WOSSNAME

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
December 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 12, 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: KEN THE CLEVER LIBRARIAN
07) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
08) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"It's a delight for me to bring back characters we loved (or hated) and bring in new characters, from the shiniest top floors of Heaven to the dankest basements of Hell, to love (or to hate, or to love to hate or hate to love). All of them are part of the strange and unusually beloved family of Good Omens."
– Neil Gaiman, on casting Good Omens 2

"We have already welcomed to the Good Omens 2 family familiar faces in familiar roles, familiar faces in unfamiliar roles, and unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar roles. We also have an unfamiliar face in a familiar role."
– Douglas Mackinnon, on once again directing it

"I’m honoured to voice the footnotes and bring to life one of the funniest, quirkiest and best-loved aspects of Terry Pratchett’s world. He added footnotes to the pages of all of his Discworld novels. They are his personal commentary on the action, little snippets of information or funny asides. They feel very much like the voice of the great man himself commenting on the action. I’ve enjoyed it enormously."
– Bill Nighy, on taking the part of all the footnotes in the new versions of the Discworld audiobooks

"Coming back to Terry Pratchett’s world after many years has been a pleasure. I loved his subversive, absurdist humour when I was a teenager and reading the part of Death, who appears in nearly all the Discworld books, has given me a renewed appreciation of his comic genius. What a very clever writer he was!"
– Peter Serafinowicz, soon to be Death (read that carefully!)

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

Well now, here we are at the end of a very long and unsettled year and about to start another one – which in Discworld terminology will be the Year of the Lachrymating Leveret!

Have you seen the trailer for The Abominable Snow Baby yet? It's delightful! And in a few days, on Christmas Day, the film will get its first airing (see item 3.0). We can expect that The Abominable Snow Baby will become a yearly tradition for holiday viewing.

While I quite like Jon Hamm and am pleased to see him returning as Gabriel to the continuation of Good Omens, I'm far more excited to note that Michael McKean and Miranda Richardson will also be in the new series (though not necessarily as Shadwell and Madame Tracy... stay tuned... and meanwhile, read item 3.1).

Here be a long Twitter thread by Pratchett biographer Marc Burrows on the evolution of The Carpet People. Start here: https://bit.ly/3JjWNq2

And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

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03) ODDS AND SODS

3.0 ABOMINABLE SNOW BABY NEWS

The trailer! And rather wonderful it is too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YPc8YSzKds

From the Radio Times:

"Channel 4 has unveiled its schedule for the festive season and Christmas Day, which includes Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby and special Christmas editions of First Dates, Gogglebox, Come Dine with Me and The Great British Bake Off. Based on Terry Pratchett’s 2014 story about a 14-foot-tall Abominable Snow Baby that arrives in a small English town, the animated Christmas special stars Julie Walters, Hugh Dancy and David Harewood, and will air on Channel 4 on Christmas Day at 7:30pm. Channel 4’s Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick, said in a statement: “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."

https://bit.ly/3q90B4A

...and Channel Ten in Fourecks

"If you’re looking for a fun and adventurous story, then this delightful adaptation is for you! Discover Terry Pratchett’s fantastical world of Blackbury with a huge snowfall, and the appearance of an adorable Abominable Snow Baby. This is sure to be your new Christmas classic!"

https://bit.ly/3phVHmB

Julie Walters talks about voicing the character of "Granny" in The Abominable Snow Baby:

"[Channel 4] has drafted in some big names to lend their voices to the programme. One of those stars is Julie Walters, who takes on the role of 98-year-old Granny – and in this week’s episode of the Radio Times podcast, she told Jane Garvey how she went about voicing such an elderly character. 'Well, I’ve played ancient people since I was in my twenties,' she said. 'I don’t know why, I just feel attracted to them. I always think it’s because I was brought up with my grandmother who was a bit doolally tap, and so had a massive influence on us as children. And so I think some of it is trying to solve the conundrum of my grandmother when I was a child. So I’m fascinated by old people,' she added. 'Of course, I am one now, so it’s different… but it isn’t that different. I love the way that people… their shape changes, and of course their voice and everything about them changes. In terms of voice, I’m a bit of an impersonator, and I notice how, you know, old people’s voices… their vocal cords become thin and they age just like everything else. But what was lovely about Granny is that, yes, she was 98, but she’s absolutely full of energy and goodness and love. She’s just fantastic – I hope I’m like that at 98, if I ever get there!'..."

https://bit.ly/3qiX0Rl

3.1 GOOD OMENS 2 NEWS

Jon Hamm is confirmed to return as the Archangel Gabriel in Good Omens 2, along with co-angels Doon Mackichan (Michael), Gloria Obianyo (Uriel), Liz Carr (Saraqael), and Quelin Sepulveda (Muriel). Other returning cast members – not necessarily in the same roles, though! – include Michael McKean, Miranda Richardson, Reece Shearsmith, Nina Sosanya, Maggie Service, and Paul Adeyefa.

There's a Narrativia announcement covering this. Go to https://narrativia.com/go2.html to read it in its entirety.

3.2 AUDIOBOOKS DO-OVER

Penguin Random House are going to re-record all 40 of their Discworld audiobooks, "featuring a cast of leading names from British stage and screen" that includes Bill Nighy as the footnotes, Peter Serafinowicz as Death, and "one main narrator set to voice each subseries" – Indira Varma for the Witches books, Sian Clifford for the Death books, Colin Morgan for the Wizards books, and best of all, Andy Serkis for Small Gods!

"BAFTA award-winning composer James Hannigan, whose many credits include music for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the Lord of the Rings video games, and the audio production of The Sandman, has been commissioned to compose theme tunes for the Discworld series. For this ambitious project narrators will read nearly four million words, with nearly 150 days in the studio and resulting in over 400 hours of finished audio. The audiobooks are being produced and directed by Neil Gardner of Ladbroke Audio, the multiple award-winning radio writer & director, who shares a love of sci-fi and comedy, and is a life-long Terry Pratchett superfan..."

The new recordings will be published over the course of the next two years: Witches (April 2022), Wizards (July 2022), Death (October 2022), Moist von Lipwig (February 2023) and City Watch and Tiffany Aching (April 2023). "The standalone titles – Pyramids, Small Gods, The Truth,Moving Pictures, The Amazing Maurice and Monstrous Regiment – will also be published..."

https://narrativia.com/audio.html

3.3 SIR PTERRY'S FAVOURITE VIDEO GAME

An in-depth portrait of The Author as a young... thief? By Rick Lane for the Guardian:

"Pratchett’s relationship with video games is well documented. Always technologically savvy, he was an early adopter of PC gaming, and enjoyed everything from Doom to Deus Ex and Call of Duty. He even helped to create a mod (an unofficial add-on) for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, writing lines of dialogue for a character. But Pratchett held a particular affection for Thief. He played all three games in the series, and often contributed to a Usenet newsgroup named alt.games.thief-dark-project. That newsgroup, analogous to a modern forum, has long since been deactivated, but its posts survive in a Google groups archive. Combined, they provide a fascinating record of Pratchett’s evolving relationship with both the Thief series and video games in general... Pratchett liked that Thief II was a game that you could finish without killing anyone, which appealed to his personal morals. 'I get edgy in games that require killing as an objective,' he wrote in July 2002. 'But being able to hide from guards who appear to have amazing acuity sometimes is a talent in itself.' He also liked that Thief II let you solve its problems at your own pace, and in your own way. 'I think a game goes wrong when you start to fight the programmer rather than the game...'

"There was shared lineage between Thief’s nameless city and Pratchett’s own work in the Discworld novels. Both take popular fantasy tropes and recontextualise them into a more human world, unafraid to explore the weirder edges of fantasy. Thief’s bumbling, grumbling guards share certain traits with Pratchett’s own motley crew of city watchmen... Pratchett’s presence on the forums did not go unnoticed by the wider community. 'Having Terry involved was a very cool experience,' says David Geelan, an associate professor at Australia’s Griffith University, and a contributor to the alt.games Thief forum during the same period as Pratchett. 'This was an early example of an author I was a big fan of engaging with something else I loved.” This sentiment is shared by another user, Mika Latokartano. “Being a big fan of Discworld novels, it was naturally great to see him on the forums and to be able to exchange a few words with a world-famous author...' Pratchett’s posts on the alt.games Thief forum are a unique record. Not only do they evidence in detail an artist’s heartfelt affection for another type of art, they also represent a mode of interaction between a creator and fans that is far less viable in the age of mass social media. Geelan, who around this time also frequented a cyberpunk forum visited by William Gibson, notes that 'authors could react more directly with the few hundred or couple of thousand people who might have been on a web forum or usenet group in the mid 90s, than with the millions or tens of millions who would want that contact now...'..."

https://bit.ly/3mpjAqy

3.4 JOHNNY MAXWELL REVISITED

It's good to see the Johnny Maxwell series (Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny And The Dead, Johnny And The Bomb) getting a 21st century shout-out! This little gem was originally posted in 2015, but always worth an action replay.

By Andrew Blair on Den of Geek:

"In the lower reaches of the Goodreads list of Pratchett books, besides the short stories and essays in anthologies, the first novel to stand out is Only You Can Save Mankind, the first of Pratchett’s Johnny Maxwell series. It was published in 1992. It is a very 1992 book (One of the characters asks 'Is it rad to say cool?'), and realistic swearing is not a feature. Compared with later books featuring Johnny Maxwell it’s a bit on the nose in its depiction of children, but the intention – to depict a variety of backgrounds and relatable struggles – lays the foundations for the subtler sequels... The most interesting thing about Only You Can Save Mankind were its observations on empathy and detachment with regards moving images, but its ending counteracts the popular aphorism by stating that violence does solve some things. It might seem surprising in the context of the book, but then Pratchett has disposed of monsters with poetic abandon since... Johnny And The Dead followed in 1993. Again mixing lofty themes and fantasy with the mundane, the main characters feel a bit more realistic here. Here the ’90s feeling is different: it’s a book clearly set in and evocative of that time period, rather than a book that is evocative of how adults wrote children in that time period... Johnny and the Dead asks the reader to consider something they might see in their everyday life, to look beyond the surface of it and ask questions. It goes one step further, again, with its ending, where the dead stop waiting around for the next stage of their afterlives to happen... All of Johnny’s friends get satisfying character development in the third and final book in the series, Johnny And The Bomb. This book, especially, with its mentions of the Trousers of Time and “Millennium hand and shrimp,” complements ideas in the Discworld universe, almost like a primer. That these come from a character called Mrs Tachyon may be entirely deliberate, as a theoretical time-travelling particle has echoes of both this book and the existence of something like the Discworld. While the ending might be the most straightforwardly heroic of the three books, Johnny’s friends are put into the midst of the fantastic more than in any other story..."

https://bit.ly/3H11lPT

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04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

Some reviews of Discworld plays to finish the year! The Roundworld debut of Murder in Ankh-Morpork; Wyrd Sisters and Hogfather in EcksEcksEcksEcks; and Going Postal in Sussex (which only has one ecks).

* MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK IN ABINGDON

By Alice Nuttall for the Daily Info:

"The play had a strong opener, with one of Pratchett’s best-known exchanges brought alive on the stage (two members of a secret society exchanging code phrases, before realising that one of them meant to attend another clandestine meeting a few doors down). The cast matched the story’s fast pace with energy and enthusiasm, each member fully inhabiting their roles. Anna Wilson stood out as Angua, a werewolf police officer trying not to scare off a new friend with the revelation of her wild side; Nigel Tait made a hilarious Nobby Nobbs, a character that can be hard to do justice to, thanks to his often grotesque depiction in the books; and Briggs was amusingly chilling as Lord Vetinari (whose entries on stage, accompanied by the Imperial March from Star Wars, always got a laugh from the audience). Adapting Men At Arms for a small stage would have been a challenge – the story takes place over several locations in a large city, and follows a complex police procedural plot with Christie-esque twists and turns – but the ensemble managed it expertly, creating a show that was full of in-jokes and nods for fans while still being exciting and engaging for newbies..."

...and on the same site by Naomi Anna Lillian Webb

"Outside the spoken dialogue, sound and music are cleverly interspersed throughout the action in a manner absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the novels, to the great amusement of the audience. I suspect some ingenious sound recording techniques came into play, putting me in mind of the beloved BBC Radiophonic Workshop (of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame). In an inspired move we are even treated to a rousing rendition of the Ankh-Morpork National Anthem during one of the early scenes, beautifully performed by Lindsay Rolland and written by Carl Davis, CBE. Lindsay also plays Boffo the clown, just one example of the abundant versatility and talent on offer in the STC... The choice to combine the plot with characters from novels other than Men at Arms gives rise to an admirably diverse cast, a dream for any theatre troupe. Sam Vimes (Jamie Mortimer) visibly grows into his role of hardened Captain of the City Watch throughout the course of the play, his arc is impressively presented given the confines evident when converting a novel to much shorter media. Patrician, Lord Vetinari (Stephen Briggs), eyebrows a-wiggling, tasks the captain with uncovering the truth behind a vicious multiple murder featuring clowns, assassins, and a mysterious unknown weapon. Vimes is assisted at every turn by his devoted fiancé, the formidable Lady Sybil Ramkin: Elena Mortimer assertively commands the scene whenever she is present. The Captain is also supported by his loyal band of Night Watchmen-women-and-others. Anna Wilson as werewolf Lance Constable Angua von Uberwald is especially strong, effortlessly conveying complex nuances of character. She parries with the charming honesty of Corporal Carrot Ironfoundersson (Peter Hubbard) while they explore their roles, both in the Watch and in love. Comic timing abounds with the pairing of Mike MacDonald as Sergeant Fred Colon and Nigel Tait as Corporal Nobby Nobbs. Their double act is worthy of Shakespeare, and often far more amusingly expounded to the modern audience..."

https://bit.ly/3mp1vZv

* WYRD SISTERS IN ADELAIDE

By Christine Pyman for Broadway World:

"Unseen Theatre Company is celebrating its 21st birthday this year, and it's been interesting to watch its development and maturation... The company showed sophisticated stagecraft which shone against the minimalist sets and lighting, focusing attention on the acting, and there was some terrific acting. Stand out stars were Aimee Ford as the selfish, bullying, inherently evil, and frighteningly believable Duchess, Danny Sag, as the Fool, almost stealing the stage whenever he was on, and not because of the brightness of his wonderful costume, Philip Lineton, with passion and fire as the Chamberlain, and Pamela Munt, who simply is Granny Weatherwax. Alycia Rabig was suitably 'wet-hen-ish', with a surprising core of iron (possibly from a frying pan), as Magrat Garlick, the youngest witch, and Natalie Haigh provided a comforting, but naughty Nanny Ogg. Paul Messenger has presence, even when playing a presence, and managed to be a convincingly dead King Verence, cleverly being apparently an apparition, present only to the audience, and witches (and cats of course)..."

https://bit.ly/3296tD7

...and by Matthew Hocter for Theatre Travels:

"Minimalism doesn’t always work in theatre, especially when the theme has a heavy focus on elements like magic and fantasy, but much credit to the creators of this play, everything seemed to flow just right... Like any Shakespearean play, twists and turns are in abundance and with Pratchett’s incredible eye, The Wyrd Sisters is a foray into everything from propaganda, relationships and time itself. With standout performances from Philip Lineton as Chamberlain, Danny Sag as The Fool and the hilarious aforementioned Natalie Haigh as Nanny Ogg, this production was anything but amateur. Timing and a strong comedic element all aided in creating something truly magical and at its core, showing that things are not always as they seem, never more evident than in the words 'History is what people are told.' Unseen Theatre Company is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year and if this production is anything to go by, the next 21 years look brilliant..."

https://bit.ly/3EjwLiW

* GOING POSTAL IN SUSSEX

By Cat Quigley for the Bishop's Stortford Independent:

"Director Becky Deal is to be commended for daring to venture into this steampunk fantasy comedy and introducing people to this great story. The term ‘going postal’ – meaning to become extremely and uncontrollably angry, usually in the workplace – is a great metaphor for the storyline. Deal had a strong cast that did a fantastic job delivering humour, drama and fast-flowing character work which kept moving until the end. Jack Stevens brought Moist Von Lipwig to life as an endearing yet cunning conman. He was perfect in this role, word perfect with spot-on comedic timing and physical gestures, and he brought a great, mischievous likeability to the role... Sophie O'Flaherty shone as Drumknott. She was a stand-out performer, with a well-executed stage voice and chemistry with her fellow cast members... Parole officer Mr Pump (Doug Sheppard) was a convincing golem made of clay, who, like any government official, was tireless in his sense of duty. Mr Pump had a lot of emotional moments and Sheppard was able to act out a real blend of naivete, fierce loyalty and deep wisdom, particularly in the poignant moments where he protected Moist Von Lipwig... A lot of the play was interjected with energy from some of the smaller roles, which were just as important as the main parts as they kept the pace moving... A big highlight for me was a TV that came to life showing a character Collabone played by Matthew Barnes... The production was largely helped by the fantastic tech from production manager Will Jamieson and sound and lighting by Steve Cherry, who managed to create the dark moods of the play... The audience really enjoyed the show, and Pratchett fans responded to the deeper meanings of the book while those who didn’t know the book well were still amused and entertained..."

https://bit.ly/3yNGTz7

* HOGFATHER IN PERTH, FOURECKS

By Kimberley Shaw for Stage Whispers:

"One of the biggest difficulties of the Discworld plays is that they are highly episodic. This production works well to overcome this issue, using an extended stage and putting some scenes around the auditorium, allowing transitions to be swift and effective. Young actors Callan Emmerson and Ellie Jones, who also nicely play children Gawain and Twyla Gaiter, also "sign-post” many scenes, so that we know where we are in the Discworld. Epic character Death is played with great gravitas and wry humour by a wonderfully costumed Sam Barnett. He is well assisted by Ian Banks as butler Albert, in a picture-perfect portrayal. The real heroine of this story, though, is Susan Story Hellit[sic] – very nicely played, with lovely nuance, by Pratchett veteran Michelle Ezzy. Another Pratchett ‘expert’ is Peter ‘Pear’ Carr, reprising his role as the delightfully dim Banjo, one of the thugs employed by assassin Teatime to help kill the Hogfather, a role that Pear played in the WA premiere of Hogfather eighteen years ago - and a role he plays to perfection. He is ably supported by Curig Jenkins as Medium Dave and Candice Preston as Chickenwire. Villain of the piece, Mr Teatime, is given lovely menace by Aaron O’Neill... Lots of delightful characters in this, with many performers playing multiple roles and distinguishing them well..."

https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/hogfather

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05) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS

...will return next year, since we're now already into "Hogswatch break" territory. Here's hoping that 2022 will finally see a return to safer meet-ups!

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06) ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE ADVENTURES OF KEN ALLEN

Wossname has featured amazing Roundworld Orangutans before, but have you ever heard of the famous escape artist known as Ken? Son of proud parents Maggie and Bob, Ken was born in 1971 at the San Diego Zoo. While he was happy in his human-built home, he was obviously not just another meek ape...

"In his nursery, Ken would unscrew every nut that he could find and remove the bolts. Keepers would no sooner put them back when he would be at it again. Nor could he ever be kept in his room... In fact, when Ken was first moved into the Heart of the Zoo exhibit, he was caught throwing rocks at a television crew that was filming the neighboring gorillas..." But what Ken really wanted was a bit of a wander. In June of 1985, he escaped and happily joined the human visitors looking at the other zoo residents. Despite his keepers spending a lot of time and money escape-proofing his home, he did it again in July and August – and then started encouraging his housemate Vicki to do the same! And that was far from Ken's last escape; he even managed to encourage another housemate, Kumang, into escaping (and this clever lass figured out how to nullify the electric fencing around their enclosure).

In all his adventures, Ken Allen never harmed any zookeepers or members of the public. Ken died of cancer in December 2000, but his legend lives on – and we've learned from his escapades that orangutans are even brighter and more observant than previously thought.

Sources: https://bit.ly/3sm83vW and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Allen

Also, here be "The Ballad of Ken Allen": https://bit.ly/3FyiqRf

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08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

Memory lane: an excellent Adora Belle and Moist from Ooook Productions' staging of Going Postal:
https://bit.ly/3HIrsfR

Part of the cast of the Roleystone Theatre's recent production of Hogfather: https://bit.ly/3edPj9O

A scrap of the shooting script for Good Omens 2, as posted by Neil Gaiman: https://bit.ly/3cQsQ1F

A very large Snow Baby – or a very small Julie Walters: https://bit.ly/3yM2Hv0

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09) CLOSE

...and that's it for December. Wossname wishes all our Readers a safe and happy Hogswatch season! Take care, mind how you go, and we'll see you next year. May it be a better one than the previous two years have been...

– Annie Mac

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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info

Copyright (c) 2021 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion

Hands up who remembers Mr Sideney, the wizardly locksmith in Sky TV's famous adaptation of Hogfather? Or the equally wizardly Arch Astronomer of Krull in Sky's equally famous adaptation of The Colour of Magic?

How about the chap who voiced all those Discworld audiobooks - twenty-one of them, to be precise? And provided the voice of the Auditors in the aforementioned Hogfather telly-film?

That's right, it's UK comedy legend Nigel Planer, beloved for almost forty years for iconic roles including Neil of The Young Ones, David Castle of King and Castle, Ralph Filthy of Filthy Rich and Catflap, Blackadder the Third's Lord Smedley, and many others not to mention years of superb work in many roles for The Comic Strip Presents.

Here be a few of those roles, to tickle your memories:

Mr Planer has also written a number of plays and books. Which brings us to today's subject:

A WIZARD WANTS YOUR HELP!!!

To quote the man himself: "I've written a time-travel comedy book which is currently crowd funding with the publisher Unbound. It's called Jeremiah Bourne in Time and is a new and sideways look at time travelling, with many eccentric characters. I'm hoping to put the word out to people who I reckon will like it. There are many homages to Sir T inside."

Jeremiah Bourne in Time is already a third of the way to meeting the necessary total, so would you like to join the legions of Discworld fans and pitch in a few Ankh-Morpork dollars (or your local Roundworld currency) to help it along? Of course you would! So...

CLICK HERE for the link to the Unbound crowdfunding page!

The page includes an explanatory/promotional video which I promise you is well worth watching! Not least because as wonderful a job Paul Kaye did a few years ago representing Sir Terry himself in the BBC documentary Terry Pratchett: Back in Black, Nigel Planer channels The Author even more eerily in the above promo. Must be the influence of voicing all those Discworld books...

So yes, please do trot along to the page and support Jeremiah Bourne in Time. Your Editor already has done - and is quite certain that were Sir Terry still with us, he'd have been among the first to do so!

p.s. Wossname will resume regular publication next week. Plenty of news to share...

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
June 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 6, 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

"There are some books that I adore in audiobook format because of the marriage of the skill of the writer and the performance of the narrator. Two of my absolute favorite examples of this are Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and Stephen Briggs reading anything by Terry Pratchett. Both of these amazing narrators have become synonymous with the books they have narrated for me. I can’t think of Harry Potter without hearing Jim Dale in my head voicing the characters and the Nac Mac Feegle from Wee Free Men will forever be in the voice of Stephen Briggs. In these cases, the narrator brings a new dimension to the story that can bring it to life in a whole new way."
– librarian Tracy Briseño of the Ames Public Library

"I wrote that in the days when I thought fantasy was all battles and kings. Now I’m inclined to think that the real concerns of fantasy ought to be about not having battles, and doing without kings."
– The Author, musing in 1991 on The Carpet People

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

I never thought that by June of 2021 I would still be publishing Wossname in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are. I do hope that all you Readers are still safe and well! Down here in the Land of Fourecks we seem to be (mostly) staying on top of things, but as Covid-19 continues to mutate and rage around Roundworld, nothing is a certainty yet.

Meanwhile, if you've been seeing the hashtag #50YearsofTerry on social media and wondering how that adds up since The Colour of Magic was published in 1983, remember that The Carpet People was first published twelve years before that!

*

Here be a couple of lovely videos from the past. If I've posted these links before, blame it on pandemic brain...

Sir Pterry, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen discuss the Science of Discworld series in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CMdTlbGhXQ

The Author muses, in 2008, on twenty-five years of Discworld:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDF4AHZFQdw

*

Rhianna Pratchett recently tweeted "That’s a hell of a resting place. 100% Pratchett approval. GNU Steven Thornton"
https://bit.ly/3jd3oYO

Also GNU motor neurone disease sufferer Noel Conway, who died this month after famously battling for the legalisation of assisted dying in the UK. Details for those who want to know more: https://bbc.in/3qoXwNq

And another Australian state – South Australia – has, after much debate and multiple submissions, passed a voluntary assisted dying bill. Some details:

https://ab.co/3h1NzBf

*

Your Editor has bought many marvellous things from the Discworld Emporium over the decades, and will continue to do so. Wossname wishes Bernard and Isobel and their team the happiest possible semi-retirement and a productive future full of Discly art and crafts! See item 3.0 below for the details.

And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

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03) ODDS AND SODS

3.0 THE DISCWORLD EMPORIUM: AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Usually on Roundworld, it takes a war to close an embassy. But sometimes what it takes is time – a lot of it – and a pandemic. Over to you, Mr and Mrs Cunning Artificer and company, for the sad news:

"After twenty years of welcoming Terry Pratchett fans through our door, we regrettably announce that our bricks and mortar shop is on a long hiatus and will remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future. Over the past few years and especially since the events of 2020, our mail-order service has expanded exponentially. The Ankh-Morpork Post Office (Wincanton branch) is busier than ever packing and shipping our online orders, and what was once our shop space has now been fully transformed into a fantastically frantic mailroom facility!

"Our founding members Bernard and Isobel have also had a taste of retirement over lockdown . . . and they really rather like it! In their thirtieth year of bringing Discworld to life and with a combined age of 155, this indomitable duo feel it an appropriate time to step away from shop duties to enjoy their twilight years in the company of fine gin, books and grandchildren. They will of course remain a huge part of the Emporium and the Discworld family at large, and while you can’t get rid of Bernard that easily we hope you’ll all understand their need for a bit more time in their lives and join us in wishing them an incredibly happy and well-deserved retirement indeed!

"Being such a tiny team with a toddler in the ranks, it is now crucial that we devote our limited resources to designing our wares, managing our website and to looking after our customers all over the world. You can be assured that it'll be the same folks at the end of a phone call or clacks should you ever wish to make contact with us, and our reknowned building will remain emminent on Wincanton High Street serving as our Headquarters, where we’ll be busy designing and shipping our Discworld merchandise behind closed doors.

"Although this news may be very sad to many who have made or dreamt about a Pratchett pilgrimage to Wincanton, after two decades of the Emporium, thirty years since our creation of the first Discworld Merchandise as Clarecraft and fifty years since the publication of Terry’s first novel, the Carpet People, there is a lot to celebrate and look forward to this year. We’re also working on a brand new Discworld Emporium website due for launch this Autumn which will make visiting us online even easier, especially for all our wonderful friends and customers in the European Union!

"We would like to thank our many visitors and supporters for making our little literary shop such a special place, and for helping us to bring the magic of Terry Pratchett’s books to life over the years. We hope you will continue to support us as the turtle moves ever onwards through the cosmos.

"All the best & a hard-boiled egg,
"Bernard, Isobel, Ian, Reb, Sarah, Eilis, Chris and Tipu the (bastard) cat!"

To view this announcement in its proper place, and to peruse the Emporium's cornucopia of magic(k)al wares, go to:

https://bit.ly/2UvTjvu

3.1 OLD, NEW, ULTIMATE: BOOK RELEASE NEWS

3.1a The Ultimate Discworld Companion!

Now that there are no new Discworld novels to come (and rightly so, for which your Editor is grateful to the Wisdom of Rhianna), the Ultimate Discworld Companion will be the last Discworld companion you'll ever need! Booktopia has this to say about it:

"The absolute, comprehensive, from Tiffany Aching to Jack Zweiblumen guide to all things Discworld, fully illustrated by Paul Kidby... There's an awful lot of Discworld to keep track of. But fear not! Help is at hand. For the very first time, everything (and we mean everything) you could possibly want to know has been crammed into one place. If you need a handy guide to locales from Ankh-Morpork to Zemphis . . . If you can't tell your Achmed the Mads from your Jack Zweiblumens . . . If your life depends on distinguishing between the Agatean Empire and the Zoons . . . Look no further. Compiled and perfected by Stephen Briggs, the man behind The Ultimate Discworld Companion's predecessor Turtle Recall, this is your ultimate guide to Sir Terry Pratchett's beloved fantasy world."

The Ultimate Discworld Companion will be released on 11th November and can already be pre-ordered in hardcover and ebook forms from various sources including Waterstones and Booktopia. We'll keep you posted!

3.1b Joe McLaren hardcovers!

As tweeted by terryandrob: "The Discworld Hardback Library is complete! The Tiffany Aching series and Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents join the collection in beautiful hardback. Illustrated by the brilliant Joe McLaren"

The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith are now available to purchase, while I Shall Wear Midnight, The Shepherd's Crown and TAMAHER will be released on 23rd September of this year. These are lovely things (your Editor has several of the series already), perfect as gifts for a child to treasure in the way that older generations treasured The Wind in the Willows.

3.2 CLASSIC JOHNNY MAXWELL

Here be a couple of gems from some years back that you may have missed: telly versions of two of the Johnny Maxwell series. Yes, they were afternoon shows for a younger audience, and yes, neither one had much of a budget, but both are competent, charming, and lovingly crafted with respect for the source material – more than can be said for a recent bigger-budget Discworld-themed show. There are a few changes from the books in each, but it's a testament to the respect shown by the programme makers that none cause any great departure from the feel of the original stories. (Note: the video of Johnny and the Dead is of less than sterling quality but still well watchable!)

The BBC miniseries of Johnny and the Bomb, starring a very young George Mackay as Johnny and Zoe Wanamaker as a true-to-"life" Mrs Tachyon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXf4RQ19eHE

The ITV telefilm of Johnny and the Dead, starring a different actor (Andrew Falvey) as Johnny, and also starring Brian Blessed as Bill Stickers and George Baker as Alderman Bowler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqpD0yl8f2k

3.3 DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS

The latest word from Dave and the Backspindle lads!

"The Collector’s Edition of Discworld Clacks preorder is now LIVE! Preorder the Collector’s Edition of #Discworld Clacks and receive one of five Limited Edition Discworld character bookmarks FREE with your game. These bookmarks will not be available anywhere else.

"As we value every customer, all preorders placed via our website will be posted to you before copies go on general release to retail outlets. We are aiming to do this by 1 October 2021.

"The Collector’s Edition of Clacks includes stunning miniatures of Moist von Lipwig on Boris, a Deep Dwarf, and twelve Clacks Towers. It also includes a brand new mini-game called Goblin Glory for you to test your skills as a Clacks’ operator against your friends.

"In addition to the Limited Edition Bookmark, every order via our website will be entered into a draw to win this new unopened 1st Edition copy of our Guards! Guards! boardgame.

"The draw will be done live on Facebook prior to the commencement of shipping of the Collector’s Edition of Discworld Clacks games. Until then it will be guarded by the Backspindle Dragons! Get ready to take on the Post Office, and recreate the race from the book Going Postal by Sir #TerryPratchett. The Collector's Edition of Discworld Clacks boardgame..."

Each copy of the Collector's Edition of Clacks is priced at £34.99 plus shipping (EU £10, Australia £24, rest of the world £20. For more info, and to preorder, go to:

https://bit.ly/2UsvEMq

3.4 MORE PRATCHETT PROJECT TALKS

The next Pratchett Project talk is available to watch on YouTube! ‘Leaving Early to Avoid the Rush’: Pratchett, Perry and Contemporary Pessimism, by Oliver Rendle:

https://youtu.be/tYJ90gPzVMI

And here's a round-up of all the previous ones so far...

Space in Pratchett's Narrative Networks by Matthew Roughan:
https://youtu.be/mQ7HwMyjOPM

Political Idealism in the Discworld Novels by Ruchira Mandal:
https://youtu.be/FlBjXXa3v6A

The Big Wahoonie: Ankh-Morpork as Cross-Media Urban Imaginary by Helena Esser:
https://youtu.be/RUTwLO33zKA

The Wilkins speaks! Assisting Terry Pratchett, an interview with Rob Wilkins from the Pratchett Project Conference 2020:
https://youtu.be/Izh_EZ-mb8g

Allusions and Cultural References in Terry Pratchett’s Jingo: Translation and Understanding, by Damon Tringham:

https://youtu.be/NdbKghKxmnc

Humour, parody and satire in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels by Kamil Karas:

https://youtu.be/btRiFbH48dI

3.5 ORANGUTAN NEWS

A spectacular orangutan photograph by Thomas Vijayan, "The World is Going Upside Down", won first prize in the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 competition, beating 8,000 entries from around the world:

"'Thomas's image is really unique, and immediately stood out to the judging panel,' said Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL. 'The unique perspective and composition means you are immediately trying to figure out what exactly you are looking at.' Mr Vijayan took the photo in Borneo, where he selected a tree that was in the water so he could get a good reflection of the sky and create the upside-down effect..."

https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-57335458

3.6 THE MERCH CORNER

* The Chalk jigsaw puzzle!

"Visit the Chalk and peer into the Feegle Mound of Rob Anybody and the Chalk Hill Clan with young witch and Big Wee Hag Tiffany Aching!
Illustrated by David Wyatt, our Fiendishly Difficult Discworld Jigsaw puzzle will have you shouting CRIVENS! and WAILY WAILY! as you piece together a bucolic vision of Tiffany Aching's homeland. From the White Horse to the Trilithon, you'll spot lots of magical features from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books in this view of the beautiful green chalk downlands that roll away to the Ramtops beyond. Look out for Granny Aching's hut and shepherdess, a Shepherd's Crown, a 'ship' moving at high speed, a cheese wearing a kilt and a hat full of sky plus many more little details! You'll need the 'hiddlins of hagglin' (and possibly a thimble of scumble) to get this puzzle into one piece! Each puzzle includes a fold out poster to assist your puzzling endeavours and is presented in a splendid 'book' box inspired by Tiffany Aching's diary that will look right at home on your bookshelves!"

The Chalk jigsaw puzzle is rated "moderately fiendish". Each puzzle measures approximately 70 x 50cm (the puzzle box measures 20.5 x 25.6 x 6.3cm) and is priced at £19.50. For more info, and to order, go to:

https://bit.ly/35PdVRI

* Discworld t-shirts!

Because sometimes summer does happen... "Our Discworld T-shirt range is the most extensive selection of authorised, licensed Discworld designs you will find anywhere. We have taken the time to source only the finest quality and we have a wide variety of popular characters and designs so you can take the Discworld with you wherever you go.
Don’t forget to check what styles are available in each design as many are offered in both classic unisex fit and ladies fit."

** Death with Kitten T-shirt: https://bit.ly/3dcA4gS

** Dark Side of the Turtle T-shirt: https://bit.ly/3xVV1F5

** Feeglespotting T-shirt: https://bit.ly/2U3wK1a

** Fabricati Diem T-shirt: https://bit.ly/2SpaYnV

** City Watch T-shirt: https://bit.ly/3wX718X

https://discworld.com/products/t-shirts/

* The official Ankh-Morpork passport!

Yes, these can still be sourced from the Embassy, even if one can no longer apply in person...

"Issued exclusively by The Ankh-Morpork Consulate here at the Discworld Emporium in Wincanton, each passport is individually numbered by letterpress and pre-endorsed ready for you to fill in as imaginatively as you wish. Contains vital information on prohibited goods, currency and work permits along with immigration stamps from around the Disc along with space for stamps should you visit the Discworld Emporium in person, or any other place that is silly enough to stamp your passport."

Each Ankh-Morpork passport is priced at £10 and measures 100x140mm. For more info, and to order, go to:

https://bit.ly/2UzCnnP

3.7 ALZHEIMER'S NEWS

A BBC report on the drug Aducanumab, which might – might be of help for Alzheimer's sufferers

"Aducanumab targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, rather than its symptoms. Charities have welcomed the news of a new therapy for the condition. But scientists are divided over its potential impact because of uncertainty over the trial results... In March 2019, late-stage international trials of aducanumab, involving about 3,000 patients, were halted when analysis showed the drug, given as a monthly infusion, was not better at slowing the deterioration of memory and thinking problems than a dummy drug. But later that year, the US manufacturer Biogen analysed more data and concluded the drug did work, as long as it was given in higher doses. The company also said it significantly slowed cognitive decline... For around 500,000 people affected in the UK, those eligible for aducanumab will be mostly in their 60s or 70s and at an early stage of the disease... Prof Bart De Strooper, director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said the decision to approve aducanumab marked 'a hugely significant milestone' in the search for treatments for Alzheimer's disease. In the past decade, more than 100 potential Alzheimer's treatments have flopped. But while he hoped it would prove a turning point for millions of people with the condition, he said there were 'still many barriers to overcome'..."

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57383763

3.8 PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB UPDATES

On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a Discworld discussion page. This time it's Moving Pictures, so get your banged grains ready...

Part one:

"I think one of my favorite things within this section is the Patrician’s spy telling him that the alchemists liked Dibblers food while they were watching the moving picture. The spy doesn’t know what they were actually doing because they wouldn’t let him in, but it’s obviously in reference to the sort of garbage we’re always eating at movie theaters. The idea of certain activities being tied to specific (usually bad) food is an undeniably human oddity. Why do we want hot dogs at baseball games? Why do we eat the world’s worst 'nachos' while being entertained? Why is half the point of going to the movies shoving M&Ms in your face?... I was also fascinated by the conversation among the alchemists about how films should work, whether they should be purely educational and how 'tasteful' they should be and so on. Pieces of the talk invoke the eventual censorship that ruled Hollywood for a few decades after they’d been allowed free reign at their inception. And then there’s Dibbler’s arrival, which heralds the seedier snake oil aspects of Hollywood..."

https://bit.ly/3qnFz1T

Part two:

"The contradictions of Hollywood are well laid out here; the fact that it encourages all sorts of people to work together in harmony who would normally never share space; the way everyone is concerned with only their own advancement in the system and no one else’s; the expectation to change to fit that system. Rock’s question about whether he should get his nose done, and the way everyone changes their names, and Dibbler using words like 'exotic' when he’s just being racist, they’re all examples of how the system encourages conformity while using what’s 'foreign' to make money. They need camels and elephants, Dibbler is lying about where Ginger came from, but Rock is still worried that his nose is too 'stereotypically' troll. Even Samuel Goldwyn, the man Silverfish is based on, changed his name for show business..."

https://bit.ly/3xQUzHX

Part three:

"Victor thinks to ask Ginger what she wanted to be before acting in moving pictures was a option, and her response is 'I didn’t know. I just knew I didn’t want to be a milkmaid.' Y’all. Okay, so there’s a thing that you will hear in film and theater and most performing arts professions, often from teachers and other professionals and that is: If you can picture yourself doing anything else with your life, go do that instead. The point being that it’s so hard to 'break into' these industries that you can spend the majority of your career (and life) not doing anything. So if it isn’t your One True Passion, you should probably seek out that other passion you’ve got because you’re likely to be more pleased with that outcome. It’s a pretty garbage piece of advice to my mind because it ignores why that problem exists in the first place; it’s not tough to break into the system just because it is, but because these industries are fueled by nepotism and geared toward people with massive amounts of privilege. You cannot get away from it... Ginger later points out that when the circus came through town, everyone cheered the tightrope girl, but they wouldn’t even allow her to climb a tree, which is another aspect of that escape: The appeal of acting (and writing and directing and) is creating a life outside the parameters assumed for you. This is part of the reason why it’s not considered a respectable job..."

https://bit.ly/3gSdah5

...and part four:

"There’s a theme here about the idea of fame and stardom being a far cry from the reality, and that’s what we see happening with Ginger. She has this trance-like dream of being the most famous person in the world, but on being confronted with her “adoring public,” she freezes in a panic. Actual fame is a beast of a thing to navigate, and the trick used here (telling her to essentially act her way through it) is a common trick that many performers use. In fact, it’s so ingrained that people tend to believe that they have a good read on their favorite famous people, that they know them to some extent. These are called parasocial relationships, and they’ve been getting a lot of psychological study in recent years because it is a genuinely fascinating phenomenon—the belief that you can truly know a person from what they display to the public on press tours, red carpets, even social media accounts, when so many of these personas are carefully constructed for mass consumption. We’ve gone so far down this particular rabbit hole culturally that we’ve turned it into its own form of performance art. What Ginger is doing here is the first steps of that..."

https://bit.ly/3x1vcTK

3.9 A WONDERFUL REMINISCENCE

Here we have another gem, this time from five years ago – Colin Smythe and Irish author Lisa McInerney share some of their favourite Pratchett quotes which were then considered for inclusion in "Seriously Funny: the Endlessly Quotable Terry Pratchett". By Martin Doyle for The Irish Times:

"Lisa McInerney, winner this month of both the Baileys Prize for Women’s Fiction and the Desmond Elliott Prize for The Glorious Heresies, is a devotee of Pratchett’s work. Asked for her favourite, she responded: 'Oh God, so many. One that I almost tweeted earlier: "May you live in interesting times" which you’ll probably know is a reference to a myth about there being such a curse in China. And right now I think we’re living in interesting times. My other favourite Pratchett quote is from Soul Music, where Death is collecting money and someone gives him a penny, just for this line: THANK YOU, said the grateful Death. I honestly think that that’s a case of an author coming up with a killer pun and writing an entire book around it'...

"Colin Smythe, the Trinity College Dublin graduate who published Pratchett’s first five books and has been his agent since 1987, admitted: 'I can’t remember Terry telling me any jokes. Both poor memory and because he must have kept them to put in his books. Over the last decade, I think we talked about facts, research for the book he was working on, that sort of thing.'... So what is his favourite Terry Pratchett quotation? “Too many to choose from. But how about... "Susan... it wasn’t a good name, was it? It wasn’t a truly bad name, it wasn’t like poor Iodine in the fourth form, or Nigella, a name which means ‘oops, we wanted a boy’. But it was dull. Susan. Sue. Good old Sue. It was a name that made sandwiches, kept its head in difficult circumstances, and could reliably look after other people’s children. It was a name used by no queens or goddesses anywhere. And you couldn’t do much even with the spelling. You could turn it into Suzi, and it sounded as though you danced on tables for a living. You could put in a Z and a couple of Ns and an E, but it still looked like a name with extensions built on. It was as bad as Sara, a name that cried out for a prosthetic H." Far too long, I know. How about a talking raven on a battle-field, looking for eyeballs and other scraps, saying ‘Carrion regardless. That’s what I say.’? “Or the cleric in a band that went off with all its takings, and was arrested. ‘And what did they do with that felonious monk?’..."

https://bit.ly/2U2Uy5j

Editor's note: if you don't already have a copy of Seriously Funny, here be a link:

https://bit.ly/3qoatXT

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04) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

4.1 AUDITIONS

Want to participate in the Brisbane Arts Theatre's upcoming production of Carpe Jugulum? Here's your chance! Auditions for Carpe Jugulum will take place on 11th July, but go to the webpage and register ASAP, as registrations are essential:

https://www.artstheatre.com.au/get-involved/auditions/

4.2 FORTHCOMING PLAYS

*MORT IN SUBURBAN MELBOURNE, FOURECKS (SEPTEMBER 2021)

"How good is it to see Fourecksian Discworld productions getting back to normal?", it said here in last month's issue. We may have spoken too soon... The eagle eyed among you will note that this production was due to be presented this month, but pandemic-related issues meant it had to be moved. Now rescheduled for later this year. Here's hoping!

The CPP Community Theatre will present Stephen Briggs' adaptation of Mort in September: "When Mort and his father attend the Sheepridge hiring fair in the hope that this year Mort will finally get an apprenticeship, they didn’t expect the day to end with death. But at least Death offered Mort a job! As Death’s apprentice, Mort gets to travel and meet interesting people… well, for a short time anyway. But once Mort is trusted to take on the Duty by himself, trouble brews, as Mort lets his heart rule his head… Adapted by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs from the fourth of Terry’s wildly successful Discworld novels, Mort brings the Discworld to the stage. Come and see how Mort gets out of the trouble he’s caused!" (NB: " Please note strobe lighting will be used during this performance.")

When: 10th–16th September 2021
Venue: The Basin Theatre, Doongalla Rd & Simpsons Rd, The Basin, Bayswater, Victoria 3154 (Melway Reference 66A6)
Time: 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th 8pm; 18th 5pm/twilight; also, matinee on the 11th at 2pm
Tickets:available shortly! Watch this space or enquire via email (tickets@cppcommunitytheatre.com.au) or phone 0450 804 856 (between 2pm and 5pm)

https://bit.ly/35O5rdK

* CARPE JUGULUM IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2021)

It's a change of Discworld for the Brisbane Arts Theatre later this year! Instead of the formerly announced Feet of Clay, this September will see the staging of Carpe Jugulum: "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/

4.3 REVIEWS

* REVIEW: MAKING MONEY IN BRISBANE, FOURECKS

By Oliver Gough for Theatre Haus:

"The sharp wit and offbeat fictional world of legendary British fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett are taken on by the company in the three-act comedy, ‘Making Money’. The stage adaptation by Stephen Briggs is drawn from Pratchett’s 2007 novel of the same name... Set design in this production by Steven Beeston and Tim Pierce is impressive, with detailed Roman archways and shopfronts backed up by an intricate city skyline built into the top of the set. Complimenting this set is lighting design from David Willis, which highlights that skyline with a red glow from the back wall and dynamic use of spotlights throughout. Strong choices in lighting design, plus dynamic sound design from Zoe Power, are particularly on display in the underwater vault scenes as the stage is transformed into a blue, bubbling and echoey chamber. Costume design by Frances Foo, assisted by Kirily Jago, is also impressive...

"The three-act, two-interval structure may intimidate some audiences, but the second two acts were much shorter, possibly throwing into question the need for two ten-minute intervals... On opening night, understudy Tom Molnar stepped up and was likeable and eloquent as an upper-class English Moist Von Lipwig. John Grey somewhat stole the show as the stern but humorous Lord Vetinari, with a killer eyebrow slant. Grey lifted the energy in his scenes, bringing comedic relish and obvious experience to the show. Steve Durber played Mavolio Bent well, providing a foil for more outlandish characters like the cape-swishing Cosmo Lavish, played by an undeniably funny and committed Jon Darbro. Fran Price was an audience favourite with her colourful depiction of the eccentric Mrs Topsy Lavish, and Nick Daly stood out with his comedic instincts as a bank worker and ghoulish assistant to Peter Van Werkhoven’s wild mad scientist character. The rest of the ensemble brought gusto to their roles and worked together to bring the play’s quirky world to life..."

https://bit.ly/35TDW2m

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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...

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

If you've read Dodger, you will remember the kindly figure of Henry Mayhew, who assisted in the rescue that set the tale going. Many of us knew of the real Mayhew as the author of London Labour and the London Poor, the mid-19th century work that inspired the British government to begin its journey to providing social safety nets to its most distressed citizens. But there was much more to the man and his life than that!

Henry Mayhew was born in 1812, the fourth son of a well-to-do London solicitor (and father of thirteen other little Mayhews). According to the Encyclopaedia, young Henry ran away to sea at the age of twelve; according to many sources, this was because son and father did not get along; the boy wanted to be a research chemist but the father wanted all the Mayhew sons to follow him into the profession. Henry eventually gave in, studied law and joined the family firm, but his slapdash work nearly brought Mayhew senior to ruin, and they parted on such bad terms that Henry was cut out of his inheritance. As a result, he took up writing, moving in the "bohemian" arts circles, making the acquaintance of Dickens (as shown in its fictionalised version in Dodger), Thackeray and other leading lights of the age – and then became one himself, publishing successful plays and novels alone and in occasional collaboration with his younger brother Augustus.

Mayhew was co-founder of the comedic periodical Figaro, which he edited for four years (1835-39) before then co-founding Punch magazine (so beloved more than a century later by the young Terry Pratchett) in 1841, swerving as co-editor and "chief suggestor" until 1845. He then founded a daily newspaper, the Iron Times, covering news of the new railways (another passion shared with The Author), but it bankrupted him within a year, so he returned to writing, publishing more successful novels, this time with a distinct component of social satire. He also worked as a journalist, and before long, the two interests melded, in a report he wrote for the Morning Chronicle about the notorious slum known as Jacob's Island – yes, the very place where Dickens set the climax of Oliver Twist. According to literary historian Stephen Carver:

"‘A visit to the cholera districts of Bermondsey’ was a powerful piece of journalism, in which Mayhew combined his interest in chemistry with the devices of a novelist... Notably, he also gave various inhabitants a voice, interviewing and then quoting directly... This was powerful stuff, a vivid mix of art, science and drama. After years of select committees, royal commissions, questions in the House and earnest essays by doctors, Chronicle readers reacted to Mayhew’s revelations as if they were new... It was a cultural tipping point; the middle classes finally noticed the conditions in which the majority of the urban working classes had to live. Almost immediately after it appeared, the Chronicle announced a huge investigation to be entitled Labour and the Poor, which ‘proposed to give a full and detailed description of the moral, intellectual, material and physical condition of the industrial poor throughout England’... Mayhew would be the ‘metropolitan correspondent’... Mayhew’s ‘letters’, published three times a week, were a sensation, as he set out to describe the ‘poor of London’ in terms of different classes – ‘as they will work, they can’t work, and they won’t work’ – and the different causes of their poverty... interviewed skilled and unskilled labourers and tradesmen, seamstresses, merchant seamen, the inhabitants of low lodging houses and teachers and pupils at ragged schools... His scientific side was always on display, with an urge to quantify, define, analyse and categorize, oddly in balance with his traits as a novelist and dramatist and, increasingly, an activist. Although Mayhew saw himself as a dispassionate and impartial social investigator, his decision to give the poor a voice was in itself a partisan and radical act. He ultimately broke with the Chronicle at the end of October 1850, in a dispute over the political censorship of his work and the reporting of the adverse effect of free trade on wages in the inequities of piecework and the ‘sweating’ system of labour. This came to a head when he took the side of garment workers over their employer, H.J. and D. Nicholl of Regent Street, one of the Chronicle’s prominent advertising clients... continued to publish his ‘letters’ in tuppenny pamphlets, now with a focus on the London ‘Street Folk’ – sellers, traders, street performers, artisans, labourers, and criminals, men, women and children – beginning with a vast exploration of the culture of costermongers, Cockneys hawking all manner of goods out of baskets and barrows from dawn till dusk and the main suppliers of food to the working classes..."

And the rest is, quite literally, history.

According to the Britannica, "Short of money in his later years, he produced much hackwork and died in obscurity." A rather ignominious end on the face of it, but in truth, his most significant work lives on to this day. And in his own day, London Labour and the London Poor had an enormous influence on social reformers: "The often sympathetic investigations, with their immediacy and unswerving eye for detail, offered unprecedented insights into the condition of the Victorian poor. Alongside the earlier work of Edwin Chadwick, they are also regarded as a decisive influence on the thinking of Charles Dickens...:

...and on our favourite author!

London Labour and the London Poor is still in publication, and can be purchased in physical form from good booksellers, or downloaded for free as text or as an ebook from Project Gutenberg.

Sources: Stephen Carver, in particular https://wordsworth-editions.com/blog/henry-mayhew-1
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikipedia

...and a postscript: his direct descendant Patrick Mayhew was a leading Thatcherite minister, and Patrick's son Jerome Mayhew is a serving Tory politician. Somehow one imagines Henry would not have approved!

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07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Blogger Wyrd Smythe was unimpressed by the Long Earth series and explains why in a long post:

"I think it’s safe to say that I am not, and probably never will be, a fan of science fiction author Stephen Baxter... Recently I finished The Long Earth, a five-book series Baxter co-authored with my all-time, no-exceptions, favorite fiction author, Terry Pratchett. The series is based on an interesting parallel worlds idea from a short story, The High Meggas, Pratchett wrote back in the mid-1980s. Much to my disappointment, I was also notably underwhelmed by this series. Which was something of a shock; I’ve liked – really liked – everything I’ve read by Pratchett. His Discworld series is my favorite series of any genre, but I’ve really enjoyed all his other work, too. Until now... In all five novels, Baxter divides our attention between several largely unrelated plot threads. The last two books seemed even more distracted. Pratchett was out of the picture by then, and Baxter’s heart doesn’t seem in the work any more... I found very little of Pratchett’s touch in any of the books, although there were definite glints and glimmers in the first two... Part of what made the books boring was not caring about the characters. They, and their efforts, just didn’t engage me. I don’t recommend this series unless one is already a Baxter fan. It’s definitely not an attraction for Pratchett fans – there’s very little of Sir Terry to be found..."

https://logosconcarne.com/2021/05/22/the-long-baxter/

Blogger Feminist Quill's odd review of Moving Pictures:

Moving Pictures is one of the rare times I’ve disliked a Pratchett book... It’s as if all the famous Pratchett Particles of inspiration hit him at the same time, and he had to try and write everything down together and make it make sense. It’s a game effort – the plot itself being rather original while expertly parodying Hollywood, celebrity culture and the movie industries in general. Humour is threaded through the book as usual, although what I found more interesting were the amusingly random characters thrown together in Moving Pictures. Victor, a student wizard from Unseen University, always scores exactly between 80 and 88 on his exams. This way, he can continue to benefit from a scholarship left to him by his uncle (possibly forever.) Ginger is a former milkmaid, and doesn’t really relish the prospect of going back to it. They find themselves answering the call of the Holy Wood, becoming the Disc’s first superstars. Victor and Ginger aren’t the most interesting characters, but they’re joined by ‘Throat’ Dibbler, Gaspode the talking dog, newly minted Archchancellor Ridcully, Ancient Runes, the Bursaaaar, the Librarian and many other familiar faces from the Discworld universe. All of them have great comic scenes that are individually enjoyable, but put together, the effect is… exhausting. There’s too much happening in Moving Pictures. Too many jokes. Too many references. Too many subplots. To be fair, there’s always too much happening in Terry Pratchett novels, and when the subject matter isn’t as confusing, the effect is pretty great. Here, it’s just hard to keep track..."

https://bit.ly/3gU7V0D

...and an equally odd one of Reaper Man:

"Insofar as it deals with Death, Reaper Man is a pleasure to read. Unfortunately, Pratchett decides to incorporate – as one of the side effects of Death skiving off – what is essentially a get-off-my-lawn rant about shopping malls. And this part of the book – even with the hilarious hijinks of the wizards of Unseen University involved – is boring at best, and incomprehensible at worst. It’s not that those scenes lack in the trademark Pratchett wit or suspense. It’s just that (a) the fact that they’re fighting a shopping mall isn’t very obvious; and (b) a shopping mall isn’t a very scary idea to your average millennial... But no amount of intervention by rogue, semi-sentient shopping malls can dilute the power of Death’s part of the story. Assuming the name Bill Door, Death makes his way to a random farm, where he is hired to work as an odd-job man. Building heartwarming connections with the other villagers, Death finally begins to see things from the perspective of the, er, harvest. So to speak. Reaper Man stays with us long after we have finished reading it because of the tender humanity evinced by the anthromorphic[sic] Death. Pratchett does a great job of getting us invested in Death as a character – so much so that my eyes light up whenever he turns up in one of the Discworld books..."

https://bit.ly/3wX7NCX

...while blogger Camren Singrey doesn't exactly disagree:

"What don’t I like about Moving Pictures? In my hazy memory of binging every Discworld book, it didn’t leave a good impression. Knowing that my opinions have changed multiple times in this rereading process, I hoped to find myself understanding the appeal of this book in a way that I hadn’t before. Sadly, this time I feel mostly the same. Moving Pictures can take the place of my least favorite Discworld book, unless something changes in the future. Realistically, one of the earliest books in the series should win this prize, but there’s a difference there that has to do with expectations. The Colour of Magic is barely a proper Discworld book at all, but it’s funny for what it is, and I enjoy seeing Terry in the process of working it out. Similarly for Equal Rites, the execution isn’t quite there but the spirit is very much intact. Moving Pictures, on the other hand, comes after books like Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! that show how much higher a Discworld novel can reach, and its lack of ambition is comparatively disappointing... Moving Pictures has some more satisfying elements. Gaspode the Wonder Dog is a great character and brings life to the story whenever he’s in it, and the gaggle of assorted animals that follow him are also quite entertaining (and provide some interesting foreshadowing for the events of Reaper Man). The wizards of Unseen University really come together as a group here, and fulfill their ultimate destiny of being the funniest subplot in a story that isn’t really about them. Detritus the troll has a pretty big role here and is as entertaining as he will be in future installments. But most of these are examples of elements that would be even better later..."

https://bit.ly/3dcFuse

Blogger Jamie Hall's review of Equal Rites:

"Equal Rites is definitely where Pratchett finds his own voice, now he has a real plot and some actual storytelling behind the wonderfully crafted jokes. At its core Equal Rites is a tale about equality and the injustices of the Discworld, and it does a great job of exploring these themes while maintaining a witty tone. While I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the series it was really Equal Rites that first got me hooked onto Terry Pratchett. This is a fun, humorous, and well crafted story about a young girl names Esk and her experiences of growing up in the world of magic. As the third in the series Pratchett doesn’t bother diving too much into the Discworld mythology, this allows him to progress the story much more easily, yet sadly this will leave big points of confusion for readers who may start their journey here... The biggest strength of Equal Rites is the wonderful character development we get to experience. Unlike the first two stories the character here feel more fleshed out, more real rather than simple one dimensional parodies of other, bigger, fantasy characters. These beings are charming, witty, likeable, but also hugely flawed, and it is their moments of self actualisation that are the most interesting to me..."

https://bit.ly/3zUsS2N

Blogger Ryan aka Muse With Me is back with thoughts on Hogfather:

"If you have even a passing interest in the series or the author, you have no doubt come across quotes lifted from this book at least once or twice. No other novel in the series has been referenced nearly as often, as far as I’ve seen. It’s easy to see why, it’s a very quotable book. I even went out of my way to watch scenes from the TV movie adaptation years ago too. This put me in a weird state of mind when starting this book, though, as there was so much unknown to me that I was excited to finally dig into, yet it was also a little too familiar... I just can’t help but imagine the story rearranged in a way that we’re more in line with what Susan knows, equally bewildered by Death’s wild change in vocation. Even though it makes sense that Susan does not know what the reader does, the way it unfolded stunted the pacing of the story. While I did find this all bothersome, I can’t deny that the reading experience during these sections was still enjoyable. I love how vexed Susan is by otherworldly forces that she cannot help but notice, driven to do something even when she is not obliged to, despite her desire for separation from it all. The antics of Archchancellor Ridcully and the other head wizards was entertaining as always too, the manifestation of the 'oh god' of Hangovers being especially amusing. It played well with the world’s conception of gods, firmly established back in the novel Small Gods. These parts may not have driven the plot very much, but they did add a richness of character to the story, as well as tied in closely with the story’s motifs about belief and imagination. The parts of the book I absolutely adored were those about Death trying his best to perform the Hogfather’s duties. In his novels, Death is typically given a less plot-driven role, focusing more on his character but giving him less to actively do. This book gave us the best of both worlds, as doing this job is important for the outcome of the overall narrative, but much more emphasis is put on character..."

https://bit.ly/2UFYf1b

...and blogger Joe Kessler aka The Lesser Joke returns with his perhaps over-analytical and oh so presentist review of Monstrous Regiment:

"Terry Pratchett strikes a fine balance between showing the camaraderie and bravery of soldiers on the one hand – the reasons someone might find that life appealing – and the bleak inanity of military regulations and war itself on the other. He also shows his fantasy Discworld setting becoming a bit more open-minded towards people in Polly’s situation, many of whom have only been lacking the courage to speak out about the gender roles and restrictive religious teachings they privately disfavor. It’s pretty much a standalone volume within its series, with a few fun cameos from existing characters but little that would prevent a new reader from fully following along. And although it contains some minor fatphobia and a greater deal of sexism than I think the writer intends, plus the sort of cross-dressing plot whose essentialist view of anatomy leaves minimal room for a trans experience, the book overall presents a welcome message of questioning tradition, finding your own path, and accepting those who are different from you. If that sounds like a mixed bag, well, it is – but that’s Pratchett in a nutshell, really, as able to punch down at marginalized groups as up at systems of oppression..."

https://bit.ly/3zZ2Ag3

Self-described "social entrepreneur and bestselling author", so bestselling that he doesn't even merit a Wikipedia page, totally fails to "get" Dodger:

"I’m giving a certain amount of leeway here as I assume this is one of Pratchett’s books for younger readers (like his wonderful ‘Wee Free Men’) and therefore isn’t going to tackle themes which are too deep or dark. Nevertheless, it’s not awfully good. ‘Dodger’ is a book I could have lived my life without reading and it is certainly not a book I will feel the need to read again. There’s nothing terrible about it per se – it’s a perfectly fine story and set of characters. The book is well written, of course. It’s just not up to the standard of Pratchett’s Discworld stories. I do find it hard to explain. You can’t accuse the author of being a one-trick pony because the Discworld stuff just doesn’t work like that. The genius of Pratchett’s universe is that it can tackle and parody just about anything in history, politics, culture or society, past of present. In effect, the novels (while still all being comic fantasy) take on completely different flavours. Furthermore, when you look at books like ‘Good Omens’ (admittedly co-authored with the brilliant Neil Gaiman) you can see Pratchett can be utterly hilarious away from his magical land. So why doesn’t ‘Dodger’ work?... I have no great conclusion to the conundrum. My only guess is that this just wasn’t a good one for Pratchett. It must have seemed inspired at the time – for all the above-mentioned reasons – but it just came out a dud..."

https://bit.ly/3dvorlJ

Blogger Kizzia Mildmay explains that hard-boiled egg:

"Night Watch is, in my opinion, the best Discworld book Terry Pratchett ever wrote. I have re-read it at least once every year since it was first published, back in November 2002, always around May 25th when the book is set (and often a second time if I’m doing a full Discworld read through). Each time the rightness of the book bubbles up through the pages as fresh and clear and astonishing as if I were reading it for the first time. All of Terry’s books are, to some extent or other, about what it truly means to be a human living in a society. Night Watch takes that theme, turns it up to 11, and turns you inside out while it does so...
In order to explain exactly why it is so wonderful I’d have to spoil the plot and I don’t want to do that. I want you to read it for yourself (after reading the five books which come before it so you receive the maximum impact of every word, although I suspect it works as a stand alone too because Terry was Just That Good)."

https://bit.ly/2Spg57B

Blogger James E Hartley analyses Reaper Man:

"There is much wisdom in Windle’s post-life pre-death reflections. Life is indeed strange, but we the living have a hard time noticing it because we are too busy with the mundane details of living. Living does involve a lot of mundane things. Eating, Sleeping, Bathing, Dressing, and Tearing Unwanted Plants out of the Ground. Much like a Left Guard or a Third Basemen, when you are in the Game of Life, you have a hard the seeing the whole game. Marching along in our tiny little ruts in life, we do indeed have a hard time seeing how our little ruts fit into the larger traffic system. Thoreau screamed at you about the life of quiet desperation you are leading. He wants you to break our patterns. Go life in a cabin in the woods for a couple of years. Or whatever. Just get out of your rut. You read Thoreau and sigh, 'That seems a tad bit extreme.' Terry Pratchett has a simpler solution. Just step outside yourself and notice that life is strange and wonderful. For a moment, look past all the boring and mundane things you have to do today, and look around until you notice something really, really odd. Think about that oddity for a bit. Then, laugh..."

https://jamesehartley.com/looking-at-life-off-kilter/

Blogger Lynn found The Light Fantastic slightly lacking... or maybe not:

"I will preface this review by stating that at the moment I’m not totally blown away by the Discworld, but, at the same time, I had been warned that this could take two or three books before it really took hold so I’m still very hopeful. I will also clarify that last remark by saying I’m not disliking what I’ve read so far, so much as it hasn’t quite knocked my socks off in the way I’d hoped, or more to the point, whilst there have been quite a number of moments that have made me smile I haven’t had a proper laugh out loud moment just yet. I do have expectations though and I suspect that as I continue with Lou on this journey we will become attached to the characters and familiar with the world in a way that immerses us much more and provides a greater sense of connectivity... I really enjoyed certain aspects of this one. The forest – which has a decidedly fairytale feel and the whole visit to the home of Death. I loved both those scenes. Of course, everything Pratchett does is tongue in cheek and softly fun poking at the fantasy tropes but those two particular scenarios particularly stood out for me. To be honest, although I’ve not been totally knocked out by the two first books in this series, I can see myself already becoming attached. I like the humour, it reminds me very much of Monty Python and obviously Douglas Adams. To be honest, I know already, that I will love elements of these books because I’ve read the Tiffany Aching series which were excellent..."

https://bit.ly/3gT3Mde

...and finally, blogger Grainne, whose own wordcraft and vocabulary are fascinatingly idiosyncratic, offers a long analysis of Rincewind in general and Sourcery in particular:

"Came sooner, Coin, ravaged the Lore and ended the Archchancellor election by exhibiting a glimpse of his “virtue” and simply sat on the highest cathedra without much of a struggle. Then we become versed that the prevailing wizards are the legitimate pests as they feed on the proffered power no human can contest. Fortunately, our Rincewind perceived the signs as ominous even before the source of magic came into view. But unfortunately, this was another chance for an adventure he ardently does not want. And unfortunately, indeed, it has to be a woman who owns a fascinating voice to compel him to assist the Archchancellor’s hat on a trip to Klatch for a reason of sorts. Pratchett built a world in a disk. And he went on a full measure in the concept of domination through his book, Sourcery. The question was, “If wizards are powerful, why didn’t they rule the world?” I’ve read few books that dealt with this query and the writers replied fairly quick–they still made sense that imposed acknowledgement. What is Pratchett’s response? Or rather, how did Pratchett respond? Instead of reposting, he thought long and resolved the trope in all the pages of Sourcery. It will lose the balance. The wizards will not be contented in the division of domain. Like empires, they will conquer adjacent lands and even remote enclaves. Tectonic plates will shiver as rocks ascend into towers by magical summoning to fight their own kind they once called brothers. Shove a magically overpowered human who even traps the gods in an attempt to be the sole divine; you invite frozen titans indignant to revert the state of the world to the glacial age... Sourcery is a Discworld series still wealthy with wisecracks. But for a reader acclimated to Pratchett’s usual amount of humor, one would observe that the opulence curtailed..."

https://bit.ly/3wUk3UM

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08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

The Ankh-Morpork coat of arms (and legs) does special service in the Discworld Emporium's semi-closing announcement:
https://bit.ly/3gWpRrc

The cast of Brisbane Arts Theatre's just-finished production of Making Money... and is that a ghost at the back?!:
https://bit.ly/3xQvQn0

A lovely way to go – the Discworld themed funeral of fan Steven Thornton: https://bit.ly/3dbwAvp

Re that funeral, Rhianna Pratchett tweeted: ""That’s a hell of a resting place. 100% Pratchett approval. GNU Steven Thornton"
https://bit.ly/3xSB5D2

A look at the cover for the Ultimate Discworld Companion: https://bit.ly/3daAnsG

That wonderful orangutan photo (as mentioned in item 3: https://bit.ly/3wYinJX

Possibly Your Editor's favourite photo ever of Sir Pterry, that accompanied the article in item 3.9 above:
https://bit.ly/3gSyB1y

...and finally, a beautiful badge created for the 2013 New York Comic Con 2013 by artist Justin Gerard, as posted by Pinback Travels (ask him about pins!):
https://bit.ly/3wVnsmv

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09) CLOSE

It's been obvious to many people for some time now that ol' Auntie Beeb has jumped a lot of sharks, but this one – on Sir Pterry's own home ground – takes an entire bakery's worth of biscuits:

"The Watch is crossing the pond. The BBC has acquired the UK rights to the BBC America original series after striking a deal with international distributor and sister company BBC Studios. The series will debut on the iPlayer on Thursday July 1st and will subsequently get a linear run on BBC Two later this year."

https://bit.ly/3gS82K4

Right then, that's it for now. More than ever, mind how you go, and we hope to see you next month!

– 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

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
March/April 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 3, 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 CONVENTION NEWS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"You have to learn that grammar, punctuation and spelling are not things that only happen to other people."
– Sir Pterry, talking about how to become a writer (1996)

"That’s what the gods are! An answer that will do! Because there’s food to be caught and babies to be born and life to be lived and so there is no time for big, complicated, and worrying answers! Please give us a simple answer, so that we don’t have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don’t fit the way we want the world to be."
– Mau, in Nation, figures out what makes humans tick

"We played Bat out of Hell at the end of Dad’s funeral (and I thoroughly recommend ending such things on an ‘up’ song) and he also chose it as one of his songs on Desert Island Discs. It has a special place in my heart. A big GNU for Jim Steinman."
– Pratchett the Younger notes the passing of one of Music With Rocks In's greatest lyricists

"I save about twenty drafts – that's ten meg of disc space – and the last one contains all the final alterations. Once it has been printed out and received by the publishers, there's a cry here of 'Tough shit, literary researchers of the future, try getting a proper job!' and the rest are wiped."
– Sir Pterry again, back in the days when he had world enough and time to chat with fans on Usenet

"Pratchett started his career in local papers, so he knows his amusingly shaped onions. He died in 2015, eight years after his diagnosis with a rare form of Alzheimer’s. 'An embuggerance,' he called it. It was like losing Gandalf."
– respect from Times journalist Laura Freeman

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

On the twenty-eight day of this month, one of Roundworld's{1} best-beloved authors was born. Your Editor is not in the habit of wishing a happy birthday to anyone who can no longer celebrate it{2}, and therefore neither is Wossname, but Wossname definitely and wholeheartedly wishes that all appreciators everywhere of the brilliant work and life of the late Professor Sir Terence David John Pratchett, OBE and Blackboard Monitor will raise a toast in love and respect, and celebrate the day of his birth by re-reading some favourite passages from Discworld or other Pratchett novels{3}. GNU Sir Terry. GNU forever.

A few bits and bobs (not to be confused with odds and sods – those are in part 3):

Don't forget that Troll Bridge is now available to view online. Yes, it's a fan film, but it's slick and classy and lovingly made and The Author himself did contribute to its making. Enjoy!

https://www.trollbridge.film/

A year on in the seemingly never-ending pandemic, Stephen Briggs celebrated by re-reading the first instalment of many he's read to Clacks listeners over the months. Another thing to enjoy...

https://bit.ly/2QXHvjU

Something Sir Terry would have approved of: Tasmania and Spain are the latest to legalise assisted dying

And speaking of notable birthdays, Wossname wishes a happy 50th to "Anthony J Crowley" aka the redoubtable (and suspiciously young-looking) David Tennant.

And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor


{1} And certainly ours!
{2} As far as we know
{3} This happens regularly in my household anyway, but the 28th will be a special birthday-celebrating re-read

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03) ODDS AND SODS

3.1 THE CARPET PEOPLE TURNS 50

Hard to believe, isn't it? And more astonishing still to think that a number of then-young readers who fell in love with The Carpet People when it was first published will have passed that love on to their children – and soon, their grandchildren. It's such a lovely book that even if Sir Terry hadn't gone on to even greater heights, it would still be respected and loved as a children's literature great.

The audiobook of The Carpet People, as read by David Tennant especially for the occasion of its 50th birthday, is now available in the UK as a digital download or CD!

https://bit.ly/3ezAOgb

The official tweet!

"Introducing a very special edition of The Carpet People, Terry’s first published novel, written when he was just 17. Celebrating 50 years since its first publication, it will be available on 22 April, and is released alongside a new audiobook read by the wonderful David Tennant."

https://twitter.com/terryandrob/status/1377186283395579909

A loving Guardian piece by Alison Flood:

"'Terry would have loved knowing that David was going to do it,' said Rob Wilkins, Pratchett’s former assistant and friend who now manages the Pratchett estate. 'David was a Doctor Who that really mattered in the Pratchett household, so he would have been so thrilled.' Pratchett dreamed up The Carpet People as a teenager; a 1971 interview revealed that he was 'putting the world to rights … with a friend one evening when the friend got up to emphasise a point and started to pace across the room. "Don’t do that", said Terry suddenly, "You’ll disturb the carpet people." 'He was,' said Wilkins, 'writing early versions of The Carpet People in short stories when he was at school, so this goes way back. He was noodling around with ideas even then. He was thinking about this as a nano world. They’re much smaller than The Borrowers. They couldn’t wield needles as weapons; they would be ginormous to them. He was absolutely fascinated by a small, flat world.'... The Carpet People manuscript was picked up when he interviewed a local publisher, Peter Bander van Duren, and mentioned that he was working on a book. Van Duren’s co-director Colin Smythe took a look, and ended up becoming Pratchett’s first publisher, and later his agent. 'This was written by a 17-year-old, and seemed to me to be showing great promise of a brilliant, if not yet genius, mind – a kid at 17 who was writing so well must logically get better as he improved with experience,' said Smythe. 'His imagination was second to none.'..." [Amen to that! – Ed.]

https://bit.ly/3gR7e8P

[Editor's note: embedded part-way down the page is a two-minute extract from David Tennant's reading of The Carpet People]

3.2 PRATCHETT PROJECT TALKS AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Not even a worldwide pandemic could stop The Pratchett Project going ahead last year! The talks are now being released on YouTube. Check them out!

Space in Pratchett's Narrative Networks by Matthew Roughan:
https://youtu.be/mQ7HwMyjOPM

Political Idealism in the Discworld Novels by Ruchira Mandal:
https://youtu.be/FlBjXXa3v6A

The Big Wahoonie: Ankh-Morpork as Cross-Media Urban Imaginary by Helena Esser:
https://youtu.be/RUTwLO33zKA

The Wilkins speaks! Assisting Terry Pratchett, an interview with Rob Wilkins from the Pratchett Project Conference 2020:
https://youtu.be/Izh_EZ-mb8g

More to come...

https://twitter.com/PratchettProj

3.3 RESPECT FOR THE LITERARY POWER OF "THE TRUTH"

A takes-no-prisoners retrospective by journalist Laura Freeman, who calls it " a comic novel that rivals Evelyn Waugh", in The Times:

"Why, when Virginia Woolf is shelved above the breakfast table in my flat (you know, just in case, in pre-Covid days, someone lofty came to tea) is my Pratchett collection, all four shelves of it, relegated to a bookcase at the end of the children’s corridor at my parents’ house? I blame 'sci-fi'. Worse, that many-headed monster the 'sci-fi-fantasy-sword-and-sorcery' section. I wish bookshops wouldn’t do it. Pratchett said that he wrote the Discworld series as an antidote to the 'belike he will wax wroth' school of otherworldly fiction: the followers of the followers of the followers of Tolkien, the sub-sub-hobbits. Move Pratchett to modern humour, or simply put him in fiction. Pratchett has been compared to PG Wodehouse, Stephen Leacock and Douglas Adams, but for my money the Discworld books are more like many-charactered, many-chaptered Dickens. I sympathise with the reader who gets as far as the first page of The Colour of Magic, the first in the 41-strong Discworld series, published in 1983, and on meeting the star turtle Great A’Tuin swimming through the interstellar gulf with four elephants on its back, thinks: 'You lost me at turtle.' But they’re wrong. If you like Shakespeare, you’ll love Wyrd Sisters, Pratchett’s 1988 novel. If you like comparative mythology you’ll worship Pyramids. If you’re into gothic romanticism you’ll sink your teeth into Carpe Jugulum. I’m a hack, so I value The Truth..."

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/972fdb90-8cad-11eb-a1a3-928d43a3bbc1

3.4 TIFFANY ACHING AND ADOLESCENT ANGER

An long, interesting essay on angry young women in literature, featuring our favourite Chalk witch. By Dorothy Bennett on Tor.com:

"There are, of course, angry female villains, angry male heroes, and angry male villains of all ages, but I’ve discovered only a relatively few examples of angry young female heroines... I discovered Pratchett’s Discworld as an adult, but Tiffany Aching’s youthful anger still charmed me. (Tiffany is only nine in her first novel and sixteen in her last, but even at the beginning of her series, she is precocious enough to be grouped with the older Meg Murry.) Tiffany is introduced combatting a destructive magical force armed only with a frying pan and a strong sense of right and wrong. She thinks, 'I ought to be scared, but I’m just angry.' As the story progresses, another source of Tiffany’s anger comes to light – anger at her community. There was a harmless old woman cast out on suspicion of witchery, who died as a result. Tiffany boils at the remembrance, knowing that it was vile on two accounts: the woman wasn’t a witch, and more importantly, she didn’t have the means to protect herself. Tiffany recalls her Granny’s belief that 'someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.' In the final showdown with the malicious Fairy Queen, Tiffany consistently draws on her anger over the Queen’s injustices to galvanize herself into action. 'Ye have murrrder in yer eyes,' observes another character with admiration. Pratchett even goes so far as to note that Tiffany’s 'anger rose up, joyfully' – a delightful paradox... To Tiffany, Pratchett promises: you’re different and special and powerful, and you’ll always be this way—isn’t it glorious to be a witch? Tiffany does occasionally act out wrongly during her series of five books, and has to make amends to her community and her fellow witches. But, nowhere is her anger seen as invalid, only the way in which she handles her anger..."

https://www.tor.com/2021/04/21/the-power-of-adolescent-anger-lengles-meg-murry-and-pratchetts-tiffany-aching/

3.6 GASPODE IS A TOP DOG

...but we already knew that. Writing for Penguin Books, Indira Birnie ranks some famous literary canines and Gaspode is near the top!

"They say dogs are a man’s best friend – and when you look at the starring roles these canine companions play in literature, it feels like never a truer word has been spoken. Whether they appear as a protagonist’s faithful chum, are helping to solve fiendish mysteries or even act as a terrifying adversary, this species has inspired writers for centuries (even millennia, if you're counting the dogs found daubed on cave walls from the earliest period of human civilisation). With so many fictional hounds occupying the pages, narrowing down to a top ten feels almost impossible and so, of course, there are some notable omissions. But here we are, from the wonderful to the weep-inducing, this is our absolutely incontrovertible, definitive list of the top ten dogs in fiction. No arguments, please."

The list, in order from last to first, is Argos from The Odyssey, the dog from the Adrian Mole books, Bosun from Life After Life, Buck from Call of the Wild, Snowy Tintin, Lufra from Frederica, Bull's-eye from Oliver Twist, Gaspode, Hairy Maclary from the Hairy Maclary and Friends books, and in the number one spot, Snoopy.

Note: Ms Birnie says "no arguments, please" but also says "What did you think of our list, and which dogs would you want to add? Let us know by emailing us at editor@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk"

https://bit.ly/3gAhVfL

3.7 THE MERCH CORNER

* Discworld.com discount week!

Discworld.com is having a "spring clean!" There is a twenty per cent discount on notebooks, greetings cards, t-shirts & keyrings, valid until 4th May if you use the code SPRING21 at the checkout. Enjoy!

https://discworld.com/

* REMINDER: new Stephen Briggs Discworld scriptbooks

Attention amateur theatre companies! Now that there may be an eventual end in sight to the Covid-19 pandemic and it may be time to start planning the return of Discworld to the stage, note that three new official Discworld scriptbooks have been published this month: The Shakespeare Codex, Lords and Ladies, and Hogfather. All three are now available direct from the publisher (Bloomsbury). Each scriptbook is priced at £9.89 (paperback) or £8.79 (ebook). For more information, and to purchase, go to:

The Shakespeare Codex: https://bit.ly/3rD40YL
Lords and Ladies: https://bit.ly/3eoXfpT
Hogfather: https://bit.ly/3bzxPUE

3.8 MAGIC IN THE LIBRARY...

An absolute gem of a short video from the BBC archives of 1996, in which The Author is joined for a chat in his beloved Beaconsfield Library by telly producer Steve Hocking. What a joy to hear his voice and bask in his gentle humour across the gap of years! Two minutes and thirty-one seconds of sheer magic:

https://bit.ly/2QXCCHA

3.9 PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB UPDATES

On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a Discworld discussion page. This month's instalments take us from part four of Guards! Guards! to the entirety of Good Omens (slipped in despite it not being Discworld).

Guards!Guards! part four:

"The discussion about having Colon use his special arrow to shoot the dragon in the 'voonerables' is, of course, a longform reference to many fantasy stories, but The Hobbit in particular. Which is mostly excellent because the idea of Colon as a suitable replacement for Bard the Bowman is hilarious. Honestly, most of the fun of the Watch stories comes from whenever most or all of the rank is hanging around and talking about how they’re going to handle a given situation, so this time on the roof is wonderfully done. I am beginning to realize that when I remembered this book, I always thought of Carrot as having more a central role in the action, however. Strange what your brain does in filling in the gaps of stories... I adore the confrontation between Vimes and Wonse because it is always treated this way, as though figuring out the mystery is the endgame because no one would ever have a plan once they knew they’d been discovered. Like being caught robs a villain of their adaptability and imbues the detective with a power of their own. Oh no, Detective Poirot is going to explain to us who the killer is, it’s all over now. When that is, of course, nonsense. If you’ve survived as long as Wonse has doing this sort of thing, you are at least somewhat prepared for the eventuality of being confronted..."

https://bit.ly/3c1mmNT

...and five:

"The whole ending sequence of this book is just perfectly written. The parody, the physical comedy, the cinematic quality to the entire thing. Picturing them all fast walking, then trotting, and full out running to the palace. Reading everyone their rights in the most useless manner possible. (Also, apparently there is historical precedent for arresting animals in our own world too? So, you know, Carrot is perfect.) Lord Vetinari appearing around every corner to hound Wonse. And then the greatest character death in any book I’ve ever read, made by a metaphor becoming a reality and dropping someone out a window. Also, my petty streak really appreciates the moments where Vimes gets the chance to tell Vetinari to shut up. And I love that they just ask for a solid pay bump and a kettle at their little hero ceremony while Vetinari looks on in shock. I’d have laughed like Vimes too..."

https://bit.ly/2PnHrty

...and Asher-Perrin now moves on to Good Omens. Editor's note: Not quoting extracts here because in my opinion this blogger's ever-present presentism is turned up to a painful degree in these analyses, but feel free to read them...

Part the first: https://bit.ly/3mjycGO

...and second: https://bit.ly/3dQghnb

...and third: https://bit.ly/3gDqrKJ

...and last: https://bit.ly/3xqE460

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

04) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS

4.1 AUSDWCON UPDATES

An announcement, with footnotes

The Convention Moves...

Memorandum
From: Lord Vetinari, The Oblong Office, Ankh-Morpork
Subject: The Australian Discworld Convention 2021 – 2nd to 4th July 2022 – 8th to 10th April, Sydney

The convention moves...
New dates, same theme, same venue...
happy hippos looking at calendar that says April 8,9,10 2022

Mark your calendars – tell your DisOrganiser – we have locked in new convention dates for Nullus Anxietas 7a – The Australian Discworld Convention: 8th to 10th April 2022. It may be delayed, but you can still look forward to a long weekend of Discworld related entertainment and education(1). Because the convention dates have changed, we have also moved the cut-off dates for the Early Bird tickets, the Not-So-Early-Bird tickets and the Gala Dinner.

Early Bird tickets will be available until 8th August 2021
Convention tickets and Gala Dinner tickets will be available until 13th March 2022
If you have already bought a ticket, and find to your utter dismay that you can no longer join us, then please contact our membership secretary via the Contact Us page with your membership number and they will organise a refund. This offer is open until 28th February 2021.

Same theme
Our convention theme remains the same, and we look forward to welcoming you to the bustling and exciting(2) metropolis of Ankh-Morpork, "Citie of One Thousand Surprises!"(3) Join us as we explore the winding streets from the Isle of Gods(4) to the Shades(5) to the Unseen University(6).

Same venue
The venue is still the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Sydney. The convention is taking over the whole conference area on the first floor - so that gives us one very large room and six smaller rooms suitable for workshops, discussions, Klatches(7) and dungeon (complete with scorpions(7a)). As a teaser, here is another iconograph of the venue – showing some of the pre-convention area and (very safe) chandelier.

1 This may include surprises.
2 Also very smelly and quite dangerous, but then no city is perfect!
3 Some of them are nice!
4 Where you may be mugged.
5 Where you will definitely be mugged.
6 Where you won't be mugged buy may not come out the same shape/colour/species.
7 A klatch is a chance for a dozen lucky people to meet with our guests for a more intimate conversation.
7a In case of mimes.

https://2022.ausdwcon.org/blog/2022dates/

...and an update, also with footnotes:

The Lost Con
As you hopefully know by now, sadly the Australian Discworld convention has been postponed until April next year. The theme remains Ankh-Morpork – Citie of One Thousand Surprises[1]!

Because April next year is such a long time away[2], we wanted to do something fun to celebrate our lost convention. Thanks to the magic of the Omniscope, this will be a virtual event running on Saturday 3rd July 2021 – named The Lost Con[3].

The theme will be catching up and having fun, because it has been such a long time since we last saw each other. We have sent our mascots, Keith and Roderick[4], on a quest to find some exciting events, genial guests and astounding activities for the day. More details will be posted on our website soon.

1 Some of them nice!
2 By then we may all be wearing silver foil jumpsuits and travelling in flying carriages.
3 Yes – you got us – it's a pun on "The Last Continent", which in turn was Terry's pun on "The Lost Continent" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
4 Keith and Roderick are of course the hippos from the Ankh-Morpork coat of arms – who you will have met in "Feet of Clay".

https://2022.ausdwcon.org/blog/raiders-of-the-lost-con/

This just in on the Nullus Anxietas Twitter account:

"Announcing the categories for The Lost Con* Maskerade! If you’re a prop producer, costume creator or first time fabricator we have a category for you!
More details coming soon!" The categories are Best Overall, Best Prop, Best costume Accessory, Best Presentation, Best Newbie, and Peoples[sic] Choice.

https://twitter.com/ausdwcon/status/1383223828751413250

4.2 IDWCON UPDATES

The upcoming Irish Discworld Convention has also been forced by circumstance to move online. Here be an FAQ. Some samples:

"Q. Why is the Convention being held online?

Due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, and after much deliberation, we have decided it is not safe or feasible to hold the Irish Discworld Convention in person in 2021. There are a number of factors that we have been considering very carefully for many months now, but it comes down to a few important details:
Safety: Although the vaccines are being rolled out very efficiently in some places like the UK, this is not the case here in Ireland. Vaccinations are happening frustratingly slowly. Furthermore, we are still not clear on the long-term efficiency for those at high-risk or against new strains. A Con that is not safe to attend is not an option.
Your pocket: If we go ahead and then have to cancel at short notice, we know that we cannot offer any refunds or help you out with travel/accommodation costs. This doesn't seem fair.
Our pocket: We have been handed the reins of IDWCon and we take this honour very seriously. We must ensure the financial security and longevity of the convention so that we can meet up when it is safe to do so.
We're not sure if you can get here: Cork airport recently announced they will close the airport for 2 weeks in the Autumn but have not stated when. Seriously – I think we have angered the gods!!!!!

Q. But I’m already vaccinated. Surely everyone will be vaccinated by then?
The vaccine rollout is not happening nearly as quickly as we would like in Ireland. Furthermore, even if you are vaccinated, we do not know how effective this will be and how it will work against future potential strains.

Q. But what if you only let vaccinated people attend?
In the future, there may be such things as ‘vaccination passports’ which may allow the enforcement of such an idea, but no such thing exists yet. Plus, we still don’t know what level of travel restrictions there will be on entering Ireland in October – even if you can prove you are vaccinated. Vaccinations also don’t last forever so you would need to be able to show a recent vaccine (recent may vary depending on the particular vaccine)

Q. But it’s March – aren’t you making this call too soon?
We have been considering an online format for some time now and have progressively seen it as increasingly inevitable. The recent announcement of the closure of Cork airport has made us make this decision now. Plus – we need lots of time to prepare this online event to the standards we expect!

Watch this space. We will update as things are finalised. Alternatively, please contact chair@idwcon.org for specific queries."

https://2021.idwcon.org/index.php?id_cms=51&controller=cms

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

* A WORD FROM THE UNSEEN THEATRE...

Dear Patrons,

You are probably wondering why you haven't heard from us for some time. This is because, despite our most well laid plans, basically COVID 19 has taken absolutely no notice of them at all!! When this embuggerance first descended on us we knew that we would probably be prevented from producing anything in 2020, but we had been hoping to do something in May this year. Unfortunately the "Year of the Beleaguered Badger" turns out to be aptly named not only for the Discworld but for ours. I mean we always knew that the Discworld held up a mirror to our own, right? – but did it really have to go this far???? Anyway we are hoping that the Badger and ourselves turn out to be less beleaguered in November. If that is the case then we hope to be bringing you one of our favourites – "Wyrd Sisters". It will run from November 15th to 27th.

Auditions will be in early August. Please keep these days free.

https://unseen.com.au/

* MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK IN ABINGDON (NOVEMBER 2021)

At last! From the Studio Theatre website:

"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.

"We wanted to stage a play involving the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch. But we'd already staged all of Stephen Briggs' dramatizations [sic] featuring this noble group of guardians of justice. By coincidence, this year also marks the thirtieth anniversary of our first Pratchett play (and the first Pratchett dramatisation ever) – Wyrd Sisters. Stephen 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. All Terry."

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

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

06) 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...

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>

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

07) DISCWORLD GAMES NEWS

CLACKS IS BACK!!!

That is to say, it will be soon – and in a new, even better form. Your Editor has heard from Dave Brashaw of Backspindle Games that they have received licence from the Pratchett estate (nice one, Mr Wilkins!) to create a new "collector's edition" with a number of exclusive new features. The game will include miniatures of Moist von Lipwig on Boris, Clacks Towers, and a Deep Dwarf, as well as new playing cards and a new game called Goblin Glory, and the artwork is by the superb Guillermo Marsilla. Dave says that there is already a lot of interest and that "if Roundworldians are interested in it, they can ask to be added to our Collector's Clacks only mail list. Once we go to pre-order and let them all know, we'll be deleting that list. All they need to do is send an email to: backspindle@gmail.com and add their first name and surname.", so do drop them a line!

Also, The promo video is now available on YouTube at The Collector's Edition of Discworld Clacks boardgame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYfR2Z8elM8


*

HEX GAMES RETROSPECTIVE

A retrospective by Jim Cullinane:

"Most people will also be aware that, aside from the books, there were several television adaptations created (Going Postal and Hogfather for example). Some people may even be aware that there were 1997 animated adaptations for Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters by Cosgrove Hall. But bottom of the list, and rarely even discussed are the three Discworld video games that blessed our computers and consoles in the mid to late 1990’s... After the literacy success of The Colour of Magic a video game was developed and released in 1986 by Piranha on multiple formats such as Commodore and Spectrum. The video game was a complete failure, having 'several twinkles short of a glitter', but thankfully it is rarely spoken of. But then we hear the wise words of Pratchett himself, 'if failure had no penalty success would not be a prize.'... Thankfully during the 1990’s Gregg Barnett managed to successfully persuade Sir Terry Pratchett an offering and design concept that would allow him the power to direct a large adventure game for CD-based computer systems. Instead of the initial adaptation of a singular novel, this would cover a vast degree of titles penned by the great author himself. Discworld was born. With a development team combination of Teeny Weeny Productions and Perfect 10 Productions, Gregg Barnett directed the game which would be published by Psygnosis in 1995. The game was released in MS-DOS, Macintosh and Sony PlayStation formats with a Sega Saturn version being released the following year – time would tell if they were cutting their own throats. Discworld, also known as Discworld: The Trouble with Dragons, was a commercial success in Europe with its plot and humour being praised...."

And plenty more here:

https://bit.ly/3aEM1e4

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

Crowley by da Quirm, as channelled by da Vinci, as channelled by Kidby (as it were): https://bit.ly/3exOCHT

A lovely piece of Good Omens fanart, by Ineffable Phoenix: https://bit.ly/2PpgO7i
https://bit.ly/2PpgO7i

AusDWCon's Raiders of the Lost Con logo: https://bit.ly/3efpkOL

The Chalk, as imagined by Paul Kidby. With Feegles, of course: https://bit.ly/2R6ABsU

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

09) CLOSE

Department of lost in translation: the telly series The Watch has now been released in South American and there are a number of reviews. Some of them contain comic gems (more comical, in Your Editor's opinion, than the subject of the reviews). A few here, with "overloaded and Brownish hooligan" a standout:

"‘The Guard’ is an impossible mix of clear and genuine British flavor that moves on the edge of the precipice of chaos and ridicule... ‘The guard’ is a dystopa[sic] lost in time and space. A medieval fantasy of a reality that doesn’t seem to make much sense, in one of those 'parallel' universe in which Douglas Adams’ Ford Prefect would feel at home. But above all ‘The Guard’ is an overloaded and brownish hooligan where everything is susceptible to being a joke and there is no need to take anything seriously. Something in general lines chaotic, capricious and anarchic towards which, on the other hand, you have to have some kind of vital affinity... A bizarre production, which embraces the ridiculous and lies down with the absurd..."

https://www.explica.co/criticism-the-guard-an-instinctive-response.html

Right then, that's it for now. Mind how you go, and we hope to see you next month!

– Annie Mac

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The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner (at) pearwood (dot) info

Copyright (c) 2021 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
January 2021 (Volume 24, Issue 1, 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) THE (*&^%^$#@!@#%^!) WATCH REVIEWS
04) ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"If you adapt them badly, people will come along and think: 'well that was a pile of old shite, if that was Terry Pratchett, he can stick it up his arse'."
– Stephen Briggs, relating the wisdom of Pratchett re adaptations of his work

"You've chosen to adapt the author's work because, presumably, you admire their writing. If you think you can improve on their humour/drama/characterisation you should really be writing your own plots, and not torturing theirs."
– Mr Briggs again

"It wants to be grim and gritty with dark secret magics, and epic world-changing events. But that is not what Discworld is about really. It feels like in an effort to make yet another 'serious' fantasy show, the showrunners stripped away everything that makes Discworld entertaining."
– webjournalist Emily O'Donnell

"I recently likened Simon Allen's Watch series to a candidate going into an exam and pulling all the stops out to write the best essay they could, leaving the exam hall really pleased with how well they did, and getting no marks, because however good it was, they didn't read the actual question."
– Nick Caulfield, commenting on a review of The Watch

"My problem is that they took an already inclusive, thoughtful material and tried to update it to hit every check mark. And they did it carelessly, without fully understanding the original source material and the social commentary it had…which means they erased what made it inclusive in the first place."
– Romanian journalist Ana Dascalescu hits the nail on the head

"To his bones, Vimes is a policeman. In Jingo, he walks between two opposing armies and tries to arrest them for breach of the peace. He is the perfect man to wield power because he is so suspicious of how power can be abused, often by those who are convinced of their own righteousness. Underneath Pratchett's endlessly funny writing, Vimes is an iron core of principle. Even Antifa would like him."
– journalist Helen Lewis, on the *real* Vimes

"I don't drink but I have a feeling this would be a great place to start."
– blogger Riders of Skaith encounters "The Watch" and is rather strongly affected, not in a good way

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

One of my favourite novels down through the decades is "Shogun", by James Clavell. It's fiction, but was inspired by the life of William Adams, a Tudor-era English navigator who became Japan's first non-Japanese samurai and advisor to the shogun Tokugawa. In the novel, when John Blackthorne (the character based on Adams) is brought before the shogun Toranaga and interrogated as a precursor to inevitable execution, Toranaga queries the rebellion of the Dutch against their Spanish masters. He says – angrily – that there are no mitigating circumstances when it comes to rebellion against one's sovereign lord. Blackthorne replies, "Unless you win," thereby taking his interrogator by surprise and winning his relative freedom. "'Yes, Mister Foreigner, you have named the one mitigating factor.'" I was so struck by this that ever since first reading "Shogun" I've referred to anything that bends or breaks the rules, but wins beyond question, as having invoked the Blackthorne Defence.

There are a number of famous and less famous television series and films that in my opinion have successfully invoked the Blackthorne Defence.

"The Watch" is not one of them.

In adapting text for stage or screen, components can be – often as not, need to be – altered, truncated, or even, and this is the tricky part, left out altogether in order to tell the story effectively within the target medium. However, it needs to be done *well enough*, or with sufficient respect for the source material that the original meaning shines through, to justify those changes or exclusions; taking the source material's extant world-building and character descriptions and motivations, and then changing them beyond recognition while still presenting them as the same, is *not* the way to do it. And as for using the term "inspired by"... well, now. If "The Watch" was inspired by the Discworld series in general and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch in particular, as it's claimed to be (not to mention that BBC America, having contracted the rights, deliberately played the Discworld card from the get-go in order to confer an air of legitimacy on Simon Allen's product), surely *some* of the look, feel, character backstories, heart and, yes, spirit of Terry Pratchett's creation would have shone through. Instead, what we've been given is the lifting of names, places and partial plotlines from the work of the writer who did all the heavy lifting in the first place and the inexpert application of a thin-to-invisible coat of "inspired by" paint to characters and plotlines that have barely a nodding acquaintance with their progenitors.

For a textbook demonstration of how to do "inspired by" correctly, look no further than 2004's Battlestar Galactica, a series that took a television icon, reimagined it, made some basic character changes, shook it, stirred it, and gave the world a gripping work of genius that somehow paid loving respect to its "parent". Even cast members of the 1970s Glen Larson creation, who were at first angered by what they presumed was a mockery of their much-beloved original, were won over and rightly so (most notably Richard Hatch, the original "Apollo", who ended up giving a career performance as a completely different character in later seasons of "new" Galactica). Or consider "Elementary", which stars a mystery-solving pair – a character called Sherlock Holmes who shares only a few traits with Conan Doyle's original but is a fascinating character nonetheless, and a character called Doctor Watson, who shares pretty much nothing with Conan Doyle's original but again is a fascinating character – and stands tall on it own merits. And how about "Warm Bodies", a brilliantly witty zombie rom-com inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that pays respect to its source material even to the point of including a recognisable version of Juliet's nurse and, yes, the famous balcony scene. And there are adaptations that depart significantly from their source while still telling the story with mastery and grace; the television adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone" is one, Team Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is another. But "The Watch" is none of these things.

Furthermore, there's the widespread assertion by many press reviewers and pop-culture or fan-site pundits that only sad Pratchett fans will be up in arms about what's been done to "The Watch" – a contemptuous assertion at that (knocking on 100 million book sales, a knighthood for their author, several successful telefilms, and they're *still* playing the Kevin card?!), given that one doesn't have to be a fully engaged "Terry Pratchett is my deity" zealot to recognise when source material has been shoddily treated.

Rhianna Pratchett said that "The Watch series "shares no DNA" with Discworld. I believe that if her father were alive today, he would have stomped into the script conferences with Nanny Ogg-worthy hobnailed boots and made it very plain that he couldn't be having with the treatment showrunner-writer Simon Allen was giving his wonderful world.

And neither can I.

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And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

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03) "THE WATCH" REVIEWS

3.1 THE WOSSNAME REVIEW

By Steven D'Aprano

(This review is based on the first four episodes of the series and contains spoilers.)

It would be unfair to describe the BBC America's new series, "The Watch", as a total disaster of a show. I have certainly seen worse shows. But "The Watch" is not a faithful adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories and the most positive description I can give is that it is an indifferent police procedural fantasy that appropriates names, characters and story elements from the Discworld. Viewed as nothing more than a fantasy police procedural with no connection to Pratchett's work, "The Watch" is not entirely unwatchable, enough to be moderately engaging for a slow Sunday afternoon, around the same level of quality you might expect from a "mockbluster" or direct-to-DVD film. Showrunner/writer Simon Allen and BBC America have a legal licence to use the characters and story elements of the Discworld, so we can't describe it as outright theft, but it surely is a hijacking. Without Pratchett's name behind it, "The Watch" as it stands almost certainly would not have been made, and this comes across as an attempt to ride Pratchett's coat-tails with a B-grade fantasy, hoping to attract an audience by Pratchett's name alone.

If "The Watch" is merely a mediocrity on its own, as a Discworld adaptation it is a travesty. The contrast between this and 2019's excellent adaptation of "Good Omens" could not be greater, and the viewing figures bear that out: less than a third of the audience of "Good Omens" are tuning in to "The Watch". It is disrespectful to the source, a grab-bag of what seems to be the entire Discworld canon incompetently mashed together, like a cook who reasons that because people like lemon meringue, and they like chicken soup, it would be a brilliant idea to put the lemon meringue pie in the chicken soup. Only the chicken has been replaced by tofu and the lemon with bitter herbs. In that regard, "The Watch" does great harm to the memory of Sir Terry Pratchett, and to the Discworld brand. Anyone watching this show who doesn't know the books is likely to come away from it with the impression that Pratchett was an unfunny hack. Looking at the positive side, that puts Pratchett in exalted company with other writers such as Stephen King and Douglas Adams, whose works have also been butchered.

Marama Corlett as Corporal Angua, one of the most interesting characters in the original Watch novels, is flat and wooden. The interpersonal drama between characters ranges from weak to incompetent. And while the show tries very hard to be funny, it rarely succeeds. It manages to take the rich, clever and funny source material and make it fall flat. Jokes from the book are misused, such as the attempt by the city authorities to cover up dragon footprints by claiming the were left by a large wading bird. In the show, there are no dragon footprints, but the "angry wading bird" line is still used. What was funny in the book becomes nonsensical in the show.

But as bad as that it, the new material is even worse. To give you just a flavour of the level of humour in the new material, one running gag is that the head of the Thieves Guild is a virgin. Another example of the amateurish attempts at humour: the talking sword Gawain reveals that this is just its "stage name" (swords work in the theatre?) and its real name is Wayne. Oh how I laughed and laughed, not.

A few, a very few, of the cast have managed to impress me. Lara Rossi plays a character named after Discworld's Lady Sybil Ramkin. This Sybil is a young, slim, fierce vigilante whose parents were assassinated for reasons unstated in the show. Although the Sybil of the mini-series shares almost nothing with the Sybil of the books in either personality or looks, Rossi puts in an excellent performance. (I note that BBC America's diversity and inclusivity policy clearly does not extend to giving a leading role to an older lady of the full-figured disposition. Only hotties need apply.) Richard Dormer's performance as Captain Sam Vimes has slowly grown on me from a disastrous start. The early attempts to make Vimes funny, especially in the first episode, simply failed. Vimes was portrayed as Popeye crossed with Captain Jack Sparrow, which didn't really work. But I feel that Dormer is doing, perhaps not a great job, but a better than adequate one. He is playing a character who is not the Vimes of the books, but perhaps is *a* Vimes, in the same way that Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is not the Holmes of the books but is *a* Holmes. And Adam Hugill puts in a solid, workman-like performance as the fresh-faced, naive Constable Carrot of "Guards Guards". Out of all the members of the Watch, Carrot is perhaps the only one that might be considered a more or less authentic adaptation of their book counter-part.

The visuals for the character of Death are well done, Death's lines less so (too whiny and sorry for himself). And the police procedural elements are handled more or less competently, enough to be moderately engaging for a slow Sunday afternoon. The best parts of the show are those that are played as straight crime drama with a slight fantasy twist. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, it is. The production has too many clangers, things that just fall flat and give the impression that the production team are unskilled amateurs making the worst kind of fan-fiction rather than professionals. For example, when Carrot and Angua first meet, Angua is surprised that the 6ft tall Carrot identifies himself as a Dwarf. But then we are later shown that Angua is friends with Cheery the Dwarf, who is possibly even taller and burlier than Carrot, a fact that nobody has commented on. So why was Angua so surprised about Carrot's height? This is incompetent script writing.

In one scene, two extras standing in plain view appear to be dressed in contemporary 21st century jeans and tops.

https://imgur.com/a/CukbXHr

Detritus the troll looks like a cross between Groot from Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the elephant man John Merrick. Visually, the show tries to be moody but ends up just being murky instead. I didn't expect the dragon of a TV mini-series to be as expensively made as Smaug from the "The Hobbit", but surely they could have made it an actual dragon rather than a fire-breathing cloud.

https://imgur.com/a/yLnJpNM

Perhaps Simon Allen has forgotten how badly "Galactus is a cloud" worked for the 2007 "Fantastic Four" sequel, but surely he should have known that following "The Hobbit" and "Game Of Thrones", audiences will expect their dragons to look like actual dragons? I'm sure the smoke effects were incredibly technically difficult to pull off, and by the looks of it the few seconds it was on screen probably took half the budget of the show, but narratively it fails. It just makes bad television.

The drama in "The Watch" is at best mediocre, edging well into cliched melodrama. Pratchett's rich satire of humanity's foibles is reduced to having some goblins make unsubtle references to communism. Detritus' death is just silly. And the big bad antagonist, Carcer Dun, is as intimidating as a puppy and rather ineffectual. In one scene, he runs after one of his subordinates with a plaintive "Don't go!".

The show is plagued by inconsistency. On the one hand, they managed to work in a lovely little reference to Sybil needing to wear wigs because she breeds fire-breathing dragons. On the other hand they cast an actor to play Young Sam Vimes who looks nothing like the actor playing Sam Vimes years later. Think about the way Ewan MacGregor as young Obi-Wan Kenobi *looks* like he could have aged to become Alec Guinness, but in "The Watch", it feels like the casting department said, "He's a guy with a beard. Close enough."

https://imgur.com/a/OwsoOaS

Ultimately, "The Watch" simply isn't very good, and a handful of decent performances cannot save it. And if "The Watch" is merely mediocre taken on its own merits, as a Discworld adaptation it is unspeakably worse. It mashes together elements and characters of Guards Guards, Soul Music, The Colour Of Magic, Moving Pictures, Night Watch and more, with no finesse or understanding, and certainly no sign of respect for the source material. Characters from the books, both major and minor, are changed beyond recognition, both physically and in their personality. Just a few examples:

* The villain of Night Watch, Carcer Dunn, is the leader of a street gang who is recruited by some mysterious group (possibly the Auditors?) to tear down all of civilisation and physically destroy the city of Ankh-Morpork.

* The tired old unimaginative cliche that gives the protagonist Vimes a long-ago close friendship with the antagonist Carcer. Why would the head of police want to arrest or capture a criminal unless they were once close friends? Yes, that is meant to be sarcasm from me.

* Cheery the Dwarf is both beardless and seemingly the tallest Watch member, at least as tall as Carrot if not taller. This of course fatally undermines the joke that Carrot is a Dwarf (by adoption).

* Totally unironically, and rather misogynistically, Cheery's struggles with female erasure (the tendency for society to ignore, marginalise and erase women from history and culture) has been erased from the story. The lack of self-awareness by BBC America and the show runner regarding this matter is astonishing.

* Corporal Angua is a boyish, miserable bundle of hostility and despondency who has spent three quarters of the series with her face covered in grime for no apparent reason other that it looks edgy.

* Lupine Wonse, secretary to Lord Vetinari, is now just Wonse, former street urchin and criminal, working as a cleaner in Unseen University while secretly teaching herself magic.

* Constable Cuddy, the first ever Dwarf watchman, is now just some random constable whose entire role is to tell young Sybil that she did not in fact see her parents brutally assassinated, that is to say, *completely legally inhumed*, because the Assassin's Guild does not leave witnesses. Why perfectly legal assassins would need made-up supervillain names and to leave no witnesses is not explained.

* Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler is now just "Throat", a wheel-chair bound master criminal.

None of these changes improve on the originals. The show has simply appropriated the names of Discworld characters and dropped them on their own creations, and displays a great poverty of imagination. With the exception of Carrot, and perhaps Vimes, none of the major characters come close to their physical descriptions in the books. Furthermore, "The Watch" plays fast and loose with the sex and colour of Discworld characters. Pratchett's Watch novels are full of strong, powerful women who are first and foremost women, not just proxy men in skirts. Angua, of course. And Sybil proves that one does not need to be an axe-wielding vigilante to be a strong woman. Sally von Humpeding the vampire and Rosie (later Mrs) Palm are both interesting female characters and I would have loved to have seen their stories told. (The actor playing Angua would have been as physically a good a match for Sally as she is a terrible match for Angua.) Instead, "The Watch" takes the easy way out by just giving a few characters an instant sex change. Don't bother telling stories about *women being women*, just have woman actors step into male character's shoes without changing anything else about them. It is patronising and lazy. As imagined by Terry Pratchett, Ankh-Morpork was based heavily on Anglo-European fantasy fiction, which mostly means white people. But despite that, Pratchett made the Disc a true multicultural world with many cultures and races, including analogues of our middle east, Africa and far east Asia, and yet the Discworld was remarkably free of skin-colour racism. As Pratchett put it:

“Racism was not a problem on the Discworld, because – what with trolls and dwarfs and so on – speciesism was more interesting. Black and white lived in perfect harmony and ganged up on green.” (Witches Abroad)

So I feel that turning Ankh-Morpork of the TV series into a multiracial city works well, and I like to think that it would probably have met with Sir Terry's approval. Casting black actors to play (for example) Sybil Ramkin and Carcer Dunn does no disrespect to their characters. It's just **everything else** about the characters that is a mutilation.

My conclusion after watching four episodes is that "The Watch" fails as an adaptation of the Discworld source and as a comedy. As a fantasy police procedural, it scrapes in as somewhat watchable but no better than a mediocre mini-series. But perhaps the worst failure of the show is what might have been. Both "Guards, Guards" and "Men At Arms" have excellent stage adaptations which could have been further adapted to the screen. Either would have been great introductions to the City Watch stories, and Men At Arms could have been adapted to include Cheery's struggle to be accepted as openly a woman in a Dwarf society that tries to erase all sex differences between men and women. But this would have required respect for the original character, and something a little more sophisticated than a lazy and insincere "diversity check-box" approach to women. And there is no sign of either of those in "The Watch".

When I was five or six, I put on a play for my mother. Every toy I owned had to have a scene, and my mum eventually bailed about the time I started setting up the enormous battle scene with my toy soldiers. This reminds me of "The Watch", where the show runner and writer Simon Allen seems to have attempted to work in a reference to every Discworld character and concept even vaguely connected to the City Watch books, and some that aren't, and even some concepts that never made it into Discworld canon due to the untimely death of Pratchett, such as "Twilight Canyons". But Allen's reach has greatly exceeded his grasp and the end result is an incompetent mashup that doesn't work as tribute to the Discworld novels and could only be put in by somebody who has little understanding of them. There is a scene in the first episode where Gaspode the talking dog marks his territory by urinating on Vimes' leg. I cannot help but feel that this is exactly what Simon Allen and BBC America did to Pratchett's work: "The Watch" is all about them marking his material as theirs.

3.2 OTHER REVIEWS

By culture commentator Helen Lewis aka The Bluestocking:

"If you love the Discworld books, may I offer you some free advice? Stay well away from The Watch, a new series “inspired by the characters created by Sir Terry Pratchett.” It may well be enjoyable to viewers with no preconceptions, but if you know what “knurd” means, or who the true king of Ankh-Morpork is – in other words, if you're a great big Discworld geek like me – don't watch it. It's not for you. This might be a rare adaptation that's more comprehensible if you aren't familiar with the source material... I tried to approach The Watch with an open mind. Transposing novels to television involves big, structural changes, the ruthless removal of minor characters and subplots, and the inevitable loss of an authorial voice. Don't turn into Comic-Book Guy, I told myself. “Fantitlement” is a terrible thing. That lasted about eight minutes into the first episode. As Rhianna Pratchett put it, these are not her father's characters. Colon and Nobbs are gone entirely; Angua is a hardbitten veteran with no obvious personality; and rather than being a female dwarf with a beard and lipstick, Cherry is male, non-binary and of average height. Vimes, that hater of fuss and fanciness, is wearing eyeliner... what the hell has happened to Lady Sybil? In the books, she is a well-upholstered middle-aged aristocrat, briskly kind in a very English labradors-and-galoshes way. Think opera singer in tweeds, with “a bosom that rose and fell like an empire”. To millions of Pratchett's female readers, Lady Sybil proved that being polite and big-boned can also be a superpower. The Watch has turned her into a kickass armed vigilante in a belted trench coat – yes, that hoariest of tropes, a “strong female character”. Worse, she's thin. Changes like these are what takes this past being an adaptation and onto something else entirely...

https://helenlewis.substack.com/p/the-bluestocking-terry-pratchett

By Cynthia Vinney, who has no investment in the source material, on pop-culture site CBR:

"I suspect for Discworld fans this will all come across like big-budget City Watch fan fiction. As someone unfamiliar with the books, I can't claim any personal attachment to any specific part of that story, but even the little research I did made it clear that the show doesn't bear an especially strong resemblance to its supposed source material. The bigger disappointment, however, is despite all those changes, the show hasn't managed to do anything compelling with them. The plot mechanics of the story are on full display, which makes the Watch's pursuit of MacGuffin after MacGuffin feel like forced labor instead of organically motivated action. Furthermore, the reasons for Carcer's activities are turned into a mystery that never comes across as worth solving. It's difficult to care about the characters too. The actors do what they can with the material they're given, each committing to their characters' specific traits and backgrounds. I especially enjoyed Eaton-Kent's Cheery, whose smart sensitivity is a nice counterpoint to her cynical or naive colleagues. Still, the show is so caught up in maintaining its punk-rock aesthetic and devil-may-care attitude, it never makes anything onscreen feel worth investing in..."

https://www.cbr.com/watch-discworld-tv-review/

On fansite The Mary Sue, Chelsea Steiner gives a round-up of some early reviews: https://bit.ly/2LWws8J

A review by Kiko Martinez for Variety: https://bit.ly/3oiym0g

By "JG" on Tornado Post. [Editor's note: coherent English is not this reviewer's strong suit, but I'm including this review because it's interesting to see what a non-Discworld reader makes of the show.]: https://bit.ly/2LY41qW

By Craig Mathieson for the Sydney Morning Herald: https://bit.ly/3cakdzZ

A long, detailed review by William Hughes, who tries to be as fair as possible, for the AV Club: https://bit.ly/2YfZXoo

An apparent rave review on fansite Flickering Myth by something called Martin Carr, an entity that doesn't seem to occupy the same planet as most other reviewers and also fails to understand that respecting source material is not by any means the sole purview of sad superfans: https://bit.ly/3a3x0BA

...while on the less "what the -ing" Den of Geek, Juliette Harrisson asks some very pertinent questions about the treatment of a particular character. No extracts here because there's major spoilage; in fact, I can't even give the URL openly for that reason. But if you want to read it, and accept that there's a spoiler and a brain-melting one at that, go to https://bit.ly/3nbnMYB

...and then we have an oddly loving review in the Los Angeles Times by Robert Lloyd, who despite claiming to be familiar with and fond of the source material, seems to think that savaging *everyone's* source material is a good thing [Editor's note: no it -ing isn't, Robert]: https://lat.ms/3iJnpDW

By Emily O'Donnell on Comic Years, trying her best to be positive: https://bit.ly/39ZCE7I

By Adi Tantimedh on Bleeding Cool News: https://bit.ly/3c83FbP

By Ana Dascalescu on TechTheLead: https://bit.ly/3iOJ9OU

A mostly positive review by Alana Joli Abbott on Den of Geek: https://bit.ly/2YbT8Ep

...but further viewing made her rethink: https://bit.ly/3qSmXpL

And finally, telly writer Martin Jameson reflects on BBC America's take on Terry Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork City Watch through the prism of his own experience of adapting Discworld for the small screen. He ends with "And thank you to the producers of The Watch for finally enabling Discworld to find its own beating heart on our telly boxes." All I can say is that Mr J must have been standing behind the door when the "Just Say No" message was being passed around: https://bit.ly/3caX7Jn

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04) ODDS AND SODS

4.1 THIS OLD HOUSE...

...is a beautiful place that used to be Sir Pterry's home for many years and is now up for sale. For what it's worth, your Editor once lived in a house very much like Gaze Cottage (although barely one-third of the size) and yes, it did inspire a lot of creativity! From Somerset Live, including extensive iconographs and a video tour of the interior:

"Sir Terry lived in the four bed Somerset cottage between 1970 and 1994. In this time the first novel from his popular series Discworld, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. Sir Terry sold the house to the current owners, who have said they still regularly received letters from ardent fans addressed to The Hogfather, another of his novels, which was later made into a film..."

https://bit.ly/3c8nWOx

From the BBC:

"Ruth Treasure-Smith, from Robin King Estate Agent, said: 'He wrote most of his most famous novels in that house in the 80s. The house must have been inspiring..."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-55739271

4.2 UPDATES: THE TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB

On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a Discworld discussion page. This month's instalment is a wrap-up of Wyrd Sisters:

"I find myself fascinated by the difference with which the duke and duchess meet their ends, even more for how it relates to the ending of Macbeth; pointedly, Duke Felmet gets a rather comical ending, and that could be put down to the fact that we're dealing with an overall comical book, but it reads more like a direct commentary on how Pratchett views Lord and Lady Macbeth – specifically that the lord is a nothing muffin of an antagonist, and the lady should have been permitted the full breadth of her villainy. Because let's be honest, the idea that Lady Mac loses her mind over guilt at her misdeeds is one of Shakespeare's weakest writing choices. I'm sorry, but it's true – it's one of those ideas that's fun to play as an actor, but doesn't bear out in the characterization we've seen. So instead, Pratchett has the duke lose touch with reality over his guilt (which he's built upon the entire book), and goes a different route for the duchess. People who walk around advocating for callous murder are unlikely to make a turnaround so severe, so we get a far more chilling end at the hands (and hooves and antlers and hoppy feet) of the land..."

https://bit.ly/3a55UtJ

...that moves on to the first part of Pyramids:

"The fact that there are several parallels between Djelibeybi and the fictional Gormenghast kingdom created by Mervyn Peake forces us to sit with that mismatch. Fans love to point out the similarities here – dad who died because he thought he was a bird, mom obsessed with cats, the adherence to ancient ritual over looking forward – but it really only serves to point a finger at how insular the fantasy genre has been for such a long time. When this book was written in the late 80s, there was no super popular fantasy kingdom based on Egypt (or written by an Egyptian author, for that matter) for an English-speaking author like Pratchett to find and draw from. That said, the assassin's test is truly fun to read, and was apparently unusual for Pterry in its writing; he was not one of those authors who admitted to being carried away by his characters or surprised by their actions, but he did state this test as the one place where the narrative got away from him..."

https://bit.ly/2KSnh8G

...and the next:

"There are a number of jokes like this that aren't really working for me... The jokes are coming from a specific viewpoint, centered entirely on the cultural biases of the writer, and in this case, they're just not playing out as fun as the rest of his material. Some of the jokes still work out, but some of them emphatically do not. Part of the trouble is that it seems as though Pratchett is working from the assumption that most people aren't going to know enough about Egypt and its culture for the jokes to land, and I suppose that's fair to a point. (There's a footnote where he explains how an outfit doesn't work by suggesting what a foreign ambassador to the Court of St. James might wear that would be similarly out of step, and it's admittedly hilarious.) But it doesn't work as an excuse across the board, particularly not when you take into account how obsessive Britain has been about ancient Egypt through its history..."

https://bit.ly/3tc03vi

4.3 A MAGIC LITTLE PLUG...

...for Marc Burrows' biography The Magic of Terry Pratchett! By Colin Steele in the Canberra Times:

"When Boris Johnson interviewed Terry Pratchett in 1996 for the British Daily Telegraph, he wrote that he was 'baffled by the scale of his (Pratchett's ) success'. Pratchett's Discworld series was often ignored by the 'literati', but Pratchett simply responded, 'Well, I get paid shitloads of cash, which is good'. A knighthood, and four honorary doctorates also helped Pratchett's self-esteem. Mark Burrows' The Magic of Terry Pratchett (White Owl, $45), which is marketed as 'the first full biography' of Sir Terry, documents in detail Pratchett's path to success. Burrows, however, never met Pratchett, so this is an account based on published accounts and interviews and a detailed analysis of his books..."

https://bit.ly/3qTk204

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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

* GUARDS! GUARDS! IN VICTORIA, FOURECKS

Discworld returns to Victoria! The Red Cliffs Players will present their production of Guards! Guards! next month.

When: 19th–27th February 2021
Venue: Cardross Hall, 399 Dairtnunk Ave, Cardross, Victoria 3496
Time: 7,30pm all sessions except Sunday 21st matinee at 2pm
Tickets: $20 all sessions, available online via https://bit.ly/39jEAZD

* MURDER IN ANKH-MORPORK IN ABINGDON... EVENTUALLY... (2021)

"We wanted to stage a play involving the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch. But we'd already staged all of Stephen Briggs' dramatisations featuring this noble group of guardians of justice. Stephen got special permission to put together an affectionate mash-up incorporating bits of Guards! Guards! and Feet of Clay, woven respectfully into the core plot of Men at Arms. All Terry. The city is protected by the multiverse's most diverse police force. But a new threat is emerging – the Discworld's first and only firearm. The Gonne. And we planned to stage it in November 2020. HOWEVER – the coronavirus then landed on us and scuppered our plans. A socially distanced (and thus much reduced) audience wouldn't enable us to stage the show and cover our costs – so we have had to park this until things get back closer to 'normal'. We have our fingers crossed for November 2021. News here as it happens!"

https://www.studiotheatreclub.com/murder-in-ankh-morpork

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06) 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.

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 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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07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Nothing to see here this month, since this month's issue centres mainly on "The Watch" and to my surprise there were almost no blog reviews of it! – Ed.

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08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

A librarian helping a librarian-helper in Borneo:
https://i.redd.it/e405hm7pcd861.png

Some of the cast of Red Cliffs Players' forthcoming production of Guards! Guards!:
https://bit.ly/36cTCOJ

Sir Pterry's former home, Gaze Cottage:
https://bit.ly/39iBHZ9

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09) CLOSE

Just an amusing note to end. Journalist Tom Chivers interviewed Sir Pterry in 2013: “I noted to him that in his later stories he had rehabilitated every 'evil' species – orcs, trolls, vampires, werewolves; made them people. Except, at that stage, elves. And I remember he wagged his finger at me and said: 'You bugger.' I never mentioned it in the piece, but then when The Shepherd's Crown came out – posthumously, his last book – he had, indeed, done the same for the elves." To read the original piece, go to https://bit.ly/39xEI7X

Right then, that's it for now. Mind how you go, and we hope to see you next month!

– Annie Mac


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