Clara’s Verdict
Terry Pratchett’s Mort is the fourth Discworld novel and, for many readers, the book that transforms a promising series into something genuinely special. The arrival of Death as a major recurring character — with his fondness for horses, his inability to understand humans despite millennia of observing them, and his increasingly complicated relationship with his own function — marks a turning point in Pratchett’s writing. This audiobook edition is the Spanish-language version (Mundodisco Book 4), narrated by Raúl Lloréns and published by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial — something that must be stated plainly, as some Audible UK buyers have been caught out by the listing and been disappointed. For Spanish-speaking Discworld fans, however, this is a genuine treat.
About the Audiobook
Mortimer — Mort — is a gangly, absent-minded young man with no obvious calling. When he is apprenticed to Death itself, the universe’s most permanent employee, things do not proceed as anyone expects. Death, having taken on an apprentice, promptly takes what amounts to a sabbatical: drinking, gambling, and contemplating the nature of existence. Mort, left to manage the soul-collection business, encounters the beautiful Princess Keli — who is supposed to die — and makes the catastrophic decision to save her instead. From this single deviation, the fabric of reality begins to buckle.
Pratchett’s achievement in Mort is to make Death genuinely sympathetic — a figure who performs an absolute necessity but who struggles, with increasing vulnerability, to understand why humans attach so much importance to the time they spend not dying. The philosophical underpinning is lighter than it sounds: this is comedy first. But the comedy has a texture that accumulates into something more, and the final chapters carry an emotional weight that arrives partly as a surprise. The Spanish translation captures much of Pratchett’s wordplay, though some inevitably resists translation. Running to 9 hours and 26 minutes, this is a brisk listen even with the language shift accounted for.
The Narration
Raúl Lloréns narrates with energy and clear enjoyment. Pratchett’s humour requires a reader who can time a joke without underlining it, and Lloréns has that quality. His Death is appropriately large — the voice has gravitas without pomposity. The Penguin Random House production is polished throughout.
What Readers Say
The English-language reviews for Mort are near-universally enthusiastic — « the most wonderful, entertaining, hilarious book in the world » is perhaps the most emphatic response. Spanish-language reviews on this edition are positive, noting Discworld’s quality and Lloréns’ narration. The two one-star reviews on this listing are from English-speaking buyers who did not realise the edition was in Spanish — a genuinely frustrating situation that clearer product labelling would prevent. For the intended audience, the 4.5 rating across 667 reviews tells the real story. Discworld readers do not tend to be circumspect in their enthusiasm.
Who Should Listen?
Spanish-speaking fantasy or comedy readers who have not yet encountered Discworld will find Mort a perfectly positioned entry point — it introduces Death, one of Pratchett’s finest creations, and requires no prior knowledge of the series. Those already familiar with the series in Spanish will know what to expect: wit, depth, and a surprisingly moving conclusion. Available on Audible UK. English-speaking listeners should note this is the Spanish edition and seek the English audiobook accordingly. Listen to Mort (Spanish edition) on Audible UK — and make sure Death gets his due.
