| Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 16th novel – 3rd Death story |
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|---|---|
| Outline | |
| Characters | Death Susan Imp y Celyn Glod Glodsson Lias Bluestone |
| Locations | Ankh-Morpork Death's Domain Quirm |
| Motifs | Rock music and related mythologising |
| Publication details | |
| Date of release | 1994 |
| Original publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Hardback ISBN | ISBN 0-575-05504-9 |
| Paperback ISBN | ISBN 0-552-14029-5 |
| Other details | |
Soul Music is the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1994. Like many of Pratchett's novels it introduces an element of modern society into the magical and vaguely late medieval, early modern world of the Discworld, in this case Rock and Roll music and stardom, with nearly disastrous consequences. It also introduces Susan Sto Helit, daughter of Mort and Ysabell and granddaughter of Death.
Contents |
The story follows the short-lived but glamorous musical career of "The Band with Rocks In", a group of musicians who become famous after their leader, Imp Y Celyn aka. 'Buddy' (Buddy Holly, as his real last name means "from the holly"), becomes possessed by the essence of an addictive new music dubbed 'Music With Rocks In'. The band is "discovered" by Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, who becomes the Disc's first manager. He tries to cash in by any means possible whilst keeping the band ignorant. He also hires the troll Asphalt as a roadie to accompany the band on its tour.
Meanwhile, Death is in one of his philosophical moods, and takes a holiday in search of a way to forget his more troubling memories, such as the recent demise of his adopted daughter Ysabell and her husband Mort. In the meantime, his granddaughter Susan discovers the truth about her heritage when she is forced to stand in for her missing grandfather. Complications ensue when she falls in love with Buddy, and tries to save him from his "live fast, die young" destiny as the Discworld's first rock star.
Buddy wants to do a free concert, and after Dibbler figures out how much money he can make by selling T-shirts, sausages-in-a-bun etc. to the audience, he agrees. A large number of bands, all of whom have formed in response to the original "Band with Rocks In", participate in the largest concert of all time.
Afterwards the band flees from their crazed fans, pursued by the angry Musicians Guild, C.M.O.T. Dibbler, Susan and Death. The cart in which the band are riding falls into a gorge, killing all its passengers, but Death intervenes to save them, afterward destroying the guitar which was the source of the new music. Thus the band are freed from their self-destructive destiny, and the spirit of the Music With Rocks in is driven from the Disc.
An animated adaptation was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Channel 4 in 1996. It takes the association of the "Band with Rocks In" with the Beatles even further than the book does, evolving their style from 1950s rock and early 1960s beat music (and mixing-bowl haircuts) in Ankh-Morpork, to acid rock in Scrote, to spiritual hippie rock in Quirm. In Sto Lat, they sound like the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Bad Company, but are dressed in clothes similar to the Beatles on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Also in Quirm, Buddy says that the band is 'more popular than cheeses,' referring to John Lennon's famous quote proclaiming the Beatles to be more popular than Jesus. In Pseudopolis, their outfits and style resemble the Blues Brothers. Crash's band is also given the name "Socks Pastels". The soundtrack was also released on CD but is now out of production.
| Reading order guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Men at Arms |
16th Discworld Novel | Succeeded by Interesting Times |
| Preceded by Reaper Man |
3rd Death Story Published in 1994 |
Succeeded by Hogfather |