From alt.fan.pratchett Fri Jul 17 15:04:30 1992 Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!sun4nl!dutrun!dutrun2!galaxy!leo From: leo@ph.tn.tudelft.nl (Leo Breebaart) Subject: Kronto Review: Terry Pratchett - Small Gods Message-ID: Sender: news@dutrun2.tudelft.nl (UseNet News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: ph.tn.tudelft.nl Reply-To: leo@ph.tn.tudelft.nl Organization: Delft University of Technology Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1992 09:58:32 GMT Lines: 128 Terry Pratchett - "Small Gods" London, Victor Gollancz 1992 ISBN: 0 575 05222 8 [ Reviewer's Note: I have tried to keep this review (which I had already been planning to write weeks ago) honest and objective, and not let myself be influenced by the thought of A Certain Person reading it. On the other hand: I *am* a fan, after all, and I'll be damned if fear of sycophancy will stop me from praising a novel I happened to really like a lot. You're warned. Oh, and watch out for some minor SPOILERS in what follows. ] "Small Gods", the latest Terry Pratchett novel is his most serious novel yet. It is also one of his best. It takes no genius to see that there are two sides to Terry Pratchett's writing. On the one hand there is his slapstick side, especially present in the first few Discworld novels. This is the side that gave us Rincewind, and the Luggage, and many other 'zany' characters and scenes, which Pratchett describes in a relaxed, highly visual, perfectly timed style -- almost like a movie screenplay: you only need some actors to play out the parts. On the other hand there is the contemplative, philosophical side. Observations of people and humanity, really, brought with humor and kindness, making you smile instead of laugh out loud, and sometimes making you think a bit. With each new Discworld novel, Terry Pratchett has been moving further and further towards this second side. Ideas and characters became more important than individual jokes and scenes. In my opinion 'Guards! Guards!" was the first novel in which the second side 'dominated', and although Pratchett never forgot his roots (both "Moving Pictures" and "Witches Abroad" have large, healthy doses of the slapstick side), I think most of his recent work (the Truckers trilogy, "Reaper Man" and now "Small Gods") shows where his heart really lies, and which direction he is trying to progress in. It may cost him some fans, though: "Small Gods" has almost *no* slapstick anymore, and all the philosophy and religion jokes (while not particularly obscure -- otherwise I wouldn't have understood them myself) may not go over too well with thirteen-year olds longing for more wild & crazy adventures involving funny Wizards and lethal travel utensils. As a matter of fact, it occurred to me after reading "Small Gods" that this is almost a non-Discworld novel in that it uses next to none of the special aspects of that world's setting everybody has come to know and love. There are no wizards in this book at all; no witches or trolls or Ankh Morpork or elves or dwarfs either: not even *magic*! The Librarian only makes a one-paragraph cameo, and Death gets about twice that amount of attention. I find this change refreshing. As someone remarked the other day in another article: Terry Pratchett always seemed to search for a good way in which to make his slapstick and his serious side 'work' well together. Both "Witches Abroad" and "Reaper Man" (especially the first one) are a bit disappointing in this aspect -- you can see the literary equivalent of imperfect needlework. By throwing away all excess baggage and focussing on his main story only, Pratchett overcomes this problem beautifully in "Small Gods", *without* sacrificing his usual jpp (jokes per page) rate. I don't want to elaborate too much on the plot and the events in the story itself. Basically it takes off where 'Pyramids' left us: with Ephebian philosophers and tortoises, and with the additional ingredient of a huge, organized state religion, heavily into persecution of about everybody, including heretic philosophers, neighbouring 'heathen' countries, and even its own loyal subjects. Central to it all is the conflict between science and religion, and the beauty of this book lies in how Terry manages to get many thought-provoking, often sad points on this and other religion- related subjects across without ever turning preachy, or losing his sense of humor (or timing!) along the way. This book also contains the introduction of one of my favourite Discworld characters so far: the blind philosopher Didactylos. ("His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools -- the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans -- and summed up all three of them in the famous phrase, 'You can't trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there's nothing you can do about it, so let's have a drink'") Didactylos is also the poser of the famous philosophical conundrum: 'Yes, But What's It *Really* All About, Then, When You Get Right Down To It, I Mean *Really*?', and the writer of the heretical book "De Chelonian Mobile", which postulates that the world is flat and moves on the back of a turtle -- since Omnian religion holds that the world is spherical, this gets him and his followers into no end of trouble... Add to this central plot-element the troubles of the great god Om himself, who suddenly finds he's inhabiting the body of a tortoise with not much smiting power to speak of, and who can only communicate with the novice Brutha (who hadn't been Called so much as Sent); apparently the only person left in the world to actually still *believe* in him (though he has some trouble accepting his God's current appearance at first: "You can't trample infidels when you're a tortoise. I mean all you could do is give them a meaningful look."), and you will begin to get the idea what Small Gods is all about. There is of course much more to the book's plot (including a truly nasty, warped villain, and a great supporting cast of minor characters), but the red line of religion/philosophy is so tightly interwoven with everything that happens, that I am going to repeat myself and say again that never before has Terry Pratchett pulled things off so consistently and neatly as he does here. It makes the book a joy to read, and not nearly so black or wry as some fellow- netters felt it was. Thoughtful and at times very serious, yes; wry, no. And since Terry Pratchett is, after all, a humorous writer, let me end this review with a short note on my favourite humorous aspect of the book: be prepared for *many* jokes about philosophers. Literally every known anecdote or piece of common historical knowledge involving philosophers gets spoofed, from world-moving levers, via the Liar's paradox ('...if Xeno the Ephebian said, "All Ephebians are liars --"' 'See? See? He did it again!') to Galileo ("The Turtle Moves!"). And this book contains more low-key, subtle humor than we have come to expect even of Pratchett: I have re-read the book twice already, and each time I found new things I overlooked. ('Oh. My God,' he said. 'Something wrong?' said Didactylos. 'Could someone fetch me my tortoise?') "Small Gods" is a must-have for the Real Pratchett Fan, and quite possibly the best place to start newcomers as well. -- Leo Breebaart (leo @ ph.tn.tudelft.nl) From alt.fan.pratchett Fri Jul 17 15:04:36 1992 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!pipex!demon!cix.compulink.co.uk!tpratchett Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett From: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk (Terry Pratchett) Subject: Kronto Review: Terry Pratchett - Small G Cc: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk Reply-To: tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1992 00:05:34 +0000 Message-ID: Sender: usenet@gate.demon.co.uk Lines: 18 I wouldn't dream of commenting on a review...but I'll say this about SMALL GODS. On the whole, I try not to listen to fans when it comes to deciding what to write. I don't mean that nastily, or dismissively. What I DO mean is that, if I HAD listened to fans, I'd have written book after book about Rincewind and the Luggage (apologies to those here who've heard me spout about this at cons and so on). I wouldn't have written MORT. And then after MORT people wanted me to write, well, Son of MORT. Like...right now people say, hey, aren't you going to write another Truckers book? When it seems obvious to me that the Truckers story is ENDED, rounded, finished off (There may, just may, be something else about nomes on Earth...but that will be, as they say, another story). The point is that an author's surely got to go out there and bring back something new; if I'd written thirteen books about Rincewind I'd be slitting my wrists by now. I'll be very interested to see what happens when Small Gods goes into paperback next year. Terry From archive Thu Jul 30 17:01:06 MDT 1992 Subject: Truckers by Terry Pratchet. Keywords: Truckers, nomes, s, gnomes From: paj@hrc63.uucp (Mr P Johnson "Baddow") Organization: GEC Hirst Research Centre, Wembley, England. (uk.co.gec-rl-hrc) Date: 4 Oct 89 11:06:56 GMT The latest TP is not set on the Disc World. It is set on twentieth century Earth and concerns nomes (note: TP does not spell this with a "g" so neither will I). It is described as a "book for younger readers". I suspect that this is because the publishers felt that a book about nomes would not sell to adults. At the beginning the narrative jumps around rather confusingly and there are quite a lot of difficult words. On the other hand I do not know exactly what makes a good childrens book. It probably depends more on the child than the book. As for adults, if you like TP and his Disc World, you will love Truckers. A mixture of the Borrowers and Stranger in a Strange Land, with a dash of Watership Down and TP's skewed view of the world as a binding agent. Rating +4. I would have said +5 if only it had been longer. SPOILERS AHEAD: _Truckers_ describes how a small group of nomes (two fairly young and six OAPs) leave their old burrow and stow away in a lorry. The lorry stops in a department store garage and they encounter a thriving community of nomes (about 2,000) living under the floor boards. The store nomes have forgotten that there is anything "Outside" and most think that the old stories of "Wind" and "Rain" are just silly ledgends. TP describes their social structure and religion in some detail. The store nomes worship "Arnold Bros (est. 1905)". He has said "all things under one roof", and so obviously there can be nothing outside. Within the store, there is everything that the nomes need, and as a result they spend their time bickering and fighting. The nomes are divided into "departments" lead by aristorcratic leaders such as the Count de Ironmongri or the Countess del Icatessen. There is also a religious department called "Stationari" which consists of the monks and priests of Arnold Bros (est. 1905) and presided over by the Abbot. By careful diplomacy they have become the de-facto leaders of the nomes. The Outsiders bring a small black box called the "Thing". They have ledgends in which the Thing speaks and tells them what to do. Shortly after arriving in the store, the Thing speaks for the first time in living memory (nomes live for about ten years, but they also live ten times faster than humans). It tells them that it has overheard telephone conversations between the humans in the store and a demolition company. The nomes have 21 days to get out. The Thing also tells them that it is the guidance computer from a nome starship scoutcraft which crashed 100,000 years ago. The mothership is still somewhere out there. How do you get 2,000 gnomes, including many young and infirm, out of a store and into somewhere they can live? You half-inch a lorry. Hence the title. How do nomes drive a lorry? Well they read the High Way Code and some pulp trucking stories they find in Stationari, and send out a scout to find out how its done. Then they rig the chosen lorry with string and pulleys and have teams of nomes to work the pedals and steering wheel. On a rickety platform on the drivers seat they put a steering committee. This system is not a complete success. At the end of the book, the gnomes are installed in a disused quarry and are looking with interest at airplanes. -- Paul Johnson, | `The moving finger writes, And having writ, moves on,' GEC-Marconi Research | Omar Kyham when contemplating `vi'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The company has put a radio inside my head: it controls everything I say! From archive Thu Jul 30 17:01:06 MDT 1992 Path: sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!samsung!umich!umeecs!jherbers@dip.eecs.umich.edu From: jherbers@dip.eecs.umich.edu (Joseph Edward Herbers) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers Subject: THE COLOUR OF MAGIC (review) Keywords: Pratchett, Discworld Message-ID: <2432@zipeecs.umich.edu> Date: 28 May 90 19:00:20 GMT Sender: news@zip.eecs.umich.edu Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept, Ann Arbor, MI Lines: 45 Ok, here's another book I shall attempt to review. After seeing several of Raymond's Reviews (keep 'em coming!), I decided to include some format info, like number of pages, price etc. Let me know what you think. THE COLOUR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett Signet: 1985 $3.50 253 pages Summary: Enjoyable fantasy, with magic, swords and liberal doses of humor. THE COLOUR OF MAGIC is the first book in a series of books set in Discworld. It is followed by THE LIGHT FANTASTIC, EQUAL RITES, and several others. I have only (just) read this first installment, so my review will be brief, and I would encourage others to comment on the rest of the series. The quotes on the covers of Pratchett's DIscworld books say "Pratchett is the Douglas Adams of fantasy". I think while this gives one a good idea of the flavor of THE COLOUR OF MAGIC, it is a little misleading. The book certainly contains more humor than most fantasy novels, including some very amusing puns (although not near the number in Piers Anthony's Xanth books). But, unlike Adam's HITCHHIKERS' series, humor is not the only point. The book does create a detailed, albeit very strange, fantasy world. (The disc of discworld rests on the back of a giant turtle moving slowly through the universe). More time was spent developing the characters than in the very satirical HITCHHIKERS' series. The cover quote did cause me to be on the lookout though for some of the more subtle humor which the book contains (I can be pretty oblivious to these things some times.) Overall, I found the book to be an enjoyable excursion to an amusing land of wizards, heros, assasins, trolls, imaginary dragons and tourists. The story is not overly complex, but the characters keep moving from one pre- dicament to another with many funny consequences and asides. Nothing too intense, but enough action to keep things lively. I really don't know what else to say about the book. I liked it. I would recommend it to anyone tired of reading serious or complex fantasy (or SF) who just wants to enjoy a good story with some laughs thrown in (a good read after, say, Thomas Covenant). Don't expect quite the madcap zaniness of Adams' stuff, but still quite enjoyable. So, who knows more about the series and wants to give us details? Joe "read Liege-Killer" Herbers From rec.arts.sf-lovers Wed May 29 20:01:25 1991 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!cs.ed.ac.uk!awrc From: awrc@cs.ed.ac.uk (Al Crawford) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers Subject: Review : Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man Message-ID: <11524@skye.cs.ed.ac.uk> Date: 27 May 91 17:07:09 GMT Sender: nnews@cs.ed.ac.uk Reply-To: Al_Crawford@edinburgh.ac.uk (Al Crawford) Organization: Edinburgh University Computer Science Department Lines: 83 Apologies if anyone sees this twice - I posted this earlier today (or so I thought) but it doesn't seem to have gone out (didn't even appear at my local site). Maybe something to do with my cross-posting it to rec.arts.sf-reviews - if r.a.sf-reviews is moderated it'll probably have been held up until the moderator approves it. If this is the case, shouldn't the moderator really have posted some sort of welcome message before now though? Anyways... Here's a rather rushed and not particularly good review of Reaper Man I threw together yesterday afternoon. It's not meant as a piece of literary criticism or even serious reviewing, it's just designed to give folk an idea what the book is about and whether it's worth putting out $$$ on. ----- Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett A Review By Al Crawford It's probably best that, before I start my review proper, I state my own opinion of Pratchett's other books. The only one of his Discworld books to date that I haven't particularly enjoyed was Equal Rites - it just wasn't very funny. His first couple of books don't seem to sparkle as much as they did when I first read them but that's got more to do with his style having improved over the years than with there being anything intrinsically wrong with them. So I can be labelled (in big neon letters if you want) "Pratchett Fan" and if you've been somewhat underwhelmed by his books, bear this in mind during the review - I probably enjoyed the book more than you will. Right, now for the review... Reaper Man has been written `out of sequence' in response to his publisher's requests for a sequel to Mort, which is probably his most successful Discworld book to date. The book relates the story of the events on the Discworld that follow Death being forced to retire due to his development of a personality. So while Death (now mortal) adopts a human persona and takes a job on a farm (bringing in the harvest since he is, after all, handy with a scythe), chaos ensues as the normal processes of death cease. The spirit world is standing room only, poltergeist activity is rife and Windle Poons, who up until his death was the disc's oldest wizard now discovers that he has become one of the disc's freshest zombies. After hoping he would be reincarnated as a woman, he finds that he's come back as a corpse. The book has two distinct plot lines, which more or less never meet. The first relates Death's time on the farm, the second the events in Ankh Morpork as chaos mounts following his disappearance. I won't go into any further detail though, as I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment. There's the usual reuse of characters from earlier novels - Windle Poons first appeared in Moving Pictures - but in most cases there's no need to be familiar with the earlier books. The notable exception is the Librarian - Pratchett has had to explain his `predicament' in every book since The Light Fantastic. Additionally, we meet a host of new characters in the form of the Fresh Start club (a group of the undead) several of whom I'd expect to see appearing in future books. We also meet the Death Of Rats ("SQUEAK!") who surely must make a reappearance at some stage. So how does it compare with his earlier books? On the whole, it's up to the usual high standard. The book seems to have better characterisation and plot than many of his earlier books and there's as much humour as usual. Perhaps rather less in the way of belly laughs but there's a lot of subtle humour that really requires two or three reads to appreciate. Any problems? Only one - the ending, like Windle Poons life, goes on rather longer than it should with the result that the book seems to fizzle out a bit at the end. Pratchett's endings have sometimes seemed a little sentimental to me in the past and while this book has its fair share of sentimentality and philosophising it doesn't stick out quite so obviously as in the past. And that's about it really - Pratchett has maintained his usual high standard and this book is every bit as good as Moving Pictures and Guards, Guards, both of which I rate rather higher than the (generally excellent) remainder of his books to date. Unfortunately, I can't go into any more detail without quoting bits and spoiling the fun. To summarise - if you have read any of Pratchett's other books and enjoyed them, you'll love this. Sorry - no ISBN number or price as I've left the book at home. If anyone is really desperate for these details (vital if you want to order it, I suppose) mail me and I'll try and remember to bring the book in. -- Al Crawford - Al_Crawford@edinburgh.ac.uk "All the same, we talk on telephones across the haze." From rec.arts.sf-reviews Sun Jun 2 14:33:31 1991 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!mcsun!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!cass.ma02.bull.com!mips2!know!lfcs.edinburgh.ac.uk From: awrc@lfcs.edinburgh.ac.uk (Al Crawford) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-reviews Subject: Review: Terry Pratchett's REAPER MAN Message-ID: <106@monster.pws.ma30.bull.com> Date: 31 May 91 15:41:15 GMT Sender: wex@pws.ma30.bull.com Reply-To: awrc@lfcs.edinburgh.ac.uk Followup-To: rec.arts.sf-lovers Lines: 78 Approved: wex@pws.bull.com Organisation: Edinburgh University Computer Science Department Review Copyright (c) 1991 Al Crawford %A Pratchett, Terry %T Reaper Man %I Victor Gollancz Ltd %C London %D 1991 %G ISBN 0-575-04979-0 %P 253 pp. %S The Discworld novels %V Book 11 %O hardback, L13.99 (L = pounds sterling) It's probably best that, before I start my review proper, I state my own opinion of Pratchett's other books. The only one of his Discworld books to date that I haven't particularly enjoyed was Equal Rites - it just wasn't very funny. His first couple of books don't seem to sparkle as much as they did when I first read them but that's got more to do with his style having improved over the years than with there being anything intrinsically wrong with them. So I can be labelled (in big neon letters if you want) "Pratchett Fan" and if you've been somewhat underwhelmed by his books, bear this in mind during the review - I probably enjoyed the book more than you will. Right, now for the review... Reaper Man has been written `out of sequence' in response to his publisher's requests for a sequel to Mort, which is probably his most successful Discworld book to date. [Note: possible spoilers of other Pratchett Discworld books follow. --AW] The book relates the story of the events on the Discworld that follow Death being forced to retire due to his development of a personality. So while Death (now mortal) adopts a human persona and takes a job on a farm (bringing in the harvest since he is, after all, handy with a scythe), chaos ensues as the normal processes of death cease. The spirit world is standing room only, poltergeist activity is rife and Windle Poons, who up until his death was the disc's oldest wizard now discovers that he has become one of the disc's freshest zombies. After hoping he would be reincarnated as a woman, he finds that he's come back as a corpse. The book has two distinct plot lines, which more or less never meet. The first relates Death's time on the farm, the second the events in Ankh Morpork as chaos mounts following his disappearance. I won't go into any further detail though, as I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment. There's the usual reuse of characters from earlier novels - Windle Poons first appeared in Moving Pictures - but in most cases there's no need to be familiar with the earlier books. The notable exception is the Librarian - Pratchett has had to explain his `predicament' in every book since The Light Fantastic. Additionally, we meet a host of new characters in the form of the Fresh Start club (a group of the undead) several of whom I'd expect to see appearing in future books. We also meet the Death Of Rats ("SQUEAK!") who surely must make a reappearance at some later date. So how does it compare with his earlier books? On the whole, it's up to the usual high standard. The book seems to have better characterisation and plot than many of his earlier books and there's as much humour as usual. Perhaps rather less in the way of belly laughs but there's a lot of subtle humour that really requires two or three reads to appreciate. Any problems? Only one - the ending, like Windle Poons life, goes on rather longer than it should with the result that the book seems to fizzle out a bit. Pratchett's endings have sometimes seemed a little sentimental to me in the past and while this book has its fair share of sentimentality and philosophising it doesn't stick out quite so obviously as usual. And that's about it really - Pratchett has maintained his usual high standard and this book is every bit as good as Moving Pictures and Guards, Guards, both of which I rate rather higher than the (generally excellent) remainder of his books to date. Unfortunately, I can't go into any more detail without quoting bits and spoiling the fun. To summarise - if you have read any of Pratchett's other books and enjoyed them, you'll love this. -- Al Crawford - Al_Crawford@edinburgh.ac.uk "All the same, we talk on telephones across the haze." From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Feb 7 11:01:53 1992 Path: herkules.sssab.se!isy!liuida!sunic!psinntp!psinntp!rpi!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!never-reply-to-path-lines From: alayne@ve3pak.uucp Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: WITCHES ABROAD by Terry Pratchett Message-ID: <9202042102.AA14410@Sandelman.OCUnix.On.Ca> Date: 5 Feb 92 21:35:17 GMT Sender: wisner@raven.alaska.edu (Bill Wisner) Organization: Amnesia International Lines: 54 Approved: wisner@ims.alaska.edu Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett reviewed by Alayne McGregor (alayne@ve3pak.ocunix.on.ca) There are certain stories that demand to be told over and over again. The country may change, the names may be altered, but the story of the poor boy who finds the magic lamp, or the guardsman who foils the plot against the king, or the poor girl who marries the prince -- they appear again and again. There are also certain characters who demand to reappear. Take, for example, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick, late of _Equal Rites_ and _Wyrd Sisters_. Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel combines these two elements with exceedingly funny results. It's about expectations: how we expect the standard happy endings, even when they don't quite fit. The story opens with Magrat unexpectedly inheriting a fairy godmothership and a problem: how to prevent Emberella from marrying the prince. Emberella doesn't want to; the prince is cold to the idea; but the *other* fairy godmother (they come in twos) is determined. The three witches journey to Genua on a rescue mission, along with Greebo the cat and the magic wand that turns everything into pumpkins (until you get the hang of it). Along the way, several new pumpkins appear, as well as a number of well-known childhood characters. When they reach Genua, the story tries to unfold as it ought. It gets rather battered as the two godmothers fight for their endings, but the eventual resolution could be considered happy. And does the novel itself meet our expectations? It's a typical Pratchett, with numerous erudite and pun-filled references, a twisty plot, and a Josh Kirby cover. One might compare it to Mrs. Gogol's gumbo: anything could be happening there, but it's always good. %T Witches Abroad %A Terry Pratchett %C London %D 1991 %I Victor Gollancz %O hardcover, UK 13.99 pounds %G ISBN 0-575-04980-4 %P 252pp From rec.arts.sf.written Tue Jan 26 10:52:48 1993 Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!ogicse!decwrl!csus.edu!netcom.com!dani From: dani@netcom.com (Dani Zweig) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Pratchett: Witches Abroad Message-ID: <1993Jan25.202819.5653@netcom.com> Date: 25 Jan 93 20:28:19 GMT Article-I.D.: netcom.1993Jan25.202819.5653 References: <727616865.AA07862@tdkt.kksys.com> <15981@suns6.crosfield.co.uk> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) Lines: 22 Pratchett's latest Discworld novel, "Witches Abroad" is here, two years after it appeared in England (which is clearly counter to my idea of fair international trade). It's still well written, it's still funny, though it's not hilarious in the way the Discworld novels were before they became too familiar. It's also more serious than the earlier novels. Along with a deliberately silly story of three witches travelling at the behest of Emberella's fairy godmother (to make sure she doesn't marry the prince) are questions about the limits of power and benevolence, and the point at which doing 'good' is more harmful than not. (This accounts, in part, for Granny Weatherwax's insistence on not using magic when headology will suffice.) I'd say the Discworld series is getting a bit too long in the tooth -- but it's still good fun. ----- Dani Zweig dani@netcom.com "The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity." -- W.B. Yeats From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 03:42:47 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!uunet!caen!msuinfo!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!marlin.jcu.edu.au!coral.cs.jcu.edu.au!lynn From: lynn@coral.cs.jcu.edu.au (Lynn Alford) Subject: Quickie Review: Pratchett: Only You Can Save Mankind Message-ID: Sender: news@marlin.jcu.edu.au (USENET News System) Organization: James Cook University Date: 22 Dec 93 06:08:38 GMT Lines: 21 Just spotted and bought from the local bookstore, Only You Can Save Mankind. Having read the blurb on the back, this book may be unique in having a blurb that a) accurately reflects the contents of the book and b) doesn't tell more then you wanted to know about the plot. Our hero starts playing the newest, latest, greatest computer game yet devised. He reaches what is supposed to be a climatic encounter when he gets a message "We surrender." This isn't mentioned in the manual! So what happens when the game villan gives up? The book is a light read, it doesn't take long to finish. The idea is quite good, and the book is fun to read. It will bring new meaning to the phrase "It's only a game" and you will learn the fate of those poor aliens in computer games. Lynn -- lynn@coral.cs.jcu.edu.au | Lead us not into frustration, and deliver us was lalford@fsu1.cc.fsu.edu | from power surges. For thine is the algorithm, cplma@marlin.jcu.edu.au | the application, and the solution, looping ***send email now***send email now*** Subliminal message From /tmp/sf.4258 Tue Feb 1 03:57:44 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!news.intercon.com!udel!news.sprintlink.net!dg-rtp!sheol!dont-reply-to-paths From: dagibbs@qnx.com (David Gibbs) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Review: SMALL GODS by Terry Pratchett Approved: sfr%sheol@concert.net (rec.arts.sf.reviews moderator) Message-ID: <9312092339.AA29773@qnx.com> Date: 12 Dec 93 18:46:07 GMT Lines: 39 _Small Gods_ by Terry Pratchett a review by David Gibbs _Small Gods_ is the twelfth book in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett; unfortunately it shows. When I read the first of the Discworld novels, I found them hilariously funny -- on the order of laughing too hard to continue reading. In reading _Small Gods_, I had a few weak chuckles. It is possible that if this were the first Discworld novel you were going to read, that you would find it much funnier, because much of the humour in these novels derives from the absurdity of Discworld, and the readers surprise at this absurdity. But after having read ten Discworld novels, the absurdities of the world are expected, and are no longer funny. Disregarding the disappoint about the expected level of humour, it does tell a half-decent yarn, with a few interesting characters. I would say it is definitely worth picking up second hand, possibly new in soft cover, but not worth buying in hard cover. (Spoiler warning) For those who like plot summaries, the story follows Bruthra, last true believer in the Great God Om, and the god Om itself, incarnated as a turtle, through a series of misadventures. First with the cult of Om which has fallen into stagnation, later with a nieghbouring city specializing in philosophy, and finally with most of the neighbouring cities. %A Terry Pratchett %T Small Gods %C London (England) %D 1993 %G ISBN 0-552-13890-8 %I Corgi Books %O Cdn$5.99; #4.99 UK %P 381 pp. From new Thu Jun 16 19:03:26 1994 Path: liuida!sunic!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsfeed.pitt.edu!toads.pgh.pa.us!hudson.lm.com!terrazzo.lm.com!not-for-mail From: dani@terrazzo.lm.com Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Terry Pratchett: Lords and Ladies Date: 13 Jun 1994 16:26:23 -0400 Organization: Telerama Public Access Internet, Pittsburgh, PA USA Lines: 61 Message-ID: <2tifdf$13u@terrazzo.lm.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: terrazzo.lm.com I found Pratchett's new Discworld novel, "Lords and Ladies", mildly disappointing. I'm not sure whether it's weaker than its predecessors or whether it's just not sufficiently fresh to overcome the fifteenth- sequel syndrome. Certainly it's noticeably different from the others. One difference, noted by Pratchett in his preface, is that it is less-standalone than the others, but frankly, the carried-over plot elements are minor: We have Magrat's semi-engagement to the King, carried over from "Wyrd Sisters", and the fact that the witches have just returned from their trip in "Witches Abroad". A more significant carry-over, though Pratchett does not mention it, is that there is a lot less explanation of the milieu. Of course, if Pratchett is assuming that most people reading this book have read one of the dozen or so prequels, he's probably on safe ground. It's also a darker novel. Some of the earlier works have had sharp edges ("Witches Abroad" comes to mind), but here the protagonists are dealing with something really nasty. Elves. Yup, elves. The premise is that Elves do indeed have all the charm and glamour that folklore ascribes to them, but that people have forgotten the other half of the equation, which is that Elves are cruelty personified. At one point Pratchett compares them to cats: If cats lacked charm and beauty, how would people feel about their habit of torturing small animals before killing and eating them? Elves are in the habit of torturing any creatures they can find before killing them. In the Ramtops, the Elves were long ago banished, and are kept at bay by a circle of stones that most folks have too much sense to go near. The exceptions, in this case, are a group of wannabe-witches who think dancing around the stones is mysterious/dramatic/romantic, and some inebriated craftsmen who are trying to practice for a play which is certainly meant to suggest the play within "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (except that they aren't good enough actors to portray craftsmen being bad actors). If/when the Elves do break free, the main line of defense is the three witches -- except that Magret has quit and Weatherwax has forseen her death and Nanny Og is busy with the dwarf Cassanunda (the world's second-greatest lover). It's hard to judge how the book would read to someone unfamiliar with Pratchett's writing, but I found the book a disappointment, and the shuttling between the serious and the silly ineffective. Not so bad that I wouldn't read it, you understand, but I'd have been just as happy waiting for a library or used-book store to acquire a copy for me. %A Pratchet, Terry %T Lords and Ladies %I Corgi Canada %D 1994 %O $5.99 CDN %P 382 pp. %G ISBN 0-552-13891-6 ----- Dani Zweig dani@telerama.lm.com dani@netcom.com "You have the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in the field. We both know you're a hyena on its hind legs. How have you fooled everyone?" "By keeping my mouth shut when I read garbage" -- Gene Wolfe From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Sep 3 15:23:12 2000 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!xfer13.netnews.com!netnews.com!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dreaderd!not-for-mail Sender: wex@deepspace.media.mit.edu From: Peter Ponzini Subject: Review: _Carpe Jugulum_ by Terry Pratchett Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Reply-To: Peter Ponzini Organization: SBC Internet Services Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Date: 31 Aug 2000 13:02:42 -0400 Message-ID: X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.4 Lines: 47 NNTP-Posting-Host: deepspace.media.mit.edu X-Trace: dreaderd 967741364 9434 18.85.23.65 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2787 _Carpe Jugulum_, Terry Pratchett Review Copyright 2000 Peter Ponzini "Carpe Jugulum" means "go for the throat," and the author does, gleefully targeting anything and everything in yet another installation of his wickedly humorous Discworld series. Pratchett's Discworld serves as the author's medium to examine, weigh, and, if necessary, skewer our beliefs, foibles, fads, and philosophies. And yet he does it with astonishing wit and grace, mercilessly poking any sacred cow that catches his attention firmly in the eye, without resorting to the coarse vulgarity and cheap tittillation that pervades so much of today's popular satire. His barbs are dagger-sharp, but they overlie a solid core of humanity, compassion, and hope. His characters, good and bad, feel like reflections of ourselves, containing in themselves grace greater than all of Heaven, and evil blacker than all of Hell. _Carpe Jugulum_ follows some of Pratchett's most beloved characters, the witches of Lancre, as they struggle against a clan of garlic eating, sun loving vampyres (they spell it that way...it's more modern) who were foolishly invited into the Kingdom of Lancre by the good-hearted King Verence to celebrate his daughter's birth. The vamps become the sort of unwanted houseguest who just won't leave, and it's up to the indomitable Granny Weatherwax, the deceptively cheerful Nanny Ogg, and the vocally gifted Agnes Nitt (who can sing in harmony with herself) to save the day and the Kingdom. Throw in a baby pheonix, a horde of bloodthirsty, six inch tall pixies who speak in an unintelligable burr, a young priest of Om named Mightily Oats, and a special guest appearance by ex-witch Queen Magrat Garlick, and you have all of the makings of yet another delightful, hilarious, and ultimately thought provoking romp through Discworld, a world that is not ours, but bears some...striking...similarities. All in all, a delightful book, well worth reading. If you've visited Discworld before, you already know this, and if you haven't, well...what are you waiting for? %A Terry Pratchett %T Carpe Jugulum %G 0-06-10203907 %I Harper Collins, Harper Torch %C New York %D 2000 %O Paperback, USD 6.99 This review may be freely reproduced or distributed for non-commercial use, as long as it is reproduced in its entirety. For all other use, contact the reviewer.