One of the joys of being a Discworld fan is how Pratchett changed his conception of the Disc over his career. It was ever a vehicle for his interests, not some set and unchanging place, and a vehicle he flung around the track with a deft hand and unbridled glee. Yet in a way, that […]
(mild spoilers) One of the fascinating things about reading Pratchett’s career as a whole is that you get to see where he had an idea, maybe didn’t quite like what he did with it or saw other possibilities, and therefore did it again. Sourcery is a prime example, and an enjoyable read in its own […]
(mild spoilers) Imagine, for one moment, that you are a gangly day-dreamer living in a very hard-headed and serious world. Imagine that you had one day to find a future when seemingly no one sees one for you. Imagine that at two minutes to midnight, you are given a job as apprentice to Death. You […]
(Some Spoilers) In her excellent series of essays, Tansy Rayner Roberts someone suggested someone should write essays on Pratchett’s men. I am stupid enough to think I can be that someone. In the spirit of building off what she has done, I would start with the observation that all of Pratchett’s early characters are shaped […]
(mild spoilers) Equal Rites is a mildly odd book in that the central premise, particularly as suggested by blurbs, of a girl accidentally being gifted a wizard’s power and seeking access to the traditionally masculine wizard’s university, only takes up a fairly small and late part of the story. Equal Rites – that’s equal rights […]
The Light Fantastic, Pratchett’s second Discworld novel, cleaves closely to the model of The Colour of Magic in many ways but with notable improvements in most respects other than the amount of dragons. The one big difference is the plot, of which there was virtually none in TCoM. Nobody is award anything prizes for The […]
Something that fascinates me when you get these big iconic works of art in a creative scene is which ones inspire whole new schools and which ones stand alone. For my money, The Colour of Magic is in the latter category. When was the last time you read a book that reminded you of The […]
Good grief, have I really not reviewed this book? Well, here it comes, with the first time reader and already read breakdown. First time will try and dance around spoilers, already read will, er, assume you’ve already read it. First Time In previous installments of the City Watch series, Pratchett concentrated on the ever-expanding Watch […]
By way of introductory remarks, let me state that Feet of Clay is the best City Watch novel and this is a scientific fact. That is not to say everyone will think it is the most enjoyable read, or have the greatest wow factor. In fact, I suspect that if I got people to vote […]
I did not intentionally pick this book because of recent world events. Nevertheless, they have added an extra level of… immediacy, I suppose, to the story. This blog is not for politics. But it is not not for politics. This blog is for discussing the fantasy genre and what is good and interesting, and occasionally […]
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