Mort by Terry Pratchett

Death takes an apprentice. He also takes a powder. 

A major plot in almost every Discworld novel has been how modern concepts have bleed into the near medieval-level society. This sort of fusion of old and new has resulted in some very hilarious situations. And it all starts here with Mort!

Mort becomes Death's apprentice. But in reality, Death is looking for someone to take the yolk of grim reaper off his back so that he can really 'live'. When Mort interferes with assassination of a young princess, the Not-So Grim Reaper sets off events that threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality. 

I'm not going to spoil this book too much if possible. But things that Death explains to Mort at the end of this book greatly explains why things get anachronistic from here on out. 

Again, you don't have to read the Discworld books in order. But as I am starting to re-read some of these books, such as Mort, I am finding that it really helps. Mort is the fourth book in the series and I had read it years ago. But I am finding that I didn't understand how vital this volume was to the entire run of novels written by Sir Terry. 

As Mort is an early book, it lacks some of that polish that you might see in some later books. But with making Death a main character, I feel that Pratchett's vision for his Discworld series really started to take shape. Rincewind is an okay character. But he's no Death! 

A good book that establishes a major plot thread though 30+ other novels. But it's got a way to go to being as good as those later books.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

The steam engine has come to Ankh-Morpork. Clearly, this is an invention that has debuted way before it's time. While the Patrician has an uneasy feeling about it's presence in his city-state, Lord Vetinari is not one to pass up an opportunity. Thus, Vetinari recruits Moist Von Lipwig for another assignment in which not just Ankh-Morpork but perhaps the entire disk will prosper. Discworld is about to have a train!

Raising Steam was the last of many things. It's the last book in what fans call the 'Moist Von Lipwig' trilogy. This book is also the last adult Discworld novel. So, there's quite a few farewells. 

Normally, you do not have to read the Discworld novels in order. Though it very much helps. But in this case, there are at least 3 books you need to read before you crack open Raising Steam. 

Obviously, you must read Going Postal and Making Money. But you also need to read THUD! See in this book, a rogue segments of dwarfs called grags are disgusted with the modern Ankh-Morpork ways adopted by the Low King. The grags want to return to those old dwarfish ways. Things like mining for gold and gems- and then hoarding it. Living in the moist deep dark crevices of the Disc. And not knowing whether a dwarf is in reality male or female. 

I had read THUD! But gee, it must have been 5-10 years ago when I did. That book sets up Raising Steam quite a bit more than the first two Moist books do. And so if you can't remember much about THUD!, like I couldn't, then you are going to have trouble following the first half of this book. And you will not enjoy it as much.

Thankfully, Wikipedia and the Discworld wiki was able to help fill in some gaps. But I think once this quarantine is over, I'm going to have to seek out a copy of THUD! for a quick re-read. 

Being the final book of the Moist trilogy, the pacing is all wrong. Moist really feels more like a second character. At least for that first half. Plus, there's some new (to Discworld) creatures that have taken residence in this book without a true introduction. I don't want to spoil who they are. But unless they popped up in Snuff, the only book immediately prior that I haven't read yet, I do not understand why they are working with Adora Belle with the clacks system.

And why is Adora Belle working the clacks system all of a sudden? In Making Money, she was working with the Golem Trust. That book makes no mention of her love of the clacks industry though in Going Postal, it's her family who created that system of communication. 
What I am saying is that the pacing between the 3 Moist Von Lipwig books is so very uneven and this book seemed rushed at times to tie up a lot of loose plot ends.

Did the late Terry Pratchett know that his time on earth was coming to a close? It does feel that the author was trying to give Discworld a proper sendoff to his fans. But that doesn't quite explain why he then work one more Tiffany Aching book. I guess I will have to read that one to find out.

A good Discworld book. But it's definitely not my favorite either.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

A week ago I finished Terry Pratchett's Making Money. It was the second book of what fans call the 'Moist Von Lipwig' trilogy. I didn't have book one and I sure as heck wasn't going to start on book 3. Regardless, starting in the middle, while a good read, it wasn't the best read, especially in terms of having read about 3/4 of the Discworld series. 

The day after I completed Making Money, we were notified that all book stores were to shut down by 5pm. So I rushed off to the book stores in search of some more Discworld books. It was at a Barnes and Noble that I finally found the opening chapter of Moist's adventures in 'honest' business.

Here in Going Postal, Moist Von Lipwig is offered the job of a lifetime. (That's because if he refuses Lord Vetinari's employment opportunity, it will be the end of Lipwig!) Moist is to become the postmaster general for Ankh-Morpork's fledgling post office. Who are we kidding here? The post office had gone way past failed. 

Armed with the Discworld's oldest junior mail sorter, a quality control inspector obsessed with pins and a golem parole officer, Moist Von Lipwig will play the odds (and probably cheat) to make the post office relevant again.

That plan isn't going to be easy as Moist and the post office must compete against big communication in the form of the clacks system. It's a corporation that is just as devious as Lipwig. Only, Lipwig has a heart! And that very well could be the con man's downfall- especially when Moist falls in love!

I wish I had read Going Postal first. It made me appreciate Making Money all that much more. I thought I hated Lipwig. But in a lot of ways, Moist is like me. Not, I am not a shyster. But I do have an amazing ability to remember faces. I might not remember names, but I can always carry on a conversation with anyone I've ever meet as I can remember such details of a person's life just like Lipwig. 

I used to based how I conducted business like Bart Simpson when he turned his tree house into a casino. But I might start schmoozing with folks based on how Lipwig runs the postal service.  

There is one downside to having read this book out of turn. A lot of what Pratchett has planned for Moist is hinted at throughout almost the entire 470 plus pages of the book. Instead of being a surprise, I was more of like 'oh, I see where he's going with this.'

I just started reading the third and sadly final book in the trilogy, Making Steam. With this one, I can see already that same formula as things hinted in the last third of Making Money is already happening here in the last book's opening 25 pages.

When if comes to Pratchett's Discworld books, one is not required to read any of the books in order. Well, I think that rule does not apply here! If you own (and haven't read yet) Making Money and Raising Steam- don't! That is until you get a copy of this novel and read it first. You will enjoy the second book a whole bunch more if you do follow my advice. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Perhaps my least favorite book in the Discworld series. 

Con man turned Ankh-Morpork's postmaster general, Moist Von Lipwig, has been given a new assignment. Lord Vetinari want's Moist to head up one of the city's banks. With Moist's experience with money, he'd be more at home holding up the bank. 

But there's some secrets buried deep in the vaults of the old bank and the Patrician puts Moist in charge in hopes of getting to the bottom of things. If Moist ends up changing the way citizens look at money by incorporating a new current- so be it. The rest of the bank's board members won't be happy with their new leader. But then again, Moist isn't really all that happy with this new assignment either. 

I will say that this book is filled with a ton of extra characters and that made me happy. Most of the City Watch pops up. So does quite a few wizards, a certain hot dog vendor, as well as a host of dwarfs, postmen and a golem who is going through a sort of identity crisis. The only thing missing were one or more of the Wyrd Sisters. 

Making Money is basically the second book of a trilogy that stars Moist Von Lipwig. There may have been more books on the way, but Pratchett's untimely death, and his daughter's insistence that no further Discworld books will even be published, might have paved the way for these books being known as the 'Von Lipwig Trilogy'.  

Maybe I should have read book 1 first. But I didn't have book one and I surely didn't want to start with book 3, which I also have. Social distancing has made other things a priority at the moment. And when you want to read Terry Pratchett, you'll take what you can get. 

I'm trying to be fair here with this rating. But there were a couple of characters that I absolutely hated. In fact, at least one of them felt just totally unnecessary. The ending solution was pretty awesome. And I love the Patrician, and Carrot and Sam Vimes and all three have some big roles here! That's a plus. But this still isn't my favorite book. It actually knocks Carpe Jugulum up a notch. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

The Wyrd Sisters have returned from a lengthy trip abroad. Much has changed since Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick were last in Lancre. The King has decided to marry Magrat. Magrat just doesn't know it yet. Nanny Ogg's son Jason has been perfecting his craft as an ironsmith. And a new generation of witches have been going up the mountain to perform some spells much to Granny's dismay. (They haven't been wearing any drawers!)

It's the dancing that's the real problem for Granny. (When it comes to prancing around without your drawers on, if you got it, flaunt it) No, it's the mere act of dancing so close to the circle of stones called The Dancers. See, this area of the mountain is very close to a weak point in the dimension that Discworld occupies. For the stars are lining up just right and when that happens it will allow the elves to enter Granny Weatherwax's domain.

Elves are not those cute little sprites we all love. They might look all sweet. But, they're actually cruel and mean. And they once tried to imprison Granny Weatherwax when she was a wee lass. It's a sort of personal history that makes Granny hate elves.

The witches stories are generally not my favorite Discworld tales. I didn't like Equal Rites that much. And I hated Carpe Jugulum. But I'm trying to read the entire series and due to how much I enjoyed Unseen Academicals, starring the Wizards, I was in the mood for some magic.

Lords and Ladies was one of the best out of this entire series of Discworld. It was extremely funny with some awesome quotes that I don't think I'll ever forget. Plus, there were some moments that were darn right scary. And it's pretty hard for a book without pictures to scare me.

One issue that I have with the Discworld books are how metaphysical that they can get. The floating planetoid has a unique magical field that has been established all the way since the opening chapter of the very first novel, The Colour of Magic. While this element allows for some hilarious moments, I feel that Terry Pratchett relied on this too much as a crutch. The late author never seemed to run out of ideas. Yet that creativity would get to the point that Pratchett had trouble putting his stamp on the final product.

 Lords and Ladies doesn't fall into that trap. At less than 400 pages, this is one of the shorter Discworld novels. The pacing felt right. The plot didn't drag. And everything seemed to wrap itself up in a tiny little package.

I've got 16 Discworld books left to read. Two of them focus on the Wyrd Sisters. If they are as good as Lords and Ladies was, I will jump at the chance to own them immediately! I just got to find an affordable copy.

A must for fans of comedic fantasy!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

After spending several years in Ankh-Morpork training to become an assassin, Teppic is summoned back to his homeland of Djelibeybi. His father, the Pharaoh, has died. It's now time for Teppic to become the king. Having become enamored with Ankh-Morpork's 'modern' amenities, such as indoor plumbing, Teppic has big plans for his kingdom. But he runs afoul of Dios, the chief high priest who insists on following 7,000 years of tradition. 

Meanwhile, the kingdom is preparing for the burial of Teppic's father. There's the embalmers. The miniature makers. And then there's the architects tasked with building the largest, most modern pyramid ever constructed in the land. It threatens to bankrupt an already cash-strapped kingdom. But with anything so massive and magical, this great pyramid Djelibeybi's very plane of existence!

I had mixed feelings about this volume of the Discworld series. I normally prefer the Ankh-Morpork stories the best. But the segments that take place in the 'big city' were my least favorite. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the Assassin's Guild. 

When Teppic gets to Djelibeybi, about 80 pages in, the story gets really good. Pyramids is a fantastic parody of Ancient history and lore. I enjoyed the satire on polytheistic religion and warfare. But when the story starts to delve into physics and math, I kinda glazed over. I understand not enjoying the parts about math. But I usually am in love with physics. I guess I just can't understand magical physics very well. 

Some segments of this book seemed really familiar. Have I read this one before? If so, it was before I started tracking books on this blog. I for one am not big on re-reading books as there are so many volumes to enjoy and so little time. But if I had read this one prior, I didn't really mind a repeat.

A funny book that gets quite technical at times. Times that for the most part, felt unnecessary.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Yes! I know! I read a book without any pictures! The recent news about the BBC's forthcoming The Watch based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld series inspired me to dig into my to-read pile and pull out this novel! 

Unseen Academicals stars the wizards of Unseen University. Upon a review of university endowments, it is discovered that if the school does not produce a sports team soon, they will lose a hefty portion of their food budget. At the same time, in the city of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Vetinari is working behind the scenes to transform the illegal game of foot-the-ball into something a little more respectable. Thus, the mages of Unseen University now have permission to field a team. Only they must reorganize the rules into something a little less deadly... and they can't use their magic to win the game either!

Unseen Academicals introduces several new characters to Discworld. There's Trev Likely, whose father was a foot-the-ball legend, once scoring 2 goals in 1 game! We're introduced to the stern but rather lovely Glenda, the head mistress of the night shift kitchen. Lastly, we've got Mr. Nutt. He was my favorite of the new introductions. Nutt is a goblin who is relegated to the candle-making detail for the entire university. But there's more than meets the eye to this mythical creature who is literally a Renaissance man. 

I Googled Mr. Nutt and it appears that this book the character's only appearance. Unseen Academicals was published in 2009. Terry Pratchett sadly left us in 2015 and it seems that he never got around to giving us more of Nutt. The way this book ended, I could have seen 1 or 2 more novels continuing the evolution of the character in other realms of the Discworld. 

I devoured this book like a shark through chum. I was hungry for more Discworld and when I got my teeth on some, I couldn't put it down. Yes- I went almost a week reading nothing but Discworld. No comics or graphic novels. And I don't think my appetite has been sated yet!

A very fun book that skewers organized team sports, gender dynamics, class and status, psychology, romance and much much more!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

   Folks, it's actually NOT odd that I read a novel. I've read tons. It's just that after a long day working in a hot kitchen, I like to unwind with my favorite hobby- reading and collecting comic books. But when the legendary author Terry Pratchett recently passed after losing his long battle with degenerative brain disease, I felt it was time to take another trip to Discworld in his honor.

   Discworld is a flat planet that rests on the backs of 4 elephants who in turn rest on the shell of a giant turtle who floats through outer space. It's residents are an odd collection of witches, wizards, guardsmen, con artists, and even Death himself. Pratchett's stories are massive and my only flaw with this accomplished satirist is that he will often paint himself into a corner and rush to end his books with a random supernatural event that has little to do with the actual plot or fool the reader with an elaborate rouse.

  But Pratchett is a master at writing biting satirical dialogue. No topic is safe as he's skewered everything from religion to Santa and beyond. Often it's what's unsaid that is just as funny as the things the author makes his creations say. This book is a definitive reflection of that unique writing style.

   In Monstrous Regiment, young Polly is on the hunt for her missing brother who joined the Borogravia army a year prior and hasn't been heard from since. After cutting her hair, learning to walk with a swagger, and arming herself with a few choice swears and a strategic pair of socks, Polly Perks, barmaid becomes Ozzer Perks, corporal. But she might not be the only new recruit to the Borogravian army with a secret. Only time and the war corresponding Ankh-Morpork Times will tell of those skeletons in the unit's army.

   Featuring some great cameos from Death, and members of the Night Watch, including Sam Vimes, this volume was one of the better Discworld titles. I love all of the books in this series, but this volume had a really good ending to it and that's one reason I rate it as superior. My only regret is that Pratchett passed away too soon to see more Polly stories in the future. I think she is a character with a full rich story that's not finished yet. Sadly, the scribe of Discworld is now silent.

    Worth Consuming and yes- I plan on reading some more Discworld novels in the very near future thanks in a very large part to this awesome volume.

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.