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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Tick Tock Tale, 15 Aug 2005
If you're a newcomer to Terry Pratchett, this may not be the best Discworld starting point. "He's hilarious!" is the frequent recommendation from friends urging Discworld books on you. You won't find much hilarity here, although you will encounter fine writing expressed with penetrating wit. If you're a dedicated Discworld advocate, you'll find this book rather more than "another Discworld novel." Casting a skein of plot threads, he's able to weave them together into a coherent finale. In particular, he achieves new levels of excellence in creating and portraying characters. But it's his view of the Cosmos that captures and holds your attention here. Pratchett is too often portrayed as a "fantasy writer" in contrast with "science fiction" authors. Yet, as this book shows, he has a better grasp of science than most within the "SF" genre. He's shown up the "science writers" in presenting complex questions in understandable terms. If those descriptions use fantasy tempered with the famous Pratchett wit, we've all gained.Lobsang Ludd is a thief. His wondrous abilities at theft are due to speed. He's unstoppable. He can pick up closely observed items with impunity, disgorging them upon request or his own whim. How does he manage it? A foundling at the Thieves' Guild, he's spotted in Ankh-Morpork by a "field operative" monk and sent to the Monks of History temple in the Ramtops. His abilities lead to his assignment as an apprentice to Lu-Tze. Why should Lobsang be given such a role when Lu-Tze is only the temple Sweeper? In Ankh-Morpork, meanwhile, another lad, Jeremy de Clock, also exhibits amazing talents. He's a clock maker, the best in the business. He's so good, the Guild has exiled him. Only a few blocks from the Guildhall, but far enough to shed responsibility for him. His reputation for accurate clocks has caught the attention of Lady LeJean, who commissions him to build "a clock of perfect accuracy." Such a clock, it seems, will stop time. Does this matter to Lobsang? It's staggering to think what Pratchett went through in writing this book. Ankh-Morpork without the Watch or the Patrician. Distortion of reality without the meddling of the Wizards. Death, who last convened the other Horseman for a game of Bridge ["You tell me humans do this for fun?"] seeks out War, Pestilence and Famine: they have to Ride Out. Their evasive excuses are high points of the book, brief as they are. War, henpecked by a Valkyrie spouse, is pitifully real. Only Death, though never married, has a granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, who finds herself again aboard Binky on a quest of dubious result. Susan must confront one of Pratchett's finest creations, Nanny Ogg, midwife and witch of renown. Susan must learn what Nanny knows about an unusual birth. Then there's Ronnie Soak, Ankh-Morpork morning milkman. If the Hogfather can clamber down all those chimneys in one night, how long to deliver Ankh-Morpork's cream and yoghurt? And what does it take for an auditor to learn to be human? Most significantly, Pratchett has surpassed every previous effort with this book. He's achieved a fresh level of artfulness in his people and the background to the story. He shares insights in ways few can equal, none surpass. He's not pandering to any imposed labels of "humorous fantacist," but firmly establishing he's without peer. Always unique in his writings, this book works in new ideas and threads of thinking. If you're just looking for laughs, go back to Rincewind. If you are willing to have your mind challenged and your thoughts enlarged, buy this. Pratchett will take you into a new world, and the trip is
delightful. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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by Terry Pratchett
by Terry Pratchett
by Terry Pratchett
by Terry Pratchett
