Wossname – August 2020 – Main issue

Mon Aug 31 15:00:50 AEST 2020

Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
August 2020 (Volume 23, Issue 8, 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)

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INDEX:

01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) THE TIME TRAVELLING CAVEMAN: EXTRACTS AND NEWS
04) ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE

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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"I believe in freedom, Mr. Lipwig. Not many people do, although they 
will, of course, protest otherwise. And no practical definition of 
freedom would be complete without the freedom to take the consequences. 
Indeed, it is the freedom upon which all the others are based."
– Lord Vetinari, in Going Postal

"One day it's the ringing of the bells and the casting down of the evil 
tyrant, and the next it's everyone sitting around complaining that ever 
since the tyrant was overthrown no one's been taking out the trash."
– Guards! Guards!

"I recorded this quite certain we wouldn't win the Hugo Award for the 
Good Omens tv series. I was wrong. We won. This one is for Terry."
– Neil Gaiman, on Good Omens winning the Best Longform Dramatic 
Presentation 2020 Hugo award

"A lawyer would use the term 'inspired' to cover up misselling[sic] and 
misrepresentation. I believe that is what people believe has happened. 
Simon Allen using his own stories and characters. Only the character 
names are 'inspired' by the work of Terry Pratchett."
– tweeter Mark Alex Pidd gets it right about The Watch

"I read Fighting Fantasy a lot as a kid. I used to get in trouble with 
my local library for not bringing them back. I remember a threatening 
letter that they were going to take me to court if I didn't return one 
of the books. I was reading a lot and I managed to lose it under my bed."
– sounds like Rhianna Pratchett takes after her reading-mad father in 
their respective childhoods

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

02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR

Still in severe lockdown. Hard to remember what month this is... is it 
2021 yet?

Did you know that Good Omens has been translated into more than thirty 
languages so far? The latest version is a "new" translation into 
Russian, with cover art that ties in with the Amazon-BBC miniseries. But 
as it turns out, that new translation is an old one: Eksmo (Эксмо) is a 
major publisher, responsible for releasing some thirty per cent of all 
books in Russia; Eksmo published a "Black Edition" translation by 
Margarita Yurkan in 2012 and again in 2019 with the TV tie-in cover. But 
the first Russian translation was an unofficial (samizdat) one by Vadim 
Filinnov, who also translated the works of Douglas Adams. Two or more 
versions of Filinnov's translation were in circulation during the 1990s 
and had a large fan following, but when Eksmo decided to publish their 
own version they set out to crush these... but then did the right thing, 
bought the rights to the Filinnov version and republished *that* this 
year! And there are several covers, including one featuring Paul Kidby's 
miniseries-influenced Crowley. Confused? You will be, as an old telly 
soap used to say.

At any rate, there's more info about all this on Colin Smythe's website 
– and if you have or know anyone who has one of the early translation 
versions, Colin would love to hear from you:

https://colinsmythe.co.uk/terry-pratchett/good-omens-neil-gaiman/

Also, the new cover illustrator's take on Aziraphale is... um... 
unusual, as is his apparent decision to portray Crowley as a perfect 
facsimile of the actor Liev Schreiber! See Images of the Month, below.

*

The Time-Travelling Caveman is published next week. Have you ordered a 
copy yet? I have! See links in item 3.2

And now, on with the show...

– Annie Mac, Editor

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

03) THE TIME TRAVELLING CAVEMAN

3.1 REMINDER: EXTRACTS

The Time Travelling Caveman is officially released next week! Dates as 
given by Penguin/Doubleday are 1st September (hardback) and 3rd 
September (ebook and audiobook/CD/download); there's also a deluxe 
slipcover version due out on the 8th of October. In the meantime, here 
be some extracts in case you missed them last month.

* From "The Tropnecian Invasion of Britain", courtesy of The Guardian:

"Tropnecia is a very small country somewhere in the Tosheroon Islands, 
but once upon a time it very nearly conquered Great Britain. In AD 411, 
when the last of the Romans had just left, a small Tropnecian sailing 
ship that happened to be passing spotted the coast of England, and 
thought it would be a good place to conquer. That was how things were 
done in history. As soon as you saw a place, you had to conquer it, and 
usually the English Channel was full of ships queuing up to come and 
have a good conquer. ‘If you’ve got nothing to do,’ chieftains would 
tell their sons, ‘go and conquer England.’ Anyway, the Tropnecians 
arrived on a Sunday, when there was no one about, so the first thing 
they did was build a road. That’s another thing you have to do. Either 
you burn down houses or you build roads and walls, otherwise you don’t 
stand much chance of being put in the history books.

"Tropnecian roads can always be recognised because they never go in 
straight lines. The roads were all designed by the famous Tropnecian 
architect General Bulbus Hangdoge, and he wasn’t very good at drawing 
straight lines. Very good on the corners, but very bad on the straight 
lines. So all the roads were a little wobbly. At that time England was 
full of Picts, Scots, Druids, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, Stonehenges, wet 
weather and various kinds of kings, the most famous of which was King 
Rupert the Never Ready, of Wessex. He was never ready for anything, 
which was why England kept getting conquered. People would say, ‘Are you 
ready to fight the Vikings if they try to conquer us?’ and he would say, 
‘I don’t think so.’ The next thing you knew, Vikings were all over the 
place, burning down houses...."

To read the whole extract, go to: https://bit.ly/330UPYV

* From "The Hole in Time", courtesy of Penguin Books via Terry 
Pratchett.com:

"One morning, at about half past eight, there was a giant bang from the 
Blackbury University Science Institute and all the clocks in the town 
suddenly stopped. A dozen fire engines rushed up there, then wondered 
why they’d bothered. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong. A lot of 
people in white coats were rushing all over the place, but apart from 
that there was nothing out of the ordinary. ‘What’s going on here?’ 
asked the head of the institute, Mr Plinth, who had just arrived for 
work. He still had his mug of tea in his hand. A woman in a white coat, 
wearing thick spectacles, rushed up. ‘Something terrible has happened!’ 
she gasped. ‘We’ve lost Doctor Hughes! And her laboratory! They’ve 
gone!’ ‘Blown up, you mean?’ asked Mr Plinth, visibly shocked. ‘No, 
they’ve disappeared! Look.’ Dr Spectacles (for this was her name) 
pointed at what was actually just a patch of grass, next to the 
institute. ‘Looks like just a patch of grass to me,’ said Mr Plinth. 
‘Well, there was a brick building standing there just a moment ago. Now 
it’s vanished.’ Mr Plinth scratched his head. Then he gingerly edged one 
of his boots onto the patch of grass where the brick building had been, 
while the laboratory workers stood around wondering whether he might 
vanish too. A few began to back away from Mr Plinth . . . and the patch 
of grass.

"Then it started to snow. At least, it snowed on that little patch of 
ground. Mr Plinth stared up and saw grey clouds. He stepped off the 
grass and suddenly the sun was shining again. He stepped back onto the 
grass, and into a snowdrift. ‘This here ground has got its own weather,’ 
he said. ‘It’s in the middle of January there, by the looks of it, while 
everywhere else is in August.’ ‘Ah, but which January – ’ began a portly 
whitecoated man, who then stopped rather suddenly as Dr Spectacles gave 
him a chilly look that would have made it snow outside the patch of 
grass, as well as inside it...."

To read the whole extract, and view the reproduced illustrations, go to: 
https://bit.ly/34mFWRk

3.2 ORDERING INFO

The Time Travelling Caveman can be ordered from:

Penguin: https://bit.ly/3g3PhAt and Penguin Australia: 
https://bit.ly/3hXdjOj
Discworld.com: https://bit.ly/3fa7sD8
Discworld Emporium: https://bit.ly/39MT8zL
Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/all?term=9780857536020
Waterstones: https://bit.ly/3gFsLxB
Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780857536020
Hive: https://bit.ly/2CNrtTe

...and in Fourecks...

Booktopia: https://bit.ly/2ChTemc
QBD Books: https://bit.ly/3f5IYLn
Readings: https://bit.ly/2Cn9jqs
Dymocks: https://bit.ly/3fd4AX9
Angus and Robertson: https://bit.ly/31ZRicE

...and other places, including that evil one your Editor refuses to 
promote, ever.

If at all possible, please support your local independent bookshop!

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

04) ODDS AND SODS

4.0 HUGO AWARD FOR THE GOOD OMENS MINISERIES

 From the Guardian:

"[B]est longform dramatic presentation went to Good Omens, written by 
Neil Gaiman and directed by Douglas Mackinnon. Accepting the prize, 
Gaiman said that he only made the show because the late Pratchett 
.wanted me to.. .Terry never won a Hugo. The only time he was nominated 
he withdrew the novel from consideration, telling people that if he had 
a book nominated it would ruin his WorldCon. It wasn’t that he didn’t 
care, it was that he cared too much,. said Gaiman. Pratchett had 
thought, said Gaiman, that a Hugo would never go 'to anything funny.. 
.Thank you,' he told fans, 'for giving Terry Pratchett his Hugo award'..."

https://bit.ly/2ELW83J

Neil Gaiman's acceptance speech (video, 2:39): https://bit.ly/2EvPUp5

...and the transcript:

"Terry never won a Hugo, the only time he was nominated for a Hugo 
Award, he actually withdrew the novel from consideration, telling people 
that if he had a book nominated for a Hugo it would ruin his WorldCon 
worrying. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. It was that he cared too much. 
For all the wards that he got, for call the acclamation, for all the 
honors and the love heaped upon Terry during his lifetime, the one he 
really cared about was the Hugo Award. And he would grumble about it to 
me, pointing out that he was never going to get one, because they were 
never going to give a Hugo Award to anything funny..."

To read the entire transcript, go to https://bit.ly/3jtVO8Z and scroll 
to the penultimate item at the bottom.

4.1 THE PRATCHETT PROJECT UPDATES

"The Pratchett Project at Trinity College Dublin is seeking expressions 
of interest from outstanding candidates who would like to apply for a 
Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship in order to complete a 
PhD in a subject related to Terry Pratchett's life and/or work from 
September 2021. If you are interested, please formulate an abstract of 
no more than 300 words. Be sure to include:

* The overarching research question
* A step-by-step methodology
* A clear list of the materials your study will draw on
* A justification for why the answer to this research question is a 
valuable contribution to human knowledge
* Any contextual information that a reader needs to understand the other 
four points.

Once you have your abstract, please send it to James Hadley 
(hadleyj at tcd.ie). The most promising applicants will receive assistance 
in crafting their full proposals."

For more information about the scheme, including the minimum 
requirements for applicants, go to:
http://research.ie/funding/goipg/?f=postgraduate

https://bit.ly/3lwSwDw

REMINDER: the Pratchett Project virtual conference takes place next 
month, on the 17th and 18th September. The two-day symposium will cover 
topics including Utopian Critique in Nation (David Farnell), Space in 
Pratchett's Narrative Networks (Matthew Roughan), Political idealism in 
the Discworld Novels (Ruchira Mandal), Humour, parody and satire in 
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels (Kamil Kaaras), Pratchett and 
Contemporary Pessimism (Oliver Rendle), The Move from Fantasy Parody to 
Moral Complexity and Literary Fiction in the Ankh-Morpork Novels 
(Ricarda Krenn), Bad Faith and the Crab Bucket (Samuel Poots), and 
Incorporating Terry Pratchett's Fiction in the University Curriculum 
(Olena Tykhomyrova), among others.

"Split into four sections over the two days, the conference will focus 
on The Space of Ideas, Translation and Humour, Ethics and Identity, and 
Research and Teaching. Scheduled sessions include The Big Wahoonie: 
Ankh-Morpork as Cross-Media Urban Imaginary; Translating Pratchett into 
Ukrainian: Strategies and Challenges; The Move from Fantasy Parody to 
Moral Complexity and Literary Fiction in the Ankh Morpork-novels; and 
'Lies to children': From folk to formal science in Terry Pratchett's 
Discworld."

For more details, go to: https://bit.ly/2P50Uv5
To sign up, go to: https://bit.ly/39EQ34k

https://bit.ly/2ExDwED

4.2 UPDATES: THE TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB

On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a 
Discworld discussion page. This time around it's the last part of The 
Light Fantastic and the first parts of Equal Rites.

On the end section of The Light Fantastic:

"I dearly appreciate how Pratchett describes the smell of Ankh-Morpork 
through analogy for a very particular reason – I have a terrible sense 
of smell. So really, the analogy is more evocative for me on a number of 
levels. It was something that I had to bring up because scent is, of 
course, one of the most evocative of our five senses (tied to memory and 
all that), but often harder to describe than the others. So, I have a 
lot of emotion-things about Twoflower putting his profound lack of 
common sense to good use, turning all of Rincewind’s complaints back on 
him and literally saying 'I’m here because I don’t know any better, but 
what about you?' I also have a lot of emotion-things about the fact that 
Twoflower doesn’t crack the spines of books because I am one of those 
weirdos, too, even though I wish I wasn’t. Sorry, it’s very silly, I 
know that, but I don’t like doing it because then you can’t read the 
spines and it’s a thing I’m finicky about... It’s also pretty great to 
see Trymon get his comeuppance. I didn’t really get into it throughout 
the book, but you have to appreciate the way Pratchett walks a line with 
this character: He doesn’t say that the old ways are the best ways – he 
acknowledges that the old ways are often pretty ridiculous while 
simultaneously acknowledging the fact that new ways can sometimes be 
heinously abused by those who want to introduce them. The problem with 
Trymon isn’t that he has newfangled thoughts, it’s that he’s using that 
system purely for personal gain. The fact that he’s Rincewind’s 
contemporary is important in this because they’re both outcasts in the 
wizardly ways of doing things, but one of them is decidedly less 
power-hungry and world-endy..."

https://bit.ly/2YNF705

...and the start of Equal Rites:

"This book actually began with a talk that Pratchett gave on gender and 
magic in 1985. In addition, Esk was apparently based on his daughter, 
Rhianna. And in his conceit for the premise, outlined by this speech, he 
basically says that his belief in the difference between what is labeled 
'men’s magic' and 'women’s magic' is not truly down to sexism and 
devaluing women’s labor and expertise, but in fact a bit more cerebral – 
he believes that wizards are about what people hope they could be if 
they had power, and witches are about what we fear we might become. 
Which, you know, it’s a totally valid way of looking at branches of 
magic and how we depict them in literature..."

https://bit.ly/3bbgDTz

...continued...

"Plenty of fantasy tomes and games trade on the concept of 'races' and 
'peoples' and throw around words like 'gypsy' and 'bandits', and you 
find yourself cringing because why do it at all? Categorization is 
needed in parts of worldbuilding, but it’s often an ugly and deeply 
biased exercise, no matter how hard an author tries to be smart and 
sensitive about their construction of a fictional world. I think one of 
the reasons that Pratchett manages it far better than others is the 
reason why Discworld continues to be so relevant and sharp decades later 
– he knows that people are just people..."

https://bit.ly/3lwSH1E

[As previously mentioned, these are well worth a read, and feel free to 
join in the comments! – Ed.]

4.3 YORKSHIRE TAKES ON THE AMAZING MAURICE

Sheffield animation studio Red Star has a new project on the go. Some 
might find it amusing that founder Mr Smith was "acclaimed for the 
visual effects used in Lost in Space". At least he's not *Doctor* Smith!

"Red Star 3D creates its own films which are shown in cinemas, theme 
parks, museums and other venues. Its most recent creation, StarDog and 
TurboCat, opened in cinemas last December and is currently available on 
Amazon. Founded in 2004 by Ben Smith and Jan Rogowski, it is recognised 
as one of the leading independent studios of its type worldwide and has 
won dozens of awards and nominations at film festivals. The company, 
which currently employs 10 people at the Electric Works base, is 
planning to create an additional 40 jobs in the next two years... A 
second feature production, The Amazing Maurice – based on the book by 
Sir Terry Pratchett – is just getting underway..."

https://bit.ly/2ELKZQs

4.4 PTERRY AND ROALD DAHL: A MEETING OF GIANTS

Way back in the late 1960s, when Sir Terry was a young journalist, he 
interviewed a certain local writer who was waiting to see if another of 
his books would be turned into a film... in The Telegraph, Dalya Alberge 
tells a bit about it:

"As two of English literature’s best-loved writers of comic fantasy, the 
discovery of a previously-unknown conversation between the late Sir 
Terry Pratchett and Roald Dahl would be the stuff of fantasy for legions 
of fans worldwide. But evidence that they met and discussed the dearth 
of plots and the difficulty of writing children’s books, among other 
topics, has been unearthed. It is an interview that Pratchett conducted 
with Dahl in 1969, overlooked until now. Long before he found fame with 
his Discworld series, a collection of satirical fantasy novels, he was a 
21-year-old journalist on a local newspaper with dreams of publishing 
his first novel. Dahl, then 52, had already published his children’s 
classics, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and James and The Giant 
Peach, as well as short stories for adults and screenplays..."

https://bit.ly/3gIsYjt

The original article reveals all sorts of things most of us might not 
have known – that Dahl, was mostly known back then in Britain as the 
husband of actress Patricia Neal and the screenwriter for the Bond film 
You Only Live Twice, that he was a Squadron Leader in the RAF during the 
Second World War, and that overall he wasn't terribly impressed with 
artists who thought their art was important – but what the article also 
shows is hints of the young Pratchett's clean and succinct writing 
style: "The recently published Penguin edition of ‘Kiss Kiss’, a 
collection that first appeared in 1959, has as its gripping cover design 
a man slowly sinking into a mincing machine. This is a gross libel on 
some of his stories. The horror is often more subtle than that. So it is 
perhaps surprising that Mr. Dahl, at 53, has been building up for some 
years a reputation as a writer for children. His fourth book, ‘Boggis, 
Bunce and Bean’, is at the publishers. The best-known of the other 
three, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, has sold over 100,000 in 
America and is selling more every month..."

[Editor's note: the entire transcript is on the Wossname blog at 
https://bit.ly/3gHji8E – hopefully, no one will rise from the distant 
past to complain. Many thanks to Colin Smythe for providing your Editor 
with an iconograph of the article!]

4.5 THE MERCH CORNER

This month's feature is Discworld stage adaptations! Oberon Books, a 
Bloomsbury imprint, have published a number of Stephen Briggs' Discworld 
stage adaptations in paperback...

* The Rince Cycle

"As a punishment, failed wizard Rincewind is given the task of guiding 
and safeguarding the Disc’s first tourist, Twoflower (with his magical 
luggage on legs). As they travel the city and beyond, they meet the 
world’s oldest hero, Cohen the Barbarian. With him, and with Bethan (a 
qualified sacrificial victim), they encounter druids, trolls, 
adventurers, a hairdresser and a power-crazed wizard. Oh, and Death. But 
not fatally. Did we mention that Rincewind also has to save the world 
from destruction by a huge red star that will collide with the Discworld 
at Hogswatch? The Rince Cycle is mostly based on The Light Fantastic, 
with bits of The Colour of Magic and Sourcery added for good measure."

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-rince-cycle-9781783191963/

* Unseen Academicals: https://bit.ly/34O84x2

* Feet of Clay: https://bit.ly/3gIJnnG

* All the Discworld's a Stage: Volume 1 (omnibus edition, includes The 
Rince Cycle, Unseen Academicals, and Feet of Clay):
https://bit.ly/2EJVaVI

* All the Discworld's a Stage: Volume 2 (omnibus edition, includes The 
Shakespeare Codex, Lords and Ladies, and Hogfather) will be released 
later this year. More details as soon as available!

And not forgetting...

Interesting Times: https://bit.ly/32DPogG
The Fifth Elephant: https://bit.ly/32CWwtH
Jingo: https://bit.ly/3gJJfof
Going Postal: https://bit.ly/3b85fbd
Monstrous Regiment: https://bit.ly/34MOaCz
The Truth: https://bit.ly/2YQ9lzP
Night Watch: https://bit.ly/34NqgXm

Many of these are also available in ebook form.

Oberon on Mr Briggs: "As all children know, the way you get into a 
fantasy world is by accident… You go into the wardrobe, looking for 
somewhere to hide and – bingo. And that’s how Stephen Briggs found 
Discworld. In 1990, he wrote to ask Terry if he could stage Wyrd 
Sisters. That was the first time anyone, anywhere in the world, had 
dramatised Terry’s work. He had no idea it would go any further than one 
play (possibly two). But it did. So far, he has now adapted, staged and 
published twenty-two plays. He and Terry also worked together to produce 
the original Discworld Maps and Diaries, Nanny Ogg's Cookbook, The 
Discworld Companion (now called Turtle Recall) and The Wit & Wisdom of 
Discworld."

http://oberonbooks.com/discworld-collection

https://www.stephenbriggs.com/the-plays

* Reminder: The Ankh-Morpork Archives Volume One

"Think you know Ankh-Morpork? Think again. In this top-secret guide, 
travellers will receive a first-hand experience of the real city. If 
you’ve ever wondered where Unseen University students wet their whistles 
(while managing to avoid their teachers doing the same), or just what 
the Assassins’ Guild constitutes a proper means of inhumation – there 
are standards to be upheld, after all – then this is the book for you. 
That’s right, have yourselves a peek into the inner workings of city’s 
societies. Cut the chaff, glimpse behind the curtain, see how the 
sausage gets made . . . err, you get the idea. Just don’t let the 
Thieves’ Guild catch you with this book. They won’t appreciate their 
methods being flogged behind their back. Flogging’s their job. 
Completely revamped and redesigned, this full-colour book contains 
material from Discworld Diaries across the decades."

Each copy of The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume One is priced at £25. For 
more info, and to order, go to https://bit.ly/3gi8nCg

* The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume Two

"Containing material unavailable for twenty years – this is a 
comprehensive guide to the capital city of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, 
getting to the heart of Ankh-Morpork’s secrets, societies and guilds. 
Ankh-Morpork is a bottomless pit of secrets. It’s time to unearth a few 
more . . . In the second volume of this confidential guide, brave 
travellers are made privy to the inner workings of more illustrious 
Ankh-Morpork societies. Disabuse yourself of notions of professionalism 
under which you may hold the City Watch; discover what serious business 
is undertaken by the Fools’ Guild (joking is no laughing matter); and, 
should you be lucky, achieve true enlightenment through the teachings of 
Lu-Tze. One thing’s for sure: after you’ve read this book, 
Ankh-Morpork’s Guilds are going to need to come up with new ways of 
doing things. Completely revamped and redesigned, this full-colour book 
contains material from Discworld Diaries across the decades."

Each copy of The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume Two is priced at £25 and 
will be published on 29th October 2020. For more info, and to pre-order, 
go to:

https://bit.ly/3lxmhUV

* Reminder: Ankh-Morpork City Watch Journal

"In a city like Ankh-Morpork, where Assassins assassinate, thieves 
thieve and seamstresses, um . . . don’t, Law and Order can be a 
complicated business. Thankfully His Grace, His Excellency, The Duke of 
Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes (Blackboard Monitor) and the 
Ankh-Morpork City Watch are here to keep the peace. The finest body of 
men, women, dwarfs, trolls, werewolves, golems, Igors, gnomes, Feegles, 
vampires (and whatever Nobby Nobbs is) on the face of the Discworld! The 
Ankh-Morpork City Watch Journal provides jotting space for your notes, 
reports, observations and investigations, so kick back, relax and take 
down your particulars. To help you keep on the straight and narrow, 
you’ll be aided and abetted by some choice quotes from Terry Pratchett’s 
seminal City Watch novels."

Each Ankh-Morpork City Watch Journal ("Exclusively embossed with Terry's 
signature and sealed with his coat of arms") is priced at £17. For more 
info, and to pre-order, go to:

https://bit.ly/31jaHVy

* Reminder: The Magic of Terry Pratchett (biography)

"Journalist, comedian and Pratchett fan Marc Burrows delves into the 
back story of one of UK's most enduring and beloved authors, from his 
childhood in the Chiltern Hills to his time as a journalist, and the 
journey that would take him – via more than sixty best-selling books – 
to an OBE, a knighthood and national treasure status. The Magic Of Terry 
Pratchett is the result of painstaking archival research alongside 
interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under 
the famous black hat, helping to piece together the full story of one of 
British literature's most remarkable and beloved figures for the very 
first time."

There are several versions that will be available, starting with the 
standard edition (currently priced at £16), the fancier Snapcase edition 
(£21), and the Patrician Box (£35.00, featuring various extras). For 
more information, and to order, go to:

https://www.askmeaboutterrypratchett.com/s/shop

https://twitter.com/20thcenturymarc

4.6 LIBRARIANS, THROWING SHADE? SURELY NOT... NOT

Librarians rock! Of course, we already knew that. Those of you who 
follow https://twitter.com/OED, the Oxford English Dictionary's Twitter 
account, may have noticed that account's frequent shade-throwing over 
the past few years in the form of its "Word of the Day" tweets, a great 
number of which are subtle yet plain digs at current events. But some 
bibliophile – school librarian or perhaps English teacher – has take 
that to the next level, with a display of carefully chosen book titles 
lining the shelves behind a certain prime minister as he made a speech 
about er um education-related current events...

"Meanwhile, the bookshelf behind him seemed to make a statement of its 
own. Lining the shelf just behind Mr Johnson's head were titles with 
rather unflattering associations for any political leader, including 
'The Twits', 'The Subtle Knife', 'The Resistance', and 'Betrayed'. And 
sticking out like a sore thumb was 'Fahrenheit 451', a dystopian novel 
about a society where books are banned. If you look closely, 'Guards! 
Guards!', a Terry Pratchett novel, can also be glimpsed behind the PM's 
right shoulder. The story follows a plot by a secret brotherhood to 
overthrow a corrupt patrician and install a puppet king..."

Of course, The Patrician in question, as *we* know, isn't corrupt. If 
only life would imitate art more often.

https://bit.ly/3lwTu2C

You might also enjoy reading the many replies to the official Pterry 
Twitter account's "caption contest" for that iconograph:

https://twitter.com/terryandrob/status/1298652299766702082

Meanwhile, in the Department of Plausible Deniability:

"Now it has been revealed that the books were in fact a message, left by 
the school’s former librarian. But the librarian, who left the role 
around six months ago, says it was actually intended for the school’s 
bosses... 'I did it as a message for the school management before I left 
in February... They obviously never actually noticed, and it went 
untouched for six months'..."

https://bit.ly/2EPw5si

4.7 GAMING WITH MY DAD: RHIANNA PRATCHETT INTERVIEW

Here be a delightful interview with Junior Pratchett, by Tom Tivnan for 
The Bookseller. Great fun to read!

"'I’ve been playing video games since I was six years old. At first, dad 
played the games and I used to watch them and map the games out; it was 
a bit of a spectator sport, a bonding time between us. He had this very 
big office chair and I would kind of tuck myself behind him like a human 
bolster cushion. In my teens, we would watch each other play and we 
would be emotionally in it together. I got his hand-me-down machines, so 
I used to play games that he had played first...' Gaming wasn’t just 
with her dad. A friend’s father worked for HP, so she always had the 
most up-to-date kit and the two would play 'a lot of age-inappropriate 
stuff' like Leisure Suit Larry, the somewhat infamous classic whose 
adult-themed story line has the titular character, a 40-year-old, 
balding, double-entendre-spewing nerd, trying to seduce young women. 'It 
was very educational,' Pratchett insists. 'To get past the "are you over 
18" test you had to answer "adult" questions about things like the 
American political system, which I had to look up. I learned the word 
prophylactic from the game when I was about 11.' Outside of Leisure Suit 
Larry, much of Pratchett's early life seems very wholesome. Her father’s 
books didn’t hit the bestseller lists until the late '80s so the family 
didn’t have that much money for much of her childhood. She says: 'It was 
very rural and pastoral. We lived in a little cottage on the edge of a 
valley, had a veggie patch, chickens and ducks in the back garden and 
goats in the front. You could probably find people doing this in 
Islington, but they do it for hobbies⁠ – we did it because we needed the 
food and the milk. I used to run around the valley, climb trees, go 
walking...I was probably among the last generation of kids allowed to be 
free in nature. And, I could milk a goat and knew how to spin wool, 
probably very useful in a post-apocalyptic scenario....'"

https://www.thebookseller.com/insight/rhianna-pratchett-1216975

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

05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS

Still no news. But keep an eye out for possible forthcoming Discworld 
plays later in the year. We must keep the knowledge of Discworld 
circulating!

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

06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS

Remember, one day, possibly in the not too distant future, Discworld 
fans will be able to meet in the real Roundworld again. So keep this 
information handy! Also note there are a few updates below.

The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld 
Group"
BrokenDrummers at gmail.com or nicholls.helen at yahoo.co.uk or join their 
Facebook group at https://bit.ly/3jtYLGo

NOTE: the Drummers are still meeting occasionally via Zoom. Check out 
the above links for updates!

*

Drumknott's Irregulars
Facebook https://bit.ly/31FlSrq or Google Groups 
https:groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars or join us 
at our next event."

*

The Victorian Discworld Klatch
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch

*

"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/

*

The Pratchett Partisans
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula 
directly at uwilmott at yahoo.com.au

*

The City of Small Gods
www.cityofsmallgods.org.au

UPDATE: "What are we doing while we're stuck at home due to COVID-19? 
Given that our normal social gatherings can't happen while everyone's 
under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are instead trying to 
host regular activities and discussions online. Most of these will be 
done via our Discord Server – https://discord.gg/3RVzsyJ – which has 
several text chat channels and a few voice chat channels as well. We 
will still use our Facebook group – 
https://facebook.com/groups/cityofsmallgods – to coordinate scheduled 
events. When things get back to normal... (semi-) regular social 
meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the month at a pub 
or restaurant in Adelaide. We have dinner at 6.30pm followed by games 
until 9pm."

*

The Broken Vectis Drummers
broken_vectis_drummers at yahoo.co.uk

*

The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) meets at Wincanton's 
famous Bear Inn when social gatherings are possible.

*

The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of 
Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in Victoria Street, 
Skipton, North Yorkshire, 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)
Contact Sue (aka Granny Weatherwax): kenworthys at yahoo.co.uk

*

The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers 
https://bit.ly/2EKSCqu – or message Alexandra Ware directly at 
<alexandra.ware at gmail.com>

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

07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Blogger Sorcha "Nordie" Ogle reviews Mort:

"I reread this in 2020, during the pandemic, and I definitely consider 
this as a *Comfort* read. Yes, every reader needs to decide what they 
class as *comfort* and some may see reading a book where the main 
character collects souls as a bit morbid, but that is not what I take 
from this. This book has Love, Romance, Morals, Doing the Right Thing, 
Responsibility, Thinking of the long game (and others), self identity, 
cultural perception and ultimately, the delivery of a damn fine line – 
preferably whilst walking through a wall like it is not there. Some of 
the comfort for me came from the expectation of certain lines/jokes, 
some of which did not appear in this book (It turns out I miss the 
stories of the other 3 horsemen of the apocalypse going down the pub 
more than I realised). That means they appear in other books, so I need 
to do a full re-read..."

https://bit.ly/2QDRRSB

Blogger Book Beach Bunny found some aspects of Reaper Man confusing:

"Death is forcibly retired and goes to work on a farm- one I knew I 
would like because I like Death… And the damned trolleys had me so 
confused! Don’t get me wrong this was still a good Discworld but like so 
many other things in Discworld it was the damned wizard part that 
confused it... I enjoyed the book overall and the stuff with Death is 
actually really deep and meaningful. In some ways I’ve found this the 
most meaningful Discworld book yet which is probably why the comedy felt 
so off for the first time..."

https://bit.ly/3b8WcXv

...whereas blogger Hedwig caught on sooner:

"One thing that I was pushed to understand at first was what exactly the 
disaster was or might be that was coming to mess up the city this time 
and how exactly it tied in to what was happening between death and the 
Wizard story line... It was hard to tie how this thing represented 
itself and how it could possibly tie in with the other chaos where in 
the last few books it was becoming clear after a bit where these events 
are linked to each other. That being said however, this is a character 
book more than anything. There are two main perspectives here, Death of 
course but also Windle Poons the old wizard that I have often pointed 
out has the perfect name for a cat. That was something that I wasn’t set 
up for so I felt very much like I was lacking on the Death content when 
I first started reading. However old Poons does grow on you very quickly 
and by the end of the book I was VERY attached to him and his heroics 
and struggles..."

https://bit.ly/32FKAra

Blogger Rosie Writes reviews Marc Burrows' biography:

"Burrows is not uncritical of Pratchett, pointing out where reality and 
the Pratchett anecdote diverge. We learn about the masks STP wore for 
different audiences. His interviews were always filled with prepared one 
liners that could seem to be ‘off the cuff’ remarks, and he was a ‘jolly 
old elf’ for fans at conventions and signings. Possibly his wife and 
closest friends saw the real Terry. It’s not really for us to know, let 
him remain the ‘jolly old elf’ telling stories, filled with anger at the 
unfair ways of the world and the message to be decent to each other. 
This biography highlights the breadth of his oeuvre, and the continuing 
themes that arose in the much tweaked The Carpet People and continued 
across all his books..."

https://bit.ly/3bcjegg

...as does blogger 8outof10:

"After his untimely death in 2015, I kicked myself that I’d never felt 
the urge to try and meet him, and tell him how much his work meant to 
me, or maybe even shake his hand. Unlike a lot of fans I never went to 
any book signings or conventions; I guess I thought I was too young to 
begin with, and as an adult I was afraid I’d meet my hero and be 
disappointed. Crucially, I think I was more afraid he’d be disappointed 
in me, so there wasn’t a cat in Hell’s chance I’d jeopardise my special 
bond with Terry by doing something stupid like actually meeting him. 
Nevertheless, after he passed, I was more than a little sad that I’d 
missed the chance to know the man behind all those wonderful stories, 
however brief that experience might have been. I’m happy to say then, 
that in reading The Magic of Terry Pratchett, by journalist, musician 
and comedian Marc Burrows, I have the next best thing... If you’re also 
a fan of trivia, like me, you’ll revel in the many fascinating and often 
funny titbits regarding the author’s life and work. From Terry’s 
profound appetite for reading, to how Good Omens (in collaboration with 
the excellent Neil Gaiman) came to be, right down to explaining (sort 
of) where the city of Ankh-Morpork gets its name, there are plenty of 
moments that will make you laugh out loud or mutter 'bloody hell!' where 
Burrows highlights some of Terry’s more astounding achievements.

"This isn’t to say that this book leaves Pratchett up there on a 
pedestal though. I was afraid that any biography about Terry might be 
tediously fawning or – worse still – mean-spirited, but you may rest 
assured that Burrows’ book hits the mark perfectly here, celebrating 
Terry’s life and work while depicting him honestly as a human being with 
the same imperfections as the rest of us..."

https://bit.ly/3jqcn5y

Blogger and author D K Powell's take on Strata:

"I am a big Terry Pratchett fan and simply adore his Discworld novels. 
I’m not going to be completely unbiased then when it comes to his work. 
And what a gem ‘Strata’ promised to be! One of his earliest books, 
written in 1981, exploring in infant form what would become the 
Discworld itself. What an opportunity to see an early foray into that 
universe. Well, sure enough, it was fascinating – but it wasn’t the 
well-honed Pratchett I know and love. The story was pretty much a sci-fi 
of the type that was very common in the 80s, post-Star Wars. The were 
plenty of witty remarks from the gaggle of characters, but none of the 
brilliant humour and repartee that the author’s later characters would 
engage in. The Discworld itself is a shadow – almost a caricature – of 
what that world would come to be. All of this makes for disappointment. 
But – and this is important – it is still Pratchett, and this means 
that, even in this early attempt, the writing is solid – the story as 
good as anything else that was on the market at the time. As a throwaway 
trashy sci-fi it is perfect. You would certainly read this book and be 
perfectly satisfied before then sending it off to the charity shops, 
rather than keep it on your shelves..."

https://bit.ly/2GdcpiX

Blogger Steve takes on the entire Discworld series:

"I initially confused Discworld with a different book I saw on my 
brother’s bookshelf as a child – Ringworld or something like that. The 
cover had someone riding a dragon and an island city floating in the 
clouds? I didn’t expect the humorous wizzarding antics of Rincewind in 
the first novel at all, but it was a refreshing change of pace and 
escape from current events, so I settled in for a good long listen 
thinking it would be some good fun. Humor is not the whole of these 
books, though. The insights to come caused me to pause the audiobook at 
several points, rewind, replay, and then pause again so I could think 
for a bit, completely taken aback at the insight Pratchett just threw at 
me... I think these books are important. I want my children to read 
these. I want my wife to read these. I want my parents to read these. I 
want to talk to someone about this stuff who gets it. I want to 
reminisce about moments both funny and profound. I want to have deep 
conversations at the pub about metaphysical quandaries regarding the 
speed of light and the speed of dark..."

https://yourturndad.com/2020/07/30/discworld/

Blogger The Reading Bug is back with a review of Going Postal:

"It is quickly apparent that Gilt is the villain of the piece, is behind 
the deaths of the previous Postmasters, and plans to remove Moist as 
soon as possible. This is just the beginning of an extraordinarily 
action-packed novel – there’s a wonderfully rich cast of junior 
characters such as pin-collector Stanley Howler; Sacharissa Cripslock, 
reporter for the Ankh-Morpork Times (first introduced in The Truth); and 
Anghammarad, a nineteen thousand year-old golem waiting for the end of 
the world. There’s a fire, a visit to the Mended Drum, a race to Genua, 
and guest appearances from the Watch and the wizards of the Unseen 
University, to mention just a few highlights. Romance is provided by 
another of Pratchett’s amazing strong women: golem-rights activist and 
chain smoker Adora Belle Dearheart. It’s all utterly wonderful. Moist is 
another brilliantly realised creation in all his complexity and carries 
the weight of the narrative effortlessly. The moment he realises his 
responsibility for Adora’s loss of her job (which the television 
adaptation made even more dramatic in a very effective edit) is 
extraordinary... In fact, I am giving serious consideration to starting 
my own minor religion based on the words of wisdom found in Going Postal 
alone. If you read a sentence like this in a book of philosophy you 
would almost certainly nod your head in agreement and appreciate the 
author’s wisdom and sagacity..."

https://bit.ly/2YNpKES

...and of The Wee Free Men:

"Pratchett’s ability to create fully-rounded female characters always 
astounds me, and here he does it again, entering imaginatively into the 
mind of a precocious young girl and getting it pitch perfect. I can’t 
think of another author of his generation who writes such brilliantly 
fierce, independent and strong women as Pratchett. They are not just 
adornments to his novels, they are centralised and given distinctive 
voices which articulate the reality of their lives. Of course a man can 
never fully understand what it is to live the life of a woman, but 
Pratchett does an amazing job of trying. And he defies stereotypes at 
each turn, not in a self-conscious .I am going to create a gender-fluid 
character to show how progressive I am. way, but because such characters 
genuinely interest him. Although this is a younger reader’s novel, 
there’s nothing patronising or simplified about the story – it is 
nuanced, layered, and contains several moments of genuine peril. The bad 
guys have grim-hounds, dream-stealers and things too scary to describe, 
and are led by a witch several times scarier than anything in Narnia..."

https://bit.ly/3lBxkN0

Blogger Jessica Bookworm's review of Lords and Ladies:

Let’s face it, in times of trouble, stress and general craziness, we all 
need a bit of Terry Pratchett in our lives... Boy, is there a lot going 
on in this book, but somehow it just all works! I never really thought 
anything could come close to how much I love the madcap Wyrd Sisters, 
which is the first book to feature the witches and is also another 
Shakespearian parody, of Macbeth in this case. But apparently, Pratchett 
and Shakespeare must be a match made in heaven for me... So all in all, 
I thought Lords and Ladies was another hilariously fun read, which I 
laughed my way through whilst out basking in the early, Spring sunshine..."

https://bit.ly/2GdclzJ

Blogger Burfoa read Nation together with his teenaged son:

"Pratchett compares and contrasts the disparate cultures and beliefs 
upon which Mao[sic] and Daphne’s respective views of the world are 
founded and blends their different knowledge and skills to combat their 
vulnerability and attendant dangers. It’s a thrilling adventure. Babies 
to be birthed, raiders to be repelled, food to be chewed for the 
toothless. Indeed, part of the book’s appeal is possibly this Dahl-esque 
indulgence in the unexpected, the violent, the gross. But, it is also 
touching in parts and even the burgeoning relationship between the two 
main characters was tolerated in all its subtle sensitivity. In many 
ways this is a ‘right[sic] of passage’ book and the emergence of the two 
young adults, stepping out into their prescribed futures, forever bonded 
by their experience, is quite uplifting..."

https://burfobookish.blog/2020/08/12/nation-building/

And finally, blogger Come to the Pedlar enthuses over Wyrd Sisters:

"Discworld stories featuring the Witches tend to be among Terry 
Pratchett’s best, especially for the consistency of their parody... The 
brilliance of the witches as characters is their no-nonsense bathos in 
respect of absolutely everything. This allows Pratchett to have his cake 
and eat it. In the city of Lancre, surrounded by vertiginous cliffs and 
sentient permanent storms, he constructs a sincere story of an evil Duke 
and Duchess who kill the king, take over the kingdom, and are threatened 
by the presence of folk magic and by the possibility that the long-lost 
heir may one day return. But Granny Weatherwax (returning from Equal 
Rites), Nanny Ogg and Magrat don’t have any truck with narrative, and 
the biting questions of Granny and Nanny especially seek to undercut 
anything overblown with basic country common-sense and a hilariously 
literal way of understanding the world... But perhaps the most important 
character introduced in this book is Lancre itself, briefly seen in 
Equal Rites but coming here into full focus. The hills, forests and 
creatures of this mountainous region even manifest a personality, the 
land aggrieved at finding itself under a new king who hates it. And the 
land itself begins affecting everything, including the theatre..."

https://bit.ly/3gIvgPs

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

08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH

American educators Jennifer Quinn and Mark Owen Martin's "light art" 
collaboration made to commemorate the Good Omens series' Hugo Award. Sir 
Pterry and science, a perfect combination:
https://twitter.com/markowenmartin/status/1293212838404616192

The cover of the "new" Russian translation of Good Omens, 
idiosyncratically illustrated by Anatoly Dubrovik:
https://bit.ly/3ltToca

Some superb Discworld art by Loopydave! Granny and Nanny:
https://bit.ly/3jxCvvv

The Band with Rocks In: https://bit.ly/2Qzxeai

The Night Watch: https://bit.ly/3lvPQGr

Ridcully: https://bit.ly/31M4BgB

...and a fabulous one of Moist von Lipwig, mounted on Boris:
https://bit.ly/2YNZGK0

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

09) CLOSE

Right then, that's it for now. Mind how you go, and we hope to see you 
next month!

– Annie Mac

This issue can be viewed on the clacks at 
https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/79137.html

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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

Copyright (c) 2020 by Wossname for the Klatchian Foreign Legion