Fiona’s Review Blog

I got my first Discworld book, by Terry Pratchett, about three or four years ago, called Wyrd Sisters. It featured characters I’ve since come to know and love, i.e. the formidable Granny Weatherall and the racy Nanny Ogg. I bought a couple more after that, as they came out, Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal, and while I enjoyed them I still hadn’t totally bought into the Discworld saga.

But that has certainly happened over the last couple of months, Gary T gave Sam a box of about 20 Discworld books to get rid of at the landfill, but instead of that they’ve been in the front room as I’ve been working my way through them, chronologically of course. I’m enjoying them so much. Because I’m reading so many in one stretch, and the different characters might appear in say every third or fourth novel, it gives me a chance to quickly build up a picture of my favourites, instead of having to wait a couple of years for them to appear again.

There’s Death, who’s suffered occasionally from existential angst, and only speaks in UPPERCASE; Rincewind, the failed wizard, has a policy of running from any hint of trouble, and has therefore managed to survive being hurled through time, and other dimensions; the wizards of Unseen University, like bickering academics everywhere, they’re presided over by Mustrum Ridcully, who’s like a bluff no nonsense huntin’ shootin’ country squire; and the Watch, populated by a representation of Ankh-Morpork’s residents, i.e. dodgy dealers, trolls, dwarves, zombies, a werewolf, and possibly the heir to the throne.

I’m reading The Truth at the moment, and last night finished on a section which introduced Otto, a reformed vampire. He’s applied for a position as photographer with the Ankh-Morpork Times, unfortunately the flash from his equipment has him writhing in agony, and occasionally reduces him to dust, but he sees it as a small sacrifice for his art. I went to sleep smiling.