Wossname -- July 2017 -- main issue

[News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett]

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
July 2017 (Volume 20, Issue 7, 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.
********************************************************************

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) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS
09) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
10) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"It's going to be a Happy Hogswatch! A new collection of 10 
never-published stories by Sir T for the young & not-so young."
– tweeted by @terryandrob on 11th July 2017

"…if your Mickey Mouse ears fall off, that nice Mr. Disney is not unduly 
perturbed. If someone buys a Discworld t-shirt and the colours run in 
the wash, I am the person who gets the email.”
– Terry Pratchett, Science Fiction Book Club interview 1996, as quoted 
on the Discworld Emporium website

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02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

A shortish issue this month (owing to your Editor being knocked over by 
a case of bronchitis muscular enough to have come straight from the 
eighteenth century disguised as consumption... remember, it's the depths 
of winter down here in Fourecks), but not lacking in interesting 
content. I'm going to press Send now and take to my bed with a supply of 
leeches and lace hankies. On with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

03) ODDS AND SODS

3.1 NEW PRATCHETT STORIES COLLECTION

There's a new collection of fourteen "new" stories, to be published just 
in time for Hogswatch! Well, actually well and truly ahead of Hogswatch. 
Father Christmas's Fake Beard offers another collection of Pteenaged 
Pterry's delightfully wonky children's stories, following on from 
Dragons at Crumbling Castle and The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and once 
again illustrated by Mark Beech. The release date is either the 17th of 
August, or an unspecified date in October, depending on which social 
media or commercial enterprise page you're reading... but at any rate, 
it's coming out soon! See item 8.1 for more details!

3.2  REMINDER: "CAPTURE THE CASTLE" FEATURING PAUL KIDBY

The Southampton City Art Gallery's Capture the Castle exhibition, 
currently running,  is meant to be "the first ever large-scale art 
exhibition on the subject of British castles", but a certain 
otherworldly castle – Unseen University's Tower of Art, by Paul Kidby – 
is featured as well...

When: through to 2nd September 2017
Venue: Southampton City Art Gallery, Commercial Road, Southampton SO14 
7LP – 5 minutes' walk from Southampton Central Station – phone: 023 8083 
3007 (option 3)
Time: Monday to Friday: 10am-3pm, Saturday: 10am–5pm (closed on Sundays)
Tickets: free admission to all exhibitions

https://www.southamptoncityartgallery.com/whats-on/capture-the-castle/

3.3 ASK THEM ABOUT STAMPS!

Roundworld's legendary, iconic and (possibly in)famous Ankh-Morpork 
Consulate – aka the Discworld Emporium – is, of course, the original 
only source of official Discworld stamps. On their website, Bernard "the 
Cunning Artificer" Pearson tells the history of Discworld stamps. Here 
be some extracts, but do go read the entire piece (link below)!

"Discworld Stamps began in 2003 while Terry was writing Going Postal. As 
part of his writing process, Terry's would revel in the opportunity to 
indulge boyhood fascinations with his subjects in the name of research. 
Being a stamp collector as a lad, philately was no exception and with 
our assistance he fully acquainted himself with the history of the Post 
Office and postage stamp manufacture in the Victorian era... The very 
first stamps off the press were perforated by Terry at Bath Postal 
Museum on a Victorian machine that we restored with the help of the 
author himself and a set of shiny new perforating pins! Terry became a 
patron of the museum and the Emporium consequently houses an array of 
postal paraphernalia that brings Going Postal to life...

"Since their inception in the book, our range has grown to encompass an 
ever-changing selection from post offices all over Discworld, 
illustrating a myriad of Terry Pratchett's characters and creations with 
contributions by guest artists including Paul Kidby, Joe McLaren, David 
Wyatt and Peter Dennis. Some of our older designs even make a guest 
appearance in Sky 1's television adaptation. We produce all manner of 
postal ephemera, from single stamps and whole sheets, to commemorative 
artefacts, lucky dip envelopes and first day covers. All our stamps are 
traditionally printed by our very own Mr Spools on authentic gummed 
stamp paper & perforated by hand. Like real stamps, designs come and go 
but thanks to a thriving secondary market older issues can be tracked 
down or traded on popular auction sites..."

https://www.discworldemporium.com/content/9-the-history-of-discworld-stamps

...and for a shufti at all the latest Discworld stamps, go to 
https://www.discworldemporium.com/39-new-stamps

3.4 ALZHEIMER'S NEWS

A promising report:

"Abnormal deposits that build up in the brain during Alzheimer's have 
been pictured in unprecedented detail by UK scientists. The team at the 
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology says its findings 'open up a whole 
new era' in neurodegenerative disease. Their work should make it easier 
to design drugs to stop brain cells dying. The researchers used brain 
tissue from a 74-year-old woman who died after having Alzheimer's 
disease. The form of dementia leads to tangles of a protein called tau 
spreading throughout the brain. The more tau tangles there are, the 
worse the symptoms tend to be. Doctors have known this has happened for 
decades but what has been missing is a detailed understanding of what 
the tangles look like. The team took advantage of the "resolution 
revolution" in microscopy to take thousands of highly detailed images of 
the tau inside the woman's brain tissues... this could be one of the 
most important recent discoveries in tackling dementia. Attempts to 
develop a drug to slow the pace of dementia have been met by repeated 
failure. But it is hard to come up with a drug when you do not know the 
precise chemical structure of what you are targeting.

"Dr Sjors Scheres, one of the researchers, told the BBC News website: 
'It's like shooting in the dark – you can still hit something but you 
are much more likely to hit if you know what the structure is. We are 
excited – it opens up a whole new era in this field, it really does.' 
The structure of tau, published in the journal Nature, is the first to 
be determined in such detail. Fellow researcher Dr Michel Goedert told 
the BBC: "This is a big step forward as far as tau goes but it is bigger 
than that. This is the first time anybody has determined the 
high-resolution structure [from human brain samples] for any of these 
diseases. The next step is to use this information to study the 
mechanisms of neurodegeneration.'..."

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40493868

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04) DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS

4.1 THE FIRST ANNUAL DISCWORLD DAY: A ONE-DAY EVENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Looks like it will be as fun as a fun thing! "We invite you to discover 
the streets of Ankh-Morpork, the greatest city of the Discworld. A 
folklorique network of old lanes, squares and alleys for your walking 
pleasure. Wherre exitement and trolls lurke arounde everry corner and 
much may be heard the traditional street cries of old time also the 
laughing visages of the denuizens as they goe about their business 
private. All guilds are welcome, so if you fancy yourself as an 
artificer, a seamstress, an assassin or a clown, you'll be sure to be in 
good company along The Street of Cunning Artificers. Dogs and unruly 
luggages to be kept on leashes at all times."

Features include the following (the original text – note spelling! – was 
too adorable to abridge or summarise):

An Ankmorpork Adventure: Seek! Hustle! Build! Conjur! Enter as a single 
person or with a team of wizzards, complete the tasks as laid out for 
you by the Patrician.

Fabricati diem, pvnc: test your mettale and train with the City Watch, 
they are recuiting!

The presence of beer always greases the rungs of the evolutionary ladder 
so make sure your Inn-sewer-ants-polly-seas are up to date and join us 
in The Mended Drum. Expect a test of wits, much revelry and many 
barbarians.

The Discworld Dress Up will happen in Pseudopolis Yard. Embody your 
favourite character and be victorious. Win Thynngs.

The great Wizards of the Unseen University invite you to engage in 
battles of Cripple Mr Onion, Thud! and the likes. Can you beat the 
brightest of the Discworld?

Burnt crunchy bits, dwarf bread, rat onna stick and other local 
delicacies can be found between Harga's House of Ribs and the Curry 
Gardens, so weary travellers and brave explorers will not have holes in 
their tummies. Keep an eye out for Cut-me-own-Throat Dibbler.

The Muntab Moving Pictures House invites those of a sloth-ier 
disposition to rest their weary rears upstairs in the Patrician's 
Castle, munch on banged grains and be enveloped in the screenings of Sir 
Terry Pratchett's visual fantastical-ness.

Garstairs Stables offers the usual range of equestrian services to the 
sons and daughters of gentlefolk.

When: 4th November 2017
Venue: The Moors Castle, 638 Larsens Road, 1739 Muldersdrift, Gauteng, 
South Africa
Time: 11.00 to 22.00
Tickets: R60.00. A limited number of tickets are available online 
http://qkt.io/DiscworldDay2017 or at the gate at a price of R80.00. 
Under-12s are free

https://www.facebook.com/events/320926284986740/

4.2 DWCON 2018 NEWS

Short but sweet:

"Membership sales are now open, but we are almost full! You will now be 
sent an email if and when you can pay for your membership. Find out more 
about membership prices and types..."

https://2018.dwcon.org/membership/
https://2018.dwcon.org/membership/overview

"An update (and gentle reminder) about hotel bookings for the Convention:

"Those of you who have booked your Memberships will naturally be 
thinking about your accommodation. We will begin allocating rooms in the 
Convention Hotel, Chesford Grange, and our partner hotel, Woodland 
Grange soon. If you do want to stay in either of them, please make sure 
you update your details on our website by Monday. You can also book 
camping at the Convention Hotel."

https://2018.dwcon.org

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

5.0 AUDITIONS

The Progress Theatre will be auditioning for the cast of their 
forthcoming January 2018 production of Maskerade (see item 5.3 below). 
The auditions will be held on Sunday 17th September at 2pm or Wednesday 
20th September at 7.30pm at Progress Theatre, The Mount, Reading RG1 
5HL. "Auditions are open to all,but if cast you will need to join 
Progress Theatre.

"If you have any questions or would like to be considered but can't make 
the audition dates please contact director Chris Moran on 07729 501350 
or at chris.moran at me.com or assistant director Jordan Emmett on 07932 
976693 or at jdemmett27 at hotmail.co.uk prior to the auditions."

http://progresstheatre.co.uk/auditions-maskerade

5.1 PLAYS IN JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER

* WYRD SISTERS IN DERBY (JULY)

The Marlowe Players, an amateur company who have been staging plays for 
nearly 70 years, take a crack at Wyrd Sisters next week!

On the subject of Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters director Rick Law says: 
"As someone who reads a fair few fantasy novels, I've never found a 
series that takes itself less seriously than the Discworld books, much 
to their credit. A lot of that comes from the narrator's voice, and that 
is Terry's voice. I challenge anyone to read his work without being 
reduced to a giggling mess at some point while your co-workers/people 
around you on public transport/your pets looks at you like you've gone mad."

When: 25th–29th July 2017
Venue: Darley Abbey Village Hall, Abbey Yard (off New Road), Darley 
Abbey, Derby DE22 1DS
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £7, available from the Box Office (phone 07961 607372) or 
online by filling in the web form at 
http://www.marlowe-players.co.uk/book-tickets/

"Please note that we do not have numbered seating at Darley Abbey but we 
will do our best to accommodate those with special needs if you advise 
us accordingly."

http://www.marlowe-players.co.uk/

* WYRD SISTERS AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE... (AUGUST)

Return of the Hat! After their successes with Eric and Mort at the 
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Duck in a Hat theatre company will be 
back at with their production of Wyrd Sisters in August.

When: 14th-19th August and 21st-27th August 2017
Venue: Paradise in Augustines, (Venue 152) 41 George IV Bridge, 
Edinburgh EH1 1EL
Time: 6.25pm all shows; running time is 90 minutes
Tickets: £9.50 (concession £8.50), available from 
https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/event/775570-terry-pratchetts-wyrd-sisters/ 
or ring the Box Office on 0131 510 0022

http://duckinahat.weebly.com/

* GUARDS! GUARDS! IN CARDIFF (AUGUST)

The next exciting Discworld play presented by Monstrous Productions will 
be Guards! Guards!

When: 16th–19th August 2017
Venue: The Gate Arts Theatre, Keppoch St, Cardiff CF24 3JW
Time: 7.30pm (2.30pm matinee on the 19th)
Tickets: £8 (£6 concessions), available online from https://t.co/vJToGp8O5P

http://monstrousptc.com/
https://twitter.com/MonstrousPTC/
https://www.facebook.com/MonstrousProductionsTheatreCompany/

* WYRD SISTERS IN THE LAND OF FEEGLES (AUGUST/SEPTEMBER)

Monifieth Amateur Dramatics (MAD) will be staging their production of 
Wyrd Sisters, directed by Steven Armstrong, in August: "Stephen Briggs 
has been involved in amateur dramatics for over 25 years and he assures 
us that the play can be staged without needing the budget of Industrial 
Light and Magic. Not only that, but the cast should still be able to be 
in the pub by 10 o'clock!"

When: 24th-26th August and 31st August-2nd September 2017
Venue: Monifieth Theatre, 72 High Street, Monifieth, Angus DD5 2AE
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £9 (£6 concessions), available from Troups Pharmacy, Monifieth; 
Yorkshire Building Society, Broughty Ferry; and The Bay Diner/Grill, 
Monifieth. Ring 01382 480043 for details. Tickets are also available 
online at http://www.monifieththeatre.co.uk/tickets and at 
https://www.tickettailor.com/all-tickets/13094/1940/

http://www.monifieththeatre.co.uk/whatson

* WYRD SISTERS IN WEST YORKSHIRE (SEPTEMBER)

The Todmorden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (T.A.O.D.S.) will be 
presenting an unusual Discworld experience – Vince Foxall's BBC radio 
play of Wyrd Sisters, performed live – at the end of September. "As with 
previous productions, this Hippodrome Foyer Play is based on an original 
radio script dramatized by Vince Foxall for BBC Radio 4 and will be 
performed script-in-hand with live sound effects and a large cast of 
players old and new.  Featuring strolling minstrels, fools, ghosts, 
murderers and diverse alarums!"

When: 29th and 30th September 2017
Venue: Hippodrome Theatre, 83 Halifax Road, Todmorden OL14 5BB
Time: 7.30pm all shows
Tickets: £6, available online from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/todhip

http://www.todhip.org/wyrd-sisters

* LORDS AND LADIES IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER)

Brisbane Arts Theatre will be presenting their next Discworld play, 
Lords and Ladies – adapted by Irana brown – in 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://bit.ly/2tjucfQ 
"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

5.2 PLAYS LATER IN 2017

* MORT IN READING (OCTOBER)

Twyford and Ruscombe Theatre Group will present their production of 
Mort, "an off beat tale of bacon, eggs and destiny", in October.

"Terry Pratchett's Discworld will once more be gracing the stage at 
Loddon Hall. We are putting on a production of Mort, which will involve 
a large cast, plenty of dramatic moments and a lot of laughs."

When: 5th–7th October 2017
Venue: Loddon Hall, Loddon Hall Road, Twyford, Reading, Berkshire, RG10 9JA
Time: 8pm all shows
Tickets: £7, £8, £9 and £10, available online at 
http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/171598

http://www.twyrusdrama.org.uk

* MORT IN KENT (OCTOBER)

The Erith Playhouse are staging their production of Mort in October.

When: 9th–14th October 2017
Venue: Erith Playhouse, 38–40 High Street, Erith, Kent DA8 1QY
Time: 8pm all shows
Tickets: £10, available from the Box Office on 01322 350345 or by 
filling out the form on the webpage 
(_http://www.playhouse.org.uk/show/mort/_). "Tickets can be posted to 
you or held at the Box Office for collection prior to the performance."

http://www.playhouse.org.uk/next-seasons-shows/

* RAISING STEAM IN ABINGDON: A POSTPONEMENT

The Studio Theatre Club have slightly updated their announcement: "Don't 
tell anyone yet (this is just between you and us), it's still a long way 
off (2018!), we've only just had the formal permission for a new play 
and Stephen's still writing it, but he thinks it's about time he tackled 
another of the novels, and the third in the Moist von Lipwig Trilogy 
might just be the right one. It's been on his to-do list for a 
while...he thinks he owes it to Terry... Tickets are not yet on sale. 
News here when they are!"

http://www.studiotheatreclub.com/discworld

5.3 PLAYS IN 2018

* MASKERADE IN READING (JANUARY 2018)

The Progress Theatre will be staging their production of Maskerade in 
January next year. But first, don't forget to check the auditions page,. 
above...'

When: 18th–27th January 2018
Venue: Progress Theatre, The Mount, Reading RG1 5HL
Time: 7.45pm all evening shows, 2.30pm matinees on 20th and 27th January
Tickets: TBA

http://progresstheatre.co.uk/maskerade

* MONSTROUS REGIMENT IN GEORGIA USA (FEBRUARY 2018)

Gainesville Theatre Alliance's 2017-2018 season will feature their 
production of Monstrous Regiment in a "February Festival of Theatre". 
"GTA is a nationally acclaimed collaboration of the University of North 
Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals and the northeast 
Georgia community that has yielded state and national awards."

When: 16th–24th February 2018
Venue: UNG-Gainesville's Ed Cabell Theatre, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, 
Oakwood, GA
Time: 7:30pm evening shows on the 16th, 18th, 20th-24th, and 2:30pm 
matinees on the 17th & 24th
Tickets: $18-20 for adults, $16-18 for seniors and $12-14 for students, 
depending on seat location, available from 1st July 1 online at 
www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by phoning the Box Office at 678 
717 3624.

http://blog.ung.edu/gta/performances/index/
http://blog.ung.edu/gta/performances/tickets/

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06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS: UPDATES AND REMINDERS

The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld 
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), will be meeting next on Monday 7th 
August 2017 at the Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick Street, London, W2 1JQ. 
"We welcome anyone and everyone who enjoys Sir Terry's works, or quite 
likes them or wants to find out more. We have had many visitors from 
overseas who have enjoyed themselves and made new friends. The 
discussions do not only concern the works of Sir Terry Pratchett but 
wander and meander through other genres and authors and also leaping to 
TV and Film production. We also find time for a quiz."

The Drummers have also taken up doing the odd afternoon meetup; the next 
one will take place on 27th August. Meanwhile, here be last month's 
report by Helen Nicholls:

"We met nearly two weeks ago. There is no reason for the late report 
beyond the fact that I just didn't get round to it. When I arrived, 
Charles gave me a Zelda wolf amibo as a birthday present, which was very 
nice of him. Charles told us of his attempts to embrace his Scottish 
heritage when Mahrie came in, making the meeting more Scottish. Later 
Rak arrived, making it very Scottish indeed. I recall a discussion on 
ancient Rome, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and subsequent 
construction of the Colosseum from the proceeds. We also talked about 
Roman emperors and the suicides of Roman dignitaries that were really a 
polite form of execution (not that the death of Petronius could really 
be described as polite - Google it if you want the gory details). Never 
forget that this is a cultured group. Phil showed off cute pictures of 
his new kittens, Mort and Midnight, which caused an unbelievable chorus 
of cutesy noises from Andrew, Alex G. and Taz. Alex said that he loves 
to see pictures of cute animals and children. The others were very 
dismissive of the idea that children are cute. This reminded me of a 
Dara O'Brien routine where he asks what is wrong with us that we find 
the young of other species more appealing than our own. Jessica arrived 
in time to do her quiz on detective fiction. This was won by Mahrie, who 
will be doing the next quiz."

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." Future events will include the 
Hogswatch Express meet (24th-26th November 2017) and the Did You Bring a 
Beer Along meeting (celebrating 20 years of The Last Continent) in April 
2018.

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 Social Meet at the Caledonian 
Hotel on 27th July.

The CoSG also have another identity. Here's the skinny:

Round World Events SA Inc is a not-for-profit incorporated association 
whose aim is to run fun social Pratchett-themed events for people in 
South Australia. Our first major event was the Unseen University 
Convivium held in July 2012. We have also run three successful and 
booked out Science Fiction and Fantasy themed quiz nights named Quiz 
Long And Prosper, in 2013, 2014 and 2015! We are also running the next 
Australian Discworld Convention, Nullus Anxietas VI – The Discworld 
Grand Tour – taking place in August 2017. You can find more out about it 
on this very website (_http://ausdwcon.org/_)! The association will run 
some events under the City of Small Gods banner, but you do not have to 
be a Round World Events SA member to be part of City of Small Gods. 
However, we are always on the look out for new members for Round World 
Events SA to help us organise future events! Membership is $20 a year 
(for Adelaide locals) or $5 a year (for those not quite so close) and 
has the following benefits:

A shiny membership certificate all of your very own
Discounted entry price to some of the events we run
A warm, fuzzy feeling deep down in your chest (no, not quite that deep)
For more information, or to join as a member, please email 
RoundWorldEventsSA at gmail.com

www.cityofsmallgods.org.au

*

The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 3rd August 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 4th 
August 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 7th 
August 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 7th August 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

Blogger Navigating Neverland's introduction to Discworld comes via 
Guards! Guards!:

"The pacing of the book was fantastic! There weren't any parts in which 
the story dragged because even in parts that may have been uninteresting 
in another book, this one did it right by combining humor with fantastic 
characters. I was always interested in what was going on. The only part 
that caused trouble was at the beginning when we are just thrown into 
the story and, having never read Pratchett, I was trying to get used to 
his writing... The plot of the book was all-around entertaining, 
hilarious, and just down right enjoyable. This is the first book I have 
read in the series and, in my opinion, the world-building was terrific. 
I loved having my first experience being inside the city of Ankh-Morpork 
and learning all about its inner workings. It doesn't seem like a city I 
would enjoy living in, that's for sure..."

https://navigatingneverland.org/2017/07/11/guards-guards-discworld-8-city-watch-1-by-terry-pratchett/

Blogger Michael Beyer reviews Raising Steam:

Terry Pratchett is always a good choice if you like laughs, thrills, and 
satire. Raising Steam does not disappoint. It uses familiar characters 
like Moist Von Lipwig from Going Postal and Commander Vimes of the 
Ankh-Morpork city watch along with new characters like the engineer Dick 
Simnel and the goblin Of The Twilight The Darkness (Yes, they like you 
to use the whole name)... The usual mix of plot complications and themes 
of science versus magic are thrown about like fireballs to keep the 
story interesting, and one dark and foggy night aboard the train on a 
rickety bridge with the deposed king of the dwarves on board headed back 
to his kingdom sums up the sheer magic of Terry Pratchett's gift for 
story-telling..."

https://catchafallingstarbook.net/2017/07/12/raising-steam-a-book-by-terry-pratchett/

Blogger okelay's thoughts on the Long Earth series:

"There isn't exactly one plot. It's more of a worldbuilding exercise and 
exploration, some stories get a lot of time, others little... This could 
be either positive or negative depending on the reader. Personally I 
liked seeing what was going on in all the different places of the Earth 
and would like to see more of that. Like what's stepwise Chile like? 
Underwater? Destroyed by vulcanos,earthquakes,tsunamis?, are there 
worlds where the Andes are not there and what does that do to the 
climate? What kind of life lives here? There's a lot to explore. I've 
also seen several reviews of people thinking the plot is too meandering. 
It's entirely possible, but I don't see that as a negative thing. It is 
fairly slow plot-wise, there's no thrill or urgency. Which is nice, 
cause there's no hurry to finish the book,no omg whats gonna happen, 
you're not racing to the end so you can sit back and enjoy the 
journey... [the books] are not particularly funny and prose doesn't feel 
Pratchett-like at all which makes me think that maybe he came up with 
the ideas and Baxter did the actual writing..."

https://okelay.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/book-review-the-long-earth-series/#more-1616

Blogger Ivy Torrejos loved The Last Hero:

"Seeing it on the shelves of a bookstore, I was drawn by its wonderful 
pages full of illustrations (it's like a childrens book) and it's a 
twist on a familiar theme (Conan the Barbarian?!). I read the synopsis 
at the back and was intrigued by the storyline. I bought the book and it 
became one of my favorite... I have read The Last Hero many times since 
I bought it. I always wanted to experience the adventure and funny 
moments. It helps cheer me up everytime I find myself in a lag..."

https://wearestockfile.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/stockfile-book-reviewthe-last-hero-a-discworld-fable/

Blogger The Past Due Book Review is back to give five out of five to 
Good Omens:

"Good Omens may seem a simple parody at first but it posits the theory 
that people, when left to their own devices, will be good or choose to 
carry on rather than chuck it and start over. Adam grows up under the 
influence of neither Good or Evil, but humanity. Pratchett and Gaiman 
weave a story that is entertaining, complex, and hilarious; their voices 
and writing prowess are so similar, and complementary, that I have a 
hard time picking out who wrote which parts despite having read multiple 
works by both authors. Filled with references to pop culture, the Bible, 
and literature, Good Omens is a treasure trove for those with sharp eyes 
that enjoy little Easter Eggs. I have three copies of this book; a 
dog-eared copy that I lend to other people, a nice (as in quality, not 
accuracy) hard cover I received as a Christmas gift, and this copy that 
I found in a Half Priced Books. If you are searching for a book that 
lands its jokes at with impeccable timing while delivering a message 
that could save us all, look no further."

https://thepastduebookreview.com/2017/06/28/good-omens-review/#more-5860

Blogger fantasyst95's review of Small Gods:

"I have found through reading Pratchett's books that they often have 
some underlying message, often by parodying life and our everyday 
struggles or alternatively, other literature; Equal Rites addresses the 
issue of gender equality, Wyrd Sisters parodies the three witches in 
Shakespeare's Macbeth and Moving Pictures is a humorous take on 
Hollywood and the power of media. Small Gods I think is no exception... 
Corruption in the church is also an issue which is brought up, as the 
local population with the help of Om attempt to depose Vorbis, the head 
of the Quisition with whacky schemes of a million-to-one-chance odds, so 
it just has to work… right?! Well, nothing ever goes exactly to plan, 
but the Discworld population are adaptable if nothing else. This book 
has some real laugh-out-loud moments, and although I wouldn't say it was 
in my top favourites of Pratchett's Discworld novels, it still holds its 
own..."

https://readersonline.blog/2017/06/25/review-small-gods-terry-pratchett/

Blogger Making Them Readers is back with another mother-and-child 
review, this time of The Fifth Elephant:

Oscar loved it because the Watch stories are his favourite, particularly 
any scenes that involve Nobby Nobbs, and I loved it because it really 
hammers home the point that by this time, Pratchett had gone way beyond 
the traditional limits of fantasy and is writing in a much more 
philosophical vein about all the foibles of being human. This is 
particularly underscored in his handling of the Uberwald class system, 
and the things about the dwarves that Vimes discovers. It foreshadows 
his material about goblins in the very last books he wrote.

There are the usual comic touches, but The Fifth Elephant is so much 
darker than the early works and, to my mind more multi faceted, showing 
the different layers of understanding and discovery that Pratchett was 
exploring. Whether a child reader will pick this up or not is largely 
irrelevant as the stories bear reading over and over again, and as my 
delight in rediscovering this attests, will last a lifetime of 
re-examination.

https://makingthemreaders.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/the-fifth-elephant-by-terry-pratchett/


Blogger Jamesbee also highly recommends The Fifth Elephant:

"The novel is takes place largely in Uberwald where dwarves, vampires, 
werewolves and Igors all live together in uneasy harmony. Pratchett uses 
this to make some interesting points on race relations and traditions. 
Drawing parallels between the Discworld and our own is not difficult, 
and is relevant even to this day. As usual, he hides his rather vicious 
deconstruction of society behind comedy. The plot is intricate and 
engaging, with a number of clues and mysteries to solve. All the 
characters you would hope show up show up and grow and evolve. The novel 
hums along nicely with each chapter pushing the towards to the 
conclusion. Overall the Fifth Elephant had all of the elements that lend 
the Discworld novels its charms without having some of the pitfalls that 
sometimes show up. The novel was well plotted, charming, and in many 
parts, hilarious. I would fully recommend this novel to any fantasy 
lover, even someone who hasn't read much or any of Terry Pratchett's 
novels before."

https://jamesreads.blog/2017/07/17/the-fifth-elephant-no-spoilers/

Blogger Rustling of Pages finds gloom worth loving in Feet of Clay:

"I had a bit of trouble finding into the story because I had never 
before read a City Watch Book and had to get to know the characters 
first. Next time it will be decidedly easier (hopefully). However, each 
more or less important character has their own backstory, doubts, 
feelings and thoughts. They are well-rounded characters who you just 
have to like immediately. The only one who annoyed me whenever he was on 
the page was Nobby for being … Nobby.  The plot follows different 
strands, even into people's personal lives and leaves you wondering how 
they might fit together. At times it was difficult to tell what was even 
going on with all those deviations and digressions and in the end some 
things had nothing to do with the plot at all but I didn't mind. With 
Ankh-Morpork being shrouded in mist during the night the setting 
immediately became darker and more mysterious. Shadows lurking in the 
mist, murders being committed. This added a nice clammy and creepy touch 
to the story... Pratchett has a lovely writing style. Shorter sentences 
and devoid of lengthy descriptions. There is a lot of dry humour and 
playing on words which I absolutely love!

https://rustlingofpages.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/feet-of-clay/

Cultured Vultures blogger Nat Wassell is getting near to the end of her 
epic re-read of the Discworld novels. Here are her thoughts on Snuff:

"I am inclined to say that whilst I agree it is not the strongest Watch 
novel, as a finale to their story, it is a very good one. Sir Terry did 
not know that this was going to be the last Watch novel of course; I 
seem to remember several sources at the time of his death talking about 
how the one after 'The Shepherd's Crown' was going to be a Watch story, 
and as he did not know, most of the characters aside from Sam are 
probably neglected a little bit. Detritus and Angua, for example, have 
very little to do here, which is a shame for his last appearance. The 
focus is on Sam, for the most part, because he has been forced out of 
town on a holiday. Of course, the odds of Samuel Vimes actually enjoying 
a holiday are slim to none... 'Snuff' does such a great job of finishing 
off Sam Vimes' story because it is the perfect example of character 
growth and change. When we first met him back in 'Guards! Guards!' he 
was a drunken police captain who was in charge of a force of three 
people, including himself. He was reluctant to even take on a dwarf, let 
alone a troll. Now he is a duke, a happily married father, in charge of 
a metropolitan Watch; dwarves, trolls, gargoyles, vampires, werewolves, 
golems and a Feegle rub shoulders with humans, and everyone is much 
happier for it... I've talked a bit about how Vetinari, Vimes and Sybil, 
Archchancellor Ridcully, William de Worde and Moist Von Lipwig are 
changing the face of Ankh-Morpork, and it is encouraging to think that 
the future of the city, and indeed the Disc, lies firmly in the hands of 
youngsters like Young Sam and Tiffany Aching..."

https://culturedvultures.com/snuff-2011-discworld/

...and finally, on new fansite We Atent Ded, Spanish blogger Carlos Ors 
Bravo writes about his love for the Pratchett oeuvre and its effects on him:

"It isn't easy for me to talk (or, as is the case, write) about Sir 
Terry Pratchett. Not ever since he died. Although, if you were to talk 
to my close family, they'd say that Pratchett is the only person I talk 
about (if you don't take into account Neil Gaiman, Jeff Bridges, the 
Coen brothers and, on occasion, Tim Curry). But that's not what I meant. 
Even though I talk about STP quite often, I still feel a sting in my 
heart every time I mention him or quote him (which is very, very often). 
But before I talk about him, let's travel back in time. Seven, eight or, 
maybe, nine years. I'm not quite sure about it. Anyway, let's go to Arte 
9 – a comic-book store that's one of Madrid's nerd culture staples. 
Let's go to the franchise they have by Manuel Becerra, where I spent 
many (maybe too many) afternoons as a teen... I went into that dark 
comic-book store, clutching what little money I had, and leaning by the 
door was a huge piece of cardboard with a book glued to it. The book was 
Equal Rites and, by it, the editor had said something or other about 
Pratchett. I don't remember what it was, but I'm sure it didn't do him 
justice. I'm positive. Two days after buying it, I'd already read it and 
was doing a short presentation on the bespectacled, bearded, man on the 
back-cover. I wasn't an expert, but I knew enough to convince people to 
read his books... thanks to the many books I've read ever since I picked 
up Equal Rites all those years ago, I've confirmed all my suspicions 
which, in retrospect, are fairly obvious: Pratchett was incredibly 
well-read (obvious, I know, but still…). He disassembled everything and 
satirized it in the process. Many other things. His culture lead me not 
only to writing, but to reading and buying other books (Brewer's 
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, for example) and, also, to improving 
myself as a person..."

https://weatentded.wordpress.com/2017/07/16/terry-pratchetts-obe-art-and-a-writers-adolescence/

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

08) DISCWORLD ARTS AND CRAFTS NEWS

8.1. DISCWORLD EMPORIUM NEWS

* A new book of stories!

"Terry Pratchett presents Christmas with a difference! Forget the tinsel 
and turkey, gifts and games, and indulge in abominable snowmen, 
explosive mince pies, a Santa Claus who ends up arrested for burglary, 
and a partridge in a pear tree! Enjoy a festive frolic with ten early 
short stories written by Terry for the Bucks Free Press in his days as a 
journalist – Father Christmas's fake beard will have you chortling, 
giggling and possibly crying into your Christmas pudding!"

Priced at £12.99, Father Christmas's Fake Beard will ship on the 17th of 
August 2017 and can be pre-ordered via the link below. Also, a deluxe 
slipcover edition, priced at £25 and due for release on 5th November 
2017, is available to pre-order (see second link below). Both editions 
promise to ship on the day of release. For more information, and to 
pre-order, go to:

https://www.discworldemporium.com/younger-readers-books/388-father-christmas-s-fake-beard-pre-order
https://www.discworldemporium.com/younger-readers-books/389-father-christmas-s-fake-beard-deluxe-edition-pre-order

* A found treasure trove of copies of The Witches!

"Long out of print and much in demand, we've rescued copies of this 
Discworld board game from distant lands and wrestled them out of the 
grasp of creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions to get them back on our 
shelves! DON'T MISS OUT!!

"Most problems can be solved with a little headology, but sometimes a 
witch must resort to magic - use caution however, as a little too much 
can cause an inexperienced witch to turn 'Black Aliss'. Play as Tiffany 
Aching, Dimity Hubbub, Annagramma Hawkin or Petulia Gristle and travel 
around the kingdom of Lancre. This beautiful game is illustrated by 
Discworld artist Peter Dennis and features 55 illustrated cards and a 
map of the witches' homeland. The second Discworld board game from 
Treefrog can be played by up to four participants, but can also be 
enjoyed as a solo adventure!"

The Witches is priced at £55. For more information, and to order, go to:

https://www.discworldemporium.com/games-activities/386-the-witches-a-discworld-board-game

8.2 PAUL KIDBY'S DISCWORLD MASSIF PRINTS

The stunning Discworld Massif, aka the Disc's biggest iconograph-selfie, 
was recently featured in art magazine ImagineFX – a timely reminder that 
prints of Mr Kidby's wonderful piece make great Hogswatch gifts for 
Pratchett fans...

"This is a unique collectors print featuring 77 favourite characters 
from the realms of  Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Each print is hand 
signed and numbered and the edition is limited to only 2000 copies 
worldwide. Prints will be despatched rolled in tissue in a postal tube. 
Price includes Postage and Packaging for UK Deliveries."

The Discworld Massif is priced at £50 (plus shipping, for buyers outside 
the UK). For more information, and to order, go to:

http://shop.paulkidby.com/discworld-massif-print/

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

09) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

A quick couple for you...

The "blocking-in" stage of Paul Kidby's latest Nac Mac Feegle sculpt:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFQQpJ5XgAAxxN2.jpg

A nicely funky Nanny Ogg preparing to do the Rite of Ashk'Ente, from the 
Maldon Drama Group's recent production of Wyrd Sisters:
http://bit.ly/2uITt45

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10) CLOSE

And that's the lot for July and back to bed for me. 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/55599.html

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The End. If you have any questions or requests, write: wossname-owner 
(at) pearwood (dot) info