Wossname -- February 2017 -- main isue
News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett
wossname at pearwood.info
Wed Feb 22 22:20:25 AEDT 2017
Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
February 2017 (Volume 20, Issue 2, 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 Technomancers: Jason Parlevliet, Archchancellor Neil, DJ Helpful
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) "TERRY PRATCHETT: BACK IN BLACK" NEWS AND REVIEWS
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
"You might quibble that showing him mostly in the context of his
hardcore fans makes him look more like a cult hero and less what he
truly was: a novelist for everyone, for all ages and for the ages."
– Frank Cottrell Boyce, reviewing Terry Pratchett: Back in Black
"On the first day of my journalistic career I saw my first corpse, some
unfortunate chap fell down a hole in a farm and drowned in pig shit. All
I can say is that, compared with his horrific demise, Alzheimer's is a
walk in the park. Except with Alzheimer's my park keeps changing. The
trees get up and walk over there, the benches go missing and the paths
seem to be unwinding into particularly vindictive serpents."
– Sir Pterry on the disease that changed everything
"My heart was in my mouth when I realised Lyn had seen Paul dressed up
as Terry before I'd had a chance to introduce them. I thought it might
have upset her, but then I saw her having a chat with him and she was
laughing. It was kind of wonderful, in an odd way."
– Rob Wilkins, on the filming of Terry Pratchett: Back in Black
"The only journalist who was interested in me was a snotty 24-year-old
from an obscure sci-fi magazine."
– Kaye-as-Pratchett, on The Author's first meeting with Neil Gaiman
"It only took twenty years and three dozen novels before the critics
finally caved in."
–ibid.
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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Well now, Paul Kaye certainly got the voice right.
Kaye's performance as one TDJ Pratchett, storytelling revenant in
Charlie Russell's new BBC documentary Terry Pratchett: Back in Black,
was quite something. The look was close, yes, but the voice was
downright eerie in its Pratchett-ness. For reviews and other news about
the programme, go to items 4 and 8 (the latter being Around the
Blogosphere, but that section starts with several blog reactions to
watching TP: BiB). For viewers within the BBC catchment area, Terry
Pratchett: Back in Black is still available on iPlayer, with 19 days
left to watch
(_http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08fjlvx/terry-pratchett-back-in-black_).
For all other Pratchett fans around the rest of Roundworld, an eyepatch,
parrot and Clacks connection will no doubt prove to be... erm... helpful.
There is some other exciting news, about an exhibition and a blue
plaque, plus all the usual, so let's get to it. On with the show!
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) ODDS AND SODS
3.1 NEW TERRY PRATCHETT EXHIBIT!
A four-month exhibition on the works and life of Sir Terry Pratchett
opens at the Salisbury Museum this coming September:
"The Salisbury Museum, The Estate of Terry Pratchett and Paul Kidby
present 'Terry Pratchett: HisWorld', an exclusive major exhibition based
on the extraordinary life of Sir Terry Pratchett, the creative genius
behind the Discworld series. Follow his journey to becoming one of our
best known and best loved writers. This unique exhibition will include
artwork by the man himself and treasured items owned by Sir Terry which
have never previously been on public display. Also featured will be over
forty original illustrations by Paul Kidby, Sir Terry's artist of choice."
When: 16th September 2017 to 13th January 2018
Venue: Salisbury Museum, The King's House, 65 The Close, Salisbury,
Wilts SP1 2EN (phone 01722 332151, email museum at salisburymuseum.org.uk)
Time: opening times are Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sundays (9
April - 29 October) 12:00 to 17:00. "Please note that our cafe is closed
on Sundays."
Tickets: Adult £8, child £4, family (2 adults/4 children) £20, under-5s
free. "Please note that all tickets issued by the museum are ANNUAL
PASSES and are valid for one year. This is a condition of participating
in the Gift Aid scheme and is offered regardless of whether you opt for
the standard or donation admission."
http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/your-visit/prices
Tickets are also available online from
http://salisbury.merlintickets.co.uk/product/ADME
http://discworld.com/terry-pratchett-exhibition-announced-salisbury/
Editor's note: Richard Henry, curator of the exhibition, told the
Salisbury Journal, "The way we are designing it is allowing visitors to
follow his journey into becoming one of the best-known authors... It is
going to be accessible to all. The aim of the exhibition is to honour
his legacy."
http://bit.ly/2l6XyqS
3.2 "...BORN HALFWAY UP A WALL..."
The Bucks Free Press, Sir Pterry's log-ago employers, have some exciting
news:
"The life of much-loved fantasy author the late Sir Terry Pratchett will
be honoured with a commemorative plaque at Beaconsfield Library next
month. The plaque, will be unveiled at the library, in Reynolds Road,
where Sir Terry was a Saturday boy and returned to give talks... Former
librarian at Beaconsfield Library, and committee member of the
Beaconsfield Society, Kari Dorme, welcomed the news, saying it would
help make more people aware of the history and heritage of the town. She
said: 'I think it is a super idea. He was particularly attached to
Beaconsfield Library because he worked there.' Speaking about why she
thinks this is good news for the town, she said: “I think it means that
people can become aware of the literary heritage of the town, which I
think is very important. It is quite exciting. It is good that the
initiative has come from the town council. It is good that they
recognise that history and heritage [are] important.'..."
The plaque will be formally unveiled at noon on Tuesday 7th March 7
2017. Rhianna Pratchett and Rob Wilkins will be there for the ceremony.
http://bit.ly/2kYmXlS
3.3 PTERRY AND ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
Hilary Evans, Alzheimer's Research UK's Chief Executive, has written a
post titled "Sir Terry Pratchett: The Fantasy Author's Legacy To
Dementia Research". Some extracts:
"In the interviews after the death of Sir Terry Pratchett, the most
common question we were asked is 'what did he mean to Alzheimer's
Research UK'? Terry was incredibly generous to us, he donated over $1
million to our research to help reveal the mysteries of his disease. He
encouraged our scientists. He became our Patron. He was angry about his
diagnosis, outraged that the condition was stealing his abilities and
sense of self – he helped us campaign around the disparity in funding
for dementia research. As a small organisation fighting a big enemy, he
gave us the confidence to think bigger... what we kept coming back to in
the days after his death were, fittingly, his words. How he talked about
his disease, the language he employed – arresting and evocative – was a
new type of conversation around dementia. He began to make it OK to
discuss a diagnosis, in the same way that people are now rightly
emancipated to talk about their cancer...
"It can be a convenient narrative to pin a turning point in an
organisation's history to a single person, and the reality is that many
tens of thousands of supporters, scientists and staff make this charity
what it is today. But as we lay increasingly important paths towards
breakthroughs in research, increased public understanding, greater
political will and more funding for our scientists, there is no denying
that a lot of those paths lead back to Terry Pratchett."
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hilary-evans/terry-pratchett_b_14673554.html
3.4 OOK! THE LANGUAGE OF ORANGUTANS
From BBC News:
Scientists who spent years listening to the communication calls of one
of our closest ape relatives say their eavesdropping has shed light on
the origin of human language. Dr Adriano Reis e Lameira from Durham
University recorded and analysed almost 5,000 orangutan 'kiss squeaks'.
He found that the animals combined these purse-lipped, 'consonant-like'
calls to convey different messages. This could be a glimpse of how our
ancestors formed the earliest words. The findings are published in the
journal Nature Human Behaviour. 'Human language is extraordinarily
advanced and complex – we can pretty much transmit any information we
want into sound,' said Dr Reis e Lameira. 'So we tend to think that
maybe words evolved from some rudimentary precursor to transmit more
complex messages. We were basically using the orangutan vocal behaviour
as a time machine – back to a time when our ancestors were using what
would become [those precursors] of consonants and vowels.'... There has
been very little study of consonants in language research, but as Prof
Serge Wich from Liverpool John Moores University, a lead author in the
study, explained, they are crucial building blocks in the evolution of
language. 'Most human languages have a lot more consonants than vowels,'
said Prof Wich. 'And if we have more building blocks, we have more
combinations.' The scientists recorded and analysed 4,486 kiss-squeaks
collected from 48 animals in four wild populations. With thousands of
hours of listening as the apes communicated, the researchers found that
the animals embedded several different bits of information in their
squeaks..."
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38907681
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
04) TERRY PRATCHETT: BACK IN BLACK, NEWS AND REVIEWS
4.1 THE EARS HAVE IT, BUT THE EYES GOT A PRETTY FAIR LOOK-IN: A REVIEW
OF TERRY PRATCHETT: BACK IN BLACK
By Annie Mac
The first thing my husband and I said to each other as the end credits
for the BBC's "Terry Pratchett: Back in Black" rolled was, "It should've
been longer."
The second was, "Let's go back and listen all the way through instead of
watching it" – and in my opinion, if you've not seen the programme yet
it might actually be worth your while to listen *before* watching it,
because it may well have you believing Sir Pterry *did* come back for
the filming of it.
Be warned: opening moments are heartbreaking. We see Sir Terry himself,
filmed as he tries to tell of his rapidly fading personal memories to
his loyal personal assistant and best friend Rob Wilkins. Seeing him in
the latter stages of his disease, shrunken and uncertain, little more
than a shell of the vibrant, articulate public speaker we knew and loved
feels almost almost too private. Too personal. And yet, as painful as
this part was for me to watch, I think it is important for so many
reasons. It shows the ravages of Alzheimer's. It shows how much of
himself he gave, to his art and to all of us, in his battle to continue
creating until the last possible moment. And all that follows – a
combination of biography, re-enactment of his own words and
remembrances, and tributes from famous faces and fans alike – underlines
both the awfulness of his battle with the disease that ended him, and
the wonderfulness of his life and work.
That "last possible moment" occurred in early December 2014, and is here
described by Rob Wilkins in aching detail, right down to his admitting,
"I think we probably left this six months too late" as this "man of
words" struggles with simple phrases. But Team Pratchett and experienced
Pratchett documentary maker Charlie Russell found a way – a highly
unusual, yet effective and deeply affecting way, no less – to tell Terry
Pratchett's final story. A few scenes from the "rock concert of
memorials", held in London in 2016, soon give way to Paul Kaye's
personification of Pratchett as he leads the viewer through a visual
biography, interspersed with testimonials from his literary agent and
longtime friend Colin Smythe, who published his early novels; his Good
Omens co-writer Neil Gaiman; Discworld auxiliaries co-creator and
Discworld playwright Stephen Briggs, who describes and displays the
evolution of the Discworld Companion; daughter Rhianna, of course;
Discworld artist Paul Kidby, who first met Pratchett when he attended a
book signing with an armload of his illustrations; Bernard Pearson, the
"cunning artificer" who also presides over the Ankh-Morpork consulate in
its twin town of Wincanton; author Val McDermid, who thinks Pratchett
could have been – and in fact was, through his creation Sam Vimes – a
brilliant crime writer; and a number of fans and "superfans", some of
whom I imagine are familiar faces to Discworld conventiongoers.
Much of the biographical material in the programme will be familiar to
Pratchett fans (and Wossname readers!), but seeing it laid out visually
by actor Paul Kaye in a world-class display of what is essentially
Pratchett cosplay brings an immediacy – a resonance – to all those
articles and interviews most of us have read, watched, or listened to.
I'm not familiar with Mr Kaye's previous work, but I have to say he
patently put his heart and soul into this performance, and the result is
so uncannily accurate that there were times when I was unsure if we were
listening to the "stunt Pratchett" or the real one... and, due to clever
editing, moments when I wasn't one hundred per cent certain about which
Pratchett was on the screen.
(The coffin. The typewriter. Broke my heart all over again.)
One thing I took away from Terry Pratchett: Back in Black was increased
respect for both Wilkins and Gaiman. Not that the depth of their
friendships with The Author were ever in any doubt, but their
willingness to let their naked emotion be filmed and broadcast was a
precious thing. Also, Rhianna Pratchett gets my Mary Beard "I'm too
wrapped up in what I'm doing to bother brushing my hair" award (and that
is DEFINITELY a plaudit, not a criticism – I'm a major fan of Professor
Beard, both on camera and in text). So open, so heart-warmingly artless
in her reminiscences of a childhood spent with private but deeply loving
father, that it cannot fail to touch anyone who watches Terry Pratchett:
Back in Black.
Props go to fellow Discworld "genrelist" Jason Anthony, who proudly
displayed a card sent to him by our favourite author. Jason should take
acting lessons, because if they ever make a (coughs) *proper* Discworld
film, he would be the perfect Rincewind. After all, as Discworld
conventiongoers know well, he already *does* a perfect Rincewind. (Are
you listening, Narrativia?). Kudos, lots and lots thereof, go to
producer/director/head of filming Charlie Russell, who served in the
same capacities for the earlier documentaries in the "Pratchett
trilogy", and to editor Gary Scott and director of photography Patrick
Smith, plus a special honourable mention to Andrew Ryan who played the
parts of Headmaster Tame, the Bucks Free Press editor who was young
Terry's boss, and Death.
(Another word of warning: if you aren't already in floods of tears by
the forty-fourth minute of the programme, Neil Gaiman's last
reminiscence will almost certainly gut you.)
So yes, my final verdict on Terry Pratchett: Back in Black is identical
to my feelings about the life of Terry Pratchett himself: superb, but
should've been longer.
4.2 THE OTHER REVIEWS
By Frank Cottrell Boyce in The Guardian:
"One of the charms of this docudrama is that it largely eschews the
usual talking heads in favour of Discworld fans. Even the famous faces
that do appear – Neil Gaiman, Pratchett's consigliere Rob Wilkins, the
illustrator Paul Kidby – first entered Pratchett's orbit as fans.
Whether it was the life-changing offer he made to collaborate with the
young Gaiman on Good Omens, or the blessing to Stephen Briggs's attempts
to map Ankh-Morpork, or simply Tipp-Exing over an old dedication in a
secondhand copy of one of his books so he could 'unsign' it for its new
owner, Pratchett showered his fans with favours like a Highland clan
chief. It's a clan with its own code of honour: to 'be a bit more Terry'
is to be kinder, more tolerant. At first, it feels a little
uncomfortable that instead of the man himself, we have the actor Paul
Kaye dressed up as him. But then you notice that nearly everyone here is
dressed up – as a witch, a member of the Nightwatch or some other
character – and of course Pratchett himself was always dressed up as
Terry Pratchett, with the iconic hat, big beard and black jackets... In
a society that avoids discussing the subject, Pratchett made Death –
with his horse Binky – his central creation, and his favourite. Seven of
his books were written in the terrible interval between his being
diagnosed with Alzheimer's and finally walking away with his most
beloved character. In common with so many people now, I have someone
with dementia in my family. Watching this, yes, is heartbreaking, but
there's also something revelatory in this documentary..."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/11/terry-pratchett-docudrama-discworld-back-in-black-frank-cottrell-boyce
...and another Guardian piece on the programme, by Nadia Khomami:
"The programme includes footage of the frail-looking author shortly
before his death, and features an appearance from Rob Wilkins,
Pratchett's long-term assistant and collaborator on the autobiography...
In the programme, Wilkins recalls the day in autumn 2007 when he and
Pratchett realised something strange had happened. He says Pratchett
came into his office saying: 'The "S" on my keyboard has gone … Come on,
what have you done with it?' It was in late 2014 that Pratchett realised
he was not the same writer he used to be. 'We had a good day working on
the biography and he said to me: "Rob, Terry Pratchett is dead."
Completely out of the blue. I said: "Terry look at the words you have
written today. It is fantastic." And he said: "No, no. Terry Pratchett
is dead."' Wilkins said that towards the end of his life Pratchett
became increasingly angered by his disease. 'He could see how it was
affecting him, how it was tripping him up and I knew we were up against
it for time. We had to get the words down and with that white heat, with
that white anger driving him to write seven whole novels through the
haze of Alzheimer's.'..."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/03/terry-pratchett-docudrama-author-dead-alzheimers
By James Whitbrook on i09:
"Typically, these sorts of specials about dead celebrities include
'talking head' insight from fellow celebrities, but rarely cover the
indelible mark left on seas of ordinary fans. Back in Black does, and
it's what makes it stand out as a stunning farewell to Pratchett. There
are three layers to Back In Black, starting with footage taken of Terry
Pratchett in the final years of his life, attempting to recall his life
story and his work for a planned—and ultimately unfinished—memoir before
his mind deteriorated too far due to Alzheimer's. It's hard to watch,
even if you're only a casual fan of Pratchett's work, as the
writer—beloved for his imagination, his wit, his ability to craft
beautiful, funny, heartbreaking sentences at the drop of his trademark
hat—struggles to speak, to remember a story, or even just correct turn
of phrase. It inspires a sort of fury behind the sadness you feel, as
the documentary unfolds and the disease that would ultimately claim
Pratchett's life gets worse and worse..."
http://bit.ly/2lENGYG
...and a combination review/Rob Wilkins interview in the Daily Mail. Say
what you like about that paper's general scurrilousness, it's a fact
that the Mail always showed deep love and admiration for our favourite
author, and this piece by Jenny Johnston is superb:
"The original idea for the programme had been to use only the real
footage of Terry, and Rob had compiled 26 hours of recordings. But the
process proved difficult, due to the way the disease had taken hold.
Terry's words, always so precise, were hit or miss. Starkly illustrative
of what it means to be dying from Alzheimer's, perhaps, but also, says
Rob, hard to watch. 'It started as a living will,' he explains. 'And
there are some lovely, lovely bits. Heaven knows what we'll do with
them, maybe it's one of those things the grandchildren will deal with.
But using them as they were, I don't think it would have made a great
film. I think it would have been far too upsetting for everybody
concerned.' He talks rather movingly of how painful it was to record
conversations that should have been so effortless. 'We do show a little
of some of them to illustrate what it was like,' says Rob. 'But it was
so hard. He'd go to tell an anecdote and he'd struggle with a word.
There was one about looking in the mirror and seeing his father – and he
couldn't find the word "mirror". Much as everyone would have wanted to
watch Terry telling his own story, it wasn't possible. But having Paul
involved gave us a solution, if you like. I'd say 90 per cent of the
words Paul speaks are Terry's actual words. There's obviously a little
bit of artistic licence there.'
"It's an unforgettable film, featuring incredibly moving recollections
from family, friends and literary contemporaries such as fellow fantasy
writer Neil Gaiman and crime author Val McDermid. The overall sense is
an affectionate but at times fittingly surreal portrait of a man who had
an imagination that seemed limitless. But it's the journey through
Terry's final days that's the most poignant aspect of this programme..."
[Editor's note: if you've not seen Terry Pratchett: Back in Black yet,
this piece will give you a fair idea of the emotional power of it. Be
prepared to choke up. A lot.]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4211136/Terry-Pratchett-s-final-fantasy.html
4.3 THE EXTRAS
* A "deleted scene":
"Back to school: Exclusive extra scene from Back in Black: Pratchett,
played by actor Paul Kaye, confronts his old headmaster."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4QP5HrMfrryfX00qVj789Ds/
* A behind-the-scenes exclusive:
"We're delighted to release these exclusive photographs from the filming
of the BBC documentary 'Terry Pratchett – Back in Black'. The BBC crew
filmed in several locations across the country and we followed Rob
Wilkins on set."
http://discworld.com/new-documentary-air/
www.pratchetthisworld.com
www.salisburymuseum.org.uk
* Neil Gaiman reading his complete foreword to A Slip of the Keyboard
aloud at the Terry Pratchett Memorial in London last year, and receiving
The Hat:
http://sciencefiction.com/2017/02/13/the-bbc-shares-neil-gaimans-tribute-to-terry-pratchett/
* The artwork of Discworld:
Presented by the BBC, a selection of Kirby and Kidby covers:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2KxTw2gj0TR7PZ6lbKQvL4P/fantastic-pratchett-illustrating-discworld
4.4 PAUL KAYE ON BECOMING TERRY PRATCHETT
How actor Paul Kaye became Terry:
"When director Charlie Russell was asked by the BBC to make a film
celebrating Sir Terry Pratchett's life, he knew that the standard
talking heads documentary just wouldn't wash. How did he know this?
Russell had already made three documentaries with Sir Terry himself:
Living with Alzheimer's, Choosing to Die and Facing Extinction. 'I got
to know him over a long period of time and we came to care for each
other. As his illness progressed and it got harder for Terry to do
certain things, we had built up a trust and I felt I had developed a
real sense of who he was... I knew that he'd hate the idea of a
conventional film full of people saying nice things about him. He would
have wanted to do things differently, to come back and be in his own
documentary and because we couldn't do that the next best thing was to
get an actor to play him', Russell explained. With the blessing of
Terry's family and close friends, Russell started the process of finding
their Terry and although initially they were looking for a Pratchett
fanatic in the end they chose a man who had never read a Pratchett book
in his life..."
http://bbc.in/2kB2pQY
4.5 STEPHEN BRIGGS ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH TERRY PRATCHETT
"Terry was intelligent, irascible, witty and loyal, wryly observing the
world around him, taking inspiration from everyone and everything he
encountered and pouring wit and imagination into every word he wrote. He
had a driven sense of fairness and justice, and was a staunch supporter
of the conservation of orangutans, of the research into Alzheimer's
Disease and of the right for people with a terminal illness to die with
dignity. He loved the natural world, fought to preserve the nation's
wildlife and raised goats, chickens, tortoises and carnivorous plants.
He and his wife Lyn owned (if that is the right word) many cats. He was
a keen amateur astronomer and built his own observatory in the garden of
his home. Terry was also an inveterate collector of unconsidered
trifles. He adored the strange and quirky things that happen in 'real
life', and was fascinated by just about everything. He had what he
called a 'pack rat' mind that enabled him to Hoover up snippets from
conversations and transpose them into the worlds he created. Terry was
an entertaining companion, a keen player of computer games and oh yes,
he also wrote books... Speaking about his SF novel Strata in 1981, he
said 'I am working on another Discworld theme, since I don't think I've
exhausted all the possibilities in one book!' Quite an understatement...
"I met Terry through my interest in amateur theatre. I wrote to ask if I
could stage his Wyrd Sisters, and much to my surprise he said yes, so my
life was immediately catapulted down a different leg of the trousers of
time. We worked together to map his world and Ankh-Morpork, its
principle city. We also collaborated on a mini-raft of other
publications. Terry was, as I've so often said, funny, loyal and
supportive. He was also waspy – a man I could always rely on to say what
he really thought about anything I did. Working with him was fast and
fun – there were frequent phone calls (pre-internet), and a lot of
laughs – we shared a common background in humour. At book signings we'd
sometimes drift into Life of Brian... "Crucifixion? Good... line on the
left, one cross each..." and then amble off into running entire scenes
from memory, much to the confusion of the observing fans. It was masses
of fun – and a real privilege to be a part of creating even a small
element of his wonderful world..."
http://bbc.in/2kASGtU
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
5.1 PLAYS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH
* TAMAHER IN CARDIFF (FEBRUARY)
Monstrous Productions' newest production is The Amazing Maurice and his
Educated Rodents, starting tonight:
"Rats! They disarm the traps, widdle in the flour and charge a very
reasonable price to leave town. That isn't how it's supposed to go of
course, but then these are no ordinary rats. They are the Changelings, a
group of rats who became smart after eating off a magical rubbish heap.
With the guidance of the streetwise alleycat Maurice, the Changelings
now run a very profitable business posing as a fake plague in
unsuspecting towns. All they needed was stupid-looking kid with a pipe
who leads them all out of town, for a fee...
"That is; until one last job in Bad Blintz, a starving town with a
serious rat problem. They soon realise that this town is not quite as it
seems and something darker is hiding underneath. Remember, there are bad
things in the Dark Wood... Monstrous Productions have been bringing
Terry Pratchett to the stage in Cardiff since 2012. After donating over
£20k to Alzheimer's Research UK, Maurice is a new project for them, with
all proceeds being donated to the Forget-me-not choir, a local choir for
people with dementia and their families. Join them for an evening of
storytelling, puppetry and live music."
When: 22nd–25th February 2017
Venue: The Gate Theatre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW
Time: 7.30pm (2.30pm matinee on the 25th)
Tickets: £7 (£5 concession), available from
http://monstrousproductions.fikket.com/
http://monstrousptc.com/
* WYRD SISTERS IN LONDON (MARCH)
Ben Hayward of the Imperial College School of Medicine Drama Society
writes to say that he will be directing their production of Wyrd Sisters
at the start of next month:
"ICSM Drama presents to you its fabulous production of Wyrd Sisters by
Terry Pratchett! Running from the 1st to the 4th March, it's sure to be
a night of fantasy, comedy, romance, witchcraft, insanity and just plain
wyrdness! So mark it down in your calendars! Save the date in your phones!"
When: 1st-4th March 2017
Venue: Union Concert Hall, Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road , London
SW7 2BB
Time: doors open 7:00pm; curtain up 7:30pm
Tickets: £6/£8 for student/Non-Student tickets (apart from Friday the
3rd of March which will be a special performance accompanied with drinks
and canapes at higher price of £8/£10 (for student/non-Student tickets).
"Take a look at our Facebook event for more details
(_https://www.facebook.com/events/376900926013238/_) and email
eri.aung15 at imperial.ac.uk to reserve your tickets now!"
Note: the poster for this event is excellent – go have a look at it on
the Wossname blog at http://wossname.dreamwidth.org/46314.html
* CARPE JUGULUM IN NOTTINGHAM (MARCH)
The Lace Market Youth Theatre present Carpe Jugulum, "a pastiche of
vampire literature playing with mythic archetypes and featuring a tongue
in cheek reversal of 'vampyre' subculture with young vampires who wear
bright clothes, drink wine and stay up till noon", in March.
When: 22nd–25th March 2017
Venue: The Lace Market Theatre, Halifax Place, Nottingham NG1 1QN
Time: 7.30pm all evening shows; 2.30pm Saturday 25th matinee
Tickets: £11 (£10 concessions), available online at
http://bit.ly/2dIKhod or by phoning 0115 950 7201
https://lacemarkettheatre.co.uk/LaceMarketTheatre.dll/WhatsOn
* WYRD SISTERS IN BOLTON, LANCS (MARCH)
Bolton Little Theatre, "a vibrant amateur theatre company run by
members" since 1931, will be staging their production of Wyrd Sisters in
March.
When: 6th–11th March 2017
Venue: Bolton Little Theatre, Hanover Street, Bolton BL1 4TG
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £10 (Monday night 3 for 2 special), available at
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/boltonlittletheatre or
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/EFILHL – group bookings of 10+ (£9)
should be booked through the Box Office. "You can book at Bolton Little
Theatre box office in person or by telephone on Monday night from 7.30
to 9pm and Friday mornings from 10.30 to 12 noon – no extra charge if
paying by cash or cheque and you can book during the run of the plays or
you can book online at boltonlittletheatre.ticketsource.co.uk ...credit
card charges will apply. Tickets can be e-tickets (no charge) mobile
phone ticket (50p) standard post (£1.50)."
http://www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk/terry-pratchetts-wyrd-sisters/
5.2 PLAYS LATER IN 2017
* MASKERADE IN BERKSHIRE (MAY)
The Newbury Dramatic Society will stage their production of Maskerade,
directed by John Hicks (possibly with the help of a skull ring?), in
May: "In the Ankh Morpork Opera House, a strangely familiar evil
mastermind in a mask and evening dress is lurking in the shadows. He
lures innocent young sopranos to their destiny, commits occasional
murder, and sends little notes full of maniacal laughter and exclamation
marks. Opera can do that to a man. But Granny Weatherwax, the
Discworld's most famous witch, is in the audience and she doesn't hold
with that sort of thing... and the show must go on!"
When: 17th–20th May 2017
Venue: Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 8AE
Time: 7.30pm Wednesday to Friday, 6.30pm Saturday
Tickets: £12.50 (£12 concessions), available online at
https://www.watermill.org.uk/maskerade#dates-ttab or ring the Box Office
on 01635 46044
https://www.watermill.org.uk/maskerade
* LORDS AND LADIES IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER)
Brisbane Arts Theatre will be presenting their next Discworld play,
Lords and Ladies – adapted by Irana brown – next September!
"Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg – the witches of Lancre – are the
Discworld's only hope of rescue when elves threaten to take control with
their hypnotic 'glamour'. Standing stones, wizards, Morris men, rude
mechanicals, country lore and ancient magic all combine in this
adaptation of one of Sir Terry's finest. With a full supporting cast of
dwarves, wizards, trolls and one orangutan, the hilarious Lords and
Ladies delivers an abundance of hey-nonny-nonny and blood all over the
place."
When: 16th September – 21st October 2017
Venue: Brisbane Arts Theatre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Time: 7.30pm Thursdays, 8.00pm Fridays & Saturdays, 6.30pm Sundays
Tickets: Adults $34, Concession $28, Group 10+ $27, Student Rush $15 (10
mins before curtain), available online at
http://sa2.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?&presenter=AUBAT&event=LANDL
"Subscribers can redeem season tickets for this show. There are no
refunds or exchanges once tickets have been purchased."
http://www.artstheatre.com.au/show/lordsandladies
5.3 REVIEWS
* MONSTROUS REGIMENT IN SOUTHAMPTON
The Southampton University Players' production of Monstrous Regiment,
reviewed by Hilary Porter in the Daily Echo:
"Director Imogen Higgs has a lively cast and presents a reasonable
night's entertainment that should satisfy Discworld fans. Polly Perks
(Frankie Payne) binds herself in a male disguise in order to join the
Borogravian army as, it transpires, many women have done. And so we meet
various endearing characters, including Ellie Rose Fowler as Private
Manicle, Gina Hodsman as the 'haunted and damaged' Wazzer Goom and, as
the hunchbacked Private Igor, Bridget Wilkinson, heavily disguised but
still a discernible character and personality. Stephen Fenerty makes a
commanding and amusing Sergeant Jackrum, Christopher Gardener an
endearing Lieutenant Blouse and Paul Cresser also scores as vampire
recruit Private Maladict. The big Nuffield stage seems bare, two tables
and back projections supplying settings and rather too many 'fade outs',
but costumes and effects are fine."
http://bit.ly/2k2IoVB
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), still claims on their website to be
meeting next on Monday 30th November 1999, but it's more more likely to
be on Monday 6th March at the Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick Street,
London, W2 1JQ.
For more information, go to http://brokendrummers.org/ or email
BrokenDrummers at gmail.com or nicholls.helen at yahoo.co.uk
*
Canberra, Australia's Discworld fan group is Drumknott's Irregulars:
"The group is open to all, people from interstate and overseas are
welcome, and our events will not be heavily themed. Come along to dinner
for a chat and good company. We welcome people from all fandoms (and
none) and we would love to see you at one of our events, even if you're
just passing through. Please contact us via Facebook
(_https://www.facebook.com/groups/824987924250161/_) or Google Groups
(_https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars_) or
join us at our next event."
*
For Facebook users in Fourecks: The Victorian Discworld Klatch is "a
social group for fans of Discworld and Terry Pratchett... run by a
dedicated team who meet monthly and organise events monthly." "If you'd
like to join our events please ask to join the Klatch."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch
*
"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)" is a public Facebook
meeting group: "This group, by request of Jo in Bear will continue to be
used for future unofficial (not run by the Emporium) fan Gatherings in
Wincanton. Look here for information." [Editor's note: this is an active
group. If you use Facebook, it may be worth joining!]
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
*
The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either
Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things
Pratchett. We hold events such as Discworld dinners, games afternoons,
Discworld photo scavenger hunts. We also attend opening night at
Brisbane Arts Theatre's Discworld plays." The Partisans currently have
about 200 members who meet at least twice a month, usually in Brisbane.
For more info about their next meetup, join up at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula
directly at uwilmott at yahoo.com.au
*
The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South
Australia: "We have an established Terry Pratchett & Discworld fan group
in Adelaide called The City of Small Gods, which is open to anyone who
would like to come – you don't have to live in Adelaide or even South
Australia, or even be a Discworld fan, but that's mostly where our
events will be held, and we do like discussing Pratchett's works. Our
(semi-) regular 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. The games are usually shorter games like
Pairs, Sushi Go, or Tiny Epic Defenders, with the occasional Werewolf
session, as these are the best sort of games that work in a pub setting.
Every few months, we have a full day's worth of board games at La Scala
Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley in the function room starting at 10am. In
addition, we will occasionally have other events to go and see plays by
Unseen Theatre Company, book discussions, craft, chain maille or
costuming workshops or other fun social activities."
The next CoSG event will be the Monthly Dinner and Games at the
Caledonian Hotel on 23rd February. For more info, go to
www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 2nd March 2017
(probably) from 7.30pm at The Castle pub in Newport, Isle of Wight. For
more info and any queries, contact broken_vectis_drummers at yahoo.co.uk
*
The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) next meets on Friday 3rd
March 2017 (probably) at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn from 7pm onwards.
"Visitors and drop-ins are always welcome!"
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of
Flatalists, a Pratchett fangroup, has been meeting on a regular basis
since 2005. The Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in
Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, to discuss "all things
Pratchett" as well as having quizzes and raffles. 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) meet next on Monday 6th
March 2017 at 6.30pm in Sydney at 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street,
Sydney,2000. For more information, contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax):
kenworthys at yahoo.co.uk
*
The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers, meets
next on Monday 6th March 2017 (probably) from 5.30pm at Carpe Cafe, 526
Murray Street, Perth, Western Australia. For details follow Perth
Drummers on Twitter @Perth_Drummers or join their Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/ – or message Alexandra
Ware directly at <alexandra.ware at gmail.com>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Longtime Pratchett blogger The Bookwitch's reactions to "Terry
Pratchett: Back in Black":
"It was the Barbican memorial for Terry Pratchett all over again. In the
BBC documentary Back in Black on Saturday we could see an almost Terry.
It's enough to see someone wearing black, with a hat like his, and if
there is a beard as well, then for a heartstopping moment it is Terry
Pratchett. Here it was actor Paul Kaye doing what Terry didn't have
enough time to do. He did as good a job as you could ask for, speaking
in the style of Terry, while not quite being our much missed author who
has gone to be with Death... Much of the rest of the programme was
dedicated to alternately bless the world for having produced Terry, and
crying because he's gone. I have never before witnessed the seemingly
unflappable Neil Gaiman even close to tears. We heard part of their
story, some of which was new to me, filmed in the actual (?) place where
a very young Neil interviewed a not so well known Terry..."
https://bookwitch.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/terry-pratchett-back-in-black/
Blogger Anna's reaction was mixed, calling it "perfect" but then
complaining:
"Everything about the show was perfect. All the names we know and love
were there to talk about their memories of the great man from his
daughter Rhianna to writer Neil Gaiman, assistant Rob to artist Paul
Kidby. They all had wonderful tales to tell and fascinating facts to
give. The mixture of Docudrama and Documentary didn't work for me and
whilst I didn't mind Paul Kaye as Pratchett I'd rather we had been given
a straight Documentary or a straight Docudrama. I think the BBC could
make a really wonderful show about the life of Terry Pratchett and even
bring to life some of his creations in a most wonderful way but it
didn't really work, it made it disjointed and didn't add anything to the
over all story. You felt like you wanted to hear more of what other
people had to say rather then Paul Kaye wittering on, whilst no doubt
the words he was wittering would be Terry's own words taken from the
work Terry and Rob were doing for his autobiography before he died it
just really didn't need to be there. I'd rather more time be given to
fans and the people who knew him best. Paul Kaye ended up at best being
a rather out of place narrator rather then bringing the great man back
to life. That being said if down the line the BBC wanted to make
something like Doctor Who's Adventure in Time and Space I wouldn't say
no to Kaye returning to bring him to life... It was a lovely way to
remember a man that brought happiness to a lot of people. It had the
perfect tone to it too, it was upbeat and full of hope. It was sad, of
course it was sad, thinking that we'd never read another story by the
man and having to remember he was no longer with us, but at the same
time it reminded me that we always have him here with us. He's left such
a big body of work full of wonderful characters and a amazing world but
most importantly that little bit of anger that he had inside himself at
people who told him he'd never be anything and everything else that
means he's still with us and will be with new fans in the future.
https://believeingeek.com/2017/02/12/terry-pratchett-back-in-black/
Blogger Chris Hoggins was very impressed by Terry Pratchett: Back in Black:
"What came across in the programme was that a lot of what propelled
Terry to be such a prolific writer was a deep seated anger at the
injustice of the world. Being written off from an early age, he was
determined to prove a point and used all that fire inside to do it.
Those who knew him well said that the character in his universe of
characters most like himself was the formidable Granny Weatherwax,
someone who would do the right thing rather than the nice thing or the
kind thing as both the latter often turn out to be a cruelty in the long
term. Perhaps the best known and most loved character in the Discworld
is that of death itself, who is equally bemused and fascinated by the
souls he meets. It is such a cruel irony that Terry met his end much
sooner than was fair and in such appalling circumstances where the thing
that powered that thriving world of characters disintegrated over the
course of a few short years. That righteous fury pushed him to write a
further seven books after his diagnosis, a testament to the power of
anger used well. I feel a deep sadness that it will probably take
another hundred years or so for the world to get the true significance
of what Terry Pratchett achieved, a Dickens for our times really..."
http://bit.ly/2l3N2Bp
...and The Blogging Goth found the programme helped him to grieve:
"For me, the most painful moment was the interview with equally renowned
author Neil Gaiman. Terry's collaborative partner on the darkly witty
Good Omens – soon to receive a TV adaption – Neil has been closely
involved with much of the remembrance and memorialisation. I had to
leave the London Memorial early sadly, so I particularly appreciated
seeing some of Neil's recitation to the audience. In a quiet little
restaurant, Neil spoke personally about his grief surrounding the very
early passing of his friend. It was very difficult for Neil. He cradled
his face in his hands and mourned. He said very honestly, 'I miss him so
much.' It was like a punch in the chest and a knife to the brain for me.
I'm an Englishman, repressed emotionally, possessed of a stiff upper
lip, and uncomfortable around death. To see another, even more
archetypal Englishman, publicly display his grief was… liberating, as
well as being deeply upsetting. With all the skill every writer longs to
muster, Neil connected me to my own grief, helped me experience and
evaluate my own sense of loss around a childhood hero, a venerated
figure, an idol and example I've tried to follow..."
https://theblogginggoth.com/2017/02/14/the-death-of-discworld/
...while blogger My Library Books found resonance in his forthrightness
about Alzheimer's:
"At the time I was finally reading his novels, Pratchett had already
been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I didn't appreciate just how
devastating this was. Clearly, for a man who was so renowned for his
beauty through words, this was the worst possible diagnosis. In 2014 I
finally understood, when my Grandma got diagnosed... Grandma had always
been a strong female character in my life. She didn't suffer fools
lightly and she didn't take any shit from anyone. Her house was her
pride and joy and was always spotless. She was passionate about her
past, regaling me with stories of her extensive family history. I shared
my love of great food with her. She was one of the finest bakers I've
ever met (her and my mum). Alzheimer's destroyed all this. It took away
her confidence, her speech, her passion. I hate it. I HATE it..."
https://mylibrarybooks.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/terry-pratchett-back-in-black/
Blogger April of collective Without a Map writes about the influence of
Pratchett and his stealth philosophy:
"Most of us, readers especially, can point to a work in our lives that
influenced the way we think. We'd prefer it be someone impressive,
Nietzsche, Kant, Salinger, Steinem, or Malcolm X. Someone you can
genuinely bring up with reverence in intelligent company. There's a
range, somewhere from your teens to early twenties where works of
literature, film, and philosophy have a greater impact than any other
time in our lives. They're introductions to thoughts outside of what we
grew up with. What our parents, teachers, and friends taught. What we
discover through these works can shape our beliefs in enduring ways. I
did not encounter someone pretentious at this age. Instead, I stumbled
across Terry Pratchett. To this day, I'm glad I did... I couldn't put it
into words then, but now I know that through his works, he made me a
humanist...
"I think Pratchett is a great writer to be reading right now. I think,
if he were alive, he would be calling bullshit on this current U.S.
administration, but he would also remind us that turns out the other
side is probably trying harder to be good than we think, and we're a lot
less righteous than we think. He'd caution us to be aware that the other
side might be right sometimes, and we might be wrong. Even if we come to
the conclusion that this is not the case, it's good practice to remind
ourselves. Pratchett's books make you glad to be a part of humanity,
even when you're fully aware humanity is a bloody, vindictive,
irrational mess, and that's a feeling I need to keep close right now.
Thank gods I chose him instead of Rand."
https://without-a-map.com/2017/02/17/rereading-pratchett/
Blogger Lukre's longish post sums up much of what it means to be a
Pratchett fan:
"I have just finished watching the BBC documentary 'Terry Pratchett Back
in Black' and I was reminded of those first books, of hearing about his
death and about all the hours of enjoyment I've had over the years
reading his books. You might hear people say, well, he's just a fantasy
writer, or that he is just a parody writer who who makes simple jokes.
To both those types of people I have just one thing to say – you
couldn't be more wrong. He is a life-writer. He talks about the greatest
of topics and tries to deliver, if not a solution, than at least an
option to facing the issue. He presents the good and the bad in people,
in societies. He unmasks our prejudices and out[sic] discrimination
through characters that are so far removed from us that our sensitive
selves are not offended. He reveals the goodness in ordinary men and
women. He respects the rule of law but also he shows us that laws are
there for the benefit of the people and not the other way around. He
show us our own beliefs and questions them. And he does all that with
such a mastery of language and idiomatic expressions that is at times
mind-boggling. His plays on words could be taught at school. And jokes
crop up when you least expect them..."
https://anatomyofreading.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/587/
Blogger Joanne Clapa aka The Bookworm Bistro on Night Watch:
"Here's the thing about Pratchett novels: He has created such a large,
expansive world, that it's pretty much impossible to start from the
beginning. Terry Pratchett wrote over forty novels in the Discworld
alone, not to mention countless other stories. Needless to say I was a
little confused about a few things when I picked up my first Pratchett
novel, Going Postal. So, going into Night Watch I wasn't too surprised
when I didn't understand a few things. Okay, a lot of things. Night
Watch is the 29th book in the Discworld, and the 6th book in the City
Watch series. It follows the story of Sir Samuel Vimes, commander of the
City Watch. Right from the beginning the story is thrilling... Vimes
meets a few interesting character from his past…and present… it's
honestly a little confusing, even if you've read previous Night Watch
novels. Despite being thoroughly confused for about 90% of this novel, I
really enjoyed it. The characters are unique, and hilarious. Pratchett's
writing style is one that I've never seen duplicated. It's very clear
that he invested his entire being into creating this vast world his
characters live in... Believe it or not, I think this is a great story
to start with if you're new to Discworld. Despite the fact that it's the
sixth book in the series, it really gives you an interesting glimpse
into the world..."
https://thebookwormbistro.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/night-watch-terry-pratchett/
...and blogger In Shifting Colour, a self-confessed "cat lady", tells of
how reading – and listening! – to Pratchett books made her feel less
isolated in her perceptions:
"I never believed in grieving for celebrities. How could you miss
someone who'd never truly been present in your life? The belief was, as
all beliefs are, inherently flawed. Presence is more than a physical
proximity. It's more, even, than a direct and personal communication.
Presence occurs when your life is influenced, for better or worse, by
another being. But I never truly understood this until the passing of
Sir Terry Pratchett.... I saw the world in weird and colourful ways; I
had a habit of looking at situations sideways and that confused my
peers. In social constructs where clinging to 'sameness' was the method
of survival, this left me weak... I escaped to places where I could
imagine myself as strong, capable, even heroic. There was a freedom I
had between pages that I didn't have in my primary school life. Stories
were a coping mechanism, a joy, a proof that maybe... just maybe there
really was a cupboard out there that would turn my toys to life (The
Indian in the Cupboard was another key favourite). Even as indoctrinated
in the ordinary magic of books as I was, nothing quite prepared me for
my first plunge into Terry Pratchett's Discworld series... Here was
someone who had committed their weird view to paper, and who was not
ashamed of it..."
http://bit.ly/2md7MGb
Quite a few people seem to discount Eric as a minor work, but blogger
Alice Dillon aka Lanterns and Hardbacks gives it five stars:
"Eric is such a perfect specimen of that man's genius, full of
witticisms, incisive analysis of our own world, clever parody (this
whole thing is a parody of Faust) and moments that really make you
think. I had one of the biggest existential crises I've ever had while
reading the parts set at the beginning and the end of the universe, both
brilliantly thought out. I'm one of those people who loves to
hypothesise about such things and so it was a glorious, though obviously
disconcerting, crisis. I don't have much more to say about this book,
but it's a really quick read and full of everything that made me fall in
love with Terry Pratchett's writing in the first place. Pratchett fans,
make sure you read this book if you weren't sure..."
https://lanternsandhardbacks.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/eric-by-terry-pratchett-discworld-9/
...while blogger The Idle Woman represents the mainstream opinions:
"Pratchett could never actually be bad, but the simple fact of the
matter is that, when compared to the mainstream Discworld books, Eric
isn't very good. It's essentially one gag dragged out over 163 pages and
it feels less like a story that needed to be told and more like one that
was written on commission... Pratchett gamely wheels out the
absurdities, but this is situation comedy rather than the
character-based comedy in which he excels. Even in what I think of as
the 'concept' novels – the books which focus on one theme, like rock
music or the cinema or The Phantom of the Opera – he populates the story
with engaging characters who have a certain depth to them. We don't
really have enough time to get to know anyone here and Eric, although
allegedly one of the protagonists, never develops beyond being a
lustful, big-headed adolescent..."
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/01/29/eric-terry-pratchett/
Swedish blogger abookwithoutend on Good Omens:
"What if 'Welcome To Night Vale' met the bible? This is the result (For
all of you who have no idea what Welcome To Night Vale is, it's a
podcast about a town where all conspiracy theories, and more, are true).
The plot was confusing in an amusing way, not annoying. You could never
understand or expect where the authors would take you next. The writing
was so creative, like giving really ridiculous info-dumps and at times
taking perspective from the poor stand-bys who only want to go home, not
having to deal with scolding aliens or demons that break the speed limit
(I can understand that a lot of people are quite negative about multiple
p.o.v. because of the confusion that often occurs, but trust me on this
one). Anything could be possible. I can just picture in my head how much
Gaiman and Pratchett must have been laughing when writing this story...
overall, this book was great and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone..."
https://abookwithoutend.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/book-review-good-omens/
Blogger rayunder1996 is starting on "The Pratchett Path" with tCoM:
Here in the Pratchett Path I'm gonna take a look through the work of
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and give a few of my thoughts on
them. These won't be full reviews as I'm sure many of you will be
familiar Pratchett and his comedy works already, so you don't need me to
prattle on about how you should read it. Our time would be much better
spent talking about the lovable Luggage, dream powered dragons, and its
wonderful way with magic. Luggage is one of the most emotive and iconic
creations in the fantasy genre. I think that is something we all have to
agree on. From his veracious[sic] appetite for all things...well all
things to be honest to his odd adorableness he really does embody
everything good about Discworld. Despite his absurdity in concept,
within the confine of the world it has reasonably grounded explanation
for its existence. That is a key part of its charm if you think about
it, that even in a world where the insanity is commonplace there is an
internal logic to the world..."
https://thefantasyfayre.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/the-pratchett-path-1/
Blogger pksupernovel found The Long Cosmos well worth reading:
"The Long Cosmos is easily the best book in the whole Long Earth saga.
Speculative fiction that about travelling usually ends up presenting a
series of increasingly cool and mind-blowing ideas. The one from The
Long Cosmos that really stuck with me was the gigantic forest, with
trees the size of skyscrapers supported by helium. Their reproduction
strategy involves spreading seeds when they inevitably explode during
bushfires. I also amazed by the sentient islands that sampled life while
moving between worlds, and that ridiculously large computer. The Long
Cosmos felt more coherent and less disjointed than the previous books in
the series. I can't explain why I feel this way. Maybe it was because
the plotlines felt more related, and came to a satisfactory
conclusion... The Long Cosmos' genre means that it feels more like a
Baxter book than a Pratchett one, although there is a fair bit of whimsy
about. And I really don't think it would make much sense without reading
the rest of the series..."
https://pksupernovel.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/the-long-cosmos-terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter/
Gareth Preston, director of Bolton Little Theatre's forthcoming
production of Wyrd Sisters (see item 5.1), blogs his production diary:
"When I started off directing Wyrd Sisters I'd [hoped] to keep a
production diary up on this blog. Predictably this ambition was quickly
eaten up by the time and energy involved in actually realising the play.
So you'll have to look forward to a retrospective article instead.
However I can report that we are at an exciting phase where the books
are down, the movements are being fine tuned and the set is almost in
place bar the painting, thanks to the marvellous efforts of Jeff Lunt
and his team. Not to mention a whole wardrobe of costumes which have
largely been designed and made from scratch by Francis Clemmitt and her
team. I've also been out banging the drum and trying to get people
interested in coming. Marketing a play is a job in itself. We're having
some publicity photos taken tomorrow which hopefully will excite the
local media. I went on Bolton FM radio a couple of weeks ago and I'll be
popping up again on their frequency on Monday during the drivetime show
in the evening. I've also made a short video promo for promoting the
show on social media..."
https://garethpreston.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/downtime-out-now-wyrd-sisters-soon/
Blogger Tea and Tales on Nation:
"There's a reason Pratchett writes 'Thinking. This book contains some.
Whether you try it at home is up to you.' This book is so highly
philosophical and painful, as two young people survive and are faced by
tragedy. Mau has to bury everyone he knows, and lead the survivors in
the rebuilding of Nation. But what is Nation? When everyone who lived
the culture but one has died, can such a thing as 'Nation' still exist?
Also, is there a God(s)? Yet even though the topics this book handles
are very sophisticated and incredibly heavy, it does have typical
Pratchett humour throughout. He makes fun of religion, the idea of
Empire, the English, and succession. That said, he takes Mau, his
musings and suffering, and his world very seriously... The writing is
witty and poetic, like most Pratchett novels, but unlike most of his
other work the tone of this one is heavily philosophical and serious.
You feel for Mau, and as you enter his mind you are forced to face the
same questions and issues. Can you believe in the Gods when they wiped
out everything you knew and loved? Is it possible to rage against them
if you do not believe? The chemistry between the characters is wonderful
though, and it is not all misery and suffering..."
https://tea-and-tales.com/2017/02/03/nation-terry-pratchett/
Blogger Fiona on The Long Mars:
"Some readers have criticized this series as boring and without much
action. It's true that not a lot happens in this book. It reminds me of
early sci-fi novels, such as those by H.G. Wells. Instead of being
action-packed with exciting events, this book is more of an exploration
of ideas. The characters encounter all sorts of exotic environments and
life forms in the exploration of the Long Earth and the Long Mars.
Those chapters are a thought experiment in the types of life that might
be possible. This book also explores what might happen if mankind
continues to evolve. What will those people be like? How will the
less-evolved people react to them? All in all, I enjoyed the book,
though it is a bit of a slow-starter. But there is what seems to me a
glaring oversight, and it really bugs me... What really bothered me was
the treatment of the 'Next.' Everyone was arguing that they are a danger
to humanity because of their high intellect. The danger isn't from their
intellect. It's because they are psychopaths..."
https://selfeducatedconservative.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/the-long-mars-a-review/
Blogger katyboo1 aka Making Them Readers on Jingo:
"Jingo is the twenty first Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett that my
son, Oscar and I have shared together... Oscar loved this because it is
a book about the Watch. He brings to his reading, a wealth of knowledge
amassed from the previous books and it suddenly makes him realise how
valuable things like back stories are. He is beginning to predict how
characters will behave in certain circumstances, and it gives him
enormous joy when he is right... it seems to echo a lot of the political
landscape in which we are forced to live at the moment, jingoism,
xenophobia, racism and casual intolerance are all lampooned on
Pratchett's sharpest pen and I was moved to laugh more than once by
parallels with current events. Despite the fact that they aren't really
funny. Current events that is..."
https://makingthemreaders.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/jingo-by-terry-pratchett-a-review/
Blogger Nordie on The Long Earth:
"This is a relatively slow book, where Lobsang, Sally and Joshua are
generally left alone to do their own thing. Occasionally they get to
investigate new creatures, some benign, some not, and this allows the
authors to muse on what earth may have looked like had evolution taken a
little detour from what happened on our version of earth... The focus on
the Long Earth for the story made it a bit disconcerting when very late
in the book they introduce the idea of the long Mars. Either I was not
paying attention in the rest of the book...always a possibility...or
this was a very late entry of the idea of alternate other worlds. The
fact there is a whole novel dedicated to the long Mars makes me wonder…
Whilst overall people like/love the book, there are a number of things
said that I tend to agree with.."
https://nordie.wordpress.com/2017/01/27/book-review-the-long-earth-by-terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter/
Blogger Lucinda's tribute to Sir Pterry:
"I've loved Terry Pratchett ever since I was at university. My
ex-boyfriend recommended him to me and bought me The Hogfather for
Christmas (back when buying paperbacks was a thing). I immediately loved
the inventiveness, the humour, the way that the story was a proper
adventure. The expansiveness of the Discworld novels never fails to
amaze me. At one point in the documentary, they show a map of Ankh
Morpork and the level of detail is incredible. Terry literally imagined
and remembered a whole world in his head. What a genius. I can't believe
that someone with such an expansive mind was so reduced by dementia.
From the documentary, I've learnt that there was a certain snobbishness
about Terry's work from the professional book critics of the day (back
when that was a real thing too). I've heard great stories about mums who
would say to librarians 'he's never been interested in reading before he
picked up a Discworld book. Now could you recommend some proper
literature?' Apparently Terry was really angry about this and he loved
to know that people had been put in their place (he referred to
librarians as his dirndl army, which I just love)..."
https://lucindaisreading.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/a-tribute-to-terry-pratchett/
Blogger Phil Parker is a rare bird – namely, a Pratchett admirer who
isn't a Pratchett reader:
"I've tried but failed to read Pratchett. I ought to love it but I can't
find a way in. It doesn't matter, the documentary is brilliant,
affecting and a superb celebration of the man. What struck me was that
before he wrote, he read. Everything. Well, everything in his local
library starting with fantasy and then history, 'Blokes in helmets
bashing each other' as he described it. Reading planted all the seeds
for the character in his stories... I've said before how my local
library was essential for my development. I'm not going to compare
myself with Pratchett but to lift a line from the documentary, I'm a
human. He is a human. My poo stinks. His poo stinks. I loved my library.
He loved his library. He is a writer. I want to be a writer..."
https://nolanparker.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/no-libraries-no-terry-pratchett/
Blogger The Past Due Book Review is back with musings on Sourcery:
"The prevailing theme in Sourcery is self identity; finding out who you
are, not what other people tell you that you are or are not, is central
to the development of the characters... Goofiness keeps the tone of the
book light while dealing with the end of the world (just like in The
Light Fantastic…I'm beginning to sense a pattern), and personal themes
are more present, bringing the story to another level above general
fantasy or simple parody. Sourcery is full of wordplay, satire, and such
ridiculous fun that it is difficult to put down..."
https://thepastduebookreview.com/2017/02/15/sourcery-review/
...and blogger Nat Wassell's review this month is Going Postal:
"William de Worde runs a large free press, and here Moist joins their
ranks as an equal opportunity employer, visionary thinker and actually
quite nice guy, once you get to know him. It is a quartet of characters,
along with Archchancellor Ridcully and at least some of the guild
leaders who are starting to inspire this real progress. When the corrupt
leaders of the clacks company are ousted at the end of the book, you get
a real sense of moral outrage from most of the leaders mentioned here.
Lord Vetinari may be the tyrant, a fact he still likes to remind people
of, but he's also remarkably liberal in his thinking. This liberal
approach to politics means that the issues of racism and stereotyping
that were present in early novels has basically been eradicated in the
city. Moist employs golems, the last race to be integrated into the
fabric of the city, without a second thought, and really does want to
know how to treat them correctly.
"Adora Belle Dearheart, the human face of the golem employment agency,
says that Commander Vimes will employ anyone in the Watch and turn out a
solid copper at the end of it. Lord Vetinari employs Mr Pump, another
golem, as Moist's probation officer. It's a cynical approach, in many
ways, but it also assumes that all races of creature have their own
strengths that can be put to use, as long as they wish to work. I think
it's an attitude that a lot of real life people could definitely
consider adopting..."
https://culturedvultures.com/discworld-discussions-going-postal-2005/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
The *real* Terry Pratchett, as photographed in 2013 at Beaconsfield
Library and pictured in a recent Get Bucks article:
http://bit.ly/2keP4Sa
...and in 1992, from the same article as above:
http://bit.ly/2lCxrIT
...and another, this one from the Bath Chronicle, where he used to work:
http://bit.ly/2kEe4kq
...and programme maker Charlie Russell with Paul Kaye as Pterry:
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976xn/p04sd9qm.jpg
...and your Editor's favourite Kaye-as-Pratchett photo:
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p04sd5rn.jpg
...and both real and faux Pratchetts, collaged:
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/976xn/p04sdwv6.jpg
Rob Wilkins, Neil Gaiman and Marcus Gipps (from publisher Gollancz)
working on the Good Omens telly script:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C44PA3mUYAANF66.jpg
The official Paul Kidby Pratchett bust waxes, now ready for bronze
casting, as tweeted by Paul Kidby himself:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C48gRbdXUAArmLu.jpg
A photographic action replay – Fiona Fisher's marvellous Kirby-and-Kidby
Discworld art staircase, this time tweeted by the official Kirby Art
account:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4uYpUyWAAEpmW5.jpg
...and a Paul Kidby replay – Discworld Gothic, which will be part of the
Terry Pratchett: HisWorld exhibition (see item 3.1):
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C4i7M3KWcAIMfM9.jpg
...and on the subject of action replays, here's a digital
cut-out-and-keep, as it were – the Pratchett coat of arms, featuring its
ankh and morepork:
http://bit.ly/2kOJCRp
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
09) CLOSE
For all you Pratchett fans out in the USA who might be hoping to attend
NADWCON 2017, there's still one week left to order your tickets at a
special discount price:
https://nadwcon2017.org/
https://nadwcon2017.org/signup/2017-adult-membership.html
And that's the lot for February. Take care, and we'll see you next month!
– Annie Mac
The mirror version of this issue can be viewed at
http://wossname.dreamwidth.org/46336.html
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