Wossname – July-August 2021 – Main issue
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wossnameWossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
July--August 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 7-8, Post 1)
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WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works of Sir Terry Pratchett. Originally founded by the late, great Joe Schaumburger for members of the worldwide Klatchian Foreign Legion and its affiliates, including the North American Discworld Society and other continental groups, Wossname is now for Discworld and Pratchett fans everywhere in Roundworld.
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Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Mss C, Alison not Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancer: Jason Parlevliet
Book Reviews: Annie Mac, Drusilla D'Afanguin, Your Name Here
Puzzle Editor: Tiff (still out there somewhere)
Bard in Residence: Weird Alice Lancrevic
Emergency Staff: Steven D'Aprano, Jason Parlevliet
World Membership Director: Steven D'Aprano (in his copious spare time)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
06) ROUNDWORLD TALES
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
“For the whole of my life since I was nine years old I have enjoyed words… Words turn us from monkeys into me. We make them, change them, trace them around, eat them and live by them - they are workhorses, carrying any burden, and their usage is the skill of the author’s trade, hugely versatile; there are times when the wrong word is the right word, and times when words can be manipulated so that silence shouts. Their care, feeding and indeed breeding is part of the craft of which I am a journeyman.”
– Sir Pterry, in an address he gave at Trinity College Dublin, 2010
"Terry's not here any longer, but when he was, we had talked about what we wanted to do with ‘Good Omens,’ and where the story went next. And now, thanks to BBC Studios and Amazon, I get to take it there."
– Neil Gaiman
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it."
– Monstrous Regiment
"Perhaps [the gods] do exist. I want to know why they act as if they don't."
– Mau, in Nation
"I don’t know what Terry Pratchett’s view on the gender politics of 2021 would be. No one does. The much-beloved Discworld author died in 2015."
– author Marc Burrows
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Back in June, I said here that "I never thought that by June of 2021 I would still be publishing Wossname in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are." And indeed here we are still, with the Delta variant of Covid-19 sweeping across the world, including in Fourecks where its rapid spread has initiated a new set of nationwide lockdowns. Can we have 2022 now please? A 2022 where this virus has finally eased down, if not disappeared?
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Good Omens has been greenlit for a second series. Read about it in item 3.0 below!
*
Much is being made of a certain "Twitter war", and both Good Omens co-author Neil Gaiman and Pratchett the Younger have taken it on themselves to join in. Of all that has been written about this incident, you might find the views of Marc Burrows, award-winning author of biography The Magic of Terry Pratchett, most intelligent and nuanced (and if you're not into intelligence and nuance, why on earth are you a Discworld fan, eh?); his essay is featured in item 3.8 below. And while we're at it, always remember that the most obvious and honest takeaway from Sir Pterry's characters and stories is essentially that it's best to let people be themselves, so long as "being themselves" doesn't harm society at large. Oh, and don't treat people as things.
By the way, did I mention that Marc Burrows' biography "The Magic of Terry Pratchett" won the 2021 Locus Award for non-fiction? Well, it did. Congratulations, Marc!
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The passing of a wizard: vale Wymondham town crier Pete Green, who died in a house fire in June: "The former town crier was a stalwart of Wymondham, serving as a town councillor for the last three years of his life, in a political party of his own founding. He worked as an incense trader and a bookbinder, organised local steampunk events and regularly enjoyed re-enactment events. And it was through these that he struck up a friendship with author Terry Pratchett, providing inspiration for the character Archchancellor Ridcully in the Discworld saga..."
https://bit.ly/2W3gz4E
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Now this from a very pleased Good Omens director Douglas Mackinnon: "1,000,000 views for our lockdown scene on YouTube. Not bad for something made in a kitchen, an attic, a spare room and a library." https://bit.ly/3CTaAkc
For those of you who might want to see it again: https://bit.ly/3xXdqAO
And now, on with the show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) ODDS AND SODS
3.0 GOOD OMENS NEWS: HERE WE GO AGAIN... MINUS SIR PTERRY'S INPUT
So here we are, two years on from the original release of the Good Omens miniseries, and it's now confirmed that the second series millions of people wanted is officially a "go". First, here be an extract from original source material co-writer Neil Gaiman's take on it:
"Terry was clear on what he wanted from Good Omens on the telly. He wanted the story told, and if that worked, he wanted the rest of the story told. So, once Good Omens the TV series had been released by Amazon and the BBC, to global acclaim, many awards and joy, So in September 2017 I sat down in St James' Park, beside the director, Douglas Mackinnon, on a chair with my name on it, as Showrunner of Good Omens. The chair slowly and elegantly lowered itself to the ground underneath me and fell apart, and I thought, that's not really a good omen. Fortunately, under Douglas's leadership, that chair was the only thing that collapsed.
"Rob Wilkins (Terry's representative on Earth) and I had the conversation with the BBC and Amazon about doing some more. And they got very excited. We talked to Michael Sheen and David Tennant about doing some more. They also got very excited. We told them a little about the plot. They got even more excited. I'd been a fan of John Finnemore's for years, and had had the joy of working with him on a radio show called With Great Pleasure, where I picked passages I loved, had amazing readers read them aloud and talked about them. I asked John if he'd be willing to work with me on writing the next round of Good Omens, and was overjoyed when he said yes. We have some surprise guest collaborators too. And Douglas Mackinnon is returning to oversee the whole thing with me. So that's the plan. We've been keeping it secret for a long time (mostly because otherwise my mail and Twitter feeds would have turned into gushing torrents of What Can You Tell Us About It? long ago) but we are now at the point where sets are being built in Scotland (which is where we're shooting, and more about filming things in Scotland soon), and we can't really keep it secret any longer..."
https://bit.ly/3m8AuKB
And a smattering of the rest...
From the BBC Media Centre:
"The second season of the six-part humorous fantasy drama will begin filming later this year in Scotland and will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries and territories around the world at a later date. The new season will explore storylines that go beyond the original source material to illuminate the uncanny friendship between Aziraphale, a fussy angel and rare book dealer, and the fast-living demon Crowley... Neil Gaiman continues as executive producer and will co-showrun along with executive producer Douglas Mackinnon who will also return to direct. Rob Wilkins, John Finnemore and BBC Studios Productions’ Head of Comedy Josh Cole will also executive produce with Finnemore serving as co-writer alongside Gaiman. Good Omens is based on the well-loved and internationally bestselling novel ‘Good Omens’ by Terry Pratchett (Hogfather) and Gaiman. The new season is produced by multi-award winning BBC Studios Productions alongside Amazon Studios, Narrativia and The Blank Corporation... Douglas Mackinnon says: 'Taking Good Omens to my home country of Scotland to film a second season is an exciting dream come true for me. And with Michael Sheen and David Tennant returning as Aziraphale and Crowley, we really have an angel and a demon on our side.' Rob Wilkins says: 'Terry and Neil always knew that Crowley and Aziraphale wouldn’t remain content to appear in only one story, and long harboured plans to expand upon their adventures. David and Michael’s stellar performances made this an absolute necessity. Terry would have been delighted with how they brought their characters to life, and just as delighted as I am that a second season is now underway.' Michael Sheen says: 'Personally I’m against it, but the world isn’t going to just save itself, is it? If David and I can manage to not fall out too badly this time it may even have a chance of getting finished.' David Tennant says: 'The return of Good Omens is great news for me, personally. As I get to work with Michael again, and I get to say Neil’s wonderful words once more. It’s probably less good for the universe as it almost certainly means there will be some fresh existential threat to its existence to deal with, but, you know - swings and roundabouts...'..."
https://bbc.in/37QT01H
From Guardian journalist Alison Flood, a longtime Pratchett enthusiast:
"There are concerns out there about the fact that, unlike the first season, there is no published source material for the second. But Gaiman, who is staying on as executive producer and co-showrunner, has said the sequel will follow a storyline he and Pratchett dreamed up back in 1989, while they were attending a convention in Seattle and sharing a hotel room in order to save money. It was the middle of the night, recounts Gaiman, and neither of them could sleep... The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, felt pretty wrapped up at the end of Good Omens, in both the book and show. But I’m not averse to finding out what happened next. As Gaiman has pointed out, we’ll also be discovering what happened before. And the world most definitely needs more of Crowley and Aziraphale... Pratchett might not have a direct hand in this new series, but Rob Wilkins, who manages the Pratchett estate, has said the late author would have been delighted that a second season is under way..."
https://bit.ly/3y3u8id
From popculture site ScreenRant:
"The existence of 668: The Neighbor of the Beast had been confirmed in earlier interviews by both Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett. As such, there's no reason to believe that Gaiman is now lying about having a story worked out, just as new fans are clamoring for a follow-up to the Good Omens series despite its quite definitive ending. Given that, and Gaiman's own track record for being choosy when it comes to whom he allows to adapt his work into television or film, there is every reason to believe that Good Omens season 2 will honor Pratchett's legacy and be written in a tone consistent with his oeuvre. The fan fears about a Good Omens sequel being nothing more than a cynical cash-grab are easy to understand, given the disastrous premiere of The Watch earlier this year... The series was roundly condemned by Sir Terry's family, friends, and fans..."
https://bit.ly/3yYx6Wk
3.1 ABOMINABLE SNOW BABY NEWS
More news about the upcoming 30-minute animated film of The Abominable Snow Baby. I think this includes updates. Apologies for pandemic brain if I've featured this before...
Channel 4 has announced a trio of top stars to head up their high-profile Christmas 2021 animated special Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby produced by Eagle Eye Drama, the production company recently launched by the team behind global drama brand Walter Presents, in association with Narrativia, the independent production company, launched in 2012 by one of Britain’s most illustrious and well-loved authors, Sir Terry Pratchett... Screen legend and comedy icon Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Mamma Mia, Paddington) will star as the voice of fearless ‘Granny’, whilst Hugh Dancy (Black Hawk Down, Ella Enchanted, Hannibal, Downton Abbey 2) will take on the role of her courageous grandson ‘Albert’ with narration from ‘Homeland’ star David Harewood (Homeland, Supergirl, Blood Diamond)... Created with traditional hand drawn animation techniques to capture the timeless nature of Terry Pratchett’s story, The Abominable Snow Baby is part of a long and established tradition of Channel 4’s animated Christmas specials such as The Snowman, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and last year’s Quentin Blake’s Clown. Channel 4 Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick said: 'Channel 4’s original Christmas animation has become a real highlight over the years and this year will be no exception. I’m delighted Julie Walters, Hugh Dancy and David Harewood will be bringing to life this wonderful, funny and moving yuletide tale. I know it’s only July but with this amazing cast line up I can hardly wait….it’s definitely going to be a merry Terry Christmas.'"
To read all the details available so far, go to:
https://narrativia.com/snowbaby.html
3.2 UNSEEN THEATRE: SADLY, SOON NO LONGER SEEN?
The Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, home of the Unseen Theatre and a "stalwart of the local theatre scene for many years", has been bought by unsympathetic new owners and will close next year. As reported by Suzie Keen for InReview:
"New owners took over the building last year, and founder and creative producer Peter Green tells InReview the theatre has been negotiating for some time to try to extend its tenancy, but without success. 'It’s gut wrenching in some respects,' he said. 'I’m most sad that it won’t be a theatre any more. To me it’s a great little venue and it’s perfect for independent theatre makers to be able to do shows and be in the city, not to mention the Fringe program every year. I’m sad for all the people who have used the theatre and would have continued to want to use the theatre.' Green established Bakehouse Theatre in 1998, with its name a nod to the building’s early use as a bakery from 1890... [Pamela] Munt's Unseen Theatre Company, which specialises in Discworld plays by UK author Terry Pratchett, is Bakehouse's resident company, and a wide range of other theatre groups also regularly use the venue, including local companies STARC Productions and Joh Hartog Productions... It’s not known what the new owners plan to do with the site at 255 Angas Street..."
https://bit.ly/2Xy9TMV
Editor's note: Agnes isn't ready to sing yet, though! Unseen Theatre expects to continue its legendary run of Discworld plays with a new production of Wyrd Sisters in November.
3.3 PAUL KIDBY NEWS
From the Discworld artist's newsletter:
"In the studio we are in the very final stages of preparing The Ultimate Discworld Companion which has a deadline with our publishers Gollancz next week. There are 300 illustrations overall, with 41 new drawings, including Blind Io, Ruby, Horace the Cheese and many more. The text has been painstakingly edited to hunt down any gremlins that were lurking. Our trusty editor for this edition, (and all the previous books I have worked on recently), is my clever sister, who has a PhD in Biochemistry, studied Russian for fun and is a whizz when it comes to punctuation, categorization and grammar because her career was spent editing science books for the Oxford University Press. She sent me my very first Discworld book, The Colour of Magic, so, all in all, has played an integral part in my career one way and another. Lin is now retired to a remote Welsh farmhouse and when she is not in her polytunnel or battling slugs and the elements, (mostly rain), she corrects our copy with her exacting eagle eye. This edition runs to approx. 440 pages, (with around 300 illustrations), so it has been no mean feat."
and
"Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle opened their doors last week to their new exhibition Once There Was Magic [https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/exhibitions/once-there-was-magic] ... 'In this magical hour-long experience, you will journey through the Wild Woods where fiery portals offer a glimpse into the magical worlds of Cressida Cowell, J. K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, and many more.' Some of my drawings are on show and a bronze of my favourite Nac Mac Feegle."
3.4 A JOURNEY TO ANKH-MORPORK... OR AT LEAST, TO ITS EMBASSY
As mentioned in the June issue of Wossname, the Discworld Emporium, home of the Cunning Artificer and his team and also the site of Ankh-Morpork's Roundworld embassy, has closed its doors "for the foreseeable future" to concentrate on online commerce. But during its twenty-year history as a bricks-and-mortar enterprise, the Emporium was a Mecca of sorts for Discworld fans all over the world, with many planning their holidays to include a "pilgrimage" to the famous shop. In 2018, fan Robert Armour was one of them. Over to reporter Rebecca Cook at Somerset Live:
"Robert Armour travelled to the Wincanton shop in 2018 while on a cycle tour with friends. After passing through Basingstoke, Bristol and Wells, the group headed to Salisbury, then stopped at the Discworld Emporium. Mr Armour said: 'My memory of the shop is buying some rather spiffing librarian themed socks, chatting to the staff and sending an anonymous postcard "from Ankh-Morpork" to a friend who is also a fan.' When asked why they decided to stop at the Wincanton haunt, he said, 'Why wouldn't you - it's legendary! Anybody who has read a Discworld book would feel the pull towards the hub.'..."
https://bit.ly/2XzuSyU
3.5 PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB UPDATES
On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a Discworld discussion page. This time it's the wrap-up of Moving Pictures, and the start of Reaper Man.
Part five of Moving Pictures:
"There’s a lot to be said for the idea of using the Discworld as a distant sort of frame to highlight what makes movie magic different from magical magic. This also falls into the realm of what makes stories magic in general, while highlighting certain things about film that are particular to the art form itself—convenience, nick-of-time heroics, the shiny-ness of it all. And, of course, the idea of belief (or in this case, the suspension of disbelief), which is something that Pratchett comes back to in his work over and over. And that’s a beautiful thought to end this book on, in fact: If our beliefs create reality, then, in their own particular way, movies must be a little bit real. No matter how unreal they are from a purely scientific standpoint...the decision to have Gaspode go back to his old life once the Holy Wood magic wears off puts me in mind of a particular Hollywood choice that always infuriated me: If you’ve ever watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you know that there’s a very important cat which serves as a sort of metaphor: Holly Golightly insists that she doesn’t belong to the cat and he doesn’t belong to her, signaling her determination to refuse roots and stability in her life. The film ends with her having a breakdown over the idea of letting the cat go; she is forced to admit to her lover that she does want a committed relationship, the same way she wants to keep the cat. Thing is, if you’ve ever read the Truman Capote novella that the film is based on, you know that’s not how the story goes. In the book, Holly sticks to her belief that she and the cat don’t belong to each other… and unsurprisingly, she and narrator do not end up happily ever after together. The point being that Pratchett has, quite pointedly, provided a perfect breaking point in the Holy Wood magic in Gaspode's reversion. Gaspode goes back to a life where he belongs to himself, and is largely content with that fact. The parallels are striking here, at least to my brain..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/09/terry-pratchett-book-club-moving-pictures-part-v/
Part one of Reaper Man;
"The thing that’s great about Reaper Man as a second book about Death is that where Mort was about the idea of Death having a family, Reaper Man is essentially a book about Death as a broad-reaching concept that permeates every facet of reality. Everything dies, and all sentient creatures are aware of that fact, and that knowledge holds a constant, niggling spot in our consciousness (or subconscious). So this book is devoted to considering the many different ways that we talk and think about and personify Death. Which is sort of like Pratchett taking a flashlight to the back of his own skull, really... The Bursar’s aside remembering Hogswatch Eve is, of course, extremely ironic to read if you know what’s coming for Death down the line—but moreover, it lays the groundwork for Hogfather effortlessly. (I’m guessing because Hogfather wasn’t conceived yet; I’d imagine that this aside got written and then earmarked for later as something to expound upon, et voilà.) We’re rounding the corner on one of Pratchett’s central pieces of mythos as an author and a thinker, how humans catalogue and construct rules and meanings to order reality, and how that is probably more relevant to human experience than anything else about us. Recognizing this link between waiting for the Hogfather and waiting for Death to arrive is key string linking these thoughts together..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/16/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-i/
Part two:
"I think that Terry Pratchett is an incredible writer or I wouldn’t be here doing this. He has created created a literal world full of stories and characters that many people love the world over, and so many of those tales are worth recounting and sharing and dissecting. But the Death books are always the ones that make me cry. There’s a certain obviousness about that, I suppose, because the character is designed in such a way that he confronts most of life’s biggest questions and conundrums and hardships. In effect, Pratchett’s Death stories are always about life and the meaning we infuse it with. Death stories are about the little things that mean everything in our specifically human view. They are also largely as philosophical, as sentimental, even arguably as religious as Pratchett ever gets. And I say that because I truly do believe that many fantasy authors create their own versions of faith through their writing, and in some ways, I think that Death is who Pratchett believes in. I think he proves it over and over again with these books, and there’s something deeply personal about that. I suppose I also wonder if Death is really the closest we get to Pratchett’s heart... One of the other ways that Death stories function is via their ability to take note of the many ways that most humans bog down their lives in vagaries and social rules that on the surface make no sense at all. Death devotes a considerable amount of time to trying to glean what people actually mean beneath what they’re saying..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/23/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-ii/
Part three:
"I do appreciate from the worldbuilding standpoint that Pratchett explains, even in the vaguest terms, that people can share or give away life to others, even if he doesn’t explain how or why. Just to make sense of little Sal existing jointly on Death’s hourglass, even a little. It doesn’t take much! Things don’t always need to be over-explained, just given enough space on the page to make it clear that the author isn’t ignoring it... While Windle and his Fresh Start pals are supposed to get more focus in the narrative due to being an allegory for minority rights groups (which sort of works? But is also kinda pointless here?), I’m afraid I’m stuck on Ridcully and the wizards deciding that destroying a compost heap makes them “mean” now, and that promptly backfiring as their curse words come to life..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/30/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-iii/
...and to finish, part four:
"I do like Windle’s arc in the story, and the idea that a person might find their “people” and purpose even after their life has ended. We really can’t know when things will find us, the defining moments, actions, and people who will make them up. And sometimes it happens after you’d prefer it—I remember feeling unbearably lonely while studying abroad and suddenly finding a great group of friends in my last few weeks there, while doing an archaeological dig. Was it sad that it happened so late in the game? Of course. Would I have traded those weeks for anything? Absolutely not. Sometimes the important bits are fleeting, or come in right at the end, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a weird facet of life and time. I think a lot, as a reader and a writer, about how time affects story. People have said that “happily ever after” is all about when you end a tale, and that’s certainly true, but there’s a bigger issue at work here—that when you widen your scope (whether through distance or time), you can see how small any given story really is. It’s a drop in the bucket, every time, no matter how dire the stakes, no matter how many fates held in the balance. Sometimes expanding that scope too far can make the smaller stories feel… not necessarily meaningless so much as baffling. You get the reminder that you’ve invested a great deal of brainspace, energy, even love, into something quite tiny..."
3.6 THE MERCH CORNER
Shiny things! Lovely necklaces based on the Tiffany Aching series, all now back in stock!
* Tiffany's Hare necklace!
"The hare measures 50mm across, chain length 18ins. Designed exclusively for Discworld.com by Tom Lynall. Now redesigned and looking absolutely stunning, the hare has leaped back into stock just in time for the launch of The Shepherd’s Crown. A breathtaking reproduction of Tiffany’s hare necklace, this elegant boxed necklace is available in both silver and gold plate. The perfect gift for all would-be witches."
Each gold necklace is priced at £55. Each silver necklace is priced at £45. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/hare-pendants/
* Tiffany's White Horse necklace!
"This is an absolutely stunning piece of sterling silver jewellery and is a faithful reproduction of the pendant worn by Tiffany Aching in A Hat Full of Sky. This piece is based on Paul Kidby’s original design. The horse measures 55 tail to head, chain 18 inches. Designed exclusively for Discworld.com by Tom Lynall."
Each White Horse necklace is priced at £45. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://bit.ly/3yWbxFP
* The Shepherd's Crown necklace!
"Celebrate the conclusion of her journey with this beautiful necklace, featuring ornate hand-crafted charms, each representing elements from the Tiffany Aching series. A finely detailed silver shepherd’s crown, a gold plated honey bee and a delicate blue stone, mounted in silver, representing the flowers and butterflies of the chalk."
Each Shepherd's Crown necklace is priced at £60. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://bit.ly/3slvkfi
3.7 BRITAIN'S REACTION TO "THE WATCH"
Yes, The Watch finally aired on its home ground, so to speak. Here be a representative review, by James Walton for The Spectator:
"Science-fiction drama The Watch is a BBC production with quite a starry cast (Anna Chancellor and James Fleet among them) and an expensive-looking steam-punk set. It was broadcast in America earlier this year and has been on iPlayer for a few weeks. So why has it taken until now for it to appear on BBC2 — and in the traditionally quiet TV month of August? After seeing the first two episodes on Thursday, it wasn’t hard to form a hypothesis: because it’s terrible. The show is loosely based on characters created by Terry Pratchett — which cunningly ensures that it’ll have a ready-made audience of Pratchett fans and, less cunningly, that they’ll hate it for the liberties it takes. But even for those of us who don’t know our Pratchett so well, The Watch is an obvious mess: clumsy in its storytelling and tonally all over the place, with an uneasy mix of solemnity and mostly feeble jokes. Above all, Richard Dormer’s central performance is an eye-popping, eyebrow-wiggling, head-swivelling, neck-stretching display of hamminess rarely seen on screen since the days of James Finlayson in Laurel and Hardy..."
https://bit.ly/3g8J2gC
3.8 STORMS, TEACUPS, AND WHAT THE AUTHOR NEVER SAID
A long and insightful essay by Pratchett biographer Marc Burrows in The New Statesman:
"Pratchett’s name was invoked after a Twitter user went viral on 30 July for claiming that 'the GCs' (Gender Criticals – a name adopted by those arguing against some trans rights on the basis of biological sex) “are trying to recruit Terry Pratchett posthumously”. The Gender Criticals’ argument seemed to be that Pratchett’s down-to-earth style and indomitable and expertly drawn female characters suggest the author would have been sympathetic to their views... I revisited all 60 of his novels and read hundreds of articles and interviews when researching my biography of Terry Pratchett. Even with all of that swimming around my head I wouldn’t dream of second guessing his views on this issue, and not just because predicting the opinions of someone who has been dead for six years is a fairly pointless exercise. The way he approached social issues in his books evolved over time... Indeed, many of his jokes and stories take aim at PC culture, like the “Campaign For Equal Heights” that advocates for rights for dwarves and gnomes but is mostly run by over-earnest humans, or the undead activist Reg Shoe, who goes to cemeteries to beg his fellow corpses to “not take it lying down”. Back on Earth, rather than the Discworld, the teenage protagonists of 1993’s Johnny and the Dead struggle to make sense of a world where acceptable language is always changing: “you're not allowed to call them dinosaurs anymore,” says one. “You have to call them pre-petroleum persons”. And yet, as Pratchett’s writing became more sophisticated, the analogies and ideas became more nuanced... We cannot know Pratchett’s views on the gender wars, but we can assume they would be insightful, compassionate and wise. He knew that people were nuanced and complicated, messy and changeable, that there are no simple answers, no meaning of life..."
https://bit.ly/3m8EPgR
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04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
4.1 FORTHCOMING PLAYS
*MORT IN SUBURBAN MELBOURNE, FOURECKS (SEPTEMBER 2021... OR NOT)
"How good is it to see Fourecksian Discworld productions getting back to normal?", it said here in the previous issue. But pandemic-related issues meant it had to be rescheduled to early September. However, with the current Greater Melbourne lockdown extended until at least 2nd September, things have changed once again. TryBooking still has tickets listed for Friday 10th September and Saturday 18th September but the links don't work, and Mort is not to be found amongst the Basin Theatre's current and forthcoming listings, so it seems likely that this production has been cancelled for now.
* CARPE JUGULUM IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2021)
Brisbane Arts Theatre is still set for their production of Carpe Jugulum to open next month... but again, in the current Delta outbreak, things can change rapidly.
"In this life there are givers and takers. It’s safe to say that vampires are very much in the latter camp... It’s common sense not to invite vampires into your home (unless you want a permanent house guest, that is) – however the King of Lancre has invited the city’s newest fanged residents to celebrate the birth of his daughter… and they have no intention of leaving… ever. As the residents of Lancre are about to discover – it’ll take a lot more than garlic and crucifixes to take back their home."
When: 11th September–6th November 2021
Venue: Brisbane Arts Theatre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland 4000
Time: Fridays and Saturdays 8pm, select Thursdays 7:30pm, select Sundays 6:30pm (check calendar when booking)
Tickets: $36 (concessions/groups $29, Student Rush $16; $2 transaction fee applies), available online via https://aubat.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/5866
https://www.artstheatre.com.au/productions/carpe-jugulum/
* MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK IN ABINGDON (NOVEMBER 2021)
Stephen Briggs' new Discworld play is finally on the cards to be staged! "
The principal city on Discworld is protected by the multiverse's most diverse police force. But a new threat is emerging - the Disc's first and only firearm. The Gonne. Terry's friend and collaborator, Stephen Briggs, got special permission to put together an affectionate mash-up incorporating characters and bits from Guards! Guards!, Thud! and Feet of Clay, woven respectfully into the core plot of Men at Arms.
"16 November 2021 marks 50 years of Terry as a published author. By a delightful coincidence, the revised dates for our delayed Discworld play – MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK – are the same week as that anniversary. 'The Carpet People' was published on 16 November 1971. And on 17-20 November 2021, we will be staging a celebration of Terry's work – featuring some of his best-loved characters – the Ankh-Morpork's City Watch. We are delighted that the show will be officially sponsored by Terry's Estate."
When: 17th – 20th November 2021
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, Checker Walk, Abingdon OX14 3JB
Time: evening performances at 19.30, plus a 14.30 matinee on Saturday
20th November
Tickets: £12, available for purchase from 14th September – keep an eye
here for details!
https://www.studiotheatreclub.com/murder-in-ankh-morpork
* WYRD SISTERS IN ADELAIDE (NOVEMBER 2021)
The Unseen Theatre is planning another Pratchett production! This time it's a return to Wyrd Sisters, with performances scheduled for 17th,18th,19th, 20th, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th November 2021. However, please note that due to the ongoing Delta outbreak, it's worth waiting to see what happens...
unseen.com.au
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05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
Remember, one day, possibly in the not too distant future, Discworld fans will be able to meet in the real Roundworld again. So keep this information handy! Also note there are a few updates below... [Confession: I've no idea if any of this is up to date. Will try to determine if I can manage it – Ed.]
A new Fourecksian meeting group joins the gang: the Purdeigh Islanders, based in Hobart, Tasmania. "Purdeigh (or Purdee) Island lies hubwards of Fourecks. Roundworld islanders are fans of the great Sir Terry Pratchett resident in Tasmania, the island state of Australia."
The Purdeigh Islanders is a private group. To join in, go to their Facebook page and see if they'll have you!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/205967619882683/
*
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group"
BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk or join their Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2YrPGW7
NOTE: the Drummers are still meeting occasionally via Zoom. Check out the above link for updates!
*
Drumknott's Irregulars
Facebook https://bit.ly/31FlSrq or Google Groups https:groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars or join us at our next event."
*
The Victorian Discworld Klatch
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch
*
"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
*
The Pratchett Partisans
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula directly at uwilmott@yahoo.com.au
*
The City of Small Gods
www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
"What are we doing while we're stuck at home due to COVID-19? Given that our normal social gatherings can't happen while everyone's under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are instead trying to host regular activities and discussions online. Most of these will be done via our Discord Server – https://discord.gg/3RVzsyJ – which has several text chat channels and a few voice chat channels as well. We will still use our Facebook group – https://facebook.com/groups/cityofsmallgods – to coordinate scheduled events. When things get back to normal... (semi-) regular social meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the month at a pub or restaurant in Adelaide. We have dinner at 6.30pm followed by games until 9pm.
"We'll try to keep this page up to date (no promises!) but always check emails on the mailing list or our Facebook Group for further details of these events."
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers
broken_vectis_drummers@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) meets at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn when social gatherings are possible.
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, Details of future meetings are posted on the Events section of the Discworld Stamps forum: http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/
*
Sydney now hosts two groups of fans who meet on a regular basis.
In the CBD, The Mended Drummers (Sydney) meet on the first Monday of each month at Albion Place Hotel from 6.00pm. Join the Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/downunderdrummers/ – for more information.
And over in the western suburbs of Sydney you can find the Western Drummers who meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the Nepean Rowers Club from 6pm. Join their Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/100376433635355/ – for more information.
All we do is chat over a few drinks, with subjects ranging far and wide, have a Discworld themed quiz and generally enjoy the company of fellow discworld fans. Sometimes we end up getting together for a Zombie Walk, table top games or Supanova - nothing formal, just a loose group of like minded people.
Editor's note: If either of these supersedes the Sydney Drummers, please let Wossname know! Still posting the original for now: Sydney Drummers (formerly Drummers Downunder)
Contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax): kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers https://bit.ly/2EKSCqu – or message Alexandra Ware directly at <alexandra.ware@gmail.com>
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06) ROUNDWORLD TALES: NATION'S NAVIGATION
Wayfinding – the use of homemade sea charts constructed of sticks, leaves, shells, pebbles and similar materials to aid long-ago Pacific peoples to find their way from island to island – would have been the navigation aid of choice for Mau's people in Nation. We "trousermen" find our way using maps and compasses (and these days, GPS), but Polynesian wayfinders were navigating with precision by the movements of waves, wind, skies and seabirds over 3,000 years ago, to discover and settle more than 1,000 scattered islands across the Polynesian Triangle between New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island. With the coming of European colonialism, wayfinding was suppressed and eventually almost lost as a branch of knowledge; but in modern times, it's experienced a resurgence – and one of the most famous traditional wayfinders was called – wait for it – Mau!
The Marshallese, or people of Majol, used stick charts for navigation. These charts were first described to Europeans by the missionary LH Gulick: "These maps consist of small sticks tied together in straight or curved lines, intended to represent the currents or waves to be met, while the islands are to be found at certain points where these lines meet." But the Marshallese stick charts are more of an illustration of the interaction between ocean and land than a set map. According to anthropologist Adrienne Kaeppler, curved sticks indicate where swells go around an island, while short straight ones indicate currents near those islands, which are represented by cowrie shells. Unlike the maps and compasses that accompanied European sailors, these stick charts weren't taken on voyages; rather, they were used to tutor sailors on land, to be memorised before they began their voyages. According to the Marshallese, there are four main types of ocean swells: rilib, kaelib, bungdockerik and bundockeing. Each type represents a different effect of the interaction between land and sea and was shown on stick charts by different shapes and lengths of sticks and leaves.
The modern resurgence of traditional wayfinding began in 1976 with the successful voyage of traditional Polynesian waʻa kaulua (a double-hulled sailing canoe) "Hokule‘a" from Hawaii to Tahiti, a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometres that was accomplished without any modern charts or devices. Some 17,000 Tahitians, over half of the island's population, waited on the beach and cheered as Hokule‘a entered Pape'ete harbour, and the world was awed by this dramatic demonstration of the accuracy of wayfinding. Mentoring the twelve-strong crew on their journey was Mau Piailug, a master wayfinder from the Micronesian atoll of Satawal, whose grandfather taught him the arts of wayfinding when the young Mau could barely walk. Mau also helped to add one important modern touch to traditional wayfinding: not long before his death, more than thirty years after the first voyage of Hokule‘a, he gave assent – as the elder of all wayfinders – to the tradition-breaking change of accepting women to be trained as wayfinders. In 2022, Hokule‘a will attempt to navigate the entire Pacific Ocean, a voyage expected to last for six years and cover more than 65,000 kilometres – and the navigator will be a woman called Tamiko Fernelius. I think Nation's Mau would approve!
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Manoa, BBC, Wikipedia
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07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Blogger Alex aka frankfiction's thoughts on Mort:
"Up until now, Death has been described in the Discworld series as dedicated to his job, sarcastic, a little mean, and professional to a fault. Death prides himself on his personal service, but everyone is terrified of him. No one wants to die, and no one wants to see Death come for them. Mort is the first Discworld novel centered on this beloved anthropomorphic personification and the crushing loneliness he feels because no one ever wants him around or invites him to parties. This book gave me so many feelings because, while Pratchett is always good-natured in his descriptions of difficult topics, Death’s feelings were incredibly relatable. So much so that this book gutted me and I cried at the bittersweet ending... This story is just so perfectly rounded in every way. The narrative fits neatly within three hundred pages, flows well, none of the sections are forced, and there is genuine tension with regards to what will happen at the end. While I also wanted to know the ending of Pratchett’s other three novels, this story was the first where I felt that things probably wouldn’t work out for all the characters. Something was going to go wrong, and I didn’t know who was going to get the worst of it..."
https://frankfiction.blog/2021/08/07/mort/
Blogger Haley's The Long War four out of five stars:
"I found this book to be very reminiscent of titles of Jules Verne. Most of the story is about exploring and documentation of what is observed and that reminds me of The Mysterious Island or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Just like these titles, the novel is very back-to-basics Sci-Fi, which is refreshing given the complexities of modern Sci-Fi novels. It would be easy for the story to be muddied as they are traveling through millions of worlds, but Pratchett and Baxter are able to connect everything seamlessly, even with two different writing styles. The characters overall are relatable and you get invested in their journey but the real star of the book is the world building aspect. I kept thinking about Minecraft while reading this and imagining what I would build on each world and what resources there would be... Something that I was a little disappointed with was the lack of war considering that it is in the title. I found myself with only a few pages left wondering when the conflict would take place. In the end it turned out to be more about the threat of war and tension that really lead the story. Perhaps there will be a large conflict later on in the series, but I would have liked to see how battle would have taken place when everyone could just step to the next world when they were in danger. Overall, it is a solid Sci-Fi read with great visual descriptions..."
https://fablestorynovel.com/2021/08/02/the-long-war-by-terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter/
Blogger Sam Hope's review of Equal Rites features thoughts about the use of magic in fantasy and games:
"Being one of the earlier Discworld books, there are still quite a lot of things that are a bit out of sync with the rest of the series. The use of magic is much more present and flashy than in later books, with Granny and the Archchancellor of the Unseen University having a full on transforming magical duel, in the style of The Sword in the Stone, but some of the fundamentals of how magic, and the world at large, works are still present... Wizards, as per traditional fantasy tropes, tend to like flashy displays of magic. This often includes ritual chanting, arm waving, and specific words in order to obtain some loud noise or visually dazzling effect that allows them to show of their magical skills in style. You can summon a demon with three milliliters of mouse blood and two sticks, but if you’re not going to put in the effort with the pentagrams, dribbly candles, and weird smells, what’s the point? ... Witches are pragmatists, willing to put in the hard boring work needed to do things by magic. This is one of my most treasured aspects of the Discworld: the mundane is magical, but more importantly, magic is mundane. Being a witch is a job, and its not always glamorous. You might be standing on the edge between worlds, stopping the world being invaded by otherworldly beings, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll get any prestige out of it or be hailed as heroes. In a world of high fantasy, why would they? We are no longer amazed by electricity when we turn on a light, why would someone from the Discworld be particularity impressed by someone casting a spell? They might fear to play with magic due to lack of knowledge, in the same way we rely on electricians rather than trying to wire our own houses, but it remains just a job..."
https://bit.ly/3AQFJCG
Blogger Hedwig is back with a review of Men at Arms:
"Men At Arms sees the expansion of the Night Watch at an attempt to be more inclusive. What we end up with is a troll named Detritus, a dwarf named Cuddy and Angua, a young woman (in appearance). Vimes is on his way to retirement, due to marry Lady Sybil Ramkin in a matter of days and the mood in the air is something usually totally foreign to Ankh Morpork; change. Things are changing and change usually brings people causing problems. A constant discussion through the book is how the Watch and just in Discworld as a whole, approaches matters of racial inequality. This is usually delivered between the conflict between Trolls and Dwarves that just seems to exist because it has for years and the subtle digs towards the community of the undead and trolls over all in particular. To be fair to Pratchett, he did write this in 1993, a long way from the jaded ‘creatures as inserts for discussions of racism’ conversation today. But the message is still clear, the Disc has prejudice the same as ours. And I do think it’s dealt with in in an interesting way... Many of the too real moments tended to center around Vimes himself. I was really taken aback at how much the mirror was turned on him this time. It’s very clear in the previous novel that he is trying to deal with a lot of his own issues by drinking through it, grunting and generally staying away from confronting anything... I could go on forever about the wonderful points it makes, from the sexism Angua has to handle and her own hidden identity, to the critique of weaponry and how it corrupts honest and decent people but I think I’ve made my point. This book is fantastic..."
https://bit.ly/2VTBrvS
...and blogger Tegan Stevenson returns with thoughts on Moving Pictures:
"This book was pretty unexpected and it had a weird sense of order in the chaos that unfolded. Sometimes the plot of a Discworld book feels like an idea was thrown at the imagined world just to see what would stick, in the same way that someone could throw spaghetti at a window and see the smudges of tomato sauce that’s left behind (weird metaphor, I know). I love this, by the way, and Moving Pictures was definitely sort of smudgy in the best way... Moving Pictures is a very Discworld tale where reality and imagination meets. Then reality and imagination fight it out until there’s only one left standing. That doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as winning... The story can also be hilarious, particularly when Victor recognises the ridiculousness of what is happening around him. There is a whole cast of characters who don’t have a lot in common except that they are all drawn to Holy Wood. Money, power, discovery, vanity… there are a whole host of reasons why someone might want to be in the business of moving pictures and I think that this book shows that..."
https://bit.ly/2W1FTs4
Also returning, blogger Feminist Quill's review of Witches Abroad is marginally less idiosyncratic than some of her others:
"Pratchett delights in upending tropes and shaking them until all the loose change falls out. And this is essentially the approach he took toward parody in Wyrd Sisters. I will never look at Macbeth the same way again. In Witches Abroad, he takes on the entire Grimm’s universe while snarkily commenting on the quirks of the English tourist. It’s a slightly weird perspective to read about. The haughty demeanour of the witches as they wander around in foreign countries, refusing to understand or comply with local traditions gets a little annoying when the word “imperialism” insists on constantly floating up to the surface of my brain. The witches excel at not using magic – just as the wizards do. This is a point that is drilled into each and every one of the Discworld books – unlike most YA or Fantasy books, the magic of the Discworld is secondary to Pratchett’s musings on humanity. And while this point is very much present in Witches Abroad, Pratchett’s line of philosophical inquiry is extended here to the powers of stories and storytelling, and to the concept of knowing oneself. On one level, it’s a slightly ironic take for a professional storyteller to have. On a deeper level, it’s incredibly poetic..."
https://bit.ly/3m81rhz
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08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
The Author raises a hat! Photo uncredited, but presumably either by Junior or the Wilkins:
https://bit.ly/37OZZbK
Dedicated fan Robert Armour at the end of his "pilgrimage" to the Ankh-Morpork Consulate:
https://bit.ly/2Xz8AgL
An absolutely magical Lego Vimes, created by Finnish Lego artist Eero Okkonen:
https://bit.ly/3ANyPON
Editor's note: if you want to know more about how Mr Okkonen created this figure, his blogpost reveals all:
https://bit.ly/3xSwWOX
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09) CLOSE
Remember, the new Collector's Edition of Clacks can be ordered now! For more info, and to preorder, go to: https://bit.ly/2UsvEMq
And that's it for this issue, and for Wossname for a little while. I'll be taking a mental health break until we're closer to Hogswatch, but remember, any time-dependent news will make its way to the Wossname blog. And my thanks go to the various people who Clacksmailed me to offer support and encouragement!
More than ever, mind how you go, and we hope to see you in a couple of months...
– Annie Mac
Copyright (c) 2021 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
July--August 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 7-8, Post 1)
********************************************************************
WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works of Sir Terry Pratchett. Originally founded by the late, great Joe Schaumburger for members of the worldwide Klatchian Foreign Legion and its affiliates, including the North American Discworld Society and other continental groups, Wossname is now for Discworld and Pratchett fans everywhere in Roundworld.
********************************************************************
Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Mss C, Alison not Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancer: Jason Parlevliet
Book Reviews: Annie Mac, Drusilla D'Afanguin, Your Name Here
Puzzle Editor: Tiff (still out there somewhere)
Bard in Residence: Weird Alice Lancrevic
Emergency Staff: Steven D'Aprano, Jason Parlevliet
World Membership Director: Steven D'Aprano (in his copious spare time)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
06) ROUNDWORLD TALES
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
“For the whole of my life since I was nine years old I have enjoyed words… Words turn us from monkeys into me. We make them, change them, trace them around, eat them and live by them - they are workhorses, carrying any burden, and their usage is the skill of the author’s trade, hugely versatile; there are times when the wrong word is the right word, and times when words can be manipulated so that silence shouts. Their care, feeding and indeed breeding is part of the craft of which I am a journeyman.”
– Sir Pterry, in an address he gave at Trinity College Dublin, 2010
"Terry's not here any longer, but when he was, we had talked about what we wanted to do with ‘Good Omens,’ and where the story went next. And now, thanks to BBC Studios and Amazon, I get to take it there."
– Neil Gaiman
"The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it."
– Monstrous Regiment
"Perhaps [the gods] do exist. I want to know why they act as if they don't."
– Mau, in Nation
"I don’t know what Terry Pratchett’s view on the gender politics of 2021 would be. No one does. The much-beloved Discworld author died in 2015."
– author Marc Burrows
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Back in June, I said here that "I never thought that by June of 2021 I would still be publishing Wossname in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are." And indeed here we are still, with the Delta variant of Covid-19 sweeping across the world, including in Fourecks where its rapid spread has initiated a new set of nationwide lockdowns. Can we have 2022 now please? A 2022 where this virus has finally eased down, if not disappeared?
*
Good Omens has been greenlit for a second series. Read about it in item 3.0 below!
*
Much is being made of a certain "Twitter war", and both Good Omens co-author Neil Gaiman and Pratchett the Younger have taken it on themselves to join in. Of all that has been written about this incident, you might find the views of Marc Burrows, award-winning author of biography The Magic of Terry Pratchett, most intelligent and nuanced (and if you're not into intelligence and nuance, why on earth are you a Discworld fan, eh?); his essay is featured in item 3.8 below. And while we're at it, always remember that the most obvious and honest takeaway from Sir Pterry's characters and stories is essentially that it's best to let people be themselves, so long as "being themselves" doesn't harm society at large. Oh, and don't treat people as things.
By the way, did I mention that Marc Burrows' biography "The Magic of Terry Pratchett" won the 2021 Locus Award for non-fiction? Well, it did. Congratulations, Marc!
*
The passing of a wizard: vale Wymondham town crier Pete Green, who died in a house fire in June: "The former town crier was a stalwart of Wymondham, serving as a town councillor for the last three years of his life, in a political party of his own founding. He worked as an incense trader and a bookbinder, organised local steampunk events and regularly enjoyed re-enactment events. And it was through these that he struck up a friendship with author Terry Pratchett, providing inspiration for the character Archchancellor Ridcully in the Discworld saga..."
https://bit.ly/2W3gz4E
*
Now this from a very pleased Good Omens director Douglas Mackinnon: "1,000,000 views for our lockdown scene on YouTube. Not bad for something made in a kitchen, an attic, a spare room and a library." https://bit.ly/3CTaAkc
For those of you who might want to see it again: https://bit.ly/3xXdqAO
And now, on with the show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) ODDS AND SODS
3.0 GOOD OMENS NEWS: HERE WE GO AGAIN... MINUS SIR PTERRY'S INPUT
So here we are, two years on from the original release of the Good Omens miniseries, and it's now confirmed that the second series millions of people wanted is officially a "go". First, here be an extract from original source material co-writer Neil Gaiman's take on it:
"Terry was clear on what he wanted from Good Omens on the telly. He wanted the story told, and if that worked, he wanted the rest of the story told. So, once Good Omens the TV series had been released by Amazon and the BBC, to global acclaim, many awards and joy, So in September 2017 I sat down in St James' Park, beside the director, Douglas Mackinnon, on a chair with my name on it, as Showrunner of Good Omens. The chair slowly and elegantly lowered itself to the ground underneath me and fell apart, and I thought, that's not really a good omen. Fortunately, under Douglas's leadership, that chair was the only thing that collapsed.
"Rob Wilkins (Terry's representative on Earth) and I had the conversation with the BBC and Amazon about doing some more. And they got very excited. We talked to Michael Sheen and David Tennant about doing some more. They also got very excited. We told them a little about the plot. They got even more excited. I'd been a fan of John Finnemore's for years, and had had the joy of working with him on a radio show called With Great Pleasure, where I picked passages I loved, had amazing readers read them aloud and talked about them. I asked John if he'd be willing to work with me on writing the next round of Good Omens, and was overjoyed when he said yes. We have some surprise guest collaborators too. And Douglas Mackinnon is returning to oversee the whole thing with me. So that's the plan. We've been keeping it secret for a long time (mostly because otherwise my mail and Twitter feeds would have turned into gushing torrents of What Can You Tell Us About It? long ago) but we are now at the point where sets are being built in Scotland (which is where we're shooting, and more about filming things in Scotland soon), and we can't really keep it secret any longer..."
https://bit.ly/3m8AuKB
And a smattering of the rest...
From the BBC Media Centre:
"The second season of the six-part humorous fantasy drama will begin filming later this year in Scotland and will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries and territories around the world at a later date. The new season will explore storylines that go beyond the original source material to illuminate the uncanny friendship between Aziraphale, a fussy angel and rare book dealer, and the fast-living demon Crowley... Neil Gaiman continues as executive producer and will co-showrun along with executive producer Douglas Mackinnon who will also return to direct. Rob Wilkins, John Finnemore and BBC Studios Productions’ Head of Comedy Josh Cole will also executive produce with Finnemore serving as co-writer alongside Gaiman. Good Omens is based on the well-loved and internationally bestselling novel ‘Good Omens’ by Terry Pratchett (Hogfather) and Gaiman. The new season is produced by multi-award winning BBC Studios Productions alongside Amazon Studios, Narrativia and The Blank Corporation... Douglas Mackinnon says: 'Taking Good Omens to my home country of Scotland to film a second season is an exciting dream come true for me. And with Michael Sheen and David Tennant returning as Aziraphale and Crowley, we really have an angel and a demon on our side.' Rob Wilkins says: 'Terry and Neil always knew that Crowley and Aziraphale wouldn’t remain content to appear in only one story, and long harboured plans to expand upon their adventures. David and Michael’s stellar performances made this an absolute necessity. Terry would have been delighted with how they brought their characters to life, and just as delighted as I am that a second season is now underway.' Michael Sheen says: 'Personally I’m against it, but the world isn’t going to just save itself, is it? If David and I can manage to not fall out too badly this time it may even have a chance of getting finished.' David Tennant says: 'The return of Good Omens is great news for me, personally. As I get to work with Michael again, and I get to say Neil’s wonderful words once more. It’s probably less good for the universe as it almost certainly means there will be some fresh existential threat to its existence to deal with, but, you know - swings and roundabouts...'..."
https://bbc.in/37QT01H
From Guardian journalist Alison Flood, a longtime Pratchett enthusiast:
"There are concerns out there about the fact that, unlike the first season, there is no published source material for the second. But Gaiman, who is staying on as executive producer and co-showrunner, has said the sequel will follow a storyline he and Pratchett dreamed up back in 1989, while they were attending a convention in Seattle and sharing a hotel room in order to save money. It was the middle of the night, recounts Gaiman, and neither of them could sleep... The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, felt pretty wrapped up at the end of Good Omens, in both the book and show. But I’m not averse to finding out what happened next. As Gaiman has pointed out, we’ll also be discovering what happened before. And the world most definitely needs more of Crowley and Aziraphale... Pratchett might not have a direct hand in this new series, but Rob Wilkins, who manages the Pratchett estate, has said the late author would have been delighted that a second season is under way..."
https://bit.ly/3y3u8id
From popculture site ScreenRant:
"The existence of 668: The Neighbor of the Beast had been confirmed in earlier interviews by both Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett. As such, there's no reason to believe that Gaiman is now lying about having a story worked out, just as new fans are clamoring for a follow-up to the Good Omens series despite its quite definitive ending. Given that, and Gaiman's own track record for being choosy when it comes to whom he allows to adapt his work into television or film, there is every reason to believe that Good Omens season 2 will honor Pratchett's legacy and be written in a tone consistent with his oeuvre. The fan fears about a Good Omens sequel being nothing more than a cynical cash-grab are easy to understand, given the disastrous premiere of The Watch earlier this year... The series was roundly condemned by Sir Terry's family, friends, and fans..."
https://bit.ly/3yYx6Wk
3.1 ABOMINABLE SNOW BABY NEWS
More news about the upcoming 30-minute animated film of The Abominable Snow Baby. I think this includes updates. Apologies for pandemic brain if I've featured this before...
Channel 4 has announced a trio of top stars to head up their high-profile Christmas 2021 animated special Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby produced by Eagle Eye Drama, the production company recently launched by the team behind global drama brand Walter Presents, in association with Narrativia, the independent production company, launched in 2012 by one of Britain’s most illustrious and well-loved authors, Sir Terry Pratchett... Screen legend and comedy icon Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Mamma Mia, Paddington) will star as the voice of fearless ‘Granny’, whilst Hugh Dancy (Black Hawk Down, Ella Enchanted, Hannibal, Downton Abbey 2) will take on the role of her courageous grandson ‘Albert’ with narration from ‘Homeland’ star David Harewood (Homeland, Supergirl, Blood Diamond)... Created with traditional hand drawn animation techniques to capture the timeless nature of Terry Pratchett’s story, The Abominable Snow Baby is part of a long and established tradition of Channel 4’s animated Christmas specials such as The Snowman, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and last year’s Quentin Blake’s Clown. Channel 4 Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick said: 'Channel 4’s original Christmas animation has become a real highlight over the years and this year will be no exception. I’m delighted Julie Walters, Hugh Dancy and David Harewood will be bringing to life this wonderful, funny and moving yuletide tale. I know it’s only July but with this amazing cast line up I can hardly wait….it’s definitely going to be a merry Terry Christmas.'"
To read all the details available so far, go to:
https://narrativia.com/snowbaby.html
3.2 UNSEEN THEATRE: SADLY, SOON NO LONGER SEEN?
The Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, home of the Unseen Theatre and a "stalwart of the local theatre scene for many years", has been bought by unsympathetic new owners and will close next year. As reported by Suzie Keen for InReview:
"New owners took over the building last year, and founder and creative producer Peter Green tells InReview the theatre has been negotiating for some time to try to extend its tenancy, but without success. 'It’s gut wrenching in some respects,' he said. 'I’m most sad that it won’t be a theatre any more. To me it’s a great little venue and it’s perfect for independent theatre makers to be able to do shows and be in the city, not to mention the Fringe program every year. I’m sad for all the people who have used the theatre and would have continued to want to use the theatre.' Green established Bakehouse Theatre in 1998, with its name a nod to the building’s early use as a bakery from 1890... [Pamela] Munt's Unseen Theatre Company, which specialises in Discworld plays by UK author Terry Pratchett, is Bakehouse's resident company, and a wide range of other theatre groups also regularly use the venue, including local companies STARC Productions and Joh Hartog Productions... It’s not known what the new owners plan to do with the site at 255 Angas Street..."
https://bit.ly/2Xy9TMV
Editor's note: Agnes isn't ready to sing yet, though! Unseen Theatre expects to continue its legendary run of Discworld plays with a new production of Wyrd Sisters in November.
3.3 PAUL KIDBY NEWS
From the Discworld artist's newsletter:
"In the studio we are in the very final stages of preparing The Ultimate Discworld Companion which has a deadline with our publishers Gollancz next week. There are 300 illustrations overall, with 41 new drawings, including Blind Io, Ruby, Horace the Cheese and many more. The text has been painstakingly edited to hunt down any gremlins that were lurking. Our trusty editor for this edition, (and all the previous books I have worked on recently), is my clever sister, who has a PhD in Biochemistry, studied Russian for fun and is a whizz when it comes to punctuation, categorization and grammar because her career was spent editing science books for the Oxford University Press. She sent me my very first Discworld book, The Colour of Magic, so, all in all, has played an integral part in my career one way and another. Lin is now retired to a remote Welsh farmhouse and when she is not in her polytunnel or battling slugs and the elements, (mostly rain), she corrects our copy with her exacting eagle eye. This edition runs to approx. 440 pages, (with around 300 illustrations), so it has been no mean feat."
and
"Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle opened their doors last week to their new exhibition Once There Was Magic [https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/exhibitions/once-there-was-magic] ... 'In this magical hour-long experience, you will journey through the Wild Woods where fiery portals offer a glimpse into the magical worlds of Cressida Cowell, J. K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, and many more.' Some of my drawings are on show and a bronze of my favourite Nac Mac Feegle."
3.4 A JOURNEY TO ANKH-MORPORK... OR AT LEAST, TO ITS EMBASSY
As mentioned in the June issue of Wossname, the Discworld Emporium, home of the Cunning Artificer and his team and also the site of Ankh-Morpork's Roundworld embassy, has closed its doors "for the foreseeable future" to concentrate on online commerce. But during its twenty-year history as a bricks-and-mortar enterprise, the Emporium was a Mecca of sorts for Discworld fans all over the world, with many planning their holidays to include a "pilgrimage" to the famous shop. In 2018, fan Robert Armour was one of them. Over to reporter Rebecca Cook at Somerset Live:
"Robert Armour travelled to the Wincanton shop in 2018 while on a cycle tour with friends. After passing through Basingstoke, Bristol and Wells, the group headed to Salisbury, then stopped at the Discworld Emporium. Mr Armour said: 'My memory of the shop is buying some rather spiffing librarian themed socks, chatting to the staff and sending an anonymous postcard "from Ankh-Morpork" to a friend who is also a fan.' When asked why they decided to stop at the Wincanton haunt, he said, 'Why wouldn't you - it's legendary! Anybody who has read a Discworld book would feel the pull towards the hub.'..."
https://bit.ly/2XzuSyU
3.5 PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB UPDATES
On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a Discworld discussion page. This time it's the wrap-up of Moving Pictures, and the start of Reaper Man.
Part five of Moving Pictures:
"There’s a lot to be said for the idea of using the Discworld as a distant sort of frame to highlight what makes movie magic different from magical magic. This also falls into the realm of what makes stories magic in general, while highlighting certain things about film that are particular to the art form itself—convenience, nick-of-time heroics, the shiny-ness of it all. And, of course, the idea of belief (or in this case, the suspension of disbelief), which is something that Pratchett comes back to in his work over and over. And that’s a beautiful thought to end this book on, in fact: If our beliefs create reality, then, in their own particular way, movies must be a little bit real. No matter how unreal they are from a purely scientific standpoint...the decision to have Gaspode go back to his old life once the Holy Wood magic wears off puts me in mind of a particular Hollywood choice that always infuriated me: If you’ve ever watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you know that there’s a very important cat which serves as a sort of metaphor: Holly Golightly insists that she doesn’t belong to the cat and he doesn’t belong to her, signaling her determination to refuse roots and stability in her life. The film ends with her having a breakdown over the idea of letting the cat go; she is forced to admit to her lover that she does want a committed relationship, the same way she wants to keep the cat. Thing is, if you’ve ever read the Truman Capote novella that the film is based on, you know that’s not how the story goes. In the book, Holly sticks to her belief that she and the cat don’t belong to each other… and unsurprisingly, she and narrator do not end up happily ever after together. The point being that Pratchett has, quite pointedly, provided a perfect breaking point in the Holy Wood magic in Gaspode's reversion. Gaspode goes back to a life where he belongs to himself, and is largely content with that fact. The parallels are striking here, at least to my brain..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/09/terry-pratchett-book-club-moving-pictures-part-v/
Part one of Reaper Man;
"The thing that’s great about Reaper Man as a second book about Death is that where Mort was about the idea of Death having a family, Reaper Man is essentially a book about Death as a broad-reaching concept that permeates every facet of reality. Everything dies, and all sentient creatures are aware of that fact, and that knowledge holds a constant, niggling spot in our consciousness (or subconscious). So this book is devoted to considering the many different ways that we talk and think about and personify Death. Which is sort of like Pratchett taking a flashlight to the back of his own skull, really... The Bursar’s aside remembering Hogswatch Eve is, of course, extremely ironic to read if you know what’s coming for Death down the line—but moreover, it lays the groundwork for Hogfather effortlessly. (I’m guessing because Hogfather wasn’t conceived yet; I’d imagine that this aside got written and then earmarked for later as something to expound upon, et voilà.) We’re rounding the corner on one of Pratchett’s central pieces of mythos as an author and a thinker, how humans catalogue and construct rules and meanings to order reality, and how that is probably more relevant to human experience than anything else about us. Recognizing this link between waiting for the Hogfather and waiting for Death to arrive is key string linking these thoughts together..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/16/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-i/
Part two:
"I think that Terry Pratchett is an incredible writer or I wouldn’t be here doing this. He has created created a literal world full of stories and characters that many people love the world over, and so many of those tales are worth recounting and sharing and dissecting. But the Death books are always the ones that make me cry. There’s a certain obviousness about that, I suppose, because the character is designed in such a way that he confronts most of life’s biggest questions and conundrums and hardships. In effect, Pratchett’s Death stories are always about life and the meaning we infuse it with. Death stories are about the little things that mean everything in our specifically human view. They are also largely as philosophical, as sentimental, even arguably as religious as Pratchett ever gets. And I say that because I truly do believe that many fantasy authors create their own versions of faith through their writing, and in some ways, I think that Death is who Pratchett believes in. I think he proves it over and over again with these books, and there’s something deeply personal about that. I suppose I also wonder if Death is really the closest we get to Pratchett’s heart... One of the other ways that Death stories function is via their ability to take note of the many ways that most humans bog down their lives in vagaries and social rules that on the surface make no sense at all. Death devotes a considerable amount of time to trying to glean what people actually mean beneath what they’re saying..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/23/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-ii/
Part three:
"I do appreciate from the worldbuilding standpoint that Pratchett explains, even in the vaguest terms, that people can share or give away life to others, even if he doesn’t explain how or why. Just to make sense of little Sal existing jointly on Death’s hourglass, even a little. It doesn’t take much! Things don’t always need to be over-explained, just given enough space on the page to make it clear that the author isn’t ignoring it... While Windle and his Fresh Start pals are supposed to get more focus in the narrative due to being an allegory for minority rights groups (which sort of works? But is also kinda pointless here?), I’m afraid I’m stuck on Ridcully and the wizards deciding that destroying a compost heap makes them “mean” now, and that promptly backfiring as their curse words come to life..."
https://www.tor.com/2021/07/30/terry-pratchett-book-club-reaper-man-part-iii/
...and to finish, part four:
"I do like Windle’s arc in the story, and the idea that a person might find their “people” and purpose even after their life has ended. We really can’t know when things will find us, the defining moments, actions, and people who will make them up. And sometimes it happens after you’d prefer it—I remember feeling unbearably lonely while studying abroad and suddenly finding a great group of friends in my last few weeks there, while doing an archaeological dig. Was it sad that it happened so late in the game? Of course. Would I have traded those weeks for anything? Absolutely not. Sometimes the important bits are fleeting, or come in right at the end, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a weird facet of life and time. I think a lot, as a reader and a writer, about how time affects story. People have said that “happily ever after” is all about when you end a tale, and that’s certainly true, but there’s a bigger issue at work here—that when you widen your scope (whether through distance or time), you can see how small any given story really is. It’s a drop in the bucket, every time, no matter how dire the stakes, no matter how many fates held in the balance. Sometimes expanding that scope too far can make the smaller stories feel… not necessarily meaningless so much as baffling. You get the reminder that you’ve invested a great deal of brainspace, energy, even love, into something quite tiny..."
3.6 THE MERCH CORNER
Shiny things! Lovely necklaces based on the Tiffany Aching series, all now back in stock!
* Tiffany's Hare necklace!
"The hare measures 50mm across, chain length 18ins. Designed exclusively for Discworld.com by Tom Lynall. Now redesigned and looking absolutely stunning, the hare has leaped back into stock just in time for the launch of The Shepherd’s Crown. A breathtaking reproduction of Tiffany’s hare necklace, this elegant boxed necklace is available in both silver and gold plate. The perfect gift for all would-be witches."
Each gold necklace is priced at £55. Each silver necklace is priced at £45. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/hare-pendants/
* Tiffany's White Horse necklace!
"This is an absolutely stunning piece of sterling silver jewellery and is a faithful reproduction of the pendant worn by Tiffany Aching in A Hat Full of Sky. This piece is based on Paul Kidby’s original design. The horse measures 55 tail to head, chain 18 inches. Designed exclusively for Discworld.com by Tom Lynall."
Each White Horse necklace is priced at £45. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://bit.ly/3yWbxFP
* The Shepherd's Crown necklace!
"Celebrate the conclusion of her journey with this beautiful necklace, featuring ornate hand-crafted charms, each representing elements from the Tiffany Aching series. A finely detailed silver shepherd’s crown, a gold plated honey bee and a delicate blue stone, mounted in silver, representing the flowers and butterflies of the chalk."
Each Shepherd's Crown necklace is priced at £60. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://bit.ly/3slvkfi
3.7 BRITAIN'S REACTION TO "THE WATCH"
Yes, The Watch finally aired on its home ground, so to speak. Here be a representative review, by James Walton for The Spectator:
"Science-fiction drama The Watch is a BBC production with quite a starry cast (Anna Chancellor and James Fleet among them) and an expensive-looking steam-punk set. It was broadcast in America earlier this year and has been on iPlayer for a few weeks. So why has it taken until now for it to appear on BBC2 — and in the traditionally quiet TV month of August? After seeing the first two episodes on Thursday, it wasn’t hard to form a hypothesis: because it’s terrible. The show is loosely based on characters created by Terry Pratchett — which cunningly ensures that it’ll have a ready-made audience of Pratchett fans and, less cunningly, that they’ll hate it for the liberties it takes. But even for those of us who don’t know our Pratchett so well, The Watch is an obvious mess: clumsy in its storytelling and tonally all over the place, with an uneasy mix of solemnity and mostly feeble jokes. Above all, Richard Dormer’s central performance is an eye-popping, eyebrow-wiggling, head-swivelling, neck-stretching display of hamminess rarely seen on screen since the days of James Finlayson in Laurel and Hardy..."
https://bit.ly/3g8J2gC
3.8 STORMS, TEACUPS, AND WHAT THE AUTHOR NEVER SAID
A long and insightful essay by Pratchett biographer Marc Burrows in The New Statesman:
"Pratchett’s name was invoked after a Twitter user went viral on 30 July for claiming that 'the GCs' (Gender Criticals – a name adopted by those arguing against some trans rights on the basis of biological sex) “are trying to recruit Terry Pratchett posthumously”. The Gender Criticals’ argument seemed to be that Pratchett’s down-to-earth style and indomitable and expertly drawn female characters suggest the author would have been sympathetic to their views... I revisited all 60 of his novels and read hundreds of articles and interviews when researching my biography of Terry Pratchett. Even with all of that swimming around my head I wouldn’t dream of second guessing his views on this issue, and not just because predicting the opinions of someone who has been dead for six years is a fairly pointless exercise. The way he approached social issues in his books evolved over time... Indeed, many of his jokes and stories take aim at PC culture, like the “Campaign For Equal Heights” that advocates for rights for dwarves and gnomes but is mostly run by over-earnest humans, or the undead activist Reg Shoe, who goes to cemeteries to beg his fellow corpses to “not take it lying down”. Back on Earth, rather than the Discworld, the teenage protagonists of 1993’s Johnny and the Dead struggle to make sense of a world where acceptable language is always changing: “you're not allowed to call them dinosaurs anymore,” says one. “You have to call them pre-petroleum persons”. And yet, as Pratchett’s writing became more sophisticated, the analogies and ideas became more nuanced... We cannot know Pratchett’s views on the gender wars, but we can assume they would be insightful, compassionate and wise. He knew that people were nuanced and complicated, messy and changeable, that there are no simple answers, no meaning of life..."
https://bit.ly/3m8EPgR
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04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
4.1 FORTHCOMING PLAYS
*MORT IN SUBURBAN MELBOURNE, FOURECKS (SEPTEMBER 2021... OR NOT)
"How good is it to see Fourecksian Discworld productions getting back to normal?", it said here in the previous issue. But pandemic-related issues meant it had to be rescheduled to early September. However, with the current Greater Melbourne lockdown extended until at least 2nd September, things have changed once again. TryBooking still has tickets listed for Friday 10th September and Saturday 18th September but the links don't work, and Mort is not to be found amongst the Basin Theatre's current and forthcoming listings, so it seems likely that this production has been cancelled for now.
* CARPE JUGULUM IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2021)
Brisbane Arts Theatre is still set for their production of Carpe Jugulum to open next month... but again, in the current Delta outbreak, things can change rapidly.
"In this life there are givers and takers. It’s safe to say that vampires are very much in the latter camp... It’s common sense not to invite vampires into your home (unless you want a permanent house guest, that is) – however the King of Lancre has invited the city’s newest fanged residents to celebrate the birth of his daughter… and they have no intention of leaving… ever. As the residents of Lancre are about to discover – it’ll take a lot more than garlic and crucifixes to take back their home."
When: 11th September–6th November 2021
Venue: Brisbane Arts Theatre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland 4000
Time: Fridays and Saturdays 8pm, select Thursdays 7:30pm, select Sundays 6:30pm (check calendar when booking)
Tickets: $36 (concessions/groups $29, Student Rush $16; $2 transaction fee applies), available online via https://aubat.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/5866
https://www.artstheatre.com.au/productions/carpe-jugulum/
* MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK IN ABINGDON (NOVEMBER 2021)
Stephen Briggs' new Discworld play is finally on the cards to be staged! "
The principal city on Discworld is protected by the multiverse's most diverse police force. But a new threat is emerging - the Disc's first and only firearm. The Gonne. Terry's friend and collaborator, Stephen Briggs, got special permission to put together an affectionate mash-up incorporating characters and bits from Guards! Guards!, Thud! and Feet of Clay, woven respectfully into the core plot of Men at Arms.
"16 November 2021 marks 50 years of Terry as a published author. By a delightful coincidence, the revised dates for our delayed Discworld play – MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK – are the same week as that anniversary. 'The Carpet People' was published on 16 November 1971. And on 17-20 November 2021, we will be staging a celebration of Terry's work – featuring some of his best-loved characters – the Ankh-Morpork's City Watch. We are delighted that the show will be officially sponsored by Terry's Estate."
When: 17th – 20th November 2021
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, Checker Walk, Abingdon OX14 3JB
Time: evening performances at 19.30, plus a 14.30 matinee on Saturday
20th November
Tickets: £12, available for purchase from 14th September – keep an eye
here for details!
https://www.studiotheatreclub.com/murder-in-ankh-morpork
* WYRD SISTERS IN ADELAIDE (NOVEMBER 2021)
The Unseen Theatre is planning another Pratchett production! This time it's a return to Wyrd Sisters, with performances scheduled for 17th,18th,19th, 20th, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th November 2021. However, please note that due to the ongoing Delta outbreak, it's worth waiting to see what happens...
unseen.com.au
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05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
Remember, one day, possibly in the not too distant future, Discworld fans will be able to meet in the real Roundworld again. So keep this information handy! Also note there are a few updates below... [Confession: I've no idea if any of this is up to date. Will try to determine if I can manage it – Ed.]
A new Fourecksian meeting group joins the gang: the Purdeigh Islanders, based in Hobart, Tasmania. "Purdeigh (or Purdee) Island lies hubwards of Fourecks. Roundworld islanders are fans of the great Sir Terry Pratchett resident in Tasmania, the island state of Australia."
The Purdeigh Islanders is a private group. To join in, go to their Facebook page and see if they'll have you!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/205967619882683/
*
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld Group"
BrokenDrummers@gmail.com or nicholls.helen@yahoo.co.uk or join their Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2YrPGW7
NOTE: the Drummers are still meeting occasionally via Zoom. Check out the above link for updates!
*
Drumknott's Irregulars
Facebook https://bit.ly/31FlSrq or Google Groups https:groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars or join us at our next event."
*
The Victorian Discworld Klatch
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch
*
"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
*
The Pratchett Partisans
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula directly at uwilmott@yahoo.com.au
*
The City of Small Gods
www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
"What are we doing while we're stuck at home due to COVID-19? Given that our normal social gatherings can't happen while everyone's under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are instead trying to host regular activities and discussions online. Most of these will be done via our Discord Server – https://discord.gg/3RVzsyJ – which has several text chat channels and a few voice chat channels as well. We will still use our Facebook group – https://facebook.com/groups/cityofsmallgods – to coordinate scheduled events. When things get back to normal... (semi-) regular social meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the month at a pub or restaurant in Adelaide. We have dinner at 6.30pm followed by games until 9pm.
"We'll try to keep this page up to date (no promises!) but always check emails on the mailing list or our Facebook Group for further details of these events."
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers
broken_vectis_drummers@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) meets at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn when social gatherings are possible.
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, Details of future meetings are posted on the Events section of the Discworld Stamps forum: http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/
*
Sydney now hosts two groups of fans who meet on a regular basis.
In the CBD, The Mended Drummers (Sydney) meet on the first Monday of each month at Albion Place Hotel from 6.00pm. Join the Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/downunderdrummers/ – for more information.
And over in the western suburbs of Sydney you can find the Western Drummers who meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the Nepean Rowers Club from 6pm. Join their Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/100376433635355/ – for more information.
All we do is chat over a few drinks, with subjects ranging far and wide, have a Discworld themed quiz and generally enjoy the company of fellow discworld fans. Sometimes we end up getting together for a Zombie Walk, table top games or Supanova - nothing formal, just a loose group of like minded people.
Editor's note: If either of these supersedes the Sydney Drummers, please let Wossname know! Still posting the original for now: Sydney Drummers (formerly Drummers Downunder)
Contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax): kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
*
The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers https://bit.ly/2EKSCqu – or message Alexandra Ware directly at <alexandra.ware@gmail.com>
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06) ROUNDWORLD TALES: NATION'S NAVIGATION
Wayfinding – the use of homemade sea charts constructed of sticks, leaves, shells, pebbles and similar materials to aid long-ago Pacific peoples to find their way from island to island – would have been the navigation aid of choice for Mau's people in Nation. We "trousermen" find our way using maps and compasses (and these days, GPS), but Polynesian wayfinders were navigating with precision by the movements of waves, wind, skies and seabirds over 3,000 years ago, to discover and settle more than 1,000 scattered islands across the Polynesian Triangle between New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island. With the coming of European colonialism, wayfinding was suppressed and eventually almost lost as a branch of knowledge; but in modern times, it's experienced a resurgence – and one of the most famous traditional wayfinders was called – wait for it – Mau!
The Marshallese, or people of Majol, used stick charts for navigation. These charts were first described to Europeans by the missionary LH Gulick: "These maps consist of small sticks tied together in straight or curved lines, intended to represent the currents or waves to be met, while the islands are to be found at certain points where these lines meet." But the Marshallese stick charts are more of an illustration of the interaction between ocean and land than a set map. According to anthropologist Adrienne Kaeppler, curved sticks indicate where swells go around an island, while short straight ones indicate currents near those islands, which are represented by cowrie shells. Unlike the maps and compasses that accompanied European sailors, these stick charts weren't taken on voyages; rather, they were used to tutor sailors on land, to be memorised before they began their voyages. According to the Marshallese, there are four main types of ocean swells: rilib, kaelib, bungdockerik and bundockeing. Each type represents a different effect of the interaction between land and sea and was shown on stick charts by different shapes and lengths of sticks and leaves.
The modern resurgence of traditional wayfinding began in 1976 with the successful voyage of traditional Polynesian waʻa kaulua (a double-hulled sailing canoe) "Hokule‘a" from Hawaii to Tahiti, a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometres that was accomplished without any modern charts or devices. Some 17,000 Tahitians, over half of the island's population, waited on the beach and cheered as Hokule‘a entered Pape'ete harbour, and the world was awed by this dramatic demonstration of the accuracy of wayfinding. Mentoring the twelve-strong crew on their journey was Mau Piailug, a master wayfinder from the Micronesian atoll of Satawal, whose grandfather taught him the arts of wayfinding when the young Mau could barely walk. Mau also helped to add one important modern touch to traditional wayfinding: not long before his death, more than thirty years after the first voyage of Hokule‘a, he gave assent – as the elder of all wayfinders – to the tradition-breaking change of accepting women to be trained as wayfinders. In 2022, Hokule‘a will attempt to navigate the entire Pacific Ocean, a voyage expected to last for six years and cover more than 65,000 kilometres – and the navigator will be a woman called Tamiko Fernelius. I think Nation's Mau would approve!
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Manoa, BBC, Wikipedia
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07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Blogger Alex aka frankfiction's thoughts on Mort:
"Up until now, Death has been described in the Discworld series as dedicated to his job, sarcastic, a little mean, and professional to a fault. Death prides himself on his personal service, but everyone is terrified of him. No one wants to die, and no one wants to see Death come for them. Mort is the first Discworld novel centered on this beloved anthropomorphic personification and the crushing loneliness he feels because no one ever wants him around or invites him to parties. This book gave me so many feelings because, while Pratchett is always good-natured in his descriptions of difficult topics, Death’s feelings were incredibly relatable. So much so that this book gutted me and I cried at the bittersweet ending... This story is just so perfectly rounded in every way. The narrative fits neatly within three hundred pages, flows well, none of the sections are forced, and there is genuine tension with regards to what will happen at the end. While I also wanted to know the ending of Pratchett’s other three novels, this story was the first where I felt that things probably wouldn’t work out for all the characters. Something was going to go wrong, and I didn’t know who was going to get the worst of it..."
https://frankfiction.blog/2021/08/07/mort/
Blogger Haley's The Long War four out of five stars:
"I found this book to be very reminiscent of titles of Jules Verne. Most of the story is about exploring and documentation of what is observed and that reminds me of The Mysterious Island or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Just like these titles, the novel is very back-to-basics Sci-Fi, which is refreshing given the complexities of modern Sci-Fi novels. It would be easy for the story to be muddied as they are traveling through millions of worlds, but Pratchett and Baxter are able to connect everything seamlessly, even with two different writing styles. The characters overall are relatable and you get invested in their journey but the real star of the book is the world building aspect. I kept thinking about Minecraft while reading this and imagining what I would build on each world and what resources there would be... Something that I was a little disappointed with was the lack of war considering that it is in the title. I found myself with only a few pages left wondering when the conflict would take place. In the end it turned out to be more about the threat of war and tension that really lead the story. Perhaps there will be a large conflict later on in the series, but I would have liked to see how battle would have taken place when everyone could just step to the next world when they were in danger. Overall, it is a solid Sci-Fi read with great visual descriptions..."
https://fablestorynovel.com/2021/08/02/the-long-war-by-terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter/
Blogger Sam Hope's review of Equal Rites features thoughts about the use of magic in fantasy and games:
"Being one of the earlier Discworld books, there are still quite a lot of things that are a bit out of sync with the rest of the series. The use of magic is much more present and flashy than in later books, with Granny and the Archchancellor of the Unseen University having a full on transforming magical duel, in the style of The Sword in the Stone, but some of the fundamentals of how magic, and the world at large, works are still present... Wizards, as per traditional fantasy tropes, tend to like flashy displays of magic. This often includes ritual chanting, arm waving, and specific words in order to obtain some loud noise or visually dazzling effect that allows them to show of their magical skills in style. You can summon a demon with three milliliters of mouse blood and two sticks, but if you’re not going to put in the effort with the pentagrams, dribbly candles, and weird smells, what’s the point? ... Witches are pragmatists, willing to put in the hard boring work needed to do things by magic. This is one of my most treasured aspects of the Discworld: the mundane is magical, but more importantly, magic is mundane. Being a witch is a job, and its not always glamorous. You might be standing on the edge between worlds, stopping the world being invaded by otherworldly beings, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll get any prestige out of it or be hailed as heroes. In a world of high fantasy, why would they? We are no longer amazed by electricity when we turn on a light, why would someone from the Discworld be particularity impressed by someone casting a spell? They might fear to play with magic due to lack of knowledge, in the same way we rely on electricians rather than trying to wire our own houses, but it remains just a job..."
https://bit.ly/3AQFJCG
Blogger Hedwig is back with a review of Men at Arms:
"Men At Arms sees the expansion of the Night Watch at an attempt to be more inclusive. What we end up with is a troll named Detritus, a dwarf named Cuddy and Angua, a young woman (in appearance). Vimes is on his way to retirement, due to marry Lady Sybil Ramkin in a matter of days and the mood in the air is something usually totally foreign to Ankh Morpork; change. Things are changing and change usually brings people causing problems. A constant discussion through the book is how the Watch and just in Discworld as a whole, approaches matters of racial inequality. This is usually delivered between the conflict between Trolls and Dwarves that just seems to exist because it has for years and the subtle digs towards the community of the undead and trolls over all in particular. To be fair to Pratchett, he did write this in 1993, a long way from the jaded ‘creatures as inserts for discussions of racism’ conversation today. But the message is still clear, the Disc has prejudice the same as ours. And I do think it’s dealt with in in an interesting way... Many of the too real moments tended to center around Vimes himself. I was really taken aback at how much the mirror was turned on him this time. It’s very clear in the previous novel that he is trying to deal with a lot of his own issues by drinking through it, grunting and generally staying away from confronting anything... I could go on forever about the wonderful points it makes, from the sexism Angua has to handle and her own hidden identity, to the critique of weaponry and how it corrupts honest and decent people but I think I’ve made my point. This book is fantastic..."
https://bit.ly/2VTBrvS
...and blogger Tegan Stevenson returns with thoughts on Moving Pictures:
"This book was pretty unexpected and it had a weird sense of order in the chaos that unfolded. Sometimes the plot of a Discworld book feels like an idea was thrown at the imagined world just to see what would stick, in the same way that someone could throw spaghetti at a window and see the smudges of tomato sauce that’s left behind (weird metaphor, I know). I love this, by the way, and Moving Pictures was definitely sort of smudgy in the best way... Moving Pictures is a very Discworld tale where reality and imagination meets. Then reality and imagination fight it out until there’s only one left standing. That doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as winning... The story can also be hilarious, particularly when Victor recognises the ridiculousness of what is happening around him. There is a whole cast of characters who don’t have a lot in common except that they are all drawn to Holy Wood. Money, power, discovery, vanity… there are a whole host of reasons why someone might want to be in the business of moving pictures and I think that this book shows that..."
https://bit.ly/2W1FTs4
Also returning, blogger Feminist Quill's review of Witches Abroad is marginally less idiosyncratic than some of her others:
"Pratchett delights in upending tropes and shaking them until all the loose change falls out. And this is essentially the approach he took toward parody in Wyrd Sisters. I will never look at Macbeth the same way again. In Witches Abroad, he takes on the entire Grimm’s universe while snarkily commenting on the quirks of the English tourist. It’s a slightly weird perspective to read about. The haughty demeanour of the witches as they wander around in foreign countries, refusing to understand or comply with local traditions gets a little annoying when the word “imperialism” insists on constantly floating up to the surface of my brain. The witches excel at not using magic – just as the wizards do. This is a point that is drilled into each and every one of the Discworld books – unlike most YA or Fantasy books, the magic of the Discworld is secondary to Pratchett’s musings on humanity. And while this point is very much present in Witches Abroad, Pratchett’s line of philosophical inquiry is extended here to the powers of stories and storytelling, and to the concept of knowing oneself. On one level, it’s a slightly ironic take for a professional storyteller to have. On a deeper level, it’s incredibly poetic..."
https://bit.ly/3m81rhz
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08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
The Author raises a hat! Photo uncredited, but presumably either by Junior or the Wilkins:
https://bit.ly/37OZZbK
Dedicated fan Robert Armour at the end of his "pilgrimage" to the Ankh-Morpork Consulate:
https://bit.ly/2Xz8AgL
An absolutely magical Lego Vimes, created by Finnish Lego artist Eero Okkonen:
https://bit.ly/3ANyPON
Editor's note: if you want to know more about how Mr Okkonen created this figure, his blogpost reveals all:
https://bit.ly/3xSwWOX
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09) CLOSE
Remember, the new Collector's Edition of Clacks can be ordered now! For more info, and to preorder, go to: https://bit.ly/2UsvEMq
And that's it for this issue, and for Wossname for a little while. I'll be taking a mental health break until we're closer to Hogswatch, but remember, any time-dependent news will make its way to the Wossname blog. And my thanks go to the various people who Clacksmailed me to offer support and encouragement!
More than ever, mind how you go, and we hope to see you in a couple of months...
– Annie Mac
Copyright (c) 2021 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion
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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info
