books I've reviewed:

• Equal Rites
• Lords and Ladies
• Wyrd Sister