Rae of Light

Reading through 41 Discworld novels is harder than it would seem. This I realised after I undertook the challenge at the start of 2017. I originally figured since I find Fantasy my go to genre when life’s being a bit antsy, it would be a breeze. The trouble with this though is that not every single book written by a favourite author may be as good as the last one you read. I came to understand this quickly as I was disappointed by some of the books on offer in Pratchett’s Discworld series. But I was quickly heartened to find the themes, characters and humour I so love about Pratchett coming to the fore in their droves the more I read.  I once again began to feel my choice of genre and author was justified. Top of my list are the following: Guards Guards Men At Arms Carpe Jugulum Feet of Clay Hogfather However, by far my favourite of the entire series is The Wee Free Men . I defy anyone to read this and not come away thoroughly entertained. These out...

It’s time to update you on how my annual reading challenge is going. For those of you new to this blog I’ll give a quick recap. This is the second year I’ve set myself a reading challenge. Last year I decided I would have a go at reading 100 books in a year. It nearly killed me but I did it. If you want to read about it please do so by following the link above.  This post however is about my current reading challenge. It’s the one where I try to read as many Pratchett novels as I can in a year. I started with the Discworld books and there are 41 in the series.  I’ve managed to read 24 and thought I’d give you a heads up on the five I’ve found the most entertaining so far. At number 5 is Witches Abroad The triple act of the witches Weatherwax, Ogg and Garlic are crucial in giving readers a taste of Pratchett’s brilliance at character creation.   He does a mean job of description and one of my favourites is of Nanny Ogg’s son Jason:   “He didn’t...

I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment of shenanigans in the Discworld. The main theme running through it is that stories have power.  Their part in the fight between good and evil is emphasised to the max. There are many literary references to look out for including The Lord of the Rings and Dracula .  Fairy tales also have a central role and thus we need the help of 3 witches first introduced to us in Wyrd Sisters . The triple act of the witches Weatherwax, Ogg and Garlic are crucial to give the reader the viewpoint of different types of people.  Pratchett also very cleverly uses the combined enthusiasm and lack of experience of youth to lead the reader towards knowledge without hitting us over the head with a mallet. There were some lovely descriptions and I particularly liked the one of Nanny Ogg’s son Jason: “He didn’t look as if he could possibly have been born, but as if he must have been constructed. In a shipyard.  To his essentially slow and ...

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett I’ve been a little disappointed in the majority of my reads during my trawl through the first third of the Discworld series. Finally however I feel as though I’m getting to see more of the Pratchett I know and love so well.  Of course, it does help that DEATH is central to the plot in this one. Pratchett’s DEATH is one of my favourite characters, ever since I first encountered him when reading Good Omens . DEATH’s ‘retirement’ is central to the plot and pulled me through the book with the anticipation of finding out how this pans out.  I also loved the introduction of Windle Poons and the very logical reason for the existence of his zombie self. Other great characters such as Miss Flitworth and the shy Bogey Man combine to make a terrific ensemble cast for this novel. There were also some particularly joyous moments during the read such as the mayhem which ensues at Unseen University any time some sort of crisis occurs. Pratchett...

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett This book is cleverly done there’s no doubt. Pratchett looks at the world of film making with his particular eye and encapsulates the ludicrous nature of acting and film making, especially Hollywood. As is the way with all things Pratchett, he turns everything you know on its head.  In this book he certainly does that.  However, I felt it was trying to be a bit too clever and that irritated me. There were moments when I laughed out loud as I haven’t done in a while with some of the other Discworld novels I’ve been reading. There is a deep message at the core of this book and I wanted to fully understand it but was a bit inundated by the endless topsy turvy film references. I felt there could have been less of this and more story. To top it all off, the main characters were seriously beginning to annoy me and I had an urge to slap either one or both at several points during the reading. I’m used to reading a Pratchett and co...

Eric by Terry Pratchett Finally another episode involving Rincewind. Like the Librarian, I was wondering where he’d got to after his shenanigans in Sourcery . And of course, wherever Rincewind goes there too must go The Luggage. I was pleased to see it had more or less got over its bout of lovesickness. But understandably, as with anyone spurned in love, it seems a tad more cantankerous.  Surprisingly our young hero or anti-hero Eric, while his name is proudly sprawled across the front cover of this book, doesn’t actually do very much at all apart from be an annoying teenager.  And worse than that, he’s only mildly annoying. Rincewind plays a major role while constantly doing his best to run away or hide in the shadows as is his wont.  Nothing really grabbed my attention in this Pratchett offering. The ending felt rather rushed and lacked the meatiness that many of his other writing has. I’m waiting with anticipation for the later books in the series an...

Guards Guards  by Terry Pratchett Before I started this I was told by several people that it was brilliant. I hesitated and waited to be disappointed. But I wasn’t. I’ve always had a fondness for Vimes ever since I read Snuff so I was delighted that I got to read about his rise in the Ankh-Morpork constabulary. The wonderful and terrifying thing about this novel is how aptly Pratchett captures the essence of society’s worst aspects. The main reason I read Fantasy is because it leaves me with the hope that right always triumphs over wrong. It’s an optimistic view which I find needs re-enforcing more and more as I grow older. This book contained so many favourite characters that it’s difficult to pinpoint whose performance I loved best.  I however found the raw recruit Carrot totally and utterly endearing.  Having met him, The Patrician, The Librarian, Lady Sybil, Nobby and Colon in more mature format in other Pratchett novels, it was a great pleasur...