Wossname -- July 2019 -- main issue
News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett
wossname at pearwood.info
Fri Jul 19 15:20:44 AEST 2019
Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
July 2019 (Volume 22, 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 Technomancer: Jason Parlevliet
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)
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
INDEX:
01) MORE QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) MORE GOOD OMENS NEWS AND REVIEWS
04) ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
""I especially felt that Martin Sheen *was* Aziraphale."
– blogger culturewitch, forgetting to check her text for accuracy before
posting
"Yesterday we binged watched the entirety of #GoodOmens, which is super
excellent, imo. Obvious those "Christians" petitioning was part of our
conversation. Today I've looked them up. My word, those folks must have
dull lives."
– blogger Owen Kilpatrick, referencing a tweet he made
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
02) A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
How much sheer emotional power can one rather cheerful five-minute video
clip have? In the case of this one, oodles. Bags. An entire world's
worth. This is a b brief tribute to The Author – and description of the
process that created Good Omens – by Neil Gaiman, Rob Wilkins and
several of the main series cast. I'm not a weeper as such – hey, I
didn't even cry at the big reveal in The Shepherd's Crown – but this one
had me in floods:
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/06/28/good-omens-crew-posts-touching-terry-pratchett-tribute/
I'm also not an Easter egg hunter (much as I love the Middle earth
films, to this day I've still not been moved to look for Easter eggs my
friends told me were on the DVDs), but I don enjoy spotting odd bits in
books and films I love. Like this one: on p.74 of the Gollancz hardcover
of Good Omens, War's human presence is called Carmine Zuigiber, but on
p.98 of the Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book her
name is given as Carmine Zingiber. Now, Zuigiber is a "made-up" name –
search on it and all you will find is Good Omens references and Good
Omens-inspired usernames. The taxonomic name for ginger, however, is
Zingiber officinale. And we all know what another meaning for "ginger"
is. Nicely done, Team Omens!
Speaking from the lifelong centre of the continuinuinuumum, I have to
applaud Mr Gaiman so very much for this:
https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lgbti-fans-stop-harassing-creators/
And now, on with the show!
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) MORE GOOD OMENS NEWS AND REVIEWS
3.1 GOOD OMENS REVIEWS
By Patricia Mulroy in the Eastern Echo:
"What truly shines in this series is the relationship between the two
celestial beings. Tennant and Sheen work wonderfully together as their
respective angel and demon parts. Often squabbling like an old married
couple, it's easy to believe that the duo have been around each other
for a long time. Tennant's natural swagger and Sheen's exuberance play
perfectly into their characters. With a rocking wardrobe, an awesome
soundtrack and fantastic acting, the two actors make Aziraphale and
Crowley jump right off the screen. Never has a book adaption[sic]
captured its source material so well..."
http://www.easternecho.com/article/2019/07/good-omens-review-laughing-through-the-end-times
By Arts (specific author unlisted) on Canadian culture site The Peak:
"The heart of the show is a love letter to humanity and its many moral
complexities. Reflecting this theme perfectly are Aziraphale and
Crowley. These two divine beings, who have both spent 6,000 years on
Earth, are nothing like their fellow colleagues in Heaven and Hell. They
are more like the humans they've lived amongst and come to care for, and
the two are neither inherently evil nor good. Rather, they encapsulate
the moral complexity and nuance of humanity... We get to see the complex
kinship the two share, bound neither by Heaven nor Hell but to each
other. Sheen's Aziraphale makes for a warmhearted but indulgent angel,
whose chemistry with Tennant's whiny but surprisingly soft Crowley makes
for the most compelling relationship, romantic or not..."
https://bit.ly/2X6BY7X
By Erin Shelley in the Arizona Sun:
"Words like joy and delight should never be used to describe a show
about the Antichrist, but they come to mind with Amazon's production of
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel Good Omens... This six-part
series belongs to Sheen and Tennant. Every time they are on screen, it's
hard to find anything wrong about the show... Some pacing issues in a
few episodes slightly limit the fun, but Aziraphale and Crowley's
bumbling attempts to stop things from getting out of hand make most
episodes delightful..."
https://bit.ly/2O2fy8R
By Nithya Gnanapandithan for Cinema Express:
"And so, we finally get to see Crowley and Aziraphale on screen, almost
30 years after the book's publication. The casting for these two
characters couldn't be more inspired. David Tennant as the demon Crowley
and Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale are note-perfect and their
sizzling chemistry is what really makes this series. Tennant does, at
times, remind us of his other iconic character, The Doctor from Doctor
Who, but it works because the two do share some similarities –
eccentric, morally ambiguous, humanoid non-humans, who love the earth
and its ways, despite not being of it... The series changes things
around a bit, giving the starring role to the angel and the demon, which
is probably a smart move given the aforementioned strong casting for
those characters. So we get extra sequences expanding on the
relationship of Crowley and Aziraphale over the ages and a lot of overt
bromance, including an entire breakup scene and another a little later
to the tune of Queen's Somebody to Love (props for all the carefully
chosen Queen songs in the soundtrack, by the way – Bicycle Race had me
cracking up). Some of these additional scenes are quite effective, while
others fall a bit flat. But the chemistry between Tennant and Sheen, and
their screen presence, makes even the weaker ones worth watching..."
https://bit.ly/2JLLFnH
A "no love letter" from something called Jessica Mason in the
ever-increasingly irritating nerdsite The Mary Sue:
"This is all simply my opinion, and I'm not here to troll or tell anyone
they're wrong if they enjoyed this show. It didn't work for me
personally, and the reasons why speak to a larger cultural question. I
won't dispute that Good Omens is a loving and faithful adaptation of the
book. The show was helmed by Neil Gaiman himself and is a love letter to
the late Terry Pratchett. Every little detail from the original novel is
there, much to the delight of avid fans and close readers. However, as
fun as all the Easter eggs are, that reverence stands in the way of the
series being truly great. In one way, there's too much onscreen, with
not a single character or plot altered or omitted, even when they're
boring (sorry, Witchfinders). The visual style is rote and uninspired,
and the pacing often drags. With so much focus on telling all of the
story, there's no attention paid to doing it in an interesting way. In
its attempt to honor the novel, there's very little that's new about
Good Omens, and that's something that a book written in 1990 desperately
needs..."
https://bit.ly/32uqyit
3.2 GOOD OMENS FANART
One effect the Good Omens series has definitely had on fans is a sudden
surge of new Good Omens fan art...
An absolutely stunning piece on Deviantart by Sandara:
https://www.deviantart.com/sandara/art/Good-Omens-786671266
An amazing poster by beck/emptymasks:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9wcxnVXUAYa9JM.jpg
Angel and demon in sepia by Trish386 aka Miolita_:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9xlWZlWkAMJop4.jpg
Aziraphale by Wisesnail: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9lxxqGWwAImxtX.jpg
Crowley, by Lorna May Wadsworth:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7WsGKOW0AIOo_Z.jpg
A beautifully detailed Aziraphale, by Gracie:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9sC_stXUAAuTgR.jpg
The Disney cartoon version of Crowley (what duck?) and Aziraphale by
Lar: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8vOun1WkAAD251.jpg
The rather Beardsleyesque version, by Rachel X:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D854eZ-UcAAWC43.jpg
Your editor's personal favourite of the heaven/hell duo, by Tally
Burtram: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9Llh0nWsAA5SxG.jpg
A fantabulous Victorian Crowley and Aziraphale portrait by Andrea C
White: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9ryA7jUYAIqQtt.jpg
...and some Aziraphale-Crowley Impressionism, also by Andrea White:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9QFMKHW4AA-BbO.jpg
...and finally, three dimensional Good Omens fanart! A homemade
Aziraphale bobblehead by Lisa Rourke:
https://twitter.com/LMRourke/status/1140976047183282177
3.3 A VERY SHORT REVIEW OF SOME GOOD OMENS ANCILLARIES
By Annie Mac
As of last week, I became the delighted owner of both The Quite Nice and
Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book and The Nice and Accurate Good
Omens TV Companion. Mostly what I want to say about these, rather
loudly, is YOU REALLY, REALLY SHOULD OWN THESE BOOKS. BOTH OF THEM.
REALLY. REALLY.
REALLY.
Both my copies of these books are hardcovers, both published by
Headline, and I have to say that both are of extremely good physical
quality. Solid, heavy, competently bound, with beautiful endpapers... in
other words, the way books should be and too often no longer are. As for
the contents, the TV Companion is definitely a coffee table book but a
very classy example of the breed. Interviews, making-ofs, lashings of
fine iconography, and something best described as a glorious
"post-credits scene"; of course books don't have those, except in this
case it's a fairly nice and accurate description.
The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book, on the other
wing, is a bedside book, and there are hours of entertainment to be had
in comparing scenes from the script with text from the original book.
I've never been much interested in "the book of the film" novelisations,
but these two books truly are useful and beautiful ancillaries to the
series.Highly recommended!
3.4 THE DEVIL'S DETAILS
A nice piece by Ian Failes on VFX Voice about the making of His Satanic
Majesty, a disposable demon... and that nice doggie:
"This creature work was tackled by Milk VFX, which also delivered
hundreds of other shots for the six-part series ranging from
environments to atmospherics, and transformations to many magical-type
effects... 'We had all the different departments working pretty much
simultaneously from the beginning so that we could keep the pace going
and make sure that the artists were working in the most efficient way
possible. We had a lot of sequences that influenced others but that also
only appeared once. So we wanted to make sure that we were condensing
all of the similar types of work together to make the most of the team
that we had.'..."
https://bit.ly/2Y0769y
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
04) ODDS AND SODS
4.1 THE MERCH CORNER
THE ANKH-MORPORK ARCHIVES, VOLUME I
A new collection coming out later this year! "The Ankh-Morpork Archives,
Volume I, is a fully illustrated comprehensive guide to the exuberant
capital city of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, getting to the heart of
Ankh-Morpork's secrets, societies and guilds. The book is a compilation
of the texts written by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs for the
Unseen University, Assassins Guild, Post Office and Thieves Guild
diaries. They have been redesigned and formatted into one deluxe
digitally re-mastered compendium to showcase the illustrations in large
size and the diary element has been removed."
The Ankh-Morpork Archives will be published by Victor Gollancz on 14th
November 2019. Pre-order price is £25 (£30 for a hand-signed copy by
Paul Kidby). For more information, go to:
https://bit.ly/2YVvOcC
https://shop.paulkidby.com/the-ankh-morpork-archives-volume-i/
THE DISCWORLD DESTINATIONS CALENDAR
A great way to see in the new year! "The calendar dates are extensive,
and exhaustively researched, and include all major real-time calendrical
data for Great Britain, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the
USA, as well as notable Discworld dates. This year's calendar draws upon
the whimsical, remarkable art of long-time Discworld collaborator, Paul
Kidby – the man whose depictions Terry Pratchett himself described as
being 'the closest anyone's got to how I see the characters'."
The Terry Pratchett's Discworld Destinations, Collector's Edition 2020
Calendar will be published by Victor Gollancz in August. Pre-order price
is £18.50 for a signed copy (all calendars are hand signed by Paul
Kidby) and includes postage & packaging for UK deliveries. For more
information, go to:
https://bit.ly/2JRSd46
4.2 ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
The latest weapon against dementia is, according to this large study, a
healthy lifestyle! By James Gallagher for BBC News:
"Nearly everyone can lower their risk of dementia, even if it runs in
the family, by living a healthy lifestyle, research suggests. The study
of nearly 200,000 people showed the risk fell by up to a third. The team
at the University of Exeter said the results were exciting, empowering
and showed people were not doomed to get dementia. The findings were
revealed at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. The
researchers gave people a healthy lifestyle score based on a combination
of exercise, diet, alcohol and smoking... The study followed 196,383
people from the age of 64 for about eight years. It analysed people's
DNA to assess their genetic risk of developing the disease. The study
showed there were 18 cases of dementia per 1,000 people if they were
born with high risk genes and then led an unhealthy lifestyle. But that
went down to 11 per 1,000 people during the study if those high-risk
people had a healthy lifestyle. The figures might seem small, but that
is because your mid-60s are relatively young in terms of dementia. The
researchers say cutting dementia rates by a third would have a profound
impact in older age groups where the disease is more common..."
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48963215
4.3 ORANGUTAN NEWS
From BBC News:
"There's some good news about the survival rates of orangutans in
protected forests on the Malaysian island of Borneo. Numbers have
stabilised over the last 15 years, according to a new study by the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). But the number of orangutans in areas of
forest where palm oil is farmed have fallen in the same period. As a
result, WWF is warning that the manufacturing of palm oil can have a
devastating effect on the animals. The study – which the WWF says is the
biggest ever done on any great ape in the world – shows that efforts to
help endangered orangutans survive seem to be paying off. Huge patches
of forest in the country are now protected, and around 70% of the
region's orangutan population now live in those reserves. In two areas
of the country where forest management has been introduced numbers
increased from 5,376 to 5,933 during the last 15 years..."
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-49036245
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
Editor's note: as Wossname normally only comes out once every month, do
check the Wossname blog for information on plays that might fall between
issue dates! Go to https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/ for interim updates.
5.1 DISCWORLD PLAYS
* THE TRUTH IN PERTH, FOURECKS (JULY)
ARENAarts are currently staging their production of The Truth!
When: remaining shows are on the 21st, 25th, 26th and 27th July
Venue: Roxy Lane Theatre, Ninth Avenue and Roxy Lane, Maylands 6051,
Western Australia (phone 0417 922 732)
Time: 8pm all evening shows; 2pm matinee on 21st July
Tickets: AU$22 ($16 concession), available by phoning TAZTix (9255 3336)
or online via https://bit.ly/2RRUOyA or by clicking on the The Truth
poster at www.TAZTix.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/ROXY-LANE-Theatre-127318198218032/
https://bit.ly/2RVzetd
* MEN AT ARMS IN CARDIFF (AUGUST)
Peculiar Productions continue the Cardiff tradition of fine Discworld
plays with a new production of Men at Arms! "The City Watch needs men!
And women, of course. Not to mention dwarfs, trolls, gargoyles, and
whatever Nobby Nobbs actually is. Commander Vimes needs to make sure
they can all get along, and fast – because no-one else can stop a deadly
secret that stalks the streets…"
When: 21st–24th August 2019,
Venue: The Gate Arts Centre, Cardiff
Time: 7pm all shows
Tickets: £9 (concessions £7), now available online via
https://peculiarproductions.co.uk/tickets/
"Proceeds from this performance will go to Nerve Tumours UK."
https://peculiarproductions.co.uk/
And later this year...
* MASKERADE IN BRISBANE (SEPTEMBER)
Brisbane Arts Theatre continue their justified love affair with
Discworld plays with a new production of Maskerade!
When: 14th September–12th October 2019 (Thursdays through Sundays)
Venue: Brisbane Arts Theatre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Petrie Terrace, QLD 4000
Time: all Thursday shows 7.30pm, all Friday and Saturday shows 8pm, all
Sunday shows 6.30pm
Tickets: $23–34, available online at https://bit.ly/2IOWLdw or via the
box office (phone (07) 3369 2344)
https://www.artstheatre.com.au/maskerade
* MASKERADE IN ELTHAM[1] (OCTOBER)
Eldorado Musical Productions will be staging their production of
Maskerade in October!
When: 9th–12th October 2019
Venue: Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road, Eltham SE9 5TG (box office
phone 0208 850 3702)
Time: 7.45pm all evening shows; matinee at 2.30pm on the 12th
Tickets: £15 (£13 on opening night), not yet available but will be via
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bob-hope-theatre and from the Box Office
which is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10am–1pm.
http://www.eldoradomusicalproductions.co.uk/maskerade/4594338795
[1] Note for Fourecksians: that's Eltham in Greater London, not the one
in Melbourne – Ed.
* GOING POSTAL IN EMERALD, FOURECKS (OCTOBER)
The Gemco Players will present their production of Going Postal in
October! "Moist von Lipwig was a con artist, a fraud and a man faced
with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal
service back on its feet. It was a tough decision. With the help of a
golem who has been at the bottom of hole in the ground for over two
hundred years, a pin fanatic and Junior Postman Groat, he's got to see
that the mail gets through. In taking on the evil chairman of the Grand
Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer, he's also got to stay
alive. Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too. In
the mad world of the mail, can a criminal succeed where honest men have
failed and died? Perhaps there's a shot at redemption for man who's
prepared to push the envelope..."
When: 11th–26th October 2019 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only)
Venue: Gem Community Arts Centre, 19 Kilvington Drive, Emerald, VIC 3782
Time: all Friday and Saturday shows 8pm; Sunday matinees 2pm
Tickets: prices TBA. Tickets will be available online via
https://www.trybooking.com/BAGWG from 9pm on 11th August
https://gemco-players.squarespace.com/whatson/2018/12/5/going-postal
* JOHNNY AND THE DEAD IN LEEDS (NOVEMBER)
Leeds Children's Theatre will be presenting their production of Johnny
and the Dead in November! "Sell the cemetery? Over their dead bodies ...
Not many people can see the dead (not many would want to).
Twelve-year-old Johnny Maxwell can. And he's got bad news for them: the
council want to sell the cemetery as a building site, but they'd better
watch out – the dead have learnt a thing or two from Johnny. They're not
going to take it lying down ...especially since it's Halloween tomorrow.
Besides, they're beginning to find that life is a lot more fun than it
was when they were ... well ... alive. Particularly if they break a few
rules."
When: 6th–9th November 2019
Venue: Carriageworks Theatre main auditorium, Millennium Square, Leeds
LS2 3AD
Time: all evening shows (Wednesday through Friday) 7pm, Saturday matinee
1pm and afternoon show 5.30pm
Tickets: adults £14.50, concessions £12.50, under-16s £10.50, family
£46, available from the Box Office (phone 0113 376 0318; address Leeds
Town Hall, The Headroom, LS1 3AD, open 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday), or
by by email (boxoffice at leeds.gov.uk), or online via the theatre's
website, although their calendar doesn't yet stretch to November:
https://www.carriageworkstheatre.co.uk/plan-your-visit/how-to-book-tickets/
"The Box Office will charge a fee for postage if you wish to have your
tickets mailed out. Family Tickets, restricted view seats and special
offers are rarely sold online and should be purchased over the phone or
in person."
www.leeds-childrens-theatre.co.uk
5.2 REVIEWS
LORDS AND LADIES IN ROLEYSTONE FOURECKS
By Kimberley Shaw on Stage Whispers:
"A full house braved the cold (take a blanket and dress warmly) for a
fantasy filled evening. The set is very simple, which is not surprising
given the company needs to strike and reset mid-production, but some
excellent carry on set pieces (Daniel Ramsell and Brad Towton), gorgeous
costumes (co-ordinated by Penny Ramsell) and highly stylised make-up
(Yvette Drager-Wetherilt) brought magic to the show. Lighting and sound
are always a challenge in a new and non-purpose built venue, but have
been expertly realised by Ellie Vance. With a cast of two dozen it is
impossible to mention everyone, but there were some impressive
performances... Particularly memorable characterisations in a hard
working ensemble included Callum Presbury's expertly crafted Jason Ogg
and Seren Mould's loveable and believable Shawn Ogg. Billy Darlington
was an appropriately unflashy King Verence, and Sam Barnett showed there
are no small parts as Casanunda. Paul Treasure made a brief but very
impressive appearance as The Long Man, in a brief but very impressive
costume..."
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/lords-and-ladies
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), will next meet on Monday 5th August at
7pm at The Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick Street, London W2 1JQ.
For more information, email BrokenDrummers at gmail.com or
nicholls.helen at yahoo.co.uk or join their Facebook group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/55107511411/permalink/10156634038566412/
*
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."
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. 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 events will be a Games Day at La Scala Cafe, Unley on 21st
July; the Monthly Dinner at The Seven Stars Hotel on 25th July; and a
book discussion of The Last Hero at Kappy's Tea and Coffee on 10th August.
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! 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 1st August (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 2nd
August (possibly) 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 5th
August (possibly) 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, meet
next on Monday 5th August (possibly) at Old Shanghai, 123 James Street,
Northbridge, Perth, Western Australia. For details 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
Mostly Good Omens this month, of course!
By blogger niya2003:
"I absolutely adored the two leads. David Tennant as Crowley and Michael
Sheen as Aziraphale are fantastic actors (no surprise) and they nailed
the dynamic between the two polar-opposite protagonists. Truly, every
scene they're in is a joy to watch and it's safe to say that they steal
the show. If anything, watch it for them. Another worthy thing of note
is that the show is hilarious. Really. Neil and Terry when put together
are a powerhouse of unique comedic storytelling, and despite the
dramatic stakes at large, every episode gave me something to laugh
about. Not to mention the tight and clever script (done by Gaiman
himself!) that certainly kept me invested throughout the show's six-hour
runtime. Production and costume design was very impressive, really
showing the creativity of the crew when it came to bringing both the
book's real and otherworldly locations and inhabitants to life. The
stark contrast between the grimy and flea-ridden Hell to the pristine,
white-washed Heaven is truly a sight to behold. When comes to the things
I didn't like regarding this show, there's not a lot to say, honestly.
Some people have already made comparisons regarding certain plot points
and events from the book being omitted from the show, but as a person
who hasn't read the book (yet), I can't make these sorts of negative
opinions..."
https://bit.ly/2LsSfCN
Blogger Victor de la Cruz was very impressed:
"Each of these stories would make a good miniseries of their own. Well,
maybe not the one about the witch hunters. That's the weakest one. But
the rest? They're actually really good, especially the Nice and Accurate
Prophecies of Agnes Nutter bits. These seemingly disparate story threads
don't really feel connected at the start. In fact, some of them are
introduced abruptly right in the middle of the miniseries. Yet, they're
all worked into this massive storyline involving the end of the world
and, by the end, they just gel and congeal into something that does fit
in right well. Suffice to say, Good Omens is well written and paced
really nicely. I do wish they did spend a little more time on a couple
of the subplots as, like I said, they felt like they could make for a
grand story on their own. As good as those side stories are, it's the
duo of Crowley and Aziraphale that is the highlight of Good Omens...
That's not to say that the supporting cast aren't good. In fact, I can't
really see a weak link with anyone in Good Omens. John Hamm's Archangel
Gabriel is hilarious as he's just the boss that thinks he knows what
best when he actually doesn't. The kid who plays the Anti-Christ is
fantastic as he has to play innocent and naive and then switch things up
later on. Adria Arjona is cute and charming as Agnes Nutter's last
descendant and tasked with identifying and stopping the Anti-Christ.
Michael McKean's bumbling and dim-witted Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell
is also good… but when isn't Michael McKean not good? But the
performance that stands out is Frances McDormand as God. You don't see
her as she just narrates the story for the most part and doesn't appear
at all in the miniseries. But her delivery of all her lines is just so
dry and perfect. Still, everyone is really good here and a tour de force
in acting..."
https://bit.ly/2Y0zsAG
Blogger Savannah Floore considers the miniseries a reasonable effort:
"Michael Sheen and David Tennant are perfectly cast in their roles.
Their performances compliment each other perfectly. Tennant's Crowley
saunters around like a rock star and Sheen's Aziraphale remains prim and
proper, all the while bickering and bantering about anything and
everything. Their performances were the magic ingredient that kept me
binging. The miniseries falters a bit when it shifts focus on the other
characters. It's still held together by Neil Gaiman's clever writing and
great performances, but once the camera cuts to anyone other than
Aziraphale and Crowley, something changes. Something would feel off; the
magic not quite as strong. It feels as if the other actors didn't quite
get into the world of Good Omens like Sheen and Tennant were able to.
Those scenes would pull me out of the series, at least until the dynamic
duo returned. Good Omens is a delightful Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
adaptation that remains faithful to their original voice. Led by the
terrific performances of Michael Sheen and David Tennant, the series
makes light of Armageddon and shows us that good and evil isn't always
black and white..."
https://bit.ly/2GgT1yM
Blogger Charlotte L Tracey was delighted:
"This is definitely a series I am going to want to rewatch over and over
and over again... And I swear, I'll get around to rereading the book
again soon. I think it would be a lot of fun to reread it again now that
I've watched the series. Since I have the free trial of Amazon, I intend
on watching some shows I've been wanting to watch, but haven't had the
chance to yet. I'll likely end up buying Good Omens on DVD so that I can
watch it whenever I want and won't have to keep paying for an Amazon
Prime account, but just this once at least, dealing with Amazon was
worth it for the glory that is Good Omens. Thank you Neil Gaiman and Sir
Terry Pratchett for writing such a wonderful book, and thank you Neil
Gaiman and all the actors and everyone else involved in the show making
process for making Good Omens something Pratchett would have loved and
something that all of us will love forever! Slán go fóill"
https://bit.ly/2xVH0dk
Blogger Joker on the Sofa had reservations:
"I always compared Good Omens to the song 'Under Pressure.' It's
thoroughly enjoyable, to be sure, and the product of a collaboration
between two absolutely brilliant minds, but it's not the best product of
either of the authors. That said, it's still a really fun book and has a
lot of amazing character moments that clearly arise by having the
creations of two very different writing styles interacting. One thing
that consistently works about the book are all of the fun intercalary
passages depicting the strange things happening as the world approaches
the end times and all of the fun prophecies put forth by Agnes Nutter.
This TV show is a solid adaptation of the material, but the material is
difficult to adapt. The beauty of much of the writing of Good Omens is
the almost lyrical language that the two authors carry into the
narrative and the multitude of fun, well-developed characters. Even
with the huge amount of narration in this series, it's still tough to
get the humor to the screen without literally reading the entire thing.
The series manages to do this well enough, mostly through having a lot
of clever cuts and framing devices for different scenes. The fact that
most of the characters are color coded and heavily distinctly costumed
also helps to elaborate on their backstories without having to dwell on
them. I particularly love what they did with the Antichrist's friends,
coloring them as the horsemen of the apocalypse. The thing is, though,
they still can't quite visually represent the same level of quirky humor
and the endearing descriptions that are found in the novel. The show is
definitely cute and funny, but only a handful of the scenes have any
real staying power and only a few of the jokes really showcase the
strengths of the source material... Overall, it's not the best show on
TV, but it is definitely a pretty solid one..."
https://bit.ly/2LrE9lm
Blogger Perfectly Tolerable admits to being a bit confused:
"Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are hilarious. I rarely ever read the
forward or the after-the-book add-ons, but I read both in Good Omens. I
loved reading Terry's thoughts on Neil and vice versa. They both have
super unique personalities and, just based on their snippets before and
after the book, its obvious that they get along great and have a great
sense of humor. I definitely want to read more books by both of them.
(its a good thing they have written a kajillion books between the two of
them) I have no idea what to rate Good Omens. I absolute loved it, but
at the same time I feel like I missed a lot? I am not religious and I
am not British so I didn't understand a lot of the references and jokes.
I want to give it 5 stars, but if I didn't understand it can I really
rate it that high?..."
https://perfectlytolerable.com/2019/06/13/good-omens/
Blogger Fat Nat's reaction:
"Good Omens feels disappointingly safe, a facsimile of the book that
doesn't always translate well to screen. Indeed, the best material in
Good Omens comes when Gaiman is willing to risk taking a detour from the
books. In particular, the decision to focus on the bromance between
Aziraphale and Crowley, our heroic angel and demon respectively, pays
off tremendously. Tennant and Sheen have chemistry in abundance, to the
point where I did have to wonder whether there was some flirting going
on somewhere (there wasn't. I don't think). They are the beating heart
of the show, a joy to watch and a much needed emotional anchor. In fact,
the best episode of the series spends half an hour tracking their
friendship through time, and is all the richer for it. Unfortunately,
other storylines don't do as well. Understandably, Gaiman does his best
to stick close to the book, but (at least in my case) this leaves
readers somewhat underwhelmed, as even the biggest TV budget can never
really match your imagination for spectacle. Furthermore, unlike Tennant
and Sheen, other stars (from Jack Whitehall to Adria Arjona to Sam
Taylor Buck) fail to inhabit their roles, instead giving forgettable
portrayals of characters who needed a spark of invention to bring them
to life..."
https://fatnatsfilmtalk.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/natflix-good-omens/
Blogger Brandon, having read Good Omens, thinks it may well be his
gateway drug to Discworld:
"You can see both of the authors' influence in the story. Pratchett's
trademark silliness gels well with Gaiman's gothic style to create a
mixture of Douglas Adams and DC's Constantine comics. Obviously, the end
of the world is a serious matter, but not serious enough that the two
authors couldn't find some humor in it. The footnotes were a nice touch
that led to many laugh-out-loud moments. The book was at its best when
it was poking fun at the mishandling of a giant war between good and
evil... This is my first Terry Pratchett novel and my fourth(?) Neil
Gaiman. To be honest, Gaiman has been pretty hit or miss for me over the
years. I didn't particularly like American Gods or his Batman work, but
I enjoyed both Neverwhere and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I think
this is my favorite one yet of his and I don't know if that means I'll
love Pratchett. To be honest, the idea of jumping into the Discworld
series seems overwhelming (forty-one novels!), but I'm more open to it
now than I had been previously."
https://bit.ly/2JCVHZt
Blogger Kathryn gives it four stars out of five:
"Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was an absolutely
fascinating read and not just because of the premise which is in itself
hilarious but in large part due to the to authors behind it who I think
of as being very, very different. I've read most of Neil Gaimans books
and enough of Terry Pratchetts to have a good grasp of his way of
writing and Neil Gaiman, to me, has always felt very grounded in his
writing. And what I mean by that is even when he's been writing about
weird shit happening like in Neverwhere, Anansi Boys and Coraline, I've
read it but never felt like 'oh I'm reading something weird' but rather
just 'of course there's London Below' or 'well naturally she wants to
sew buttons onto her eyes!'. When you try to explain it to someone else
it sounds insane but when you read it, it feels natural and in place.
Pratchett on the other hand, well the books of his I've read, Going
Postal. Hogfather and The Colour Of Magic (The Discworld is big ok, I'm
working on it), they feel a little like a fever dream in comparison. The
Colour Of Magic is I think the best example to use because it was the
worlds introduction to the Discworld and when I read it, I was sort of
expecting him to hold my hand in explaining the Disc, A' Tuin and
whatever the hell Octarine is but in actuality Pratchett just kind of
went 'YEET. Enjoy my world turtle and amnesia magic kids. K bye.'... So
yeah, I personally think that these are two very different authors with
very different styles of imagination so a book shared by them really
could have been an utter mess. But after reading Good Omens I think it
was a sturdy collaboration although personally I think the book feels
more Pratchett than Gaiman..."
https://bit.ly/2xW21Va
...while blogger Anita gives it the full five:
"This is an enchanting tale of bungling Armageddon. This particular
interpretation of how the world would come undone (aside of the actual
Biblical version) was first a novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Every chapter is hilarious, I laughed so hard at parts of the book I had
to re-read it. In my humble opinion this mini-series is one of the best
book-to-small screen translations I've seen in ages. Really, not since
Harry Potter book-to-big screen have I seen such an accurate
translation. I believe a great deal of the credit lies with Susanne
Smith the casting director. Casting some of Hollywood's biggest names as
well as auditioning unknown child actors for the Antichrist's posse.
Perfect!... and our main key player the ever charming, boyishly handsome
11 year old Antichrist Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck). Director Douglas
Mackinnon with authors Gaiman and Pratchett poke fun of Truth, Error,
Good, and Evil. Breaking down the barriers of the horror society has as
its own Devil. I'm telling you folks this is HILARIOUS STUFF. From the
opening credits to the ending credits you will laugh. And if you have
read the book you will really love the opening credits. They are
spectacular..."
https://bit.ly/2Slrm4o
...as does blogger Point Stick:
"My favourite non-Discworld work is without question Good Omens,
co-written with Neil Gaiman, which almost got a full post to itself.
Whilst I do enjoy Mr Gaiman's works, he's probably not going to feature
here again, but Good Omens is a work of genius... It's a fantastic book.
It's funny the whole way through, the drama moves at a good pace and the
characters are wonderful. And the recent Amazon Prime adaptation is
easily the best TV adaptation I've ever seen... I do think there were a
few things that didn't quite work well in adaptation, and some of the
things that were cut (like the bikers) really were an unfortunate loss
because that was one of my favourite moments in the book, but it's still
damn good and one of the best book adaptations I've seen in a long time.
I do think that people unfamiliar with the source material might
struggle to understand (or just miss) some things, or be confused why
some jokes or plotlines are getting focus relative to others. Also, YMMV
as to whether all of the jokes land: in order to preserve the wordplay
and jokes that only work verbally, they chose to have the series be
narrated by the Voice of God. That allowed them to get a lot of things
in that couldn't have worked otherwise, but it can feel a bit pedantic
at times.."
https://bit.ly/2YXlZLl
Blogger Marisa:
"Adaptations are a tricky thing. Reading a book gives you a high level
of control on the material, you are director, actor for all of the
parts, set designer, composer, editor and audience. When a book is
adapted into a film or a show, it's difficult to get all these things to
sound like one voice. What's impressive about Good Omens is that it
remains faithful to the original material while also managing to be its
own thing. The starting point is a solid script that incorporates the
best bits of the book and adds some more (Gabriel, I'm looking at you)
without making any of it look forced or… translated from a different
medium. And sure, I wished I'd seen every single scene in the book (I
would have payed to see Sister Mary Loquacious' career change from
satanic nun to management training) but that is not what makes a good
adaptation 'good'. It's the way those scenes are brought to life. If
there are prizes for casting directors, Good Omens' casting directors
should win all of them. Crowley's part seems written for David Tennant
and I cannot think of a better Aziraphale than Michael Sheen's. I'm glad
they added that long intro at the beginning of episode 3 (speaking of
stuff which was not in the book) because it showed the monumental scale
of their friendship and gave us the chance to appreciate even more the
nuances in Sheen's and Tennant's masterful acting... All six episodes
are directed by Douglas Mackinnon, who has managed to infuse the series
with a distinctive personality perfectly in line with the feel-good tone
of the story. The feeling is, to borrow and rework a line from the show,
one of love..."
https://bit.ly/2SkDcMd
Blogger Sam Sewell-Peterson:
"Gaiman adapts his own co-authored work almost to the letter here. All
the novel's witty, mischievous and often silly jokes at the expense of
the subjects of religion (Divine Plan/ineffability), pedantry ('Angels
aren't occult, we're ethereal') and human nature (anything involving
Queen or the M25) are present and correct. There are of course revisions
and expansions as well, the strongest of which is seen in the third
episode, which has a 25 minute pre-title sequence of new material that
sees Crowley and Aziraphale entertainingly bumping into each other at
various points throughout human history. Sheen and Tennant aren't
exactly how I imagined Aziraphale and Crowley (also for the record I've
also been pronouncing Crowley wrong since I read the book), but from
their first scene grumbling on top of the Garden of Eden's perimeter
wall all doubts melted away. They are an obscenely good pairing,
playfully ripping into each others' increasingly human quirks and
nudging each other to and fro on the moral line despite seemingly the
most content inhabiting and hanging out in the comfy grey area in the
middle. The cast is bolstered by John Hamm as a sneering blowhard
Archangel Gabriel, Michael McKean as a crusty and backwards Witchfinder
Sergeant Shadwell and Adria Arjona as frustrated modern witch Anathema
Device, whose ancestor predicted this whole end of the world thing. Also
look out for fun cameos from the League of Gentlemen and Just A Minute's
own Nicholas Parsons (just lost non-British readers there)... It's a
shame, but it's right that we'll never get a sequel book or series. A
sequel is set up in both versions by the emergence of a second
manuscript of prophesies which Anathema chooses not to read in the book,
and burns on screen. It's likely why after we get to the novel's ending
the TV show has Aziraphale and Crowley get called to answer for their
perceived crimes, before they both of course wriggle out of any real
punishment. That's the matter closed, and this story ended definitively
by Neil out of respect for Terry. I don't think it ever really hit me
before how closely Aziraphale and Crowley's friendship echoes Pratchett
and Gaiman's, how the characters' personalities are so clearly based on
them and how they all love good sushi (though I do remember seemingly
subconsciously giving Aziraphale a Pratchett-esque lisp in my head as I
read the book)..."
https://sspthinksfilm.com/2019/06/16/review-good-omens-2019/
Blogger Jenna Leis:
"One of the things I really loved about the show was how true to the
book it was. With Neil Gaiman as show-runner and writer of all six
episodes they made sure to stick to the book almost like a script.
Unfortunately Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015 but this was one of
his last wished for Gaiman to take on a project like this. Which I am so
glad he did. You could almost follow along with the narration in the
book. I think this is a testament to the original book being so well
written and having Gaiman head the project to make sure any changes they
do make still fit. I think the only thing I was slightly sad to see was
the omission of the Hells Angels that follow the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse. It is understandable though that with such a huge book and
limited number of episodes you had to cut somethings. One major addition
we see though is the opening of episode 3, which is what David Tennant
said in an interview as 'the longest cold open in the history of
television'. There is over 30 minutes before the opening title even
comes on. It takes you through the history of Aziraphale and Crowley as
they go from the Garden of Eden and follows them through the centuries.
It even has them in Shakespearean England watching a struggling
Shakespeare get an audiance for Hamlet. (Ok I can't be the only one that
was really hoping Tennant would hope on stage and take over with
Hamlet's soliloquy. I mean he played my all time favorite version of
Hamlet.) Anyway this journey through time is not in the book but there
are moments that are alluded to in it that have now been more fleshed
out. I really enjoyed this and it is probably my favorite episode
because of these scenes. I think it was a great addition..."
https://bit.ly/2YXIpMz
Blogger Bethany:
"My dad has been trying to get me to read Terry Pratchett for years. His
argument was always that they were funny reads that were aimed at young
adults. My argument was always that the young adult books I was reading
at the time were full of werewolves and vampires and dystopian love
triangles so, like, whatever Before I moved away to the other side of
the world, he gave me his copy of 'Good Omens', by Terry Pratchett and
Neil Gaiman. It's a battered old book, obviously well-loved. I accepted
it, and attempted to want to read it about a year and a half ago, but I
just couldn't make myself care for it. However, I'm nothing if not a
bandwagoner, and a massive David Tennant fan. So, in the wake of the new
Amazon Prime show based on the show, I decided to pull my finger out and
try again to read the book. I'm not sure what's changed in the past year
and a half, but I read the preface in a spare couple of minutes I had on
my lunch break, and, despite myself – dammit, I laughed... Overall, I
did enjoy this book. It pains me to say it, Dad, but I think you were
right about Terry Pratchett all along. It's an entertaining, weird, maze
of a read, and I didn't really want it to end..."
https://bit.ly/30DqcEo
Blogger Kit Campbell:
"While I'm not done with the mini-series, I am enjoying it. I don't
remember the book terribly well so I'm unsure how close it is to the
original story. There's obvious upgrades to bring the story into the
present versus 1990 when the book came out (technology mostly), but
beyond that, I just don't really remember. I mean, I do remember the
book. Or I remember reading the book. It probably was at least a decade
ago, if not longer. Books are interesting that way, aren't they? Some
stand out, and you remember them throughout the years. Others just fade
away into a vague memory, and you couldn't remember anything about them
if you tried. I remember Good Omens because it was the last chance I was
giving Neil Gaiman. Have you ever run into that? You pick up an author
that you should like, but something's just not working for you. When I
picked Good Omens up (and I actually think it was a birthday present or
something) I had already read Neverwhere (lovely worldbuilding, lacking
on plot and characterization) and Stardust (very different from the
movie, more about that in a second) and had not particularly liked
either of them, and was about to give Neil Gaiman up as Not For Me...
But I liked Good Omens. I especially identified with Aziraphale, who
basically just wants to be left alone to read his books. And I am glad I
did read it, because my logic at the time was that, since I had liked
it, and because I hadn't particularly liked the other things Neil Gaiman
had written, I should look more into Terry Pratchett, and the Discworld
books are a gift (my favorite that I've read thus far is Equal Rites)..."
https://landsquidattack.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/good-omens/
Blogger Bethlily:
"I decided to pick this book up on a whim after binge watching the
recent TV adaptation and completely falling in love with it. and I
completely fell in love with the book as well. this is just such an
utterly unique and absolutely brilliant story. I really, really loved
this book. it was everything that I hoped that it would be and so much
more. I am so impressed by how truly the show stuck to the original
book. I honestly picked this book up fully expecting myself to be saying
that the show was better and that the book was a bit meh compared to it
but I was so wrong. The book was brilliant. I listened to that whole
audiobook in just a couple of days. I just couldn't stop listening,
despite already knowing the story because of the TV show. It was still
able to completely pull me in and keep my attention. I can definitely
see why so many people have read this book over and over again. It is so
griping and funny and just utterly unique. It is just an absolutely
brilliant book from two absolutely incredible authors..."
https://bit.ly/2GfOPz8
English professor and blogger KR Burt:
"I chose to assign an intro to lit class Good Omens; this decision was
made before I realized the timing of the release of the tv version. The
resulting assignment is a research paper looking into basic tropes and
how the novel applies, ignores, tweaks, or generally deals with said set
of expectations and conditions. The beginning of class very nearly
coincided with the tv release, so there was a good bit of media
attention to both the pending tv release as well as its source novel.
Two particular themes kept showing up in the reviews and predictions:
the comedy (success, failure, possible dated-ness) and romance/gender
(especially the nature of Aziraphale's and Crowley's relationship, and
the presence and treatment of female characters). The thing with the
comedy got me thinking about how a group of early-ish career college
students in a not-large urban-ish area in the Southern United States
were going to be able to appreciate nearly 30-year old British language
and comedy. Never mind the possible research subject, I was starting to
wonder about just following the story..."
https://medievalbooksandmore.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/how-to-learn-or-explore-the-comedy-of-good-omens/
Blogger Katie Staten considers the oral complexity of Good Omens, novel
and series:
"Good Omens has been a bit under fire since the new TV series on Amazon
kindled a whole new audience's love for it. Well, what do you expect?
You create a piece of media steeped in religion-based comedy, you're
bound to see some mixed responses. But one of the reasons for the
backlash is rooted in, frankly, one of Good Omens' best elements: its
clever subversion of the oft-unquestioned concepts that Heaven is always
good, Hell is always evil, and mere humans are always, somewhat
helplessly, caught between the two... As we go on through the story,
especially on screen, we discover the reason humans seem to be a greater
force than either Heaven or Hell: Imagination... We expect Hell to be
full of beings that play dirty, behave with brutality, and only care
about getting what they want. But we also expect that Heaven will be
full of love and compassion. Good Omens gives us a glimpse into a
different world – one in which Heaven and Hell truly are two sides of
the same coin, both equally unforgiving and equally more interested in
being right than in being righteous..."
https://bit.ly/2SkU3yx
...and the rest...
Author and blogger Amber Boudreau on her love for Pratchett's works:
"I came to the works of Mr. Pratchett when I was in graduate school
working on my Masters of Science. Lucky for me I happened to know
someone who had every book of the Discworld Series tucked away on his
bookshelves. My dad generously loaned me every copy. I read them in
order and have my favorites, but in truth, the Tiffany Aching Series of
books holds a special place in my heart. For some reason, I can't get
enough of The Wee Free Men and make every book club I've ever joined
read it. I also find its sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, to be that rare work
that may surpass the original. I'm still waiting for their adaptation.
The third book in the series, The Wintersmith, holds a special place in
my memory because that was the book that brought Pratchett to Milwaukee
in 2006 for a signing. The weather was dodgy, my husband got home late
from work, neither of us was at our best, but I still wanted to go. We
arrived late, but they still had copies of the books. I bought two. One
for my dad and one for my aunt, another fan of the Disc. We caught the
tail end of Mr. Pratchett's talk and then got in the back of the line
because I was not leaving without getting those books signed. How did we
pass the time? I don't recall, but when I made it up to the table, I'd
mustered the courage to tell Mr. Pratchett how his books had helped me
finish my master's thesis. The woman at the table asked what I was
studying, perhaps thinking I would respond with something appropriate
like, English. I told her Geology. She smiled..."
https://bit.ly/2JBqdTE
Some interesting thoughts on Rincewind and Sourcery, by blogger Feminist
Quill:
"I think I can have nothing less than the greatest admiration for Sir
Terry Pratchett, for this creation of his – the ultimate coward, who
must save the world repeatedly. In every single book. I also love this
book for reminding me every now and then of the time the great Vetinari,
patrician of Ankh-Morpork, spent an entire book as 'small, malevolent,
stupid' reptile. Often, when authors are starting out on a series,
characters appear less developed in initial books than they do in later
ones. This, along with the minor errors it produces, can be annoying –
except when it's hilarious..."
https://feministquill.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/discworld-5-sourcery-rincewind-pratchett/
Another Sourcery review, from blogger Fiddlestax, but of the Josh Kirby
cover rather than the words inside:
"I know it's probably sacriledge[sic] to say but I always thought his
characters looked ugly and mean spirited and it's true here as well.
Overall, Pratchett writes with good-hearted humour, even when writing
about villains, murderers and assassins. He may have been well known as
a grumpy, sharp-tongued man, but he fills his books with scenes and
descriptions that almost bounce off the page with a light touch. His
observations are sharp, but he was never mean-spirited. Kirby's
illustrations, however, frequently depict characters as screaming
creations from your worst nightmares. Take Rincewind. He may be a whiny,
clumsy, coward, but he's hapless and harmless and, deep down, willing to
stand up and do the right thing (when there's absolutely no other way
out of a situation). He's a good guy. Here, though, he looks like a
screaming hobo ready to sink his teeth into Conina's flesh. More
vampire, than wizard. And speaking of which, although I know it's a
pedantic point, why isn't 'WIZZARD' written on his hat? I'm not trying
to be an angry fan-boy, but considering how much detail Kirby packs into
his illustrations, it strikes me as odd that he missed out this bit of
Rincewind lore..."
https://fiddlestax.wordpress.com/2019/06/26/sourcery-2012/
Blogger Jonathan Edward Feinstein was charmed by The Science of
Discworld audiobook, read by Fenton Stevens and Stephen Briggs:
"This book was not really what I expected. Then again, I'm not sure what
I expected exactly. I suppose, from the title I was expecting the
authors to explain how Discworld works. That, I thought, would be
interesting. For those who may not have any acquaintance with the
Discworld, Pratchett's creation really is a flat disc perched on the
backs of four tremendous elephants (there used to be a fifth elephant,
but that is literally a different story) all perched on the shell of an
even larger space-going turtle known as the Great A'Tuin. So, finding a
pair of scientists to explain how that might work (I'd start with O2
tanks for the elephants and turtle) would be interesting, especially if
they could explain how such a system might work. Well, we do get such an
explanation… It's magic! (Thank you, E.L.O. … or Sammy Cahn). However,
that's not what this book is or is about. This is a lovely combination
of Pratchett's fiction with real-world science in which we are treated
to a wizard's view of our world and universe..."
https://bit.ly/2YeNN0q
Rutgers University Assistant Professor of English Andrew Goldstone's
fine essay on the Pratchett approach to fantasy and The Author's genius:
"I don't think any writer did more to form me than Terry Pratchett. That
might be a bit of a dangerous thing for a professional literary scholar
to say. It would be easier to recount how much Ulysses, say, meant to a
budding adolescent highbrow. In fact, though, I suspect that as a
teenager, and not only as a teenager, I had a Pratchettian reading of
the novel: Joyce's Dublin as Ankh-Morpork, puns and pastiche as the
engine driving the narrative language forward, the library of culture as
an interdimensional transit zone, and no icon left unsmashed. In any
case, I'm certain I would be a very different person if my
elementary-school librarian hadn't read Truckers to us and started me on
a Pratchett kick that never stopped... But I particularly feel that the
pious tributes are liable to miss the convictions that underlie
Pratchett's fantasy narratives. Fantasy on the Tolkien/Lewis model,
which looms so large in the U.S., is saturated with religiosity, racial
and gender essentialisms, authoritarianism, and the ideology of just war...
"The point, of course, is not that Pratchett was good because he is
politically and philosophically appealing in a way that other fantasy
authors are not. It would be terribly un-Pratchettian to go around
vetting our make-believe for ideological correctness or indeed any other
kind of correctness... It would also cause us to miss so much else in
Pratchett – including the pulpy fun that those terrible early American
paperback covers promised..."
https://arcade.stanford.edu/blogs/terry-pratchett-not-having-battles-and-doing-without-kings
[Editor's note: hat tip to author KM Alexander for providing the link in
the post at https://blog.kmalexander.com/2019/06/30/without-kings/ ]
Blogger Filip Magnus gives full marks to Men at Arms:
"For Captain Samuel Vimes, things are changing. Commander of the Night
Watch, going through his last days on the force before his wedding to
the richest noblewoman in Ankh-Morpork, Vimes is understandably a wee
bit out of it. But fear not, the good old captain still has a few tricks
left up his sleeve. Some of his story beats were delightfully subversive
to ye oldé detective cliché, courtesy of the masterful Pratchett twists.
In a moment familiar to all fans of detective stories and bad 80s cop
movies in particular, Vetinari (Patrician of the city and scariest,
cleverest, Machiavelliest man alive) demands that Vimes hand over his
sword and badge. It's funny but it serves to do more than just lark on a
genre mainstay; it plays off of what we know about both Vimes and
Vetinari's characters, the one pushing the other's strings. But even
Vetinari isn't immune to the occasional miscalculation. While attempting
to manipulate the good captain, he pushes a shred too far. The result?
We get to see the great Patrician squirm for a minute there. Men At Arms
had a few unexpected gut punches. Character deaths came sudden and
unexpected, jarring me awake from what often felt like a pleasant
reverie filled with Pratchett's signature humor. Death, or the threat of
it can certainly sober most readers up and get the grey matter flowing.
Satire of racial hatred feels poignant, true to Pratchett's style..."
https://bit.ly/2JNaIHc
Blogger Clyde Umney returns with five-star reviews of The Fifth Elephant
and Night Watch:
"The Fifth Elephant moving the focus to international relations is the
next logical step for the series. If Vimes has always been used as a way
of observing and commenting on human nature and how people treat each
other, then it makes sense for Pratchett to start looking at how nations
interact with each other as well. That means, though, that The Fifth
Elephant has one of the more ambitious plots of any Watch book to date,
involving a crowning of a new Dwarf king, the theft of an iconic and
powerful object, and the manipulations of a prominent werewolf family.
That's a lot going on, and it would be easy to let this become a fantasy
political thriller, albeit one with a lot of great characters. But
instead, thanks to the presence of Commander Sam Vimes, it becomes
something richer... while The Fifth Elephant sometimes becomes so
intricate in its plotting that it's easy to forget the bigger ideas,
Night Watch does something else entirely, turning the most convoluted
story of any Discworld entry to date – a time travel plot! – into his
most character-driven book to date, only to let even that become
something more profound, looking at revolutions, losing causes, and when
the desire for law and order separates from decency and morality. That
Pratchett does all of that within a plot device like time travel – one
of those devices that can so easily fall flat – shouldn't really be a
surprise after so many books. But of course Pratchett manages to
sidestep so many of the traps of the genre, giving us a tale that avoids
so much of the dramatic irony and predestination that can dominate
stories about traveling to the past, and instead exploring the character
of Sam Vimes, and letting us see how he became the man that he is..."
https://bit.ly/2Y6JjJf
...and blogger Feminist Quill has another review, this one of Mort:
"Why Death needs an apprentice is beyond anyone's understanding. It
comes to just this – even Death feels the need to be a little human
sometimes... As Mort learns more about the 'business,' Death entrusts
him with greater responsibilities, and has himself a little holiday. As
you do. And this is what makes Death such an endearing character. He has
countless cameos in other books, generally turning up whenever a witch
or wizard is about to die, or when Rincewind is bang in the middle of
some insane scrape. But in his own books, Death is always lonely, and
always looking to chase some of that loneliness away... And it isn't
just Death. His daughter Ysabelle feels the loneliness keenly as well...
Pratchett has always been an excellent philosopher, in my opinion. His
theorizations of complicated concepts like the space-time continuum and
the fabric of reality have always been a joy to read. E.g.: See,
Trousers of Time. This may be the only aspect in which the element of
science fiction makes its presence felt in the Discworld books, but it
plays a very significant role. What's more, Pratchett deftly weaves the
emotional and the rational into a fabric of reality that we greatly
enjoy reading about..."
https://bit.ly/2OaXQQG
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
A Rhianna Pratchett selfie – in Crowley's sunglasses!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7qq5XCXYAAYVL9.jpg
...and an utterly magical photo of her father, as posted on Twitter:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9LOQ1pWwAA3TnO.jpg
STRAIGHT OUTTA TADFIELD! The Chattering Nuns:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7vjzlWVUAAsc99.jpg
The main cast of ARENAarts' current production of The Truth:
https://bit.ly/305auBA
...and a "staff portrait": https://bit.ly/2LtYLcC
...and the Old Firm and a very old lawyer: https://bit.ly/2xVAuTO
A wonderful (unofficial) piece of Night Watch art by loopydave:
https://hopecathieloisrebecca.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/image-1.png
Some iconographs from NADWCon 2019, as tweeted on their official account...
Two Twoflowers: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_THKhAUEAEHCNd.jpg
Afternoon tea with Colin Smythe:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_TxgIuUYAEMKsP.jpg
Rinpo and the Abbot, with BIKKITS!:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_ZZGUbUIAArl4U.jpg
The Hersheba Tourism Delegation:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_X5KY4UwAIKa-U.jpg
Interchangeable Emmas from the Sunshine Sanctuary:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_Yoi0MVAAAD7ZD.jpg
Doctor Whiteface! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_flgnrUIAASJNO.jpg
A perfect Good Omens Beelzebub, if anything even better than the telly
original:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_ZSm1IUcAABOqa.jpg
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
09) CLOSE
The NADWCon 2019 auction raised about $19,000 for their chosen local and
national charities. Well done, Pratchett fans!
Speaking of Pratchett fans, here be a ten minute video well worth
watching – Paul Roth, a very enthusiastic fan, talks about The
Shepherd's Crown, Tiffany Aching, and the excellence of Pratchett's
worldviews. EDITOR'S NOTE: DO *NOT* WATCH THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE
SHEPHERD'S CROWN, okay?
https://earthbalmmusic.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/tiffany-aching-and-related/
...and finally, for all knitters and crocheters and, really, anyone who
loves Good Omens, this absolutely magic post from Serah. Just read and
enjoy. That's all I'm saying!
https://talesoftwistedfibers.wordpress.com/2019/06/13/good-omens-amigurumi/
And that's it for July. Mind how you go, and we'll see you next month!
– Annie Mac
This issue can be viewed on the clacks at
https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/72900.html
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