SOME SPOILERS AHEAD - Not heavily however not totally devoid of details. Fair warning.
Hey Bookworms, This could should be titled 'why in my journey through the series so far Death is my favourite character.' In our first interactions with Death in earlier books, it is immediately apparent that he is charming, has a dry wit, and is intrigued by humans. He has moments of pure gold whenever he appears, from his explanation of what the experience of eating a curry feels like, to being aggrieved by the Wizards choice of descriptives for him when summoning him for assistance. Teasing that his attendance at a costume party is going well - for now, his insistence that he can sober up whenever he wants after an epic drinking session, lover of cats, and hearty proclamations of 'bugger'. I immediately adored Death as a character, because he has a personality. This book took that fact and ran with it, literally the whole foundation of the story centering around Death being 'retired' for developing a personality, and not simply being an entity as the Auditors of Reality feel is proper. Death so far has had relitively human interactions with the inhabitants of the Disc, however has lacked a true understanding of why we do what we do and feel what we feel - which is fair, that'd be the lack of glands. Reaper Man takes Death on a road to discovery - he suddenly has time, and a finite amount of it. He gets to experience sleep for the first time, to dream, makes friends, works on a farm, and realises he's uncomfortable with he concept of actually taking a life [not part of his job description, he just collects those already succumbed to the dying]. But greater still, he starts to feel more, and acts on these feelings. Death, who charm and wit aside is pragmatic, logical and [mainly] unmoving on his utterly professional stance in his role as Death, saves a girl knowing it could cause the end of the world. Why? Because Miss Flitworth gives him a slap after he spouts the usual rhetoric he would as Death, when she needed Bill Door to help. She gives him a crash course in living, an awareness he was lacking - and although at the end of the tale Death is still quintessentially Death - Miss Flitworth made sure that a little Bill will always be there. In Mort, Death is excited to have some free time to enjoy himself, which is delightful, and the book as a whole is fantastic. However in Mort his joy is found in having a day off here and there, he is still fundamentally going to be an eternal entity. Reaper Man sees Death excited to finally have actual Time. Real Time. However, as he becomes Bill Door this exciting prospect starts to show it's harsh reality. His observation of having time 'stolen' when he awakes after sleep, a fear of dreaming, unease at the sound of ticking clocks, and awareness of the limitation of that time he was gifted, all illustrate beautifully his growing understanding of Life. His willingness to allow the Girl to live on his borrowed time shows empathy that was lacking in his range of understanding previously. His apathy when he feels like he can't possibly beat the New Death and save himself is desperately human, as is the surge of hope Miss Flitworth instills in him as his friend chooses to stand by him, knowing who he truly is, and help. This whole story was wonderfully enjoyable and funny throughout. With its not entirely dead Wizard, anxious Boogeyman, Banshee with a speech impediment, not entirely legit Vampires including a bat with a fear of heights, utter chaos ensuing due too excessive life-force as Death had no immediate replacement, a medium who strikes fear into the hearts of every religious order in existence [except for those led by women], were-person's, mysterious snow globes and sentient trollies, walking trousers, a Death of Rats, and a ludicrous spirit guide - from start to end the book is hilarious, bonkers, and simply delightful. And through it all, the laughs and silliness and the utterly bizarre - there's Death. Death learning, and growing, and understanding more and more. The final part of his story with Miss Flitworth is sincerely moving. After everything they've experienced together throughout the book - her taking him in, warming to him and inviting him into her home, sharing a story and asking a loaded question he was proud to have understood, her disappointment in his attitude towards the Girl likely dying in the fire and his subsequently giving the child his time to borrow, Miss Flitworth giving Bill some of her time to borrow to help save him, discovering the wedding dress still lovingly stored away with her treasure and understanding it's significance - Bill really lives - because she helped him. The relationship between the two is heartwarming, and funny, and sad, and so much more. Having lived a little because of her, and knowing it was soon to be her time as he returns to his job as Death, what he chooses to do is both charmingly awkward and sweet, lacking full understanding on a human level but the closest Death ever got. Death did not have to shower Renata with flowers, chocolates [with the notable absence of rum truffles] and a Kings ransom in diamonds. He did not have to try to make her last night wonderful. But he did. Even though this was not characteristic of how he has collected souls previously, in fact entirely against his usual strictly professional attitude. He shows heart, compassion, and warmth - traits not necessarily required as Death. Even the comedic backing down on reclaiming the Death of Rats and Death of Fleas illustrates how his companionship with Renata has left him no longer wanting to be alone, like Azrael, and having enjoyed his Time. The end shows that although he is back to being Death, he is now and always will be part Bill Door. Renata Flitworth gave Death a little heart and soul. His Time was short, but he Lived. This book is funny and light-hearted, while having a genuinely interesting character development for the least expected of those of the Disc. I would highly recommend if you have not already done so that you immediately start the Discworld series, and prepare yourself to fall deeply in love with Death. Death learns the value of living through his relationship and friendship with Renata Flitworth, and it was a beautiful thing to see. - DTB