Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmmm...Follows a trend., 24 Jun 2001
I have to admit to owning all the Discworld books and recently looked, along a rather bending shelf, at them all. Where does Thief of Time stand in that line - well, at the end obviously - yet where in actual quality? The first few Discworld books (probably until Mort, although Sourcery could be included) have an odd quality, looking back. There is a sense that they are not Discworld books and that they are not, as such, Pratchett's work. The structure seems different somehow. Yet that is probably down to how Pratchett has crafted the series - by his own admission he never planned Discworld from the start, and so things change (or "evolve" to steal a phrase). The middle section of Pratchett's work is what I consider to be the gold period - the emergence and realisation that Discworld is not confined to one single setting, evident in the fact that characters begin to interact in one another's stories, with Rincewind popping up in Vimes' etc. It is at this point that Discworld has reached its peak - the stories are complex, yet the main characters seem to interact with the reader. Witness Vimes investigating a murder and you feel as if the crime is so complex, yet Vimes will help you get to the culprit. It is this realness that makes the reader look at the stars and wonder whether there is a turtle somewhere out there. Yet there is a downside to this golden period - there is only so long that it can continue. Discworld seems to be now on an endlessly repaeting pattern. The main character, who once was so helpful, now appears to be duplicated over and over again. There is a clear line between Rincewind, Mort, William de Worde, Teppic, Lobsang and any other male "hero": all are unlikely and in some respects wimpish. For his female characters, there is a running theme of attempting to prove onself in front of others, yet not really caring what others think in that course. They're all placed in situations beyond there control that they're reluctant to pursue, yet they all have a love of humanity and freedom (even if, in most cases, it only becomes apparent in their actions rather than their confessed desires). This is the problem I think is endemic in the later Discworld books - the hero is the underdog who survives at the end of the book, yet who may or may not triumph. This issue of triumphing, of course, is a trivial one: it is not, in my opinion, Terry Pratchett's aim to produce a swashbuckling adventure where the hero gets the girl - yet there is something regrettable about the fact that most of stories end with the main character either ending up where they started (more or less) or ending up in an improved situation, yet being remarkably unhappy with it. Thief of Time is a good book- as other reviewers have mentioned, full of interesting twists (I particularly liked the image of the monastery of fighting time monks) and is quite a good story. Yet it seems limited by the direction that Discworld has taken. Compared to the delights of adventures such as Jingo or Maskerade, Thief of Time seems to take an eternity to hit full pace, by which time the book is almost finished and not much has actually happened. In response to this, it could be said that Pratchett only intends to make a joke of society - in satire, one of the strongest points to make is that not much does actually happen in the real world - governments continue, poverty continues, radical thinking continues, but achieves little etc. Yet this idea does not fit in with the earlier books and also makes rather limited reading given that there are 26 books of satire. It seems that Discworld's success at turning the normal world upside down has had a severe effect on the continuation of the series: namely, in its popularity, a satire of the world has become a real world. The "lttle hero" idea is a novel approach, yet not one for book after book. It is not enough for Pratchett to keep recycling the same material - Discworld, having grown, seems to be contracting again. It is my opinion that for the series to build on its former glory, Pratchett needs to expand and develop on the themes that have made it so popular - a story that changes Discworld, for example, either for better or worse (world changing events do happen on the Disc - for example, the almost war with Klatch and the evidence of magical interference in Colour of magic). For originality, why not change the main character? Surely, with Discworld having become a "real" world in its own right, there are more personalities than just the one? There is the potential for a different route - for the series to become psychologically darker (the use of the gonne being particualr) or possibly lighter. I think, though, that I would prefer some real tension in the characters, and some aim in the stories. In closing, the series is good and very, very clever - yet I wonder if it isn't time for Terry Pratchett to expand his vision once more...
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
possibly a 'best yet', 14 May 2001
By A Customer
Terry Pratchett excels (yet again) with this detailed and complex plot involving the ravelling, and unravelling of time. Time, the anthropomorphic personification (he loves them) also features. Once again Mr Pratchett's characters are skilfully drawn, and we meet several fresh faces. Susan (Death's grand-daughter) really comes into her own in this novel and Pratchett's fantastic descriptive skills mean that the reader really feels an intimate knowledge of the way her mind works. God help her pupils! This book soars along, Mr Pratchett's philosophical observations are at once pointed and accurate, whilst gently poking fun at the established opinion on our 'round world'. Death and his horseback mates finally beat the baddies (hooray) and the Rat risks all as a worthy messenger. Susan holds no fear for the skeletal rodent. I have one more thing to say - buy it, read it, and don't expect to put it down.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Joe Schaumburger's views on "The Thief of Time", 30 April 2001
By A Customer
Terry Pratchett's new book is a gem. Not only is there a lot more fantasy in it than in his last few books, but many of your favorites are back: Susan, Nanny Ogg, Igor, all with major roles to play.The plot, basically, is that the Auditors have worked out a new plan to restore harmony to the universe by stopping Time and eliminating all those pesky life forms, especially people. Opposing them are a ragtag rabble of heroes including a floor sweeper, a patched-together creature from Uberwald, the History Monks, and Death's granddaughter. Death is not allowed to help them officially, but instead is forced to go around trying to line up the other three Horsemen to participate in the ending of the world. They're not interested. And then there's Ronnie, the former fifth Horseman, who quit the group before it got famous. But Time, it seems, is a Lady. She has had a son by a mortal, and he has a very severe case of split personality. It's interesting to note that both Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony came up with personifications of Death in the same year (1983). Anthony, however, used up the theme in his seven-book "Incarnations of Immortality" series, while Pratchett focused mainly on Death and turned him into one of the most popular and appealing characters in modern fantasy fiction All in all, a rollicking romp through time and space, and a very worthwhile addition to your Pratchett collection. -- Joe Schaumburger
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