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WOSSNAME -- Second issue -- May 2014
WOSSNAME
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
May 2014 (Volume 17, Issue 5, post 2)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) PTERRY AND ALZHEIMER'S NEWS: DEMENTIA FRIENDS
04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
08) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE REST OF THE MONTH
"It's possible to live well with dementia. And write bestsellers 'like wot I do'."
– a certain Sir
"There was a time maybe five years ago when many people were questioning whether brick-and-mortar bookstores were going to survive the onslaught of online retailers. Now, if you take the narrow view that a bookstore is nothing more than a machine that swaps money for books, then it follows that there's no need for a physical store. But here we are five years later. Some bookstores have gone out of business, it's true. But there are big, beautiful bookstores all over the place, with sofas and coffee bars and author appearances and so on. Why? Because it turns out that a bookstore is a lot more than a machine that swaps money for books."
– Neal Stephenson, interviewed by Slashdot, 2004
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Our favourite Sir has collected yet another honorary doctorate (and rightly so), this time from the University of South Australia. And as the continent of Fourecks is quite a long way from English country gardens, this honour was delivered – by a UK ex-pat, Vice Chancellor David Lloyd:
"'I have been on the receiving end of many awards throughout my career, but I really am delighted to have been acknowledged in this way by the University of South Australia,' Pratchett said on Tuesday. 'My love of Australia is widely-known and I am only sorry that I am unable to make the journey Down Under to receive my honorary doctorate in person. Therefore, my humble thanks go to Professor Lloyd for racking up the air miles on my behalf.'
"Professor Lloyd, who made the journey to the UK to present the award, says Pratchett is a clear example of someone who has stayed true to his passion. 'Terry brings his immeasurable talent and intellect to doing what he loves — he has produced an enormous body of work that continues to delight and inspire millions of readers and writers around the world,' Prof Lloyd says. 'His contribution not only to literature, but also to the causes about which he is passionate, is enormous and has been rightly acknowledged in literary prizes, through sales and in awards such as this one'..."
To read the full story in the Adelaide Advertiser, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/mudsc36
And here is Sir Pterry receiving his doctorate, courtesy of Professor Lloyd:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BopXH94IIAI0JG-.jpg
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Remember, The Long Mars, final instalment in the Long Earth trilogy, comes out next month! The 19th of June, to be precise. Meanwhile, I've finally got my hands on a copy of The Long War (don't arsk), so expect a review in the next issue. And now, on with the (rest of the) show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) DEMENTIA FRIENDS: SIR PTERRY SPEAKS OUT
This was originally published in The Guardian on the 13th of May 2014. I don't normally reproduce entire pieces, but this is *important*. Hopefully a horde of "Grauniad" lawyers won't descend on us for it!
"A few years ago, my novel Dodger took the reader back to times long gone to meet famous names of fact and fiction, and brought them together on a journey – ultimately – of chivalry. Enduring danger and peril, they chase a woman who needs saving and do their best to protect her. In the book, Dodger (who is based on Dickens's masterful portrayal of the original Artful Dodger) gets into a number of scrapes for Simplicity's sake. As a reward, we see him climb the social ladder of acceptance until, by the end of the book, he is honoured and revered.
"Without appearing a curmudgeon, I worry that such kindness could be a thing of the past. As you may already know, I live with dementia. Unlike 800,000 people with a form of the condition, I struggle with a rarer type, which holds me back in ways I never thought possible. But what I do share with the hundreds of thousands living with this tricksy condition is disbelief at the stigma and shame still surrounding a disease that affects the brain and which can ultimately affect as many as one in three of us.
"If you haven't already seen it, last week Public Health England and the Alzheimer's Society launched a TV campaign encouraging society to emulate my Dodger's valiant behaviour in their everyday lives. But there's a twist – it's for the benefit of people with dementia – a group of people who have been side-lined and ignored for far too long.
"Dementia. The word itself describes shrinkage of the brain, the process of abnormal proteins clinging to the spongy masses of our cranium that we rely on to think and speak. However, the real and tangible meaning of the word will be different to everyone living with the condition. For some, they might struggle in a supermarket with finding the right change. That nagging voice in their head willing them to understand the difference between a 5p piece and £1 and yet their brain refusing to help them. Or they might lose patience with friends or family, struggling to follow conversations.
"For me, living with posterior cortical atrophy began when I noticed the precision of my touch-typing getting progressively worse and my spelling starting to slip. For an author, what could be worse? And so I sought help, and will always be the loud and proud type to speak my mind and admit I'm having trouble. But there are many people with dementia too worried about failing with simple tasks in public to even step out of the house. I believe this is because simple displays of kindness often elude the best of us in these manic modern days of ours.
"Ultimately, research is the answer. While talented scientists beaver away at finding a cure, this campaign holds a mirror up to us all – forcing us to realise we can do more in our everyday lives to help. Look past that mirror, maybe even through the wall, to the house of your next-door neighbour. Maybe it's an older lady, albeit only in her 60s, who you haven't recently seen popping to the shops as usual. You notice that she's forgotten to collect her milk from the doorstep, and that when you last stopped to chat she seemed confused and couldn't follow what you were saying. Think of how you might be able to help her – there are little things you could do to support her and let her know she's not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us out there living with dementia who – to paraphrase the song in the advert – every now and again really could do with a little help from a friend."
To read the original piece online, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/kq8dggv
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04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
I don't know if this is exactly crockett (or even crockett science), but someone has republished the entirety of that grand Pterry interview from issue number 7+1 of Death Ray Magazine:
"Terry Pratchett is in the basement staffroom of a bookshop in Bath, not far from the Death Ray office, waiting to begin a signing session. He sits like a some kind of good-natured satrap, diffidently munching coconut and sipping gin, as a hushed, scurrying activity goes on all around him. Outside stand cast members of a stage adaptation of his book The Witches, dressed in costume, eyes shining as they await the blessing of their hero. Round the corner from them stands a big steel door, behind which a crowd of fans are corralled, clutching copies of the latest Discoworld[sic] novel. There's a palpable excitement in the air, all centred on this unprepossessing man. As pleasant as he is, a cloak of invisible yet very evident power lies easily about Pratchett's shoulders. He's the behatted eye of the storm, an alpha male author, with a troop of fans most writers would give their eye-teeth for."
If you missed it the first time around, or never saw it, go forth and enjoy!
http://tinyurl.com/koncwkf
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A reminder – the virtual bookshops are open now, and you can make your own!
"Book recommendation is at the heart of My Independent Bookshop, a website that allows people to create a virtual bookshop of twelve books from any publisher. You can browse the diverse collection of bookshops on the site to find interesting and unexpected new reads, as well as choose to accept requests for personal recommendations from people who have enjoyed browsing your virtual bookshop.
"As a My Independent Bookshop member, you'll be able to create your very own virtual bookshop of twelve books and start recommending the books you've read and loved, so readers around the world can discover them too. You can change your shop window as often as you like – by season, genre or mood. We're filling our virtual streets with shops from a diverse range of authors, bloggers and fellow bookworms so if you're looking for your next read, why not browse their selections and ask them for a personal recommendation?
"As if that wasn't enough, once you've set up your bookshop you'll also have access to competitions, giveaways and other goodies from some of the best authors around!
"We look forward to seeing the books you put on your shelves!"
How to make your own virtual bookshop:
http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/register
http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/
*
Department of We Know What Happens Next: readers of the famous, and wonderful, Pratchett short story "Hollywood Chickens" may have found themselves smiling knowingly at the news of a livestock transport crash this month on the M62 motorway: "The lorry was carrying 6,800 chickens when it crashed on the eastbound carriageway between junctions 11 and 12 at about 04:00 BST... Michael Clarke, from the Highways Agency, said about 2,000 chickens 'escaped on to the carriageway' and had to be recaptured. 'We drafted in as much manpower as we could from across the north west, and we had help from the police, the emergency services and the RSPCA,' he said. He said the incident was 'unusual' in terms of the sheer number of birds involved. 'The more adventurous ones did manage to go quite far – I would suspect there are a handful still in adjacent fields,' he added..." Your Editor, who has traversed the M62 hundreds of times, knows of a fair few places there – and one place in particular – that could provide just the sort of shelter to allow some rogue chickens to, um, evolve...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-27405467
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.1 REMINDER: THIEF OF TIME IN ADELAIDE, FOURECKS
Unseen Theatre's new production of Thief of Time has opened to rave reviews (see item below). Its run continues through the 7th of June.
When: 30th–31st May and 4th–7th June 2014
Venue: Main Theatre, the Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
Time: 8:00pm all shows (the play runs for 2 hours plus a 10 minute interval)
Tickets: Adults $20, Conc $18, Fringe Benefits $16, Groups (10+) $16. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the night (subject to availability), or to book ahead online, go to
http://www.trybooking.com/82617
http://www.unseen.com.au/
5.2 REMINDER: AMAZING MAURICE THE MUSICAL IN CARLISLE AND PENRITH
ACT Youth Theatre will present their production of Matthew Holmes' superb musical adaptation of The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents next month in Carlisle and Penrith.
Carlisle:
When: Saturday 14th June 2014
Venue: The Green Room, West Walls Theatre, West Walls, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 8UB Tel: 01228 533233
Time: 2pm Matinee and 7:30pm Evening Performances
Tickets: £8 adults and £6 concessions, available from Carlisle Tourist Information (01228 598 596)
http://www.carlislegreenroom.co.uk
Penrith:
When: Saturday 28th June 2014
Venue: Penrith Playhouse, Auction Mart Lane, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7JG
Telephone 01768 865557
Time: 2pm Matinee and 7:30pm Evening Performances.
Tickets: £8 adults and £6 concessions, available from Penrith Tourist Information (01768 867 466)
www.penrithplayers.co.uk
Tickets for both venues can also be purchased online at www.acttheatre.ticketsource.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/acttheatrecumbria
5.3 UPDATED: MONSTROUS REGIMENT IN CHICAGO
"Lifeline Theatre is thrilled to offer a special discount on MONSTROUS REGIMENT tickets to Discworld fans near and far. $10 off regular single tickets, June 12-July 20, with code 'OZZER.' Must order by May 31st. Call 773-761-4477 or purchase online at www.lifelinetheatre.com"
This production is looking very promising! – Ed.
When: 30th May – 20th July 2014
Venue: Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL, 60626
Telephone 773-761-4477
Time: evenings at 7.30pm on Thursdays and Fridays and at 8pm on Saturdays; matinees at 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays Tickets: $20 for previews (30th May-8th June), $40 for Regular Run: June 12-July 20 (Thu & Fri at 7:30pm, Sat at 4pm & 8pm, Sun at 4pm). To book online in advance, go to http://tinyurl.com/kzehtaw and click on the desired dates at the bottom of the page (or scroll through from there to the June or July calendars for tickets on those dates)
http://www.lifelinetheatre.com/performances/13-14/mr/index.shtml
5.4 REMINDER: WITCHES ABROAD IN MARYBOROUGH, QUEENSLAND
The Maryborough Players present their exclusive production of Witches Abroad, as adapted and directed by Renoir (presumably not the dead Impressionist master). Profits from the production will go to Alzheimers Australia and the Australasian Order of Old Bastards, they claim!
When: 4th–7th June 2014
Venue: Brolga Theatre & Convention Centre, 5 Walker Street,Maryborough, QLD
Time: all evening performances 7.30pm; additional Saturday matinee 2pm
Tickets: Adults $30.00, Concession and Friends $25.00, Students $20.00 To book online, go to
http://www.brolgatheatre.org/default.asp?PageID=95
http://www.brolgatheatre.org/
5.5 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS AROUND THE MIDLANDS
...although the new travelling production by the Jadis Shadows company is also a sort of "witches abroad"! Jadis Shadows, "Resident Company for STMO Media's Magic Alley in Stratford Upon Avon", present their production in May and June 2014, in a number of places.
When: 11th, 12th & 30th June 2014
Venue: Castle Theatre Wellingborough, 10 Castle Way, Wellingborough, Warwickshire NN8 1XA
Time: 7.45pm
Tickets: £10 for everyone. Box Office – 01933 270007
http://www.jadisshadows.com/index.php/current-programme
5.6 REVIEW: MORT IN ALDERMASTON
By Chris Horton in the Basingstoke Gazette:
"Michelle Middleditch assembled a large cast of mixed ability for the twenty plus different characters needed. Leading the action was a confident David White as Death; he sported an impressive skeleton costume, black cape and flashing blue lights for eyes. He was ably accompanied by Gavin Crowe as the apprentice Mort which, he emphasised, was short for Mortimer. The action revolved around this clever play on words. With a labyrinthine plot – too convoluted to explain – the action was in a series of short scenes on a largely plain black set and the premise loosely concerned a certain assassination and its possibly not taking place. The scene changes were swiftly and efficiently done, the costumes and props imaginative and effective but the action was uneven. There were strong performances from Alan Munday as Albert and Louise Hayling as Prince Keli and Pat Archer and Alice Grundy in a variety of roles. This was a bold choice for Boundary Players with which to end their varied season..."
http://tinyurl.com/oh75fnn
5.7 REVIEWS: THIEF OF TIME IN FOURECKS
Reviewed by Christine Pyman in Broadway World:
"Pratchett has never been known to talk down to his audience, rather the opposite in fact, which is why so many fans are on the geekier side of life, mea culpa, too. Unseen Theatre Company also does not talk down to their audience and, under the more than capable direction, adaptation, and producing of Pamela Munt, this play flows, somewhat like Time itself, in an inexorable stream, taking us along with it, submerging us in the characters' drama, and giving us wibbly wobbly, timey wimey hiccups of laughter as we go. Pamela Munt is complemented by her very talented and dedicated cast and, for this production, believe me, they needed to be. Thirteen cast members play a total of twenty-six roles, with most of them being major ones, and navigate uncounted numbers of set changes over a total of two hours. The use of multimedia, clever direction, and some on stage set changes, allowed the story to unfold with no sense of disconnectedness.
"There were so many excellent performances in this production that it's hard to know where to start... Leighton James played the 'not twins/same person separated at birth' main characters of Jeremy Clockson and Lobsang Ludd, with his Jeremy being particularly noteworthy. He changed mannerisms and appearance to successfully bring such a difference to each that I, for one, would have thought they were being played by different actors... Stage, lighting, sound, etc, were all handled by only two people, Andrew Zeuner and Stephen Dean, to bring this show together, and together they did a job that would tax half a dozen, admirably..."
http://tinyurl.com/kkwd2kn
By Anthony Vawser for Stage Whispers:
"Unseen Theatre Company – led by director/producer/scripter/actor Pamela Munt – are specialists at adapting the work of Terry Pratchett, and their latest is something a mixed success, but generally an enjoyable one. Having the bare minimum of experience with the author's work (two books during the far-away high-school days, both of them recalled fondly), this reviewer was borderline-bewildered by much of the show – but, happily, entertained by most of it... Helping a good deal is the level of energy and enthusiasm brought to the proceedings by the talented actors. Making an exceptionally strong impression – despite (or perhaps because of) working from behind a (quite literal) Death's head mask - is Hugh O'Connor as the Reaper himself, with a performance both fearsome and funny. Also standing out in this cast are Philip Lineton, crafting an engaging characterisation as elderly mentor Lu-Tze (and dealing deftly with a large amount of offbeat exposition), as well as Leighton James in a demanding dual role... One senses the attempt at building towards a climax of tension and excitement, with a number of wacky laughs and colourful diversions along the way, but the script cannot quite achieve 100% of what it aims for. Those aims, however, are enough to keep things intriguing and entertaining for the most part..."
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/thief-time
...and by James Rudd on Glam Adelaide:
"This production is packed to the brim with interesting and hilarious characters, with many of Pratchett's staple characters. Of course, Death (Hugh O'Connor) gets involved, as does his granddaughter Susan (Amelia Lorien), along with the other three horsemen of the apocalypse (Lewis Baker, Daniel McInnes, Samuel Creighton) and Mr Soak the Milkman (Tony Cockington). The cast is marvellous, and everyone pulls off their respective parts nicely. Lineton as Lu-Tze seems like he's been pulled directly from a Pratchett novel, and O'Connor's rendition of Death is spectacularly commanding. The Four Horseman (and the Milkman) are also stand-outs, even though they have relatively little time on stage. War's facial hair deserves a special mention... As a relatively small-scale piece, Thief of Time, does well with what it's got. The costuming is superb, eccentric yet simple, and the lighting is effective. Props are utilised well, although some of the bigger pieces prove a bit of a hassle in between scenes. Probably the coolest bit of the performance, without giving too much away, involves a flaming sword..."
www.glamadelaide.com.au/main/theatre-review-thief-of-time/
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06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Blogger Sarah M Weber, new to Pratchett, fell in love with The Carpet People:
Not since my days of sneaking a flashlight under the covers and reading Roald Dahl way past my bedtime have I been so entranced by a middle grade novel... A playwriting for young audiences professor I had at Northwestern taught that one of the keys to writing for kids is to approach a story from 'beneath the doorknobs.' That is to say, remove all that jaded grownup cynicism and get on your audiences' level (which, due to that childlike tendency to be short, is literally beneath the doorknobs). And, no surprise here, Terry Pratchett has it down. His commitment to the expansive world of Carpet is immersive, with no trace of the irony with which adults can so easily mask their imaginative play. Yet despite his delightful embracing of the absurd, Pratchett manages to be poignant in the observations about humanity made by his naive and unassuming Munrungs..."
http://tinyurl.com/p6uhpjo
Blogger Hannah was impressed by The Wee Free Men:
"Tiffany's self-respect, courage, calmness under pressure, and slight tendency to be a know-it-all, as well as the fact that she is utterly, unapologetically, herself, is incredibly refreshing. She is a welcome change from heroines whose main recommendations are their beauty or charming conversation. Tiffany Aching reminds me of they way many young girls are before they are told that it's not okay to yell, to run with the boys, to get dirty, to be 'unlady-like.' And the wonderful thing about this story is that one gets the sense that while Tiffany matures during her adventures, she gains wisdom without losing herself. She will, one day, become an old woman, who is confident, wise, self-assured, and respected, even as she defies convention.
"The Wee Free Men is all the more powerful because it is not a lecture, or a dense work of nonfiction, but rather, a laugh-out-loud fantasy. It's a good example of how a good story can change our perceptions and widen the possibilities that we view for ourselves..."
http://tinyurl.com/lu7zd5k
Blogger Miss Bibliophile was delighted by Mort:
"I loved the way the book explains the ridiculousness of the Disc (a flat disc on the backs of four elephants, on the back of a giant turtle that swims through space) by saying that 'A million to one chances crop up nine times out of ten'. And, in fact, the existence of something so mind-bogglingly random is possible, and once you have accepted that, it's easy to believe that everything that occurs on the Disc is entirely rational and realistic... I have to say, I was thrilled to see the unexpected reappearance of Rincewind. I especially liked that when he reappears, he is desperately and futilely apologising for some unknown drunken obscenity he had performed against a statue. Also, for some reason, I always forget that the head librarian at Unseen University is an orang-outang, so the reminder of that always makes me smile..."
http://tinyurl.com/l94n5rp
...and by Equal Rites as well:
"I found the plot of Equal Rites somewhat simpler than other Discworld novels I've read, despite retaining the same illogical logic and clever humour. I suppose the main difference was that it was considerably less random than the other books. I flew through this book, and am even now laughing in retrospect at Terry Pratchett's wit. The main theme of equal opportunities for men and women is very well dealt with in this book. Although the reader is put in no doubt that Esk was destined to be a wizard from birth, the book doesn't simply consist of women fighting against men. I liked that, because the idea of female versus male seems to me unrealistic and unhelpful when struggling to achieve equal opportunities. Even Granny Weatherwax, the one who decides that Esk needs to go to Unseen University, agrees with everyone else that wizardry should be for men and witchcraft should be for women..."
http://tinyurl.com/m75qq8k
Blogger Write of Passage weighs in on the "ugly book cover" debate:
"Is a bad book cover ever indicative of a bad book. The long and short of it is YES... Before you brand me as a book bigot, I've read some ugly books. In middleschool I read 'Kris's War' which was about a resistance group in Denmark during the second World War. It was a great book, but the cover was hideous. When I read it, I held it low so people would not see because it looked like a cheezy sci fi from the 70′s. Anyone who saw it made a face or a comment. They asked 'What are you reading?' in the same tone one might say 'Dear God, what is that thing!' Just to prove I'm not biased, I'm currently reading another book with a bad cover (bad is a generous word). Terry Pratchett's books don't typically have great covers to start with; however, 'Guards, Guards' has got to be the worst. It's too colorful and confusing, and the characters look terrible..."
http://tinyurl.com/kjrdyp9
Blogger American Soustannie found Raising Steam completely up to the heights of Pratchett's best standard:
"'Raising Steam' is the best fun read I've had in a while – absurdly complicated subplots, witty word plays, and fully three-dimensional characters, And yes, as always, there's playful satire so it carries a wee bit of a message – enough to tweak the reader's attention without burdening one too heavily. (No apologies here for intellectual laziness. Sometimes one just wants a chuckle.) This installment from the Discworld takes us first to Sto Lat, where we meet bashfully obsessive young Dick Simnel, his slide rule, and the gleamingly beautiful Iron Girder. Then on to Ankh Morpork, where Lord Vetinari offers Moist von Lipwig a choice: add another hat to those he already wears – responsibility for the new railway, in addition to charge of the Royal Bank, the Mint, and the Post Office – or lose the head you wear your hats on. The story quickly builds up a head of steam and takes the reader on a twisting track that takes in rebel dwarfs, mechanically inspired goblins, talking golem horses, conspiracies and coups, politics and even the occasional hint of romance... Makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and work my way through it again, just for the sheer pleasure of watching his world take shape."
http://tinyurl.com/k9avmf7
Blogger Tony Graff's entertaining and perceptive review of Carpe Jugulum:
"I think out of all the Discworld books, or at least the ones that I've read, this may be the one that people were using to claim that Pratchett found religion. I'm not sure this is the case. Through Mightily Oats and Granny Weatherwax, he gets to the core of what religion is supposed to teach: Don't treat people like things. I think what Pratchett would be against is the dogma, which he explained quite well in Small Gods. It continues to astound me that throughout the shenanigans on the Disc Terry Prachett manages to sneak in these most basic life lessons in a way that reminds us that we need to be doing some better, from Death who will go out of his way to save cats that had drowned when usually he only comes personally for witches, wizards and sometimes a king or other royalty. It's not big enough that we think that was his purpose all along, but small enough that we pay attention to it...."
http://tonygraff.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/carpe-jugulum/
...and his review of Raising Steam:
"This book ended up being remarkably complexly simple. It's remarkable in the scope of how much it affects the entirety of the DIsc. It starts in the legendary city of Ankh-Morpork, then spreads through Sto Lat to Quirm, then on to even the far reaches of Ubervald, with dreams of expanding to Genoa. Secondly, it's complex. I was originally excited because it was a Moist Von Lipwig story, and he's been one of the most amazing characters in the series. (The other Moist [heh] stories are this one and this one). But, once you start digging into Raising Steam, it's not just a Moist Von Lipwig story, but it's also Dick Simnal's story. Then again, isn't it also Harry King's story? Or Lord Vetinari's or Rhys Rhysson's story? Commander Vimes? Even Drumknott's, for that matter? Here's probably the overarching reason everyone should love Terry Pratchett. He's creating a full and complete world. He can't talk about creating the steam engine in Ankh-Morpork without telling the story of the steam engine in the entire disc. How else could he have created a single series of books forty books long without getting boring? He lets us explore the whole world. It would be quite the sight to see the notes and outlines and storyboards that Terry Pratchett uses to create his novels and make sure every character who would interact with a given idea..."
http://tinyurl.com/kdecvz6
Blogger Farilian, currently working on a Discworld-based doctorate, get's a lovingly polished "Well duh!" award for pointing out that Pterry is a far better world-builder than Tolkien ever was:
"Tolkien spent an immense amount of time with Middle Earth, no doubt. We all know how he took great care to create languages, cultures and histories to provide a believable and thorough fundament for his secondary world. To this day, no fantasy author has ever achieved this level of complexity – Pratchett included. Yet where Pratchett goes further than Tolkien is in investigating the way a secondary world actually works. Instead of focussing on culture, history and linguistics, Pratchett's specialty lies in sociology, technology and urbanism. As he expressed in The Art of Discworld, a 'city of even half a million takes a hidden army of farmers, fishermen and carters just to see it through the day'. On the Discworld, we see these hidden mechanisms that drive the world in the background – heroes might be heroes, but even they need to eat, and their food normally doesn't grow on trees. This is why the Discworld feels more lived-in than Middle Earth at times. It does not simply operate as a playground for battles between good and evil – it is also home to thousands upon thousands of people just going about their daily business..."
http://tinyurl.com/n9ryt5k
Blogger Ana found a lot to laugh about in The Last Continent:
"Although this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. That's what I like about Discworld, because I can just pick up a book from any point in the series and I would be able to get it. There are some little bits like characters that were introduced in previous books, but other than that, most of the Discworld books work as standalone titles. As always, this book was hilarious! There are so many little jokes about Australian things, from the food to the animals. Pratchett is very good at parodying things we have here in the real world. I only lived in Australia for a little while, but the jokes didn't fly over my head. There was even a crack about New Zealand that made me snort and giggle... The only thing that really keeps me from loving this book is how it wrapped up. I guess it does get kind of confusing at the end, and requires more than the usual level of accepting weird fantasy plot shenanigans. Still, it made for a hilarious read that is good for old and new readers of Discworld alike..."
http://tinyurl.com/lgucvs8
Blogger Jennybee offers a short rave review of Raising Steam:
"This book, the 40th in the Discworld series, sees the return of Moist von Lipwig who we previously met in 'Going Postal' and 'Making Money'. This time, the steam powered railway is coming to the Discworld and doing so in style and with much humour. My main admiration for the Discworld series comes from the way everyday situations, phrases and behaviours are commented upon and this comes through on every page. The books, while an escape from every-day life do make you think. The characters are funny, have their quirks (many of which are completely recognisable) and are all believable – a large task for an author. The setting of the story runs mainly in the twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, but there is far more travel than in other Discworld books I have read – necessary when covering the introduction of the steam railway. Would I read more? Of course..."
http://tinyurl.com/ntk9kmn
The prone-to-wittering-and-blithering, amusingly inconsistent blogger Vacuous Wastrel is back with a long take on Maskerade:
"I keep thinking the Witches novels aren't my favourite part of Discworld. I tell people this. I think I'm being truthful when I say it. I just don't like them very much, and I never have. To be honest, reading about Granny Weatherwax is just a little bit too much like spending extra time with the various female members of my family (living and dead), and with respect and affection toward them, I've spent enough time with them thank you very much, I don't need them in my reading time too. So I don't like the Witches novels. So why is it I keep finding that they're really good? ... What are the virtues? Well, it's funny. Seriously funny. I think the funniest Discworld since… is this the funniest Discworld? Maybe not, it's hard to make a claim like that – they all have funny moments, and a lot comes down to mood when reading it. But aside from consistently being funny, it also has probably the single funniest scene in the sequence (so far, at least) – the dessert scene. [OK OK, so I'm childish...] Leaving aside the humour, it's also a real page-turner of a story. Murders, operas, a chandelier, swordfighting, secret passages, hidden identities, double bluffs, parcour chase scenes, more murders… it's a ripping yarn, even if I did feel the ending was a little blunted... Oh, and while the thematic and ideological stuff doesn't get top billing, there's enough of it there that the book doesn't ever feel tawdry or crass: it may not beat you about the head with 'the point', but it does feel that there's a point there, something beyond superficial entertainment. It's interesting enough, and moving enough, not to distract from its virtues as a comedy thriller. So all in all, I'm left thoroughly impressed with Maskerade. Perhaps it doesn't feel like a Pratchett masterpiece – perhaps precisely because laughter and excitement seem to be the primary objectives, rather than anything deep and important – but it's one of the very best examples of his 'usual' work..."
http://tinyurl.com/mxyg9s6
Blogger adaer, aka Adrian from the Land of Fog, offers his own introduction-for-newbies to the Discworld series and description of what he sees as the main reading groups. He says, "I'm a little worried that my blurbs here sound stale and make the series sound uninteresting – well, if that's the case that's no fault of the books and more due to my amateur writing skills." Actually, he does a decent job. For example:
"Wizard or Rincewind books – early books focused more on Rincewind, a failure of a wizard and a self-confessed coward who is constantly forced into the role of hero... Later, the focus is on the faculty primarily, while Rincewind seems to have dropped into a background role (much to his relief, I'd imagine). The Rincewind books are generally a parody of the adventure/heroic fantasy genre, I believe, while the UU faculty books deal more with the nature of the universe... The Witches books deal with the tropes of fairy tales – or maybe it'll be more accurate to say that they deal with the tropes of stories... A lot of media portray death or Death as evil – in Discworld, though, Death is a rather affable fellow who ALWAYS TALKS IN CAPITALS, rather fond of cats and generally rather enamoured with life, or the idea of life (he doesn't always get it right, though – he made himself a house, even though he doesn't need one. It's coloured in various shades of black). I think the Death books as a whole deal with the idea of life and myths, and aspects of the universe as well..."
http://tinyurl.com/lxvlorm
...and finally, an "open fan letter to Sir Terry Pratchett" from blogger and aspiring writer Rachel Walton:
"The first book of yours I read was Truckers and after that I was, as they say, hooked. Oh I still loved my Blyton and my Dahl and my Jacques but in your books I found something new. A voice I connected with. When my Mother deemed me old enough to be introduced to Discworld (after years of hard training down the library you understand), I found a whole new side to that voice. Here was a fantastic but believable world full of characters coloured grey rather than black and white. Here were female characters that were bossy and determined and funny who didn't get punished for it. Here was humour and sarcasm and truly ordinary people who were heroes without having special powers or even much of a reward at the end of it. Here was someone who wrote like I wanted to write. Better still, they were actually published.
"I knew then that I could write exactly how and what I wanted. So I did. One day, I hope to finish a my own book and send it out into the big bad world. It may not do very much, but the fact it will be wholly what I want to write will be a huge achievement..."
http://tinyurl.com/ksbduhr
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07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
Discworld fan Matt Lockwood has discovered a Harry King franchise on Roundworld:
http://tinyurl.com/kbmya8a
...and Majka Overgard has found that up in the wilds of northern Norway, Nac Mac Feegle are somewhat differently proportioned. She says, "Big Jock [is] on the loose on the Lofoten Islands! (now we are out of single malt whisky..)":
http://tinyurl.com/mm6np4c
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08) CLOSE
And that's the lot for now. The only other thing I have to report is that I have a new friend who would not meet with the approval of the Ankh-Morpork Royal Post Office. He's a gorgeous, super-friendly young Finnish Lapphund from Norway, and he has – wait for it – orange eyebrows. We all know about not arsking about dogs with orange eyebrows, don't we? (And "huje green things with teeth". And Mrs Cake.)
Have a lovely weekend and a lovely month-end (especially all you lucky Spring Bank Holiday-makers back in the UK), and well see you in June!'
– Annie Mac
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: interact (at) pearwood (dot) info
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Copyright (c) 2014 by Klatchian Foreign Legion
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
May 2014 (Volume 17, Issue 5, post 2)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) PTERRY AND ALZHEIMER'S NEWS: DEMENTIA FRIENDS
04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
08) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE REST OF THE MONTH
"It's possible to live well with dementia. And write bestsellers 'like wot I do'."
– a certain Sir
"There was a time maybe five years ago when many people were questioning whether brick-and-mortar bookstores were going to survive the onslaught of online retailers. Now, if you take the narrow view that a bookstore is nothing more than a machine that swaps money for books, then it follows that there's no need for a physical store. But here we are five years later. Some bookstores have gone out of business, it's true. But there are big, beautiful bookstores all over the place, with sofas and coffee bars and author appearances and so on. Why? Because it turns out that a bookstore is a lot more than a machine that swaps money for books."
– Neal Stephenson, interviewed by Slashdot, 2004
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Our favourite Sir has collected yet another honorary doctorate (and rightly so), this time from the University of South Australia. And as the continent of Fourecks is quite a long way from English country gardens, this honour was delivered – by a UK ex-pat, Vice Chancellor David Lloyd:
"'I have been on the receiving end of many awards throughout my career, but I really am delighted to have been acknowledged in this way by the University of South Australia,' Pratchett said on Tuesday. 'My love of Australia is widely-known and I am only sorry that I am unable to make the journey Down Under to receive my honorary doctorate in person. Therefore, my humble thanks go to Professor Lloyd for racking up the air miles on my behalf.'
"Professor Lloyd, who made the journey to the UK to present the award, says Pratchett is a clear example of someone who has stayed true to his passion. 'Terry brings his immeasurable talent and intellect to doing what he loves — he has produced an enormous body of work that continues to delight and inspire millions of readers and writers around the world,' Prof Lloyd says. 'His contribution not only to literature, but also to the causes about which he is passionate, is enormous and has been rightly acknowledged in literary prizes, through sales and in awards such as this one'..."
To read the full story in the Adelaide Advertiser, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/mudsc36
And here is Sir Pterry receiving his doctorate, courtesy of Professor Lloyd:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BopXH94IIAI0JG-.jpg
*
Remember, The Long Mars, final instalment in the Long Earth trilogy, comes out next month! The 19th of June, to be precise. Meanwhile, I've finally got my hands on a copy of The Long War (don't arsk), so expect a review in the next issue. And now, on with the (rest of the) show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) DEMENTIA FRIENDS: SIR PTERRY SPEAKS OUT
This was originally published in The Guardian on the 13th of May 2014. I don't normally reproduce entire pieces, but this is *important*. Hopefully a horde of "Grauniad" lawyers won't descend on us for it!
"A few years ago, my novel Dodger took the reader back to times long gone to meet famous names of fact and fiction, and brought them together on a journey – ultimately – of chivalry. Enduring danger and peril, they chase a woman who needs saving and do their best to protect her. In the book, Dodger (who is based on Dickens's masterful portrayal of the original Artful Dodger) gets into a number of scrapes for Simplicity's sake. As a reward, we see him climb the social ladder of acceptance until, by the end of the book, he is honoured and revered.
"Without appearing a curmudgeon, I worry that such kindness could be a thing of the past. As you may already know, I live with dementia. Unlike 800,000 people with a form of the condition, I struggle with a rarer type, which holds me back in ways I never thought possible. But what I do share with the hundreds of thousands living with this tricksy condition is disbelief at the stigma and shame still surrounding a disease that affects the brain and which can ultimately affect as many as one in three of us.
"If you haven't already seen it, last week Public Health England and the Alzheimer's Society launched a TV campaign encouraging society to emulate my Dodger's valiant behaviour in their everyday lives. But there's a twist – it's for the benefit of people with dementia – a group of people who have been side-lined and ignored for far too long.
"Dementia. The word itself describes shrinkage of the brain, the process of abnormal proteins clinging to the spongy masses of our cranium that we rely on to think and speak. However, the real and tangible meaning of the word will be different to everyone living with the condition. For some, they might struggle in a supermarket with finding the right change. That nagging voice in their head willing them to understand the difference between a 5p piece and £1 and yet their brain refusing to help them. Or they might lose patience with friends or family, struggling to follow conversations.
"For me, living with posterior cortical atrophy began when I noticed the precision of my touch-typing getting progressively worse and my spelling starting to slip. For an author, what could be worse? And so I sought help, and will always be the loud and proud type to speak my mind and admit I'm having trouble. But there are many people with dementia too worried about failing with simple tasks in public to even step out of the house. I believe this is because simple displays of kindness often elude the best of us in these manic modern days of ours.
"Ultimately, research is the answer. While talented scientists beaver away at finding a cure, this campaign holds a mirror up to us all – forcing us to realise we can do more in our everyday lives to help. Look past that mirror, maybe even through the wall, to the house of your next-door neighbour. Maybe it's an older lady, albeit only in her 60s, who you haven't recently seen popping to the shops as usual. You notice that she's forgotten to collect her milk from the doorstep, and that when you last stopped to chat she seemed confused and couldn't follow what you were saying. Think of how you might be able to help her – there are little things you could do to support her and let her know she's not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us out there living with dementia who – to paraphrase the song in the advert – every now and again really could do with a little help from a friend."
To read the original piece online, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/kq8dggv
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04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
I don't know if this is exactly crockett (or even crockett science), but someone has republished the entirety of that grand Pterry interview from issue number 7+1 of Death Ray Magazine:
"Terry Pratchett is in the basement staffroom of a bookshop in Bath, not far from the Death Ray office, waiting to begin a signing session. He sits like a some kind of good-natured satrap, diffidently munching coconut and sipping gin, as a hushed, scurrying activity goes on all around him. Outside stand cast members of a stage adaptation of his book The Witches, dressed in costume, eyes shining as they await the blessing of their hero. Round the corner from them stands a big steel door, behind which a crowd of fans are corralled, clutching copies of the latest Discoworld[sic] novel. There's a palpable excitement in the air, all centred on this unprepossessing man. As pleasant as he is, a cloak of invisible yet very evident power lies easily about Pratchett's shoulders. He's the behatted eye of the storm, an alpha male author, with a troop of fans most writers would give their eye-teeth for."
If you missed it the first time around, or never saw it, go forth and enjoy!
http://tinyurl.com/koncwkf
*
A reminder – the virtual bookshops are open now, and you can make your own!
"Book recommendation is at the heart of My Independent Bookshop, a website that allows people to create a virtual bookshop of twelve books from any publisher. You can browse the diverse collection of bookshops on the site to find interesting and unexpected new reads, as well as choose to accept requests for personal recommendations from people who have enjoyed browsing your virtual bookshop.
"As a My Independent Bookshop member, you'll be able to create your very own virtual bookshop of twelve books and start recommending the books you've read and loved, so readers around the world can discover them too. You can change your shop window as often as you like – by season, genre or mood. We're filling our virtual streets with shops from a diverse range of authors, bloggers and fellow bookworms so if you're looking for your next read, why not browse their selections and ask them for a personal recommendation?
"As if that wasn't enough, once you've set up your bookshop you'll also have access to competitions, giveaways and other goodies from some of the best authors around!
"We look forward to seeing the books you put on your shelves!"
How to make your own virtual bookshop:
http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/register
http://www.myindependentbookshop.co.uk/
*
Department of We Know What Happens Next: readers of the famous, and wonderful, Pratchett short story "Hollywood Chickens" may have found themselves smiling knowingly at the news of a livestock transport crash this month on the M62 motorway: "The lorry was carrying 6,800 chickens when it crashed on the eastbound carriageway between junctions 11 and 12 at about 04:00 BST... Michael Clarke, from the Highways Agency, said about 2,000 chickens 'escaped on to the carriageway' and had to be recaptured. 'We drafted in as much manpower as we could from across the north west, and we had help from the police, the emergency services and the RSPCA,' he said. He said the incident was 'unusual' in terms of the sheer number of birds involved. 'The more adventurous ones did manage to go quite far – I would suspect there are a handful still in adjacent fields,' he added..." Your Editor, who has traversed the M62 hundreds of times, knows of a fair few places there – and one place in particular – that could provide just the sort of shelter to allow some rogue chickens to, um, evolve...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-27405467
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.1 REMINDER: THIEF OF TIME IN ADELAIDE, FOURECKS
Unseen Theatre's new production of Thief of Time has opened to rave reviews (see item below). Its run continues through the 7th of June.
When: 30th–31st May and 4th–7th June 2014
Venue: Main Theatre, the Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
Time: 8:00pm all shows (the play runs for 2 hours plus a 10 minute interval)
Tickets: Adults $20, Conc $18, Fringe Benefits $16, Groups (10+) $16. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the night (subject to availability), or to book ahead online, go to
http://www.trybooking.com/82617
http://www.unseen.com.au/
5.2 REMINDER: AMAZING MAURICE THE MUSICAL IN CARLISLE AND PENRITH
ACT Youth Theatre will present their production of Matthew Holmes' superb musical adaptation of The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents next month in Carlisle and Penrith.
Carlisle:
When: Saturday 14th June 2014
Venue: The Green Room, West Walls Theatre, West Walls, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 8UB Tel: 01228 533233
Time: 2pm Matinee and 7:30pm Evening Performances
Tickets: £8 adults and £6 concessions, available from Carlisle Tourist Information (01228 598 596)
http://www.carlislegreenroom.co.uk
Penrith:
When: Saturday 28th June 2014
Venue: Penrith Playhouse, Auction Mart Lane, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7JG
Telephone 01768 865557
Time: 2pm Matinee and 7:30pm Evening Performances.
Tickets: £8 adults and £6 concessions, available from Penrith Tourist Information (01768 867 466)
www.penrithplayers.co.uk
Tickets for both venues can also be purchased online at www.acttheatre.ticketsource.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/acttheatrecumbria
5.3 UPDATED: MONSTROUS REGIMENT IN CHICAGO
"Lifeline Theatre is thrilled to offer a special discount on MONSTROUS REGIMENT tickets to Discworld fans near and far. $10 off regular single tickets, June 12-July 20, with code 'OZZER.' Must order by May 31st. Call 773-761-4477 or purchase online at www.lifelinetheatre.com"
This production is looking very promising! – Ed.
When: 30th May – 20th July 2014
Venue: Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL, 60626
Telephone 773-761-4477
Time: evenings at 7.30pm on Thursdays and Fridays and at 8pm on Saturdays; matinees at 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays Tickets: $20 for previews (30th May-8th June), $40 for Regular Run: June 12-July 20 (Thu & Fri at 7:30pm, Sat at 4pm & 8pm, Sun at 4pm). To book online in advance, go to http://tinyurl.com/kzehtaw and click on the desired dates at the bottom of the page (or scroll through from there to the June or July calendars for tickets on those dates)
http://www.lifelinetheatre.com/performances/13-14/mr/index.shtml
5.4 REMINDER: WITCHES ABROAD IN MARYBOROUGH, QUEENSLAND
The Maryborough Players present their exclusive production of Witches Abroad, as adapted and directed by Renoir (presumably not the dead Impressionist master). Profits from the production will go to Alzheimers Australia and the Australasian Order of Old Bastards, they claim!
When: 4th–7th June 2014
Venue: Brolga Theatre & Convention Centre, 5 Walker Street,Maryborough, QLD
Time: all evening performances 7.30pm; additional Saturday matinee 2pm
Tickets: Adults $30.00, Concession and Friends $25.00, Students $20.00 To book online, go to
http://www.brolgatheatre.org/default.asp?PageID=95
http://www.brolgatheatre.org/
5.5 REMINDER: WYRD SISTERS AROUND THE MIDLANDS
...although the new travelling production by the Jadis Shadows company is also a sort of "witches abroad"! Jadis Shadows, "Resident Company for STMO Media's Magic Alley in Stratford Upon Avon", present their production in May and June 2014, in a number of places.
When: 11th, 12th & 30th June 2014
Venue: Castle Theatre Wellingborough, 10 Castle Way, Wellingborough, Warwickshire NN8 1XA
Time: 7.45pm
Tickets: £10 for everyone. Box Office – 01933 270007
http://www.jadisshadows.com/index.php/current-programme
5.6 REVIEW: MORT IN ALDERMASTON
By Chris Horton in the Basingstoke Gazette:
"Michelle Middleditch assembled a large cast of mixed ability for the twenty plus different characters needed. Leading the action was a confident David White as Death; he sported an impressive skeleton costume, black cape and flashing blue lights for eyes. He was ably accompanied by Gavin Crowe as the apprentice Mort which, he emphasised, was short for Mortimer. The action revolved around this clever play on words. With a labyrinthine plot – too convoluted to explain – the action was in a series of short scenes on a largely plain black set and the premise loosely concerned a certain assassination and its possibly not taking place. The scene changes were swiftly and efficiently done, the costumes and props imaginative and effective but the action was uneven. There were strong performances from Alan Munday as Albert and Louise Hayling as Prince Keli and Pat Archer and Alice Grundy in a variety of roles. This was a bold choice for Boundary Players with which to end their varied season..."
http://tinyurl.com/oh75fnn
5.7 REVIEWS: THIEF OF TIME IN FOURECKS
Reviewed by Christine Pyman in Broadway World:
"Pratchett has never been known to talk down to his audience, rather the opposite in fact, which is why so many fans are on the geekier side of life, mea culpa, too. Unseen Theatre Company also does not talk down to their audience and, under the more than capable direction, adaptation, and producing of Pamela Munt, this play flows, somewhat like Time itself, in an inexorable stream, taking us along with it, submerging us in the characters' drama, and giving us wibbly wobbly, timey wimey hiccups of laughter as we go. Pamela Munt is complemented by her very talented and dedicated cast and, for this production, believe me, they needed to be. Thirteen cast members play a total of twenty-six roles, with most of them being major ones, and navigate uncounted numbers of set changes over a total of two hours. The use of multimedia, clever direction, and some on stage set changes, allowed the story to unfold with no sense of disconnectedness.
"There were so many excellent performances in this production that it's hard to know where to start... Leighton James played the 'not twins/same person separated at birth' main characters of Jeremy Clockson and Lobsang Ludd, with his Jeremy being particularly noteworthy. He changed mannerisms and appearance to successfully bring such a difference to each that I, for one, would have thought they were being played by different actors... Stage, lighting, sound, etc, were all handled by only two people, Andrew Zeuner and Stephen Dean, to bring this show together, and together they did a job that would tax half a dozen, admirably..."
http://tinyurl.com/kkwd2kn
By Anthony Vawser for Stage Whispers:
"Unseen Theatre Company – led by director/producer/scripter/actor Pamela Munt – are specialists at adapting the work of Terry Pratchett, and their latest is something a mixed success, but generally an enjoyable one. Having the bare minimum of experience with the author's work (two books during the far-away high-school days, both of them recalled fondly), this reviewer was borderline-bewildered by much of the show – but, happily, entertained by most of it... Helping a good deal is the level of energy and enthusiasm brought to the proceedings by the talented actors. Making an exceptionally strong impression – despite (or perhaps because of) working from behind a (quite literal) Death's head mask - is Hugh O'Connor as the Reaper himself, with a performance both fearsome and funny. Also standing out in this cast are Philip Lineton, crafting an engaging characterisation as elderly mentor Lu-Tze (and dealing deftly with a large amount of offbeat exposition), as well as Leighton James in a demanding dual role... One senses the attempt at building towards a climax of tension and excitement, with a number of wacky laughs and colourful diversions along the way, but the script cannot quite achieve 100% of what it aims for. Those aims, however, are enough to keep things intriguing and entertaining for the most part..."
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/thief-time
...and by James Rudd on Glam Adelaide:
"This production is packed to the brim with interesting and hilarious characters, with many of Pratchett's staple characters. Of course, Death (Hugh O'Connor) gets involved, as does his granddaughter Susan (Amelia Lorien), along with the other three horsemen of the apocalypse (Lewis Baker, Daniel McInnes, Samuel Creighton) and Mr Soak the Milkman (Tony Cockington). The cast is marvellous, and everyone pulls off their respective parts nicely. Lineton as Lu-Tze seems like he's been pulled directly from a Pratchett novel, and O'Connor's rendition of Death is spectacularly commanding. The Four Horseman (and the Milkman) are also stand-outs, even though they have relatively little time on stage. War's facial hair deserves a special mention... As a relatively small-scale piece, Thief of Time, does well with what it's got. The costuming is superb, eccentric yet simple, and the lighting is effective. Props are utilised well, although some of the bigger pieces prove a bit of a hassle in between scenes. Probably the coolest bit of the performance, without giving too much away, involves a flaming sword..."
www.glamadelaide.com.au/main/theatre-review-thief-of-time/
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06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Blogger Sarah M Weber, new to Pratchett, fell in love with The Carpet People:
Not since my days of sneaking a flashlight under the covers and reading Roald Dahl way past my bedtime have I been so entranced by a middle grade novel... A playwriting for young audiences professor I had at Northwestern taught that one of the keys to writing for kids is to approach a story from 'beneath the doorknobs.' That is to say, remove all that jaded grownup cynicism and get on your audiences' level (which, due to that childlike tendency to be short, is literally beneath the doorknobs). And, no surprise here, Terry Pratchett has it down. His commitment to the expansive world of Carpet is immersive, with no trace of the irony with which adults can so easily mask their imaginative play. Yet despite his delightful embracing of the absurd, Pratchett manages to be poignant in the observations about humanity made by his naive and unassuming Munrungs..."
http://tinyurl.com/p6uhpjo
Blogger Hannah was impressed by The Wee Free Men:
"Tiffany's self-respect, courage, calmness under pressure, and slight tendency to be a know-it-all, as well as the fact that she is utterly, unapologetically, herself, is incredibly refreshing. She is a welcome change from heroines whose main recommendations are their beauty or charming conversation. Tiffany Aching reminds me of they way many young girls are before they are told that it's not okay to yell, to run with the boys, to get dirty, to be 'unlady-like.' And the wonderful thing about this story is that one gets the sense that while Tiffany matures during her adventures, she gains wisdom without losing herself. She will, one day, become an old woman, who is confident, wise, self-assured, and respected, even as she defies convention.
"The Wee Free Men is all the more powerful because it is not a lecture, or a dense work of nonfiction, but rather, a laugh-out-loud fantasy. It's a good example of how a good story can change our perceptions and widen the possibilities that we view for ourselves..."
http://tinyurl.com/lu7zd5k
Blogger Miss Bibliophile was delighted by Mort:
"I loved the way the book explains the ridiculousness of the Disc (a flat disc on the backs of four elephants, on the back of a giant turtle that swims through space) by saying that 'A million to one chances crop up nine times out of ten'. And, in fact, the existence of something so mind-bogglingly random is possible, and once you have accepted that, it's easy to believe that everything that occurs on the Disc is entirely rational and realistic... I have to say, I was thrilled to see the unexpected reappearance of Rincewind. I especially liked that when he reappears, he is desperately and futilely apologising for some unknown drunken obscenity he had performed against a statue. Also, for some reason, I always forget that the head librarian at Unseen University is an orang-outang, so the reminder of that always makes me smile..."
http://tinyurl.com/l94n5rp
...and by Equal Rites as well:
"I found the plot of Equal Rites somewhat simpler than other Discworld novels I've read, despite retaining the same illogical logic and clever humour. I suppose the main difference was that it was considerably less random than the other books. I flew through this book, and am even now laughing in retrospect at Terry Pratchett's wit. The main theme of equal opportunities for men and women is very well dealt with in this book. Although the reader is put in no doubt that Esk was destined to be a wizard from birth, the book doesn't simply consist of women fighting against men. I liked that, because the idea of female versus male seems to me unrealistic and unhelpful when struggling to achieve equal opportunities. Even Granny Weatherwax, the one who decides that Esk needs to go to Unseen University, agrees with everyone else that wizardry should be for men and witchcraft should be for women..."
http://tinyurl.com/m75qq8k
Blogger Write of Passage weighs in on the "ugly book cover" debate:
"Is a bad book cover ever indicative of a bad book. The long and short of it is YES... Before you brand me as a book bigot, I've read some ugly books. In middleschool I read 'Kris's War' which was about a resistance group in Denmark during the second World War. It was a great book, but the cover was hideous. When I read it, I held it low so people would not see because it looked like a cheezy sci fi from the 70′s. Anyone who saw it made a face or a comment. They asked 'What are you reading?' in the same tone one might say 'Dear God, what is that thing!' Just to prove I'm not biased, I'm currently reading another book with a bad cover (bad is a generous word). Terry Pratchett's books don't typically have great covers to start with; however, 'Guards, Guards' has got to be the worst. It's too colorful and confusing, and the characters look terrible..."
http://tinyurl.com/kjrdyp9
Blogger American Soustannie found Raising Steam completely up to the heights of Pratchett's best standard:
"'Raising Steam' is the best fun read I've had in a while – absurdly complicated subplots, witty word plays, and fully three-dimensional characters, And yes, as always, there's playful satire so it carries a wee bit of a message – enough to tweak the reader's attention without burdening one too heavily. (No apologies here for intellectual laziness. Sometimes one just wants a chuckle.) This installment from the Discworld takes us first to Sto Lat, where we meet bashfully obsessive young Dick Simnel, his slide rule, and the gleamingly beautiful Iron Girder. Then on to Ankh Morpork, where Lord Vetinari offers Moist von Lipwig a choice: add another hat to those he already wears – responsibility for the new railway, in addition to charge of the Royal Bank, the Mint, and the Post Office – or lose the head you wear your hats on. The story quickly builds up a head of steam and takes the reader on a twisting track that takes in rebel dwarfs, mechanically inspired goblins, talking golem horses, conspiracies and coups, politics and even the occasional hint of romance... Makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and work my way through it again, just for the sheer pleasure of watching his world take shape."
http://tinyurl.com/k9avmf7
Blogger Tony Graff's entertaining and perceptive review of Carpe Jugulum:
"I think out of all the Discworld books, or at least the ones that I've read, this may be the one that people were using to claim that Pratchett found religion. I'm not sure this is the case. Through Mightily Oats and Granny Weatherwax, he gets to the core of what religion is supposed to teach: Don't treat people like things. I think what Pratchett would be against is the dogma, which he explained quite well in Small Gods. It continues to astound me that throughout the shenanigans on the Disc Terry Prachett manages to sneak in these most basic life lessons in a way that reminds us that we need to be doing some better, from Death who will go out of his way to save cats that had drowned when usually he only comes personally for witches, wizards and sometimes a king or other royalty. It's not big enough that we think that was his purpose all along, but small enough that we pay attention to it...."
http://tonygraff.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/carpe-jugulum/
...and his review of Raising Steam:
"This book ended up being remarkably complexly simple. It's remarkable in the scope of how much it affects the entirety of the DIsc. It starts in the legendary city of Ankh-Morpork, then spreads through Sto Lat to Quirm, then on to even the far reaches of Ubervald, with dreams of expanding to Genoa. Secondly, it's complex. I was originally excited because it was a Moist Von Lipwig story, and he's been one of the most amazing characters in the series. (The other Moist [heh] stories are this one and this one). But, once you start digging into Raising Steam, it's not just a Moist Von Lipwig story, but it's also Dick Simnal's story. Then again, isn't it also Harry King's story? Or Lord Vetinari's or Rhys Rhysson's story? Commander Vimes? Even Drumknott's, for that matter? Here's probably the overarching reason everyone should love Terry Pratchett. He's creating a full and complete world. He can't talk about creating the steam engine in Ankh-Morpork without telling the story of the steam engine in the entire disc. How else could he have created a single series of books forty books long without getting boring? He lets us explore the whole world. It would be quite the sight to see the notes and outlines and storyboards that Terry Pratchett uses to create his novels and make sure every character who would interact with a given idea..."
http://tinyurl.com/kdecvz6
Blogger Farilian, currently working on a Discworld-based doctorate, get's a lovingly polished "Well duh!" award for pointing out that Pterry is a far better world-builder than Tolkien ever was:
"Tolkien spent an immense amount of time with Middle Earth, no doubt. We all know how he took great care to create languages, cultures and histories to provide a believable and thorough fundament for his secondary world. To this day, no fantasy author has ever achieved this level of complexity – Pratchett included. Yet where Pratchett goes further than Tolkien is in investigating the way a secondary world actually works. Instead of focussing on culture, history and linguistics, Pratchett's specialty lies in sociology, technology and urbanism. As he expressed in The Art of Discworld, a 'city of even half a million takes a hidden army of farmers, fishermen and carters just to see it through the day'. On the Discworld, we see these hidden mechanisms that drive the world in the background – heroes might be heroes, but even they need to eat, and their food normally doesn't grow on trees. This is why the Discworld feels more lived-in than Middle Earth at times. It does not simply operate as a playground for battles between good and evil – it is also home to thousands upon thousands of people just going about their daily business..."
http://tinyurl.com/n9ryt5k
Blogger Ana found a lot to laugh about in The Last Continent:
"Although this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. That's what I like about Discworld, because I can just pick up a book from any point in the series and I would be able to get it. There are some little bits like characters that were introduced in previous books, but other than that, most of the Discworld books work as standalone titles. As always, this book was hilarious! There are so many little jokes about Australian things, from the food to the animals. Pratchett is very good at parodying things we have here in the real world. I only lived in Australia for a little while, but the jokes didn't fly over my head. There was even a crack about New Zealand that made me snort and giggle... The only thing that really keeps me from loving this book is how it wrapped up. I guess it does get kind of confusing at the end, and requires more than the usual level of accepting weird fantasy plot shenanigans. Still, it made for a hilarious read that is good for old and new readers of Discworld alike..."
http://tinyurl.com/lgucvs8
Blogger Jennybee offers a short rave review of Raising Steam:
"This book, the 40th in the Discworld series, sees the return of Moist von Lipwig who we previously met in 'Going Postal' and 'Making Money'. This time, the steam powered railway is coming to the Discworld and doing so in style and with much humour. My main admiration for the Discworld series comes from the way everyday situations, phrases and behaviours are commented upon and this comes through on every page. The books, while an escape from every-day life do make you think. The characters are funny, have their quirks (many of which are completely recognisable) and are all believable – a large task for an author. The setting of the story runs mainly in the twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, but there is far more travel than in other Discworld books I have read – necessary when covering the introduction of the steam railway. Would I read more? Of course..."
http://tinyurl.com/ntk9kmn
The prone-to-wittering-and-blithering, amusingly inconsistent blogger Vacuous Wastrel is back with a long take on Maskerade:
"I keep thinking the Witches novels aren't my favourite part of Discworld. I tell people this. I think I'm being truthful when I say it. I just don't like them very much, and I never have. To be honest, reading about Granny Weatherwax is just a little bit too much like spending extra time with the various female members of my family (living and dead), and with respect and affection toward them, I've spent enough time with them thank you very much, I don't need them in my reading time too. So I don't like the Witches novels. So why is it I keep finding that they're really good? ... What are the virtues? Well, it's funny. Seriously funny. I think the funniest Discworld since… is this the funniest Discworld? Maybe not, it's hard to make a claim like that – they all have funny moments, and a lot comes down to mood when reading it. But aside from consistently being funny, it also has probably the single funniest scene in the sequence (so far, at least) – the dessert scene. [OK OK, so I'm childish...] Leaving aside the humour, it's also a real page-turner of a story. Murders, operas, a chandelier, swordfighting, secret passages, hidden identities, double bluffs, parcour chase scenes, more murders… it's a ripping yarn, even if I did feel the ending was a little blunted... Oh, and while the thematic and ideological stuff doesn't get top billing, there's enough of it there that the book doesn't ever feel tawdry or crass: it may not beat you about the head with 'the point', but it does feel that there's a point there, something beyond superficial entertainment. It's interesting enough, and moving enough, not to distract from its virtues as a comedy thriller. So all in all, I'm left thoroughly impressed with Maskerade. Perhaps it doesn't feel like a Pratchett masterpiece – perhaps precisely because laughter and excitement seem to be the primary objectives, rather than anything deep and important – but it's one of the very best examples of his 'usual' work..."
http://tinyurl.com/mxyg9s6
Blogger adaer, aka Adrian from the Land of Fog, offers his own introduction-for-newbies to the Discworld series and description of what he sees as the main reading groups. He says, "I'm a little worried that my blurbs here sound stale and make the series sound uninteresting – well, if that's the case that's no fault of the books and more due to my amateur writing skills." Actually, he does a decent job. For example:
"Wizard or Rincewind books – early books focused more on Rincewind, a failure of a wizard and a self-confessed coward who is constantly forced into the role of hero... Later, the focus is on the faculty primarily, while Rincewind seems to have dropped into a background role (much to his relief, I'd imagine). The Rincewind books are generally a parody of the adventure/heroic fantasy genre, I believe, while the UU faculty books deal more with the nature of the universe... The Witches books deal with the tropes of fairy tales – or maybe it'll be more accurate to say that they deal with the tropes of stories... A lot of media portray death or Death as evil – in Discworld, though, Death is a rather affable fellow who ALWAYS TALKS IN CAPITALS, rather fond of cats and generally rather enamoured with life, or the idea of life (he doesn't always get it right, though – he made himself a house, even though he doesn't need one. It's coloured in various shades of black). I think the Death books as a whole deal with the idea of life and myths, and aspects of the universe as well..."
http://tinyurl.com/lxvlorm
...and finally, an "open fan letter to Sir Terry Pratchett" from blogger and aspiring writer Rachel Walton:
"The first book of yours I read was Truckers and after that I was, as they say, hooked. Oh I still loved my Blyton and my Dahl and my Jacques but in your books I found something new. A voice I connected with. When my Mother deemed me old enough to be introduced to Discworld (after years of hard training down the library you understand), I found a whole new side to that voice. Here was a fantastic but believable world full of characters coloured grey rather than black and white. Here were female characters that were bossy and determined and funny who didn't get punished for it. Here was humour and sarcasm and truly ordinary people who were heroes without having special powers or even much of a reward at the end of it. Here was someone who wrote like I wanted to write. Better still, they were actually published.
"I knew then that I could write exactly how and what I wanted. So I did. One day, I hope to finish a my own book and send it out into the big bad world. It may not do very much, but the fact it will be wholly what I want to write will be a huge achievement..."
http://tinyurl.com/ksbduhr
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07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
Discworld fan Matt Lockwood has discovered a Harry King franchise on Roundworld:
http://tinyurl.com/kbmya8a
...and Majka Overgard has found that up in the wilds of northern Norway, Nac Mac Feegle are somewhat differently proportioned. She says, "Big Jock [is] on the loose on the Lofoten Islands! (now we are out of single malt whisky..)":
http://tinyurl.com/mm6np4c
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08) CLOSE
And that's the lot for now. The only other thing I have to report is that I have a new friend who would not meet with the approval of the Ankh-Morpork Royal Post Office. He's a gorgeous, super-friendly young Finnish Lapphund from Norway, and he has – wait for it – orange eyebrows. We all know about not arsking about dogs with orange eyebrows, don't we? (And "huje green things with teeth". And Mrs Cake.)
Have a lovely weekend and a lovely month-end (especially all you lucky Spring Bank Holiday-makers back in the UK), and well see you in June!'
– Annie Mac
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: interact (at) pearwood (dot) info
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Copyright (c) 2014 by Klatchian Foreign Legion