Rating: 
Summary: Actually 3.5 stars
Review:
More of the same... Pratchett's Discworld series is sumptuous. My earlier comparisons (in my reviews of Mort and The Truth) with P.G. Wodehouse's fictional world seem pretty apt. Both Pratchett's and Wodehouse's worlds are utterly pleasurable places to immerse oneself in. Both are dreamlike fantasies which nevertheless maintain strong connections with the so-called `real' world. Both are peopled with a wide variety of grotesques/caricatures/stereotypes which are, somehow, utterly compelling and utterly believable. Both weave fantastically complicated plots and sub-plots and employ many of the devices of farce and sitcom. I think Pratchett's world, characters, themes, philosophies etc are much more varied in scope - Discworld is, after all, an actual, literal world as opposed to Wodehouse's much more limited, self-enclosed, metaphoric world of the English upper classes/landed gentry etc. Pratchett wins, hands down, for the sheer breadth and depth of his imagination. But I think Wodehouse is far superior in his use of the English language and his works have a far higher laugh rate than Pratchett's. Typically with Wodehouse, I'm archly amused several times per paragraph, doubled up with laughter several times per chapter and swooning at the sheer brilliance of the writing and story several times per book. With Pratchett, most of my response is arch amusement and I'm only doubled up with laughter a handful of times per book (so far) and rarely swooning at the sheer brilliance of the writing or story. This sounds like I'm really laying into Pratchett. I'm not. I think it is well worth any reader's while to spend significant chunks of their life ploughing through the Pratchett oeuvre. Just make sure you allocate enough time to simultaneously consume plenty of Wodehouse too! Anyhow, back to Soul Music. Highlights include... the highly sympathetic characters of Susan Death, Buddy, Cliff, Glod, the Librarian... a plethora of groan-inducing puns... fantastic pastiches of the music industry... the loving evocation of the unique magic of rock music... and the fact that I wished the story were twice as long (yet again, Pratchett's ending is poignant, hopeful, just plain good!) I had more fun with this Discworld novel than the others I've read so far (Mort, The Truth) and I was quite moved by it. It had less flab than The Truth and was more meaty than Mort. (Though, curiously, Death himself was a bit washed up - difficult third album syndrome, no doubt!) So, tentatively, I'd say it's my fave so far... but that statement is subject to change... Feet of Clay next...
Rating: 
Summary: Another Discworld Classic
Review: I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I did Pratchett's Mort, but I still spent most of the book giggling to myself. More than some of his other novels, Pratchett worked in real-world tie-ins. Many of them are in pun form, some of them are just allusion, but I plan to read this several more times to see if I can find more. I recommend this book to anyone already familiar with Pratchett or anyone who enjoys Piers Anthony's punniness.
Rating:
Summary: Another Discworld Classic
Review: I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I did Pratchett's Mort, but I still spent most of the book giggling to myself. More than some of his other novels, Pratchett worked in real-world tie-ins. Many of them are in pun form, some of them are just allusion, but I plan to read this several more times to see if I can find more. I recommend this book to anyone already familiar with Pratchett or anyone who enjoys Piers Anthony's punniness.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Pratchett's finest.
Review: I have read with great enjoyment all of the Discword books I could get my hands on, but of them all, Soul Music is my favorite. It contains all the usual Pratchett trademarks, such as clever allusions, bizzare footnotes, and an underlying message which is as serious as the actual writing is silly. Needless to say, it's one of the funniest things I've ever read. It makes room for all my favorite Discworld characters (i.e. Death and his granddaughter Susan, the Librarian of Unseen University, and the various odd residents of Ankh-Morpork). Anyone who has read any other of the Discworld books with enjoyment needs this one as well, and anyone who hasn't needs this one to start with.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to snuff I'm afraid...
Review: I'm working my way through the Discworld books for the first time. Although I've greatly enjoyed the previous five, Soul Music really falls short of the mark.The story begins with a lot of potential. The ideas are fresh and the characters are likeable and "solid". The reader quickly realizes that the unrelated initial plotlines are on a collision course and having read Pratchett's other work, the reader has high expectations as to how the story will cleverly unfold. Unfortunately, about a third of the way through, the story falls flat. The puns about rock music grow tired almost immediately, yet the reader is continually beat over the head with them. All of the characters become hollow shells and each page feels like more of the same. I found myself longing for the end of the book with a hundred pages still to read. I feel that this was no where near Pratchett's best work. Only the beginning of the story has the familiar Discworld feel to it. The rest of it feels as if it was written at the last minute under a deadline crunch.
Rating:
Summary: Not badm but Soul Music doesn't quite touch the soul
Review: Soul Music is a story about love, death, family, the inevitability of fate, and the power of music. In true Pratchett fashion, it's also a story about the hilarity that ensues when (insert improbable events here).
This is the story of Imp Y Celyn, an ambitious teenage bard who acquires a magic guitar. With the help of his bandmates and his new instrument, Imp brings a new craze to the Discworld -- Music With Rocks In! Little does Imp know that he's fated to die on the night of his band's first performance ... or that there's something in that guitar of his that won't let him.
This is the story of Death, who's had a *very* bad day at work. There was a tragic carriage accident, you see, and he had to go and claim the lives of two of the only mortals he ever allowed himself to care about... So, in an effort to forget, Death runs away to imbibe vast amounts of alcohol and join the Klatchian Foreign Legion.
This is the story of Susan Sto Helit, a teenage girl who's recently lost both of her parents in a tragic accident. Left at a stuffy boarding school, Susan has no idea that she is the granddaughter of Death himself, and that she's about to get stuck running the family business.
This book is everything Pratchett fans have come to expect and more. It's a hilarious pastiche of the history of rock and roll, a style of music that has no place in a medieval fantasy world. It's a welcome addition to the subset of Discworld books that star Death, who is terribly good at his job, but wishes people weren't always so unhappy to see him. It's a prime example of the inspired blend of satire, high fantasy, and just plain silliness that makes Terry Pratchett one of the most popular fantasists in the world.
This is probably my favourite Discworld novel so far, and that's saying something. It's not absolutely necessary, but I suggest you read Mort before picking up this one.
Rating:
Summary: hilarity ensues!
Review: Soul Music is another chapter in Pratchett's Discworld series. In this particular novel, Death has taken another hiatus to try and "find himself" (or maybe to just forget himself). So, the job of the grim reaper is bestowed upon his adopted granddaughter, Susan. At the same time, Imp The Bard has just bought an enchanted guitar in a music shop. Little does he know that the guitar holds a powerful secret that could mean the end of the universe. When Susan and Imp cross paths, it seams that both of their worlds are thrown into chaos. It's up to Susan to figure out the secret behind the enchanted guitar before a catastrophe occurs that even Death himself couldn't fix.
Once again, Pratchett proves he's a genius at writing satire. Each book he releases seems to be better than the one before. Soul Music is no exception. Along with a plethora of new characters, the usual suspects are still there. Including the inept wizards of Unseen University who add even more hilarity to this extremely funny story. The only problem with any of Pratchett's Discworld books is that you have to read them in some kind of order to remotely understand what is really going on. This is difficult due to the fact that there are now over 40 books in the series and Pratchet doesn't write them in any useful order (or so it seems). However, you can find some good reading "guides" on the internet from time to time to help you in your journey through the Discworld. Believe me, it's worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Play that funky music...
Review: Soul Music, the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, is decidedly weaker then the other books in the Death sub-series. Like the other Death books, Death has taken a break and something must be done in the meantime. This time, however, it results in a disjointed narrative that isn't quite up to Pratchett's standards. I'm of two minds on Soul Music. It is tremendously funny, with wonderful homages to various rock and roll elements. There are numerous Blues Brothers riffs, lots of Meat Loaf references, along with song lyrics and various band names that are parodied. "'A song about Great Fiery Balls. [...] Couldn't really make out the words, the reason bein', the piano exploded.'" These sorts of references permeate the book, and make it a joy to read. Some of the band names in the book include "We're Certainly Dwarfs (They Might be Giants), "Suck" (Kiss), "The Surreptitious Fabric" (The Velvet Underground). I'm sure you can see where this is going. On the other hand, the Death aspect of this story covers ground that's already been covered, to an extent. Yet again, Death has decided to walk away from it all and visit humanity. Once again, somebody has to take over his job. Yet again, the person who does so has trouble with the "moral" aspect of it. In Mort, Mort fell in love and couldn't bring himself to "kill" a little girl. In this one, Susan has qualms about "killing" innocents and letting bad people live out a full life. Why can't it be the other way around? It feels very recycled, and it's only saved in Soul Music because Susan is interrupted by the onset of this strange music that's making everybody go weird. The other problem with the book is the incredibly disjointed feeling that it has. I used that word in my Reaper Man review as well, but that book was so good that it made up for it. This time, however, it's even worse. The Death storyline doesn't get much time, with only a couple of scenes with the Foreign Legion, then a couple of scenes back in Ankh-Morpork before finally being called back. Susan's story takes forever to begin, as she is first approached by the Death of Rats, is skeptical, has it shown to her, explores Death's house, etc. It got to the point at the beginning of the book that it came to a screeching halt whenever the story left the music and went back to Susan. All of that being said, though, Soul Music is still a very entertaining book. The characters are wonderful, with only Susan being slightly boring. The other characters are either very well developed, or just in there for the sake of the joke (like the band that continually changes its name because, well, they suck and they can't get any recognition). The three main band members (Imp, Glod and Cliff) are great, all being true to their racial characteristics (dwarves love gold, and so does Glod, etc), yet being wonderful personalities as well. The wizards are back yet again, wreaking havoc with everybody and everything. All but the Ridcully seem to be taken over by this new type of music, and the scenes between Ridcully and the Dean are priceless (the Dean acts like a child who is being denied while Ridcully is the father figure who is sending the Dean to his room without any supper). The jokes come fast and furious whenever the wizards are around. Death, when he is around, is as funny as always. There's something about a personification of an aspect of life "trying to forget" that's really funny, even more so in Pratchett's execution of it. Next to Reaper Man, this book comes up a bit short. It's still entertaining, and you'll still enjoy it. I would definitely recommend it. I would read a few Discworld books in between the two, though. If you don't, you may find yourself feeling worse about Soul Music then you actually should.
Rating:
Summary: "We're on a mission from Glod"
Review: Terry Pratchett is without a doubt one of the most gifted writers to grace the world of literature. His Discworld novel, 'Soul Music', is the most entertaining book I've read in many years. This is the story of Susan Sto Helit- boarding school student, granddaughter of Death, and acting CEO of the family business. When Death joins the Klatchian Foreign Legion to forget (in general), Susan has to take up the scythe and fill in for a time. Not particularly well suited for the job, Susan refuses to collect the life of Imp Y Celyn- a young man who along with a dwarf trumpet player and a troll percussionist, has introduced Music With Rocks In to the good people of Ankh-Morpork. Imp has been influenced by a magical guitar with a life of it's own, and given birth to 'Rock' music. Susan feels it's not right for Imp to 'live fast and die young', and this upsets the balance of nature on Discworld. Assisted by Albert- Death's manservant, and the Death of Rats- Susansets out to find her grandfather and try to set things right. Music With Rocks in has upset every aspect of society in Ankh-Morpork, much like rock'n'roll in 1950's America. The wizards of Unseen University are under a spell like nothing anyone has ever seen. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the whole fantasy/sci-fi genre, but Pratchett's Discworld novels are more akin to flights of fancy... enjoyable on many levels. His works leave the reader with a pleasant sense of fulfillment that few authors can approach. You never find yourself wishing things turned out differently than Pratchett's vision, like so many other novels today. This splendid work has to be read to fully grasp the beauty of it's complex fluidity, and the humorous footnotes are fantastic. I would recommend Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series to anyone- they are a pleasure to read and finished far too soon.
Rating:
Summary: A story that misses a soul.
Review: When Imp enters Ankh-Morpork he has no clue that he is on the verge of changing the way people listen to music. In search of good fortune he left his hometown in Llamedos and hopes to earn some money playing harp in the biggest city - or at least the most crowded - of the Discworld. Regrettably no one ever told him that the Guild of Musicians has a rather 'terminal' policy concerning people who play music without a licence, the rather expensive kind that is. But he is not the only one who cannot pay the fee. Together with a dwarf, a troll and an - ook ook - ape, Imp starts an illegal band and together they play 'Music with Rocks In'. The band is an immediate success, certainly now C.M.O.T. Dibbler is their manager. When people start to ask Imp if he is a bit elvish, it must be clear that something dangerous is at hand. In Soul Music Death gets again a major part, although this time the role is played by Death's granddaughter Susan. But do not expect the witty humour that was dominating Terry's classic novel Mort. The main chunk of funny paragraphs is filled with clever puns to the names of famous music bands. Two examples: Lead Balloon (Led Zeppelin) and &U (U2). At the start of the novel this is quite entertaining, but when you have to digest pun number 50 it has lost its originality. At the end of the story the puns are the only thing that drives the story. A story that on its own is very weak and tends to bore the reader. Soul Music clearly fails in matching the high standards set by the other Discworld novels.
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