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Discworld is an extragavanza--among much else, it has billions of gods. "They swarm as thick as herring roe," writes Terry Pratchett inSmall Gods, the 13th book in the series. Where there are gods galore, there are priests, high and low, and... there are novices. Brutha is a novice with little chance to become a priest--thinking does not come easily to him, although believing does. But it is to Brutha that the great god Om manifests, in the lowly form of a tortoise.--Blaise Selby
A Philosophy Book Encapsulated in Discworld I've been reading the Discworld books in order of publication, and this is the first one that diverged from the normal types of stories. This book was a pretty strong expression of Pratchett's religious stance, in my opinion. The humor wasn't as strong as other books, I thought it was almost more of a philosophy book, or a book of opinions on religion. I wasn't sure how to rate this as I enjoyed the views on religion, but thought they would be better written in a non-Discworld novel. For Discworld, I didn't think the storyline was very fitting. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars, but rounded up as well. If you're looking for Discworld humor, I wouldn't choose this book. If you want some views (primarily mocking) on religion, then it's good!
simply not that funny The last line of my review comes first:
If you do not find church humor and church-esque situations (including a lot of parodying of church ideology and customs) funny, either due to inexposure (like me) or too much exposure (fundamentalism), this book is NOT for you.
And now the review:
I love Terry Pratchett - he is my favorite author of all time. And I picked up this book hoping it would become one of my favorites.
The fact is, I didn't find much in this book that was funny.
This novel moves along at a snail's pace, in terms of the plot and the humor. The chief reason for my disillusionment is that Pratchett includes a LOT of church analogies into the novel. The characters are all church characters. And the god is not so godly. Over half of this book came across as a particularly long and pointless conversation between a dullard and his favorite stuffed animal.
Overall, I wish I'd had a review that had warned me thusly: (last line of the review)Discworld I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.
A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.
Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!
Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.
Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.
I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"
I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.
