Wossname – October 2019 – main issue

Mon Oct 21 15:16:55 AEDT 2019

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
October 2019 (Volume 22, Issue 10, Post 1)

********************************************************************
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) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) MORE GOOD OMENS BITS AND BOBS
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

"Getting all the questions again, so I'm reiterating – I'm not involved 
in #TheWatch. I was years ago when Dad was alive, the BBC weren't 
involved and it was a very different beast."
– Rhianna Pratchett, on Twitter last month

"If you've got two actors doing that and the writing is of the quality 
that this was, then a lot of that work is done for you and you then 
naturally work well together. It is quite rare and we were very fortunate."
– Michael Sheen, on the chemistry between him and David Tennant

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

02) A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

A somewhat less irritable editorial this month...

I recently re-read Raising Steam. While there were complaints from some 
quarters about the novel being overly flawed and overly rushed, I have 
to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly, with one proviso: the only thing 
"wrong" with Raising Steam, in my opinion, is that it shouldn't have 
been written until Sir Pterry was about eighty. There should have been a 
number of other Discworld novels between Snuff and Raising Steam, at 
least a decade's worth in terms of realtime publication dates, in order 
to give the Disc's societies' already rapid evolution time to develop at 
a more believable pace. Did the Disc's Age of Steam come too soon? I do 
think so. At the same time, I'm now and forever grateful that my 
favourite author did live long enough to give us that taste of his 
world's future. But yes, it's all the more tragic that he died so soon 
and never had the opportunity to explore all the other Discworld stories 
he wanted to write.

I also re-read The Folklore of Discworld. Having grown up with a 
Brewer's Dictionary close to hand and thus already being aware of the 
Roundworld folklore that inspired so many Discworld legends and 
creatures and traditions, I was a bit dismissive of the book on my 
initial reading. But I've since realised that not everyone did have a 
Brewer's to hand, and Jacqueline Simpson's Disc-sympathetic recounting 
of all the relevant folklore is very well written and very worthwhile 
reading for anyone who'd like to learn the background of some of those 
wonderful Pratchett versions.

And now, on with the show!

– Annie Mac, Editor

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

03) ODDS AND SODS

3.1 THE DISC ON DISC!

By Scott Munro on Loudersound:

"A collection of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels are coming to vinyl 
for the very first time. The 15-disc illustrated box set will be 
released through the BBC on November 29 and will contain Mort, Wyrd 
Sisters, Guards! Guards!, Eric, Small Gods, Night Watch and the bonus 
non-Discworld tale Only You Can Save Mankind. The yarns have been 
brought to life by Anton Lesser, Sheila Hancock, Martin Jarvis, Melvyn 
Hayes, Philip Jackson, Alex Jennings, Geoffrey Whitehead, Patrick Barlow 
and Mark Heap with Death “as ever, played by himself.” Every disc of the 
BBC Radio dramatisations have been pressed on heavyweight 180g 
‘DiscSwirl’ vinyl, with each of the seven gatefold sleeves containing 
liner notes from Stephen Briggs – the co-author of The Discworld 
Companion. A recreation of the Discworld map also features across the 15 
printed inner bags, while Night Watch and Only You Can Save Mankind will 
include themed etchings on the b-side. The box set is now available to 
pre-order."

Available to order on A**zon for the terrifying price of £179.99. One 
can only hope that more reputable sellers will offer it soon.

https://bit.ly/2Mwh681

3.2 THE WATCH, ALREADY PLUGGING MERCH

Confident, aren't they...

"BBC Studios has announced that it will retain all licensing rights to 
The Watch. Rikesh Desai, Licensing Director, Consumer Products, said: 
'The Watch is an exciting addition to our slate and one we’re proud to 
be representing. We’re looking forward to the series launching next year 
and to working with partners across the merchandise, gaming, publishing 
and live events industry.' Rob Wilkins, Executive Producer and 
Narrativia MD, said 'By collaborating with BBC Studios’ partners, we’ll 
be able to offer fans and audiences new ways to engage with a world from 
Terry’s imagination. The prospect of expanding the reach of The Watch in 
this way is a very exciting one, and I look forward to working with new 
partners that come on board.'..."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2019/the-watch-licensing

3.3 REMINDER: NEW SCREENINGS OF TROLL BRIDGE

27-10-19 Cardiff International Film Festival Cardiff, Wales 
https://www.theciff.co.uk/
09-11-19 Discworld Day Gauteng, SA [that's South Africa, not South 
Australia! See item 3.6 – Ed.] https://bit.ly/2nGzPnp
16-11-19 Shades International Short Film Festival, Indore, India 
https://shadesfestival.org/official-entries-2019

3.4 THE MERCH CORNER

* Good Omens socks

Wisesnail, whose superb fanart has been featured several times in 
Wossname, offers socks based on a certain incident in the early history 
of a certain angel and a certain demon. Worth snapping up before A**zon 
finds out!

https://rdbl.co/2Bk2ZMV

3.5 REMINDER: DISCWORLD AND BEYOND IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Paul Kidby's Discworld & Beyond touring exhibition is in its final days 
in Co. Antrim!

"The beautifully realised paintings and drawings feature many of Paul's 
favourite characters including Rincewind, the Wee Free Men and, of 
course, Death along with a host of witches, wizards, dragons and trolls. 
It also reveals some of Paul's own work from his Charmed Realm 
collection, a book created by Paul and his wife Vanessa of myth and 
faerie influenced by British folklore and landscapes. All his 
illustrations are marked by a staggering quality of draughtsmanship and 
effective use of colour; bright for the book covers and muted shades for 
his faerie paintings. The exhibition brings to life the quirky 
characters and trademark humour of Sir Terry's books. Paul said, ‘It has 
been really exciting selecting some of my favourite paintings for the 
‘Discworld & Beyond' exhibition. Visitors will be able to see many of 
their favourite Discworld illustrations up close and personal and 
celebrate the wonderful legacy of a great author who has inspired so 
many, including me!'"

When: currently, through 31st October 2019
Venue: Larne Museum & Arts Centre, 2 Victoria Road, Larne, County 
Antrim, BT40 1RN
Time: Monday through Friday, 10am–4.30pm. The Museum is also open on one 
Saturday per month – for more information, ring 028 28 262443 or email 
marian.kelso at midandeastantrim.gov.uk
Tickets: free entry

https://www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/things-to-do/museums-arts/larne-museum-and-arts-centre
https://www.paulkidby.com/event/discworld-beyond-a-paul-kidby-retrospective/

3.6 REMINDER: THE THIRD ANNUAL JHB DISCWORLD DAY (SOUTH AFRICA)

"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."

When: 9th November 2019
Venue: La Vue Guest Lodge & Function Venue, Plot 161, Nooitgedacht, 
Muldersdrift, 1937 (phone (0) 10 597 7686) (note: parking charge is R20 
per car)
Time: 10am – 5pm
Tickets: Adults R60 (on the day: R80; under 12 and over 3 R20; under 3 
free), available from http://qkt.io/DiscworldDay2019

https://bit.ly/2nGzPnp
http://www.lavue.co.za/

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

04) MORE GOOD OMENS BITS AND BOBS

4.0 A GOOD OMENS GRAPHIC SURPRISE

This is so wonderful I'm not even going to tell you what it is! Just 
click on the link:

https://bit.ly/2VX7mqu

4.1 SO...ANOTHER SEASON AFTER ALL?

By Neela Debnath for The Express:

I"The 58-year-old author admitted he was in a 'strange situation' with 
both the BBC and Amazon asking for more Good Omens and the writer trying 
to figure out how to go forward. He explained it was usually the other 
way around with the programme-makers usually asking the network or 
broadcaster for a recommission. Gaiman said: 'People loved it, people 
watched in their tens of millions. We are very, very happy. So everybody 
is very prepared for us to do more Good Omens. I’m just trying to figure 
out how I could do more Good Omens. So, there’s no commitment yet for 
doing any more but I would love to do some more if we can because I, 
like everyone else, love the characters. Like everybody else, I want to 
see more Crowley and Aziraphale.... There’s more plot and I haven’t 
spoken about it publicly or on the record [about] what it’s actually 
about and never will. But there’s definitely more plot to go.'... 
Judging from Gaiman’s words, a sequel seems entirely possible but it 
would need an official green light from co-producers Amazon and the BBC. 
Gaiman also said stars David Tennant and Jon Hamm had been enquiring 
about more Good Omens, suggesting they are on board for any future 
instalments..."

https://bit.ly/2oMKmP7

4.2 REMINDER: GOOD OMENS DVD/BLU-RAY NEWS

The official release date is 5th November 2019, and even earlier in some 
places!

 From the BBC America blurb:

"Brand new bonus material includes: Page to Screen... Aziraphale’s 
World... Bookshop Tour... Crowley’s World... Deleted Scenes... 
Storyboard Gallery... Concept Art Gallery... Costume Design Gallery... 
Queen compilation... Good Omens VFX reel... Audio commentaries for all 6 
episodes... Good Omens trailer... Characters of Good Omens... The World 
of Good Omens..."

The USA BBC Shop is offering a two-disc DVD set for pre-order, priced at 
US$19.98 (_ https://shop.bbc.com/products/good-omens-22364_) and the 
Blu-Ray version for pre-order, priced at US$23.98 
(_https://shop.bbc.com/products/good-omens-blu-ray-22365_)

It's claimed that BBC UK will be releasing Good Omens on DVD and Blu-ray 
on 28th October, but there's no news yet as to price.

Good Omens fans in Fourecks can now pre-order from JB Hi-fi for 5th 
November release! Price is AU$26.98 and the link is:

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/good-omens-season-1-2019-dvd

4.3 MICHAEL SHEEN ON THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN ANGEL AND DEMON

By Dan Seddon on Digital Spy:

"...Sheen opened up about the beauty of their relationship during 
filming. 'It's something that either happens or it doesn't, and I think 
David and I were both admirers of each other's work. I think we both 
instinctively felt that we probably work in similar ways, which proved 
to be the case in the sense that we both put a lot of work into what 
we're doing, we're prepared and we make choices,' he said. "I think 
we're both quite open to what the other actors are doing and are open to 
direction, but we come with a lot of our own stuff. I like the choices 
that David makes and I think he felt the same way...'..."

https://bit.ly/2P5LVSM

4.4 BOOK OR SERIES?

By Eoin Keogh, in University College Dublin's news site University Observer:

"I almost never find myself agreeing with anyone when they say that the 
film’s better than the book. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I 
did; until I watched Good Omens. Written by Neil Gaiman and the late 
Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is perhaps the only book I thoroughly 
enjoyed, while also agreeing that the one-season television series was 
so much better... The book, being written in the 90’s, is definitely a 
90’s book, and for modern audiences reading Good Omens, it is so very 
evident. The television show was produced by Gaiman himself, and updates 
the book slightly, while still remaining accurate to the text, with a 
few extra scenes added so it’s not just a carbon copy. The series adds a 
lot more in terms of scenes between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and 
Crowley (David Tennant), especially the 30 minute cold open in episode 
3, which now holds the record for the longest cold open in television 
history. Unlike the book, the television series also explores the world 
of the story in more detail, such as giving an explanation as to what 
the angels are, which in this case are “a man, or at least a man-shaped 
being,” meaning that although the beings may appear to pass as a 
particular gender, they are in fact genderless. As a result, the 
television series allows for further world-building, thus developing on 
the source material..."
https://bit.ly/2oNgwdn

4.5 MEANWHILE, ON THE GOOD "SHIP" AZIROWLEY...

There was a Good Omens fan convention last weekend on Sir Pterry's old 
patch! "The Ineffable Con, a Good Omens convention that focuses on the 
relationship of Aziraphale and Crowley, but welcomes all characters and 
pairings... "

Worth having a look to see if there will be one next year:

https://theineffablecon.org.uk/

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

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

* GOING POSTAL IN EMERALD, FOURECKS (OCTOBER)

The Gemco Players will present their final Going Postal shows this week! 
"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: Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October
Venue: Gem Community Arts Centre, 19 Kilvington Drive, Emerald, VIC 3782
Time: all Friday and Saturday shows 8pm; Sunday matinees 2pm
Tickets: adults AU$25, concessions/u-15s $22, groups of four $80, 
available online via https://www.trybooking.com/BAGWG

https://gemco-players.squarespace.com/whatson/2018/12/5/going-postal

* MORT IN NOTTINGHAM (OCTOBER–NOVEMBER)

Colwick Theatre Club’s Autumn Production this year is Mort!

When: 31st October–2nd November 2019
Venue: Colwick Community Centre, Vale Road, Colwick Village, Notts NG4 2GP
Time: 7:30pm all shows
Tickets: £5 (concessions and children £4), available by ringing 0750 729 
9526

* 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

* GOING POSTAL IN ADELAIDE, FOURECKS (NOVEMBER)

Unseen Theatre are back with a new Discworld production! This November, 
it's Going Postal: "Moist von Lipwig is a con artist.  He has excellent 
qualifications and experience for this line of work. He is a fraud, a 
natural born-criminal, an habitual liar, a perverted genius and totally 
untrustworthy. This is the sort of man to whom Lord Vetinari (Patrician 
of Ankh-Morpork) offers a life choice – be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s 
ailing postal service back on its feet. It is going to be a tough 
decision for Moist, but perhaps there’s a shot at redemption for a man 
who’s prepared to push the envelope? Of course before he comes anywhere 
close to success, he will have a multitude of problems to overcome. 
Just to mention a few, there is his parole officer Mr. Pump – a golem 
made of clay who, like any other government official, is tireless in his 
sense of duty; there are tons of undelivered mail who insist on talking 
to him; the shadowy characters from the Grand Trunk Company want him 
deader than his dead letters, and his new “girlfriend” sees straight 
through him. So much for SWALK! And here he'd thought that all he'd have 
to face was rain, snow, gloom of night, and the odd vicious dog or two..."

When: 20th–30th November 2019
Venue: Bakehouse Main Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide, South 
Australia 5000
Time: 8pm all shows
Tickets: Adults $22, Conc $18, Fringe Benefits $16, Groups (6+) $16, 
Preview night (20th November) $16, all available online at 
https://www.trybooking.com/BFUHZ

http://www.bakehousetheatre.com/shows/going-postal

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

06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS

The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld 
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), will next meet on Monday 4th 
November 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 the Monthly Dinner on 31st October. Also, 
the Round World Events SA, Inc's AGM will be held on 9th November.

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 7th November (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 1st 
November (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 4th 
November (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 4th November (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

Blogger Jonathan Feinstein returns with a review of the Good Omens 
audiobook:

"I did enjoy Good Omens from its first publication and have read it 
several times now and while, yes, I can easily tell, much of the time, 
which parts were written by Pratchett and which were by Gaiman (I may 
have guessed wrong on the parts I was uncertain about), I liked the 
whole book, not just parts of it... It is a lot to fit in to a single 
volume, but Pratchett and Gaiman managed to do so masterfully, by 
stuffing it with both original, unusual characters and stereotypes from 
every day life all mixed up in a delightful satire that is best read 
rather than be told about. There are several British voice actors who 
could have read this book, but Stephen Briggs is at the top of my list. 
As usual, he reads the story perfectly, subtly changing his voice just 
enough to delineate the characters without actually “talking funny,” a 
problem many readers seem to have. Very few actors can do funny voices 
and make them work (Actually, Tom Baker may be the only one) and Mister 
Briggs knows enough not to try..."

https://bit.ly/33JQtCp

Blogger Professional Moron on Mort:

"It’s a good fun book and we enjoyed it a lot ages back when we read. 
It’s stuck with us over the years. Although we think Pratchett honed his 
skills to a greater degree after this (particularly for the Nome 
Trilogy) it’s still an amusing and fine effort. His sense of 
imagination, and the characterisation, are strong. Death, for example, 
has a weirdly comical persona and is the highlight of the book. So, if 
you’re still to get involved in the Discworld stuff then this is a good 
place to start. The author said so himself! The depiction of Death in 
Mort had us thinking of other times the character crops up. In the world 
of culture, he (as it’s usually got a male voice) turns up in many and 
varied shows such as Family Guy. But it’s Monty Python’s consideration 
from the comedy troop’s final film that sticks with us..."

https://bit.ly/2Mwz5v9

Blogger The Reading Bug's latest is a review of Maskerade:

"While Pratchett always has a serious point in the back of his mind, 
here the seriousness never gets in the way of the fun – for example the 
scene where the senior witches stay in Madame Palm’s house for ladies of 
negotiable affection, and manage somehow to make it even more 
disreputable, is glorious! Maskerade is fantastic. It features two of my 
favourite characters in the whole of fiction, Nanny Ogg here finally 
stepping out from the shadow of Esme Weatherwax with her own special 
brand of magic (in essence, being nice and talking to people), and of 
course Esme herself. The witches have been on a road trip before, 
(Witches Abroad) but here they can play uninhibitedly in Ankh-Morpork. 
Pratchett clearly had a huge amount of affection for these characters – 
they are immensely endearing and believable. (Re-reading what I have 
written there I can’t help notice the abundance of superlatives, but 
it’s a fair reflection of how I feel about the novel.) Nanny Ogg is a 
complete nihilist – her philosophy of life is summarised as 'do what 
seemed like a good idea at the time, and do it as hard as possible'..."

https://bit.ly/2MulEf8

Blogger JessicaBookworm's review of Reaper Man:

"As a big fan of Death, I absolutely loved the thread following him, 
with all its awkward amusement as he tries to fit in with the 
not-so-regular, regular folk. But if I am honest I wanted more time with 
him! Instead the other two threads probably took me away from him for up 
to 60% of the book. I did enjoy the undead antics of Windle Poons with 
his new friends, which was all good fun. However I wasn’t a huge fan of 
the mindboggling battle between the wizards, the drone trolleys and the 
living shopping mall… Especially when all I kept thinking of was: what 
is Death doing now?! This is the second book to follow Death – the first 
being Mort – while it is the eleventh instalment from the whole series, 
which was first published in 1991. Although this is now the twelfth book 
I have read from this colourful series and I am roughly reading the 
books I own in order, I don’t feel you necessarily have to read them in 
publication order, because the stories often follow various different 
groups of characters. As I said, in this case, this book was meant to be 
primarily following Death – however he does turn up in smaller cameo 
roles in many of the series’ instalments though – I just wish we had had 
more of him here..."

https://bit.ly/2MUSUeK

Blogger The Weary Bookcase gives full marks to Night Watch:

"There’s so much complexity and nuance in the writing of Night Watch. 
Vimes trying to mentor his younger self. The challenge of wanting to 
make things go better while being told by the History Monks that they 
must go the same way – and no matter how much Vimes tries to do the 
right and sensible thing, he’s simply unable to halt the disaster. 
There’s also his determination to make the Watch better, and the fact 
that he’s trying to do all these things while behind the scenes, 
political machinations go on which he has no control over. I always love 
an accidental time-travel story because it’s so much fun to watch a 
character trying to work out what the fuck is actually going on... I 
also really enjoyed how serious Night Watch is. Terry Pratchett was a 
brilliant comic writer, but he was also fantastic at the darker stuff. 
The Unspeakables are truly awful, like a current of poison flowing 
through Ankh-Morpork, and so is the Patrician, Lord Winder, whose 
corruption and paranoia pervade the city. There is, of course, the 
escalating tension and violence in the city, which it’s impossible not 
to get caught up in. Too many innocents die. And behind everything, 
there’s Sam Vimes’s desperation to get back to Sybil, who’s right in the 
middle of giving birth. There’s so much bad and painful stuff going on 
and Terry Pratchett writes it beautifully..."

https://thewearybookcase.home.blog/2019/10/03/night-watch/

Blogger Holly aka Nut Free Nerd highly recommends Good Omens:

"...recommend this book in any format because it’s witty, clever, 
bizarre, hilarious, thought-provoking, and downright brilliant in every 
way. Because my thoughts about this book are still a jumbled, excited, 
enthusiastic mess, here are a bunch of reasons why you should read it: 
Aziraphale and Crowley are described as polar opposites but over the 
course of the book you realize that they are actually more like one 
another than either would like to admit. The banter between Aziraphale 
and Crowley – and between all of the characters, to be honest. Even the 
demons are likeable. It’s brimming with Neil Gaiman’s signature eerie, 
twisted charm (I’ve never read anything just by Terry Pratchett, so I 
can’t speak for his writing.). It’s the most hilarious book about the 
apocalypse you will ever read..."

https://bit.ly/2qtTCIl

Blogger Digital Ischaemia considers Brexit through the lens of a 
different "bloody stupid" Johnson, namely Bergholt Stuttley Johnson:

"Perhaps the Discworld’s most notable inventor is Bergholt Stuttley 
“Bloody Stupid” Johnson, an architect whose ability to get things wrong 
bordered on mythical. Although evidently able in certain fields, Johnson 
is notorious for his complete inability to produce anything according to 
specification or common sense, or (sometimes) even the laws of physics. 
This fact never stopped him from trying, however. Johnson was not 
incompetent, far from it; indeed in many ways he was a kind of genius. 
Pratchett suggests on numerous occasions that he possessed a kind of 
“inverse genius;” as far from incompetence as genius but in the opposite 
direction. … While π ≈ 3.142 is a fundamental constant, in the backstory 
to Going Postal Johnson manages to produce a wheel for which π = 3 as 
part of his Automatic Mail Sorter. As with a significant number of his 
creations, the Sorter did work, but the implied distortion of space-time 
created some side effects, including the Sorter’s ability to sort mail 
(i.e. output sorted letters) that had not been written yet or might 
never be written.

This has dazzling ramifications for the Westminster Plan to Make Britain 
Best Blighter Again, a slippery beast that no one person knows in its 
entirety and does not exist in the conventional sense. So, if we can 
distort the fundamental rules of space-time, the Plan may actually work, 
for certain values of ‘work’, and of course with some interesting 
side-effects. The fact that [Johnson] continued to receive commissions 
after the defects in his abilities became apparent is considered to be 
the ultimate expression of the apparent thinking behind the Victorian 
follies, i.e. an indication that the person commissioning the work can 
afford to waste money like this. This is the first rational explanation 
for Brexit. Commissioning irrational, inept, inarticulate people to 
deliver this historic act of self-harm is the ultimate expression of 
British power. 'We are so {insert current promotional superlative} we 
can afford to squander and destroy vast swathes of our resources and 
opportunities.'..."

https://bit.ly/2VXoEny

Blogger rmartin49's long review of the Long Earth series:

"I think one of the biggest issues with the Long Earth series is that 
it’s concept over character. More often than not, the story is focused 
on at least one journey throughout the reaches of the Long Earth, giving 
us gorgeous stretches of vivid description, but not always in the most 
character driven way. A lot of thought is put into the mechanics and 
there’s the occasional Pratchett flourish to liven up a more serious 
Baxter-heavy passage. Maybe I’m doing Stephen a disservice but it feels 
like a Terry influence to have your personal world hopping device 
powered by a potato. That being said, this feels like a rare series in 
that the five books cover about five decades (give or take) and we track 
the progress of several central characters, human and artificial 
intelligence, across all that time. And the world develops along with 
that time, to the point of being a very different place altogether, even 
more stunning changes than the Industrial Revolution and similar periods 
of upheaval in human history. It is also a series stuffed with concepts 
and what different people decide to do with similar circumstances. The 
early pioneers set off into the long earth without looking back, setting 
up new settlements from scratch, others do so once technology can help 
facilitate and others cling onto the old ways..."

https://bit.ly/31wSArP

Another blogger called Holly, aka The Grimdragon, loved Mort:

"Although technically the fourth book in the insanely popular Discworld 
series, I decided to begin with Mort because it was the one that called 
out to me the most. After consulting with a few Pratchett devotees, I 
was told that Mort is a great place to start my journey with not only 
Discworld, but with Sir Pratchett himself. Alrighty then, perfect! It’s 
safe to say, I dug the hell out of this!... Death is an eccentric, 
sarcastic, cat-lover. He tends to be a bit somber, as one would expect 
in the position he is in. Yet he’s also incredibly weird & wonderful! I 
giggle-snorted more than a few times at his brilliant deadpan delivery. 
Mort was a nice change of pace. It’s delightfully witty, charming & 
surprisingly touching..."

https://bit.ly/33O7prE

Blogger roguewatson was slightly disappointed by The Shepherd's 
Crown,but only slightly:

"Although I adored the first novel in the Tiffany Aching series, the 
rest of the series has been very up and down. I love Pratchett’s 
humorous and insightful writing style, but the series is less about 
Tiffany dealing with fun fantastical threats (as in the first novel), 
and more a series of coming-of-age teenage dramas. The Shepherd’s Crown 
seems to even lack that, as by the fifth book Tiffany has come into her 
own as a witch of The Chalk. The passing of a major series character is 
a pivotal moment that’s done very well, but everything else falls a bit 
flat, including an all new side character who’s kind of pointless (yet 
given a lot of pages on his own), and the return of the elves which is 
resolved way too neatly. At under 300 pages it’s clear the book was left 
unfinished in many areas, and I suspect much of the novel’s praise was 
given due to the finality of the series and Pratchett's lifetime of 
amazing work. Even so, I enjoyed The Shepherd’s Crown more than the 
second and third novels. Pratchett still makes me grin like nobody else, 
and finishing this book made me sad all over again that the world lost 
such a treasured soul..."

https://bit.ly/2BqO1F1

Blogger thecorneroflaura loved Maskerade:

"I’m not that familiar with opera but I know enough that the author is 
spot on about how convoluted the plots can get and the vast majority of 
people know it but just roll with it without saying anything in order to 
look cultured. I know plenty of musicals and love the mick-takes on 
those titles later in the book. I’ve started calling Les Miserables by 
the book’s name for it now. Decidedly brilliant writing as usual that 
made me wish I had more time to read this book thoroughly. I’ll 
definitely be coming back to it to undig all the other gems I missed. 
It’s funny, dry and sometimes brutal but Pratchett, as usual, sneaked in 
some rather profound and occasionally heartwarming moments in there too 
to catch us all off our guard. I seriously love Greebo and he really 
shines in this book. He’s responsible for some of the funniest moments 
and lines. I think my favourite has got to be one near the beginning: 
‘the most vicious and cunning a pile of fur that ever had the 
intelligence to sit on a bird table with its mouth mouth and a piece of 
toast balanced on its nose’. God, I love the writing in Discworld..."

https://bit.ly/32xpOZn

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

08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

A feast of superb Good Omens fanart!

By Lauren Gail aka @airavatta: https://bit.ly/2J6svtr

By sokodraws: https://bit.ly/32w98RZ

By @SirlsPlayland: https://bit.ly/31r3j6Z

By @WisesnailArt: https://bit.ly/2VX60Mq

...and https://bit.ly/32xmD3T

...and https://bit.ly/2OYuOlY

By @Jazzymandias: https://bit.ly/2MUYGgu

By @luluxa_lux: https://bit.ly/2MUQI70

By isakisol: https://bit.ly/2J7WGQN

...and https://bit.ly/32z8OSs

By ohsiq: https://bit.ly/2VVqLbm

By lunchisover: https://bit.ly/2pxbdPd

By mxgicdave: https://bit.ly/2pxmmzw

By chaoslindsay: https://bit.ly/2VVIxeI

By @Andrea_C_White: https://bit.ly/31tWNfO

The original link for these and less spectacular pieces can be found here:
https://bookriot.com/2019/10/11/good-omens-art/

Also, an excellent "rockstar" portrait of Crowley: https://bit.ly/31sVyh7

(originally tweeted by Red_Hatty here: https://bit.ly/32zDbbx )

...and some Good Omens cosplay...

A cornucopia of Crowleys and Aziraphales in Frankfurt, with some 
Horsepersons and Anathemas at centre: https://bit.ly/31zDKke

(originally tweeted by Janjan_nine here: https://bit.ly/2BpFySq )

Leave any four Good Omens cosplayers alone for long enough and they turn 
into a certain Queen album cover: https://bit.ly/2P60hCG

(originally tweeted by ElegantFeather here: https://bit.ly/2P6OPH0 )

...and finally a magnificent seasonal "ineffable jack-o-lantern": 
https://bit.ly/31yqRad

(originally tweeted by jedipirate here: https://bit.ly/35UEe8e )

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

09) CLOSE

"An Angel, a Demon and a couple of babies. What could possibly go 
wrong?" Georgia Tennant has posted side-by-side images of her husband 
(Crowley) and Michael "Aziraphale" Sheen carrying their most recent 
family additions. Aww!

https://bit.ly/2Br6OzJ

Fourth out of fifty, and only slightly behind Rupert Giles: UU's 
Librarian has been ranked near the top of top 50 fictional librarians! 
"Special talents: Scaling high shelves, reading grimoires fatal to 
humans, intimidation, general orangutan-ness; also L-space travel, organ 
(and keyboard), organization":

https://lithub.com/50-fictional-librarians-ranked/?single=true

Finally, here be an iconograph of cosplayer LD Lapinski,as herself and 
as a certain Postmaster: https://bit.ly/2qoCjbC

And that's it for October. 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/74570.html

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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