Another review from the "hugely delayed review of an audio book" series that my health is throwing up.
I don't have particularly fond memories of Soul Music, but I've rather enjoyed it on re-read.
It's late early Discworld, on what I think of as the downhill slope. There's an extra-dimensional threat that doesn't belong on the Discworld, in the form of rock music. Fortunately, Terry knows there's only so many times you can threaten the world with creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, so that doesn't happen. Instead, there are a vast number of rock music reference jokes (for every one I spotted, I'm sure there's one I missed), and the elderly wizards becoming rock fans is rather enjoyable. Rebellious Deans appear to be a pan-dimensional thing.
I was never really a fan of the Death novels, which often seemed to consist of Death failing to do his job and then getting angry at humans for trying to handle that. Once more, Death goes AWOL, but there's not much anger and this novel's Substitute Death is Susan. Death novels aren't great, but Susan novels are very good!
So, yeah, unlike my memories, this is not a bad book. In the overall canon of Discworld, and in terms of deeper messages, maybe it's a bit of a placeholder, but as usual Pratchett still manages to make it an enjoyable ride.
Posted 2024-05-24.