Death (Discworld)
Death has appeared in every Discworld novel, with the exception of "The Wee Free Men" and "Snuff", and had a possible cameo at the end of "Johnny and the Dead" (the character was not identified, but spoke in unquoted small caps). The Discworld books with Death as a leading character, starting with "Mort" in 1987, are:
Technology of the Discworld
Like the golems of Jewish legend, Discworld golems are 'living statues' who work according to the orders written on tablets or scrolls contained inside their heads. They are capable of independent thought, especially if they own themselves, but are arguably not actually alive, though since they are ushered into the next world by Death on their demise, the argument is dubious. Golems first appear as non-sentient creatures under the control of an operator (in this case, Rincewind) in "Interesting Times". The first novel in which they are major sentient characters is "Feet of Clay".