Mrs. Bradshaw's Handbook, by Sir Terry Pratchett

Today I'm looking at a slim little volume that I picked up when I was on vacation back in August, Mrs. Bradshaw's Handbook, which is a complimentary book to the Discworld series. As people who read Raising Steam may remember, Mrs. Bradshaw was a character who Moist von Lipwig met very briefly and recommended to Harry King to write about the railway as a form of advertising. Mrs. Bradshaw's Handbook is that book, albeit written by Sir Terry Pratchett and aided with The Discworld Emporium as a sort of artifact from the Disc. Sort of like how you can buy copies of the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer if you're a 40k fan. (Also, holy cow, $150? I definitely didn't pay that much for my copy!) Anyway it's a neat little book if a little...repetitive.

I can't really talk about the plot of this book because there is no plot. It's actually written as a guidebook for a traveller on the Ankh-Morpork & Sto Plains Hygienic Railway and divided into six chapters. The first chapter deals with ticketing, boarding trains, and details about the main terminal in Ankh-Morpork. The remaining five chapters deal with various portions of the AM&SPHR's line and the various stops, as well as the different attractions and amenities one can expect to find at various locations. Each chapter also includes a more detailed description of the hotels at various stops along the line.

Physically it's a very nice book. So far it's only been printed in hardcover and includes the appearance of a distressed book on the cover, which is a neat little feature I like. There are also lots of neat illustrations and bits of ephemera from the Disc that are included in the book. Now you're probably wondering, ''Kalpar, why are you talking about what the book looks like? You never talk about that.'' And you'd be right to ask that but...there's not a lot more to the book beyond that. It looks nice and it's a neat thing to have but it feels very lacking in substance. There are some good jokes but otherwise it's just a list of small towns that don't have a lot about them other than the unique way the locals use cabbages.

And that's where the book gets really repetitive in my opinion, especially when it comes to cabbages. Like, it's a little funny at the beginning when they start mentioning cabbages. It's like, ''Haha, man, those people really like their cabbages!'' And then it turns into a joke that's beaten to death and it becomes a relief when we finally get to parts of the Disc that don't grow cabbages. This town makes boots out of cabbages. This town makes paper out of cabbages. This town has a cabbage theme park. This town doesn't exist anymore because somebody made explosive sauerkraut. I just got tired of hearing about cabbages over and over.

So who would I recommend this book for? Probably avid Discworld fans like me who want to collect anything and everything connected to Discworld. If you're already deeply in love with the Disc this will be a nice addition to your collection of all things Pratchett. If you're just a casual fan or a newcomer, this book isn't really worth your time because you'll just be confused more than anything else.

- Kalpar

The Shepherd's Crown, by Sir Terry Pratchett

Hello, everyone. I'm messing with the schedule a little this week because I received my preordered copy of The Shepherd's Crown the other day and managed to read through it rather quickly so I wanted to get a review out to everyone this Thursday. As my readers are probably aware, The Shepherd's Crown is the last novel from Sir PTerry, published posthumously after his death this past March. As such it feels very much like an end to the adventure of Discworld, as well as a personal farewell from Pratchett himself. And in a way we get to see how the Disc has changed over the years from parody of swords and sorcery to its own blend of magitek. I for one greatly enjoyed this book and I think it will bring a tear to the eye of more than one Discworld fan.

This is another Tiffany Aching adventure so we get to follow Tiffany as she comes into her own as a witch. The previous books have been about her training and learning what being a witch is really about, and by the time we get to Shepherd's Crown Tiffany is undoubtedly a full-fledged witch. Granted, she is struggling with the levels of responsibility that being a witch entails, but a tremendous number of people have great faith in her. However, as always, there are far greater problems afoot. It seems the elves are trying to return to the Disc once again, wishing to take their place as the "rightful" rulers. It will fall to Tiffany and the other witches to bring the fight to the elves.

Long-time readers of Discworld will remember that the elves have been dealt with before, in both Lords and Ladies and The Wee Free Men, so it makes sense for the elves to desire revenge. However, there is something almost idiotic in their desire to return to the Disc to spread terror. As the King of Elves said in Lords and Ladies, there was too much iron in the world then. And not just iron that people produced, there was iron in people's minds, which is why they got driven back to where they came from. And if it was bad enough back then, what about the Disc now? There are railroads on the Disc now, thanks to Raising Steam, practically the spirit of iron made manifest! In a world ruled by iron the elves are doomed to failure from the start. So in a way, I felt like the elves plot was almost a minor inconvenience compared to Tiffany struggling with being a fully-fledged witch and the transition to adulthood. It's still a good story, I was just smirking the entire time because I knew the elves were going to get it good this time.

I will also say that this book feels a little unfinished around the edges, like it's an earlier draft of what might be a much longer novel. And in the afterword they say basically that was Pratchett's entire process. He'd start writing a book, and then go back and add things, throw in details, link passages together, and if his publishers didn't pry the book away from him and run it off to the printers he probably never would have stopped tinkering with it. And so yes, I can see how it could have been extended a little bit here and there. But I feel that the decision to publish the book as-is, without someone else trying to expand on what Pratchett was trying to write, is a very respectful one and I'm very happy for the book we got, rather than no book at all.

As much as Raising Steam felt like a bit of a good-bye to the series for a lot of readers, The Shepherd's Crown feels like one as well. And personally it's a good-bye that I think we all needed. It's good to see some of our friends one last time, just to check up and see that everything's all right. And the Disc is there. The Disc will always be there, with things running along smoothly. The railroads and the clacks are bringing the Disc together, and even trolls and dwarfs are getting along together. And Tiffany Aching will be there, keeping an eye on the Chalk, calling in on people that get overlooked, making sure old men on their own have a hot meal every now and then. As much as I hate to leave the Disc behind, I think it's in good hands.

- Kalpar

Im Memoriam: Sir Terry Pratchett and Discworld

For those that know me, the Discworld series has been incredibly important in my life. Heck, I've written reviews about not only main Discworld books, but also an illustrated novel, and the young adult stories as well, probably in some hope that someone else out there, reading my blog, who hasn't picked up these books yet will. Discworld is important on so many levels. Something I've noticed is that many people who read usually have at least one book, something that hit them the right way at the right time and spoke to their very soul, the very essence of their being. A book that has somehow shaped who they are as a person and how they view life. I am very fortunate in that I cannot point to just one book that has influenced me in such a way, but an entire series.

My experience with Discworld began ages ago when I was a sophomore in college. My friend Brendan, who shares a great many interests to me as I do, one day passed a book onto me titled Small Gods. Being someone who tries to read books loaned to me in a timely manner, and finding myself with a little free time between classes I started reading it. And kept reading it, finding it incredibly compelling and incredibly difficult to put down. I am by my own admission, a fairly fast reader, but it has often been very rare for me to find a book that just grabbed me by, for lack of a better term, the soul and made me want to keep reading. I cannot recall exactly how quickly I read Small Gods, but I'm certain it was no more than a matter of days. Brendan soon afterward loaned me Night Watch, which has become one of my favorite books, and that summer I started collecting Discworld books like crazy. By my start of junior year I had a respectable collection. Within two years I had nearly all of them. I actually made it a goal to read all the main Discworld books by the time Snuff came out late in 2011. And while there are certain books in the series I don't care for, and certain books that I cherish, overall I would say Discworld has had a positive impact on my life. If nothing else than because one person decided to be my friend because, "He's sitting over there reading a Pratchett book, he seems interesting."

Because Discworld has long since gone beyond just being a satirical take on well-worn fantasy tropes. It certainly started that way in Colour of Magic, but it grew and became so much more over the years. Pratchett has tackled topics as divisive as politics and religion, commented on economics and law, and some would argue that he has created a modern school of philosophy through the lens of fantasy. And yes, they are silly stories about a world on the backs of four elephants on the back of a turtle, but at the same time they're stories about people as well, and as I'm sure Pratchett himself would say, one of the most powerful ways to shape people is through stories. Whether it be stories about the long and distant past, stories about the here and now, or stories about life on the Disc, when stories are about people they have the ability to shape people, for better or worse, and that's an incredible power.

So what have I learned from the five or so years I've spent exploring the Disc? Essentially, people are people. We can be downright selfish and terrible, or charitable to a fault and good. Sometimes within the same day. And maybe you can't solve all the world's problems. But the important thing is to give your best and try. And while it's sad that Pratchett has passed on, he will remain with us in his dozens of books, and hopefully influence generations of people, and how they think, for the better.

- Kalpar

Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett

First, before I begin, I'd just like to say something for those of you who aren't aware....

*cough* Anyway, moving on....

This week I've finally read Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel, Raising Steam, in which the Disc finally moves out of the world of high fantasy into the world of steampuk with the arrival of the Disc's first steam-powered railroad. Needless to say, I was super excited about this particular novel and was happy to see my old friend Moist as a focal character once again, although the story isn't really about Moist von Lipwig as it is about the railway itself and everything it brings.

The subject material is, especially for me, fun. We get to see Dick Simnel become the Disc's first engineer, relying upon his trusty slide rule and his precise measurements, so that he can develop the first steam locomotive. He then comes to Ankh-Morpork and Harry King, one of the most wealthy men in the city, and with the cunning help of Moist they begin construction of probably the greatest project the Disc has ever seen. Of course, I wouldn't be doing my job as a reviewer if I didn't find something to constructively criticize about this novel, although personally I do worry that I'm turning into one of those fans that isn't entirely happy with new works because they're different.

Aside from the railway story, Raising Steam also deals with an internal religious schism among the dwarfs. The grags and the other deep-downers, which we had seen in Thud!, are causing trouble once again and have begun attacking people they consider to be not "truly dwarfish", as well as burning down the clacks system that has become so important for communication across the Disc. The Low King of the Dwarfs is particularly frustrated because it threatens to undo all the good work he has done with Lord Vetinari and Diamond King of Trolls. The plot is....interesting, but the jumping between plots is rather confusing in the very early parts of the books. Pratchett has written books, Hogfather being probably the best example, where multiple narratives occur throughout the book and eventually become sewn together in the novel's finale. It probably makes more sense on re-reading, but it makes the book feel extremely disjointed in the first hundred or so pages of the novel.

Personally my other big criticism of the novel is that things involving the railway frequently happen off-camera so to speak. We get to see Dick Simnel bring his idea to Ankh-Morpork, and working out the initial details with Harry King. Eventually they build a line from Ankh-Morpork to Sto Lat and it's opened with great fanfare, and then daily traffic between the two cities becomes common place. Eventually the railway's lines expand across the continent, heading towards distant Uberwald, and we see only slight fragments of this. Dick Simnel develops new technologies, builds new engines, and an entire railway culture is developed. Yet we see much of this in passing, if we see it at all. It's probably because I'm a Rail Enthusiast myself, but I really wanted to see how the railway was going to develop on the Disc in much more detail.  Perhaps it wouldn't have been as interesting to outsiders, but I think Pratchett made even the post office seem interesting in Going Postal, so I think he could have risen to the challenge.

Aside from my complaints, is the novel good? Oh definitely. If you're already a frequent traveler to the Disc then I'd highly recommend you hop on the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygenic Railway. If you're new, I'd suggest starting earlier in the series so you can build up some steam before tackling this novel. (And no, I refuse to apologize for that pun.)

....I like trains.

- Kalpar

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett

So, I had one more young-adult Discworld novel to read, which was actually the first young-adult Discword novel that Sir Terry wrote. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents in no way ties in with any of the other Discworld novels which is probably what is what I found to be so odd about this book. Almost every other Discworld book, except for the very early ones which have a very distinct character on their own, feel like you're on the Disc and part of a larger universe. Usually this is something very simple like familiar geographic landmarks, like the city of Ankh-Morpork or the Lancre highlands, or a familiar character like Lord Vetinari or Granny Weatherwax. Even in the first Tiffany Aching book, The Wee Free Men, it introduces the new location of the Chalk, but somehow ties it into the larger world of the Disc. I'm not saying that The Amazing Maurice is bad because it doesn't feel like a Discworld book, but if it weren't for the fact that the story happens entirely in Uberwald, I would have forgotten that this is a Discworld book.

Probably what confused me most about this book was its repeated insistence that stories aren't real and the real world doesn't follow story logic. Just as an example, in a story the third and youngest son who goes on a quest that his older two brothers have gone on and failed is guaranteed success because that's how stories work. In real life, the third son probably has no better chance than his brothers unless he has some sort of extra knowledge or an extra talent. Possible, yes, but definitely not guaranteed in any way. And in this respect I feel like the book is in conflict with itself because the characters openly state that the real world doesn't work like stories and they have to write their own destiny because the story won't help them. Despite the fact that in other books like Witches Abroad it is very clearly stated that the Disc runs on narrative causality and people get shaped by the story-magic that dominates the Disc. Granted, this being Discworld there are subversions of the archetypes and tropes, but the stories still follow a familiar format. Heck, in The Last Hero Cohen and his Silver Horde succeed because they know how to manipulate the power of stories to their benefit. For the characters to be fighting against the forces of narrative, and at the same time benefiting from them, it made the book feel almost schizophrenic. 

I also got the impression that the plot of this book ran along rather quickly and didn't really pick up until maybe a third of the book had gone by. This impression may be because I read this book rather quickly, but there was definitely a lot of time establishing the premise of talking rats and a talking cat who are all sapient before the real plot of the book got underway. 

I will admit that this book was actually rather dark in tone, but I think it was still appropriate for children and definitely for young adults. I think it's also a reference to original fairy tales where the wicked are punished mercilessly and there's plenty of blood and gore. Granted, not a lot of blood and gore in this novel, but there are some pretty scary things in there too. 

If the book didn't explicitly take place in Uberwald, I wouldn't categorize it as a Discworld book. And even then, the Uberwald in The Amazing Maurice is not the same as the Uberwald in The Fifth Elephant. There are no vampires, werewolves, Igors, or dramatic thunderclaps. It just...happens to be in a vaguely German village. But it's still an enjoyable book and I'd recommend it for fans of fantasy, but don't get your impressions of the Disc from this one book. 

- Kalpar

I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett

So I've finally reached the very last of the Tiffany Aching novels, and while it's a little sad to say farewell to a character I have come to consider to be a friend, at the same time I'm very happy for Tiffany and wish her all the best. (And really that speaks to the strength of Pratchett's writing that I can consider Tiffany to be incredibly real.) Like all Pratchett novels it comes bundled with his bountiful wit and excellent writing, while artfully handling serious topics that many of us deal with in our lives.  I Shall Wear Midnight is definitely a book that adults can read with their children and, hopefully, have a very serious discussion about grief, evil, hatred, and jealousy. 

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have to be completely honest in saying that the plot in this book isn't terribly different from the other three. There is a very powerful and very dangerous magical being which is out on the hunt for Tiffany and she has to face it more or less alone, but with a generous dose of help from other witches and the ever reliable Nac Mac Feegle. I did have a little doubt as to if Tiffany would make it out okay in this book, considering it's the (so-far) last one, but she's a really tough girl so I was pretty confident she'd make it through okay. And honestly, if all that was going on in this book I'd probably have a far lower recommendation for this novel like I did with Wintersmith. Fortunately, I Shall Wear Midnight explores new material and explores the very human emotions of jealousy and grief, as well as at least looking into what makes people do evil things in the name of righteousness. 

As I mentioned in my Wintersmith review, it felt a lot like a retread of A Hat Full of Sky, where it covered the same ideas of taking responsibility and doing things because no one else will because that's what witches do. What I liked about I Shall Wear Midnight was that I got to see Tiffany Aching develop as a character and deal with her jealousy regarding Roland and his fiancee. Granted, as a reader I generally do not care for all that romantic nonsense, especially with teenage characters who tend to be petty, but Pratchett managed to write it in a manner I found rather palatable. I think one of Pratchett's greatest strengths is creating characters that feel incredibly real, and he made the envy of Tiffany very believable to me as a reader. I really think teenage readers would be able to connect with Tiffany because she's a very well-written and it's very easy to get inside her head and have a look around. 

I'm kind of on the fence regarding the other plot that kind of addresses where evil comes from. Pratchett kind of slips in a bit at the end that the evil is always there inside of us just looking for an excuse to come out, but at the same time I got the impression that evil is a something....else out there that looks for a way to corrupt us. I take issue with this because in other books Pratchett is really good about saying that evil comes from within. To quote Pratchett's earlier work, Small Gods, "There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot be easily duplicated by a normal, kindly family man who just comes into work every day and has a job to do." And that's just one example of many other quotes from Discworld where Pratchett admits that there is the potential for evil in all of us if we just let the barriers that hold us back fall away. To suggest that part of it is something...other than us, a magical force beyond our control that makes us behave that way and it isn't our fault is just contrary to everything that Pratchett has said previously, even within the Tiffany Aching series. I'd hate to give people the impression that we're occasionally not responsible for our actions because that leads down a very dark path. 

I thought this was a very good conclusion to the Tiffany Aching series and liked to see her develop as a character across the books. The reading level is simple enough that most young adults would be able to understand the concepts, but not so watered down that it's unbearable for adults. I think they would all be great books to share with your teenage children and hopefully spark some discussion about serious topics. 

- Kalpar 

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

I've decided to return to the Tiffany Aching series again this month with the novel Wintersmith which interesting coincides with the celebration of the Morris Dance which is celebrated through the English-speaking world as a celebration of the arrival of spring. However, since I'm writing this post in March with a foot of snow outside I cannot at this time be entirely certain spring will have arrived by the time this post goes live. If we have ended up with an unending winter and I'm the only one still alive then we are in serious trouble indeed.  Hopefully, though, it won't come to that.

Overall, I have to admit that the plot of Wintersmith is not terribly different from Wee Free Men or Hat Full of Sky which makes for some repetitive reading. Tiffany gets wrapped up in events much bigger than she had expected and has to rely on the help of the Nac Mac Feegle and Granny Weatherwax to get her back out of trouble again. The only real difference I noticed was this time it's pretty much Tiffany's own damn fault that she got in trouble because she did something she shouldn't have done, which thirteen year olds tend to do, and now she has to reap the consequences. This time, however, Tiffany danced with the Wintersmith and if things aren't fixed by May then the whole world will be covered in endless winter.

The problem I had with this book, as you might have gleaned, isn't anything mechanical. As always with Pratchett the writing is excellent, the characters are well-rounded, and the plot is interesting. The problem I had was that it was the same plot and by this point I don't feel like Tiffany is growing as a character. Yes, in this book Tiffany is taking responsibility for something dumb she did (which I full-heartedly support) but that's been the theme of the last two books as well. Really, Tiffany only gives a sort of half-hearted "But I didn't mean to" before being forcefully reminded by Granny Weatherwax about what a witch is all about and she gets back to work. I actually found the limited glimpses of Roland's development as a character rather more interesting and wished I could have seen more of him in this story. I know that it's Tiffany's book but some development is better than none at all.

The other major theme, and this is a typical theme in Pratchett works, is the idea that some things have power merely because we give them power. While it's an interesting idea which I think is a good concept to introduce to young adults, I feel like Pratchett handled it a lot better in Hogfather and Small Gods, both of which could very easily be read by this age range as well so it doesn't add a lot to the novel. If your teenager hasn't read Discworld books other than Tiffany Aching then it'll at least be new to them, but as an old hand on the Disc it's the same stuff I've read elsewhere.

Overall, Wintersmith isn't a bad book and I thought it was very enjoyable. My problem was that it felt like it was a sequel written just for the sake of having a sequel rather than because Pratchett had new ground to cover. I'd still recommend it for up-and-coming Discworld readers and the maniacs like me who have to read every Discworld book, but everyone else can probably safely pass it by.

- Kalpar

A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett

So in my attempt to finish the rest of the Discworld series I am continuing with the Tiffany Aching series with the next installment, A Hat Full of Sky. In this novel Tiffany goes away from her family farm on the Chalk into the mountains to study witching with Miss Level. While Tiffany is learning that witchcraft is about far more than casting spells and riding broomsticks, it turns out that a very powerful creature known as a hiver is after Tiffany. No one's been able to fight off a hiver in the past, but with the help of Granny Weatherwax and the fearsome Nac Mac Feegle Tiffany might be the first.

Overall, I'm actually of mixed opinions of this book. On the one hand, I really liked seeing Tiffany again and seeing her learn what witchcraft is, but on the other hand I felt that this book retrod ground that has been covered before in the Discworld series. A major theme is witchcraft isn't about spells and magic amulets and wands, but about taking care of people when no one else will. While this is a pretty good message, I have to admit that a lot of these issues were covered in previous books like Lords and Ladies. I especially feel that the message that all the magic amulets, circles, and frooh-frah was very well covered in Lords and Ladies and I'm not sure why Pratchett decided to revisit it in this novel. If you're new to the Disc then I can see how this book would be a good introduction to what Discworld witches are really all about (especially for young adults) but for Disc veterans it felt very much like a retrod.

I had some difficulty with the larger plot of this book as well. As I mentioned, Tiffany is being chased by a hiver, a being which is incredibly powerful and no one has ever successfully defeated before. My concern mainly stemmed from Tiffany being one of the most powerful witches of all time which makes her a ripe target for the hiver. While I understand that without that specific threat then the plot would suffer significantly,  I tend to get irritated with various eleven-year-olds being one of the most powerful witch/wizard/ Jedi/whatever evers. I know it's designed to appeal to the target demographic, but I just get so tired of there being so many most powerful evers who aren't old enough to shave. My other issue was kind of with Tiffany being able to (mostly) fight off a hiver through sheer force of will. (Although she had some help as well.) However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Sam Vimes also fought off a possessing demon through sheer willpower alone and so I decided I was okay with Tiffany using willpower to get through as well because it's at least possible within the universe.

If you've read Lords and Ladies I feel like you really could skip A Hat Full of Sky because it doesn't really cover anything that hasn't been covered in that book. If your teenagers are interested in starting reading about the Disc, though, then the Tiffany Aching series is still a great place to start. I definitely recommend you start with The Wee Free Men, though, because it helps to know something about Tiffany before jumping into her adventures.

- Kalpar

The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett

Recently I decided to go back to the excellent Discworld series and read the young-adult novels that tie into that universe, which are also written by Terry Pratchett. I initially had no real interest in these books, assuming that as young adult fiction it would be somehow less developed than what I had come to expect from Discworld. Fortunately for me, a friend advised me that the only real difference between the young adult novels and the regular Discworld novels is that the protagonists are younger than the usual Discworld protagonists. Otherwise they are just as enjoyable as the adult Discworld books and I myself did not notice a significant change in reading level. I would definitely recommend this book for teenagers, adults, and those younger kids with a very high reading level.

The Wee Free Men is the first book in which we meet nine-year old Tiffany Aching, a resident of a region known as Chalk on the Disc. Tiffany, unlike most children, pays careful attention to the world around her and is constantly asking questions. She's the kind of child who wonders why the witch in the fairy tale is automatically evil, no questions asked, and why Jack gets away with killing a giant and stealing the giant's gold when he's clearly not bright enough to realize a cow is worth more than a handful of beans. (Tiffany's also the sort of child who reads the entire dictionary from cover to cover because no one told her otherwise.) So when creatures out of her storybooks start cropping up in Chalk and Tiffany's little brother, Wentworth, goes missing, she decides someone has to do something about this and that someone is her. Fortunately she's got some fearsome help as well, the Nac Mac Feegle.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and felt it touched on some really deep issues, specifically an emphasis on paying attention to details and thinking critically. Tiffany's main strength in the novel is she's able to keep calm during a crisis and think through a situation logically rather than jumping to conclusions which can be extremely dangerous. Plus, she's got an entire clan of pictsie warriors backing her, which helps more than you'd think. I also really enjoyed the message of speaking up for those who don't have a voice of their own and I think that's a really good call to action for people of all ages. I can really see a family reading this book together and discussing the issues covered in this story.

Overall this is another great example of the quality writing I have come to expect from Terry Pratchett, and has a strong, well-written female protagonist who I think a lot of awkward children who don't fit in can really relate to. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Tiffany Aching stories in the future and would highly recommend these for fans of excellent fantasy stories.

- Kalpar.

The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable, by Terry Pratchett and with art by Paul Kidby

As my two readers probably know by now, I am a huge fan of the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett and I have read a majority of the books in that wonderful series. However, I have not yet read some of the supplemental books to the series or the children's books of Discworld but I intend to rectify that in the near future. Recently I read the illustrated novel, The Last Hero, which is written by Sir PTerry and has many excellent illustrations created by longtime Discworld artist Paul Kidby. This novel is a must-have for any fan of Discworld and an excellent afternoon read.

The plot of The Last Hero takes place sometime after the novel Interesting Times in which Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde of octogenarian heroes had managed to take over the Agatean empire. Cohen has everything he could possibly want, but when his friend Vincent chokes to death on a cucumber Cohen realizes dying in the lap of luxury is no fitting end for a hero. So Cohen decides to imitate Mazda, the first hero, who stole fire from the gods by returning fire to the gods on Cori Celesti. With interest. Yep, Cohen and his gang are going to blow up Dunmanifesten, the home of the gods, in one final act of epic heroism.

Unfortunately, Archchancellor Ridicully and the rest of the Unseen University staff realize that if Cohen succeeds in blowing up Cori Celesti then the entire magical field of the Disc would be destroyed. This may not seem too concerning but since magic is what holds the Disc together it could mean the end of the world. So Ankh-Morpork sends off a team to stop Cohen and the Silver Horde, consisting of Leonard da Quirm, inventor of their spaceship, Captain Carrot Ironfounderson of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, who bravely volunteers to go stop Cohen, and Rincewind the wizard, who knows he'll end up going anyway because that's how the universe works.

I do have one complaint about this book, it isn't very well fleshed out in parts and the transitions between locales is downright clumsy in parts. The flow of the book gets a lot better as you get further in, but for the first quarter or so I kept getting disoriented. I was especially disappointed in this instance because I expect better from Pratchett, but overall I still think it's a worthy addition to the Discworld franchise.

The illustrations are absolutely fantastic and offer a great view of Discworld. Some of the wide-angle pictures of A'Tuin with the four elephants and the Disc on top of them were gorgeous. I definitely don't regret buying this and love having some excellent Discworld art in my collection now. However I don't know if it's a book you should share with your kids and any parents should definitely read it first. I know the one picture of Cohen giving the gods of the Disc the middle finger would have kept my mother from letting me read it when I was a kid. Adults fans of Discworld will definitely enjoy it, though, and you can probably read it in an afternoon.

I also loved that this book decided to lampshade tropes that keep appearing in hero stories and even video games. I found myself asking, "Yeah, who does put all those keys and weapons and medicine kits in those abandoned dungeons?" If you've ever played a dungeon-crawler like the Legend of Zelda games or you're a fan of the Conan the Barbarian stories you'll definitely appreciate The Last Hero. Apparently evil overlords are contractually obligated to hire henchmen so stupid they can't see through the flimsiest of disguises, while heroes are obligated to let the overlords escape to fight another day. Plus it's good for both of them because they're not out of work tomorrow.

If you're new to the Disc I don't think I'd recommend starting with The Last Hero, there are a couple of other books which are much better introductions, such as Guards! Guards!, Witches Abroad, and Small Gods. Also, I feel like you kind of have to read Interesting Times first to really understand Cohen and the Silver Horde, a rare example in the series. But if you're an old friend to the Disc and haven't checked this out yet you definitely won't be disappointed.

- Kalpar

Night Watch, by Sir Terry Pratchett

Today I want to talk about the Discworld novel Night Watch which features Sam Vimes and the Glorious Revolution of May 25th. I want to talk about it partly because it's one of my favorite Discworld novels in the series, and partly in memory of the anniversary of the Ankh-Morpork revolution and the short-lived Glorious People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road. I think it's in Night Watch  that we really get to understand Vimes as a character really well, and get to see a number of events in his youth that shaped him as a copper.

Even though his wife, Sibyl, is expecting their child any day now Sam Vimes simply cannot stop being a policeman. Especially when the Ankh-Morpork Watch gets close to capturing the notorious murder Carcer. Vimes himself manages to corner Carcer in the upper levels of Unseen University's library, but a bolt of lightning sends both men thirty years into the past. With only a mere couple of days before the revolution Vimes must step into the role of his mentor, John Keel, and teach a much younger version of himself how to be a good copper for the sake of Ankh-Morpork's future, and his own.

I think one of the things I really love about Night Watch is seeing how far the Watch has developed over the course of the Discworld novels. At the beginning of Night Watch we see Vimes as not only Commander of the Watch but also the wealthiest man in all of Ankh-Morpork, a far cry from the usually-drunk wreck we met in Guards! Guards!. Even the Watch has gone from being a handful of misfits who didn't belong anywhere else to a respected organization that has trained most of the policemen on the Sto Plains. Just the sheer scope of power available to Vimes in the future makes his lack of resources all the more frustrating of a challenge in the past. I just really liked seeing that Vimes still plenty of police skills he can use on his own, even though in the more recent novels he's been able to rely on capable subordinates like Captain Carrot, and Sergeants Angua, Detritus, and Littlebottom. He may be the leader of a talented and powerful organization, but when push comes to shove Vimes has still got it.

I will admit that this is probably the darkest Discworld book by far and some other reviewers have commented on the lack of obvious jokes. As a result Night Watch makes for a very different reading experience from most other Discworld novels, including some downright dark passages. But does this make Night Watch bad? I say very much no because despite the dark world we live in, Sir Pratchett says that there is ultimately hope. Police don't need to be paragons of virtue but as long as they remain mostly decent people, so long as they follow the proper rules and continue to serve the public trust and protect the innocent, then the system will continue to work.

Another important point Pratchett makes in Night Watch (and it's sort of used in Thud! as well) is that everyone has the potential within them to become a monster. Everyone can realize that the rules of society are completely arbitrary and don't apply to them. However, every day we choose not to give in to temptation. Sure, maybe it's because the punishments outweigh the benefits of doing so, but we can all consciously choose to use the law as a shield to protect us from our inner monster. Yes, even today there are plenty of people who decide the rules don't apply to them, but isn't it more comforting to think that the vast majority of people don't think that way? Maybe it's idealistic but I think it's a good message.

Overall I would definitely recommend you check Night Watch out if you haven't already. Even for people new to the Disc it might be a great introduction to the series. Just keep in mind that its tone is a lot darker than other books in the series. And to all my readers: you may not have much Truth, Justice, or Freedom tomorrow, but maybe, just maybe, you can get a hard-boiled egg.

-Kalpar

Christmas Special: Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

This week, right before Christmas, I want to take some time to talk about one of my favorite Christmas stories. As I have said before on I Smell Sheep, I freaking love the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett and like all series that have lasted for twenty-odd years, Discworld has its own Christmas special, titled Hogfather. This book is largely responsible for re-igniting my love of Christmas and giving new meaning to the holiday for me. Now I will talk a little bit about the plot because while the plot is fantastic, it's not what makes me love this book. The Disc has a holiday called Hogswatch which, due to the nature of the universe, bears a resemblance to our Christmas. However the Hogfather, the Disc's equivalent to Father Christmas (or Santa Claus to us Yanks) has gone missing. Now it's up to Death, yes that Death, to fill in for the Hogfather otherwise the sun will not rise. While Death's out making the deliveries, it's up to his granddaughter Susan to find out what happened to the Hogfather. And what are the Eater of Socks and Oh God of Hangovers doing at Unseen University? It's a fantastic adventure and fine example of Sir PTerry's work.

I feel like I love this book more for the message it contains rather than the fantastic plot. You know, let me go ahead and find the quote, PTerry says it best in a conversation between Death and Susan. (Death speaks in all-caps by the way.)

    HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
    "Tooth Fairies? Hogfathers? Little - "
   YES. AS PRACTIC. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
    "So we can believe the big ones?"
   YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
    "They're not the same at all!"
   YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET - Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME....SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
   "Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point - "
   MY POINT EXACTLY.

I feel like this is one of the best messages Sir PTerry has ever put in one of his book. The myths of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny aren't just elaborate lies created by adults to distract children. They serve the distinct purpose of getting children used to believing in something so when they get older they can believe in things greater than themselves. True, to an extent it's fanciful thinking, but I think it's a great message that anyone can get behind for the Christmas season.

Now, there is, of course, the novel, but if you want to experience Hogfather with family or friends, there is a film version of the book produced by the BBC. I should warn you ahead of time that the film version is about three hours long and has a pause halfway through so you might want to take a break at that point. That being said, I am glad the BBC took as much time as they did for Hogfather because they give the book its full justice and did a really good job translating it to film. If you're an old Discworld fan or are looking for a new holiday tradition, Hogfather is an excellent decision.

As a final thought, I want to quote the dedication to Hogfather, "To Everyone Who Hoped It Might Be True." Merry Christmas.

- Kalpar