Wossname - October 2020 - Main issue
News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett
wossname at pearwood.info
Mon Oct 26 16:48:54 AEDT 2020
Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
October 2020 (Volume 23, 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) THE *^%%!@@$^&&** WATCH
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
The Twitterverse speaks...
"…you've chosen to adapt the author's work because, presumably, you
admire their writing. If you think you can improve on their
humour/drama/characterisation you should really be writing your own
plots and not torturing theirs."
– Stephen Briggs, quoting himself from pre-2010 (Adapting Books for the
stage, p.325)
"I've taken liberties with Terry – many of which he's seen and
approved... but I always write with Terry looking over my shoulder, and
with the idea that he will be there on the night."
– Mr Briggs again
"It seems to be Hot Fuzz meets Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire"
– Sperocaof
"I had hoped for better. Your dad's work, told truly, could have brought
so much more hope into our world. Not just comic mutterings, but genuine
thought and belief in the good in humanity, while we curse the bad and
humiliate it, until it retreats into the corners again."
– OtheFarm
"I have the same feelings about this as Lord Vetinari does about mime
artists."
– aqaurianwoman
"I just watched the trailer. I'm traumatised. I can only imagine how you
must feel, Rihanna. I'm so sorry some of your father's best characters
have been done this disservice."
– ESLandEyeshadow
"They really sbouls[sic] have stuck with the rather wholesome story
about the actual character. This shows casting smacks of tokenism and I
feel bad for the actor they chose to play Cheery"
– theboyd86
"But Vimes .....what have they done to Vimes ........"
– Jay_Long_626
"I've never seen someone take a source material so rife for adaptation,
and royally fuck it up so badly. It's so far off the mark its insane.
Its Mario Bros movie bad."
– wasduk1
"'A new, original series’ in the bio. My word, the big brass balls on
those folks"
– JohnPMerrigan
"Why mutilate a beloved fantasy series for some names and lines just
because it’s ‘fantasy’? Of course you have to make changes when adapting
a book to TV, but this is just a ridiculous adaptation."
– Tom_Pleasant
"Oh good bloody Lord. How wrong does this look? And is Anna Chancellor
playing Lord Vetinari? There’s playing fast and loose, there’s taking
liberties and then there’s shitting all over something. Given the
popularity of Sir Terry’s work, I’m anticipating this dying. Badly."
– lennylaw
"It is pretty damn funny though. I mean Guards! Guards! is a book about
a guy who steals a book he doesn’t understand, tries to take over,
creates mayhem and ends up getting more than just a little bit burnt."
– TinyOwlWorkshop
"There was a show made a couple of years ago called Zapped that was like
if you took Maid Marian and her Merry Men and blended it with Discworld.
That was closer to an authentic The Watch than this will be."
– GuanoLad
"In the immortal words of Sir Samuel, #thisisnotmycow"
– alli_the_bug
"There’s a big difference between writing something for the love of the
original (hello Good Omens), and writing something using the original
for personal gain (oh my, is that the time?). And it shows."
– Santillatron
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Things are looking up down here in EcksEcksEcksEcks pandemic-wise, but
your Editor seems to have left her brain in her other Wossname suit.
This is a bit of an eleventh hour cobbled-together issue, as we wait on
tenterhooks to find out when life will get back towards something
resembling normal...
However, Pratchett plays are being performed again in Australia! The
Brisbane Arts Theatre already staged Feet of Clay and is currently
presenting Dodger (for details, see item 5). Here's hoping that the rest
of the Australian states can get back to Pratchetting soonest!
And speaking of Pratchett plays, here be a note regarding one of last
month's Merch Corner featured items, from Stephen Briggs via Twitter:
"Just been told that, regrettably, the publishers are again kicking down
the road the publication date for the next three Discworld plays (‘Lords
& Ladies’, ‘Hogfather’, ‘The Shakespeare Codex’). The pandemic is behind
the not-unexpected further delay."
https://twitter.com/StephenPBriggs/status/1312068125416984577
And now, on with the show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) THE *^%%!@@$^&&** WATCH
So. Trailers for The Watch. Which I have no intention of linking to. I
suffered through them; whether you want to or not is very much your own
decision...
By Alison Flood in the Guardian:
"The award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Aliette de Bodard
was one of many to criticise the new trailer. De Bodard said she was
'super disappointed', and would not be watching the adaptation. 'I feel
someone took my teenage years and just repeatedly trampled them while
setting them on fire,' she wrote on Twitter. 'I’m a big fan of remixing
things and adapting them, and I don’t expect any adaptation to be
faithful in the sense of rigidly following books. But... you cannot take
the core of what makes the story, remove it, and then change every
single character and still call it the Watch,' said de Bodard. 'I see
absolutely NOTHING of the books in the trailer. I see vigilantism (which
Vimes ABHORS) being justified … I see Vimes as some kind of funny,
incompetent seeming policeman, and that is NOT what Vimes is about.
Vimes is drunk. Vimes is angry. But Vimes is never anything less than
sharp.' ... Neil Gaiman, who co-wrote Good Omens with Terry Pratchett
and shepherded the recent adaptation as showrunner, added his voice to
hers. Fans, he pointed, out, like the source material, 'so if you do
something else, you risk alienating the fans on a monumental scale. It’s
not Batman if he’s now a news reporter in a yellow trenchcoat with a pet
bat'...."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/12/bbc-the-watch-shares-no-dna-with-terry-pratchett-work-daughter-rhianna
By Kervyn Cloete on Critical Hit:
"Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love every single one of the late
British author’s hilarious fantasy novels that I’ve read, but I haven’t
obsessively read all of them and can’t remember every single detail.
Even with that though, watching the first trailer for The Watch, BBC
America’s upcoming adaptation of Pratchett’s beloved series of stories
focused on the City Watch of the sprawling city of Ankh Morpork, I had
to go… 'What?' When the first pics and character descriptions for The
Watch debuted back in January, it was already clear that the series was
taking HUGE liberties with Pratchett’s creations. But I still don’t
think I was ready for just how different this was going to look and
feel... Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna had to publicly announce that the
show “shares no DNA” with the original books and that her family had no
creative input on it. And I can’t blame that preemptive washing of the
hands, as I’m really not feeling the updated, almost steampunk aesthetic
here, nor am I a fan of Richard Dormer’s weird Jack Sparrow-like
mannerisms as Sam Vimes, the Captain of the City Watch, and arguably
Pratchett’s most beloved character creation. Then there are all the
other massive departures from the source, like making Lady Sybil (Lara
Rossi) Vime's[sic] wife, gender-swapping Lord Vetinari (Anna
Chancellor), Constable Cheery (Jo-Eaton Kent) no longer being a dwarf,
etc. Your mileage with these changes and more may vary..."
https://www.criticalhit.net/entertainment/the-watch-first-trailer-and-clips-show-a-very-different-version-of-terry-pratchetts-world/
...and that Stephen Briggs tweet about taking liberties:
"I've taken liberties with Terry – many of which he's seen and
approved... but I always write with Terry looking over my shoulder, and
with the idea that he will be there on the night."
https://twitter.com/StephenPBriggs/status/1316694595045142536
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
04) ODDS AND SODS
4.1 REMINDER: DISCWORLD AND BEYOND IN DORSET
When: now – 5th December 2020
Venue: Red House Museum and Gardens, Quay Road, Christchurch BH23 1BU
(phone 01202 482860)
Times: Tuesday to Friday 10am – 5pm; Saturday 10am – 4pm
Tickets: free admission, "however, please pre-book your preferred
visiting time for all members of your party, including children."
Tickets are available online via
https://bit.ly/3gZvvGd
"If you do not have a pre-booked visiting time or arrive late, the venue
will do their best to accommodate you, but cannot guarantee you will be
able to visit. During your visit to Red House Museum and Gardens, please
follow all social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Thank you for your
understanding."
https://www.paulkidby.com/event/discworld-beyond-8/
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/redhouse
4.2 UPDATES: THE TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB
On the website of publishers Tor, Emmet Asher-Perrin continues a
Discworld discussion page. In this month's instalment, Mort finishes and
Sourcery begins:
"Okay so, various characters tell us that Death doesn’t really
understand emotions at all because he doesn’t have glands or whatever,
but… his confusion over existence is an entirely human thing regardless.
I mean, the conversation that Death is having during the Serpent Dance
is absolutely a conversation I’ve had with people about things that they
find fun that just don’t resonate with me, and a conversation I’ve heard
other people have. It’s a familiar conundrum in trying to relate to
people, and then the way he tries to convince himself it’s fun by
repeating it is just very relatable is all I’m saying. And that’s really
Death’s charm, as a character, the fact that these things he’s learning
are not very far off from what we all do... What’s happening to Mort is
certainly the more dynamic part of the story, of course. With his myriad
of mistakes and his becoming too real and his threats to poor old
Albert, all to save a princess he barely knows for reasons he doesn’t
fully understand..."
https://www.tor.com/2020/10/02/terry-pratchett-book-club-mort-part-iii/
...and the rest:
"Yet again, we come back to the concept belief shapes reality. And this
is ultimately why I am all for the Great Expectations redux that is
Ysabell and Mort, because of this moment. Pratchett is so exceptional at
taking these incredibly profound actions and bits of dialogue and just
dropping them into the text and walking away from them, which I love
because it forces the reader to really mark them and imbue them with
meaning. He’s trusting us to be smart and get it. So when Ysabell sits
on Mort and tells him that he’s not Death because he is what she
believes him to be, my face screws up, I get all teary, and it’s time to
close the book and walk away for a little while. That’s it – a
distillation of what the book is saying about belief shaping reality and
people, but also this perfectly laid out map of how love exerts pressure
over our lives. Belief is reality, and Mort is saved because someone who
loves him sees him, and believes him to be simply who he is..."
https://www.tor.com/2020/10/16/terry-pratchett-book-club-mort-part-iv/
...and the start of Sourcery:
"The first thing that catches me in this book is Rincewind thinking how
irritated he is that you’re supposed to be good at magic to be a wizard:
'He knew he was a wizard, deep in his head. Being good at magic didn’t
have anything to do with it. That was just an extra, it didn’t actually
define somebody.' And that… is a very odd but enlightened sort of
viewpoint, isn’t it? Maybe not in the sense of professions, but in the
sense of how we talk about what we do in life. We get caught on the idea
of quality, and let it destroy our ability to be and do things all the
time. Like the hobby problem that many people have – we all think that
we have to be good at the hobby to enjoy it, to do it. But expertise is
not the be all and end all of life. It’s a facet. And it’s good to place
value on expertise, to respect, even place importance on it for
yourself. But you can adore something and not be good at it; music; the
written word; math; science..."
https://www.tor.com/2020/10/23/terry-pratchett-book-club-sourcery-part-i/
4.3 DISCWORLD CONVENTION NEWS
* The Ineffable Con (Good Omens fan convention) was held online this
year due to the pandemic and was apparently a rousing success, even if
it narrowly missed having a "perfect number" of virtual attendees (661
instead of 666). A limited edition of the original form of Good Omens
("William the Antichrist"), signed by Neil Gaiman, Rob Wilkins and
Douglas Mackinnon, was auctioned on eBay, with a winning bid of £1,001.
All the proceeds of the auction went to Alzheimer's Research UK. If you
wish to see what went on at the convention, late tickets are still
available for purchase until 17th November at https://bit.ly/3jt0n30
* The Cabbagecon (Dutch Discworld convention) has been rescheduled for
2022. Hoping for more cabbage, less corona by then...
https://www.dutchdwcon.nl/en/welcome-3/
* The original Discworld Convention (UK) has also been rescheduled 2022.
https://2020.dwcon.org/news/dates-announced-for-the-discworld-convention-2022/
* The 2021 Irish Discworld Convention is now scheduled for 8th–11th
October 2021 at the Cork International Hotel.
https://2021.idwcon.org/index.php
4.4 DEPARTMENT OF ACCIDENTALLY HUMOROUS VEGETABLES
A tale of normal-looking onions versus a confused Hex:
"The Seed Company by EW Gaze, in St John's, Newfoundland, had wanted to
post a seemingly innocent advert for Walla Walla onion seeds on
Facebook. But to their surprise, it was rejected for being 'overtly
sexual'. In a statement on Wednesday, the social media company
apologised for the error made by its automated technology. The ad
flagged by Facebook showed Walla Walla onions, known for their size and
sweet flavour, piled in a wicker basket with some sliced onion on the
side. It took store manager Jackson McLean a moment to realise what the
issue was with the posting, he said. Then he figured out that 'something
about the round shapes' could be suggestive of breasts or buttocks. He
knew his customers would find the ad rejection funny, and posted the
photo, along with the automated Facebook message warning 'listings may
not position products or services in a sexually suggestive manner', to
the company page... 'We use automated technology to keep nudity off our
apps, but sometimes it doesn't know a Walla Walla onion from a, well,
you know,' Facebook Canada's head of communications, Meg Sinclair, told
BBC. 'We restored the ad and are sorry for the business's trouble.' The
company is in the process of digitising its whole inventory to make
shopping online more accessible amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mr McLean
said, and that included boosting some advertisements, like the onion
one, on Facebook. The Walla Walla onions, 'an older onion variety', had
recently brought back in stock by customer request, and are now selling
fast due to their newfound notoriety, he said. 'We've sold more in the
last three days than in the last five years,' said Mr McLean..."
https://www.bbc.com/news/54467384
4.5 THE MERCH CORNER
Hogswatch is a-coming, even if in this pandemic year it feels like last
Hogswatch was only yesterday! But keeping in touch and exchanging gifts
is perhaps even more important now...
* Hogswatch cards!
Selections from Paul Kidby's exquisite Hogswatch cards are still available!
"Hogswatch, the ‘jolly’ festival celebrating the Winter Solstice and the
New Year across much of the Main Continent and various other areas of
Discworld. It falls on the 36th of December, the New Year beginning on
the 1st of Ick. It includes elements similar to our own Roundworld
Christmas, including the rather sinister Hogfather. We much prefer Death
and Albert take on proceedings . We’re delighted to offer this fantastic
collection of high quality Hogswatch cards featuring a selection of
well-loved characters. All A5 cards are only £2.95 each and come
complete with coloured envelope. The message inside each card is shown
below the images. Featuring the stunning artwork of artist Paul Kidby,
these are again long-standing favourites."
In addition to Death as the Hogfather, the selection includes
festive-season versions of Nanny Ogg, the Librarian, the Canting Crew,
Igor and Scraps, Lord Downey, TWO Death of Rats cards (one with
stocking, one reflected in a bauble), and more!
Paul Kidby Hogswatch cards are all priced at £2.95 each. For more info,
and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/hogswatch-cards/
Note: other classic Kidby cards are also available, if less seasonal, as
are the lovely Paper Panda silhouette Discworld character cards, all
also priced at £2.95 each. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/greetings-cards/
and https://discworld.com/products/sepia-cards/
...and finally, on the card front, a set of six pleasant cards by
re-release hardcover artist Joe McLaren:
"Whether birthday, wedding, Christmas, Hogswatch, Soul Cake Day or
funeral, our set of cards has a Discworld greeting for any occasion!
Illustrated by Joe McLaren, the artist behind the Discworld Collector's
Library hardback edition books, these stunning art cards feature some of
our favourite Terry Pratchett's personalities! Each set includes six
illustrations originally created for the official 2016 Discworld
Calendar starring the Librarian; Nanny Ogg, Magrat and Granny
Weatherwax; C.M.O.T. Dibbler; Hogfather; Death and the Death of Rats &
Errol the swamp dragon."
Supplied with six ivory envelopes
Each card measures 155 x 155mm and is priced at £ 12. per set (not sold
individually). For more info, and to order, go to:
https://www.discworldemporium.com/stationery/415-discworld-greeting-cards
* Discworld Masks!
A set of three masks (The Ankh-Morpork City Watch, The Grumpy Librarian
and The Three Witches), UK-made from 100 per cent polyester "3 layer
fabric with elastic ear loops woven with air jet textured PES", water
and dirt repellent and machine washable. Timely merchandise, as it looks
as if we'll all be needing them for a while yet...
Each set of masks is priced at £20. For more info, and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/masks/discworld-masks-complete-set/
Also, each of the three masks is also available at the price of £8 each.
https://discworld.com/products/masks/discworld-masks-night-watch/
https://discworld.com/products/masks/discworld-masks-the-grumpy-librarian/
https://discworld.com/products/masks/discworld-masks-the-three-witches/
https://discworld.com/products/masks/
* Discworld puzzles!
Two new puzzles join the collection! Hex (difficulty rating Mildly
Fiendish) and the Shades (rated Fiendishly Difficult), featuring
illustrations by David Wyatt. each completed puzzle measures
approximately 70 x 50cm, while the puzzle boxes themselves are 20.5 x
25.6 x 6.3cm.
The Shades:
"Will you survive a visit to the Shades? or will you end up in a
thousand pieces?! Welcome to the belly (or should that be the bowels) of
Ankh-Morpork – a fiendish melting pot of beggars, thieves, seamstresses,
deviants, miscreants and Discworld's diamonds in the rough. This
1000-piece puzzle features a suitably shady illustration of the most
notorious neighbourhood from Terry Pratchett's Discworld! Negotiate a
tangled web of wonky walls, crooked rooftops and even more crooked
characters as the Shades appears before your eyes. Along the way you'll
encounter a cast of Ankh-Morpork's toughest characters from officers of
the City Watch to ladies of negotiable affection, along with guild
houses and alleyway antics! Each puzzle includes a fold out poster to
assist your puzzling endeavours and is presented in a splendid book box
with magnetic closure that will look right at home on your bookshelves."
https://www.discworldemporium.com/games-toys/658-the-shades-jigsaw-puzzle
Hex: "Peek into Unseen University's High Energy Magic Building where
students and faculty gather to consult Discworld's famous thinking
engine, Hex! It's the perfect Discworld puzzle for the 'IT' crowd and
those of a thaumatological bent! Each puzzle includes a fold out poster
to assist your puzzling endeavours and is presented in a splendid book
box that will look right at home on your bookshelves. Includes such
components as the Mouse, FTB (Fluffy Teddy Bear), Anthill Inside,
waterwheel (complete with ram skulls), hourglass, aquariums and BRL (Big
Red Lever) plus lots of other gloriously geeky little details and hidden
references to make the most practical Pratchett fans, puzzlers and
computer programmers say +++Mr. Jelly! Mr. Jelly!+++ Includes a free
fold-out print to aid your puzzling endeavours and a splendid spellbook
box that you'll want to keep chained to your bookshelf!"
https://www.discworldemporium.com/games-toys/659-hex-jigsaw-puzzle
Note: the Games and {puzzles page features all sorts of other goodies,
including more Discworld jigsaw puzzles, colouring books, and Thud! (the
game):
https://www.discworldemporium.com/35-games-activities
* Discworld hoodies!
"These are classic hooded sweatshirts. We use AWDis Hoodies which are
280gsm in weight. They have a double-fabric hood with self-coloured draw
cord, front pouch pocket, ribbed hem & cuffs and set in sleeves. Twin
needle stitching detail to armholes, hems & cuffs. 80% cotton / 20%
polyester."
Available are the Ankh-Morpork City Watch (yellow on dark grey with
front pouch pocket), Unseen University in UU colours, Unseen University
crest on grey background, and Anthill Inside (white on black).
Each Discworld hoodie is priced at £28-£30 depending on size; sizes are
available from Small (suits Sally) to 5XL (suits Bluejohn). For more
info, sizing chart, and to order, go to:
https://discworld.com/products/hoodies/
* Reminder: The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume Two (now available to order)
"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 order, go to:
https://bit.ly/3lxmhUV
...and for a copy at the same price, hand-signed by Paul Kidby:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/the-ankh-morpork-archives-volume-ii/
4.6 ROUNDWORLD TALES: THE NOTTINGHAM CHEESE RIOT
No, Horace had no part in this – but there were definitely rolling
cheeses and Feegle levels of violence!
In late 18th century England there were widespread food shortages and
price-gouging of basic foods, mostly caused by poor harvests. The
Nottingham cheese riot began at the annual Nottingham Goose Fair in
October of 1766, occasioned by merchants from Lincolnshire trying to
take home the Nottinghamshire cheeses they had purchased. Locals
protested at the removal of "their" cheese and violence ensued, with
looting, vandalism – and hundreds of cheese wheels being rolled through
the streets of Nottingham, one of which knocked down the mayor as he was
attempting to restore order. "Events apparently became tense in the
evening when ‘some rude lads’ engaged several Lincolnshire traders who
had purchased up to ‘sixty hundred of cheese’. The traders were
‘threatened they should not stir a cheese till the town was first served’.
As some locals had taken up arms and set roadblocks throughout the city
to keep the "foreign" merchants corralled, the owner of one looted
warehouse organised a posse on horseback to hunt down and recover the
stolen cheeses, but they were unsuccessful, partly as the local
magistrate refused to sign search warrants for the missing cheeses and a
mob of women and children threw stones until the posse gave up.
According to a record of the time, "The people were so exasperated that
their violence broke loose like a torrent; cheeses were rolled down
Wheeler-gate and Peck-lane in abundance, many others were carried away,
and the Mayor, in endeavouring to restore peace, was knocked down with
one in the open fair... encouraged by the successful expropriations and
the fun of bowling down gentlemen, an unknown number of people left the
town centre and went down to the River Trent to search the warehouses
situated near the bridges, before returning again after finding no
cheese there... they broke the windows belonging to the house, tore the
pavement and threatened destruction to all who opposed them: It was
thought prudent to discharge the lads in custody and then [the crowds]
retreated."
Then the military were called in, in the form of the 15th Dragoons who
were already garrisoned in the town. Shots were fired, resulting in some
injuries, and ironically, in the death of one farmer who was mistaken
for a looter. The unrest carried on for several days. For some time
after the riots, wagons transporting cheese travelled in convoys with an
armed escort.
Sources: various, including Wikipedia and "A People’s Histreh Pamphlet"
(Loaf On A Stick Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9569139-1-3)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
DODGER IN BRISBANE, FOURECKS (OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2020)
And we have a live one! The Brisbane Arts Theatre in Fourecks, great
supporters of Pratchett plays, recently staged their production of Feet
of Clay (unnoticed by those of us "south of the border", and slackly
overlooked by our Queensland Newshound), and are right now presenting –
wait for it – the Stephen Briggs adaptation of Dodger!
"Dodger is a sewer scavenger who spends his days sifting through the
murky underbelly of Victorian London; but when he rescues a young girl
from a vicious assault, he begins to realise that things overground are
even murkier than down in the sewers. As Dodger attempts to unravel the
mystery of the attack, he finds himself ducking, weaving and dodging his
way through high society with London’s most famous literary and
political figures. But can he find the attackers before they find him?"
When: now through 14th November 2020
Venue: Brisbane Arts Theatre, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Time: Fridays and Saturdays 8pm, Select Thursdays 7:30pm, Select Sundays
6:30pm
Tickets: $36 (Concession/Group $29, Student Rush: $16), available via
https://aubat.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/639
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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.
"We'll try to keep this page up to date (no promises!) but always check
emails on the mailing list or our Facebook Group for further details of
these events."
*
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 The Mind Reels on Wyrd Sisters:
"With word plays, nods to classic plays, and even the occasional pop
culture riff (I see you Marx Brothers) the series continues to delight,
and makes me chuckle, and sometimes even laugh aloud. I won’t lie, it
took me a little while to slip into this one, but once I was there I
loved how Pratchett doled out his tale, and twisted the usual fantasy,
stage and fairy tale tropes to meet his own needs, and it pays off
wonderfully. I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of these books, but I
have to say once again, I’m glad I waited before I started reading them.
I really wouldn’t have appreciated them when they first came out. And of
course now I can read them all one after another without having to wait
for the next one to be published..."
https://themindreels.com/2020/10/21/wyrd-sisters-1988-terry-practhett/
Blogger Lovely and Grateful recommends The Wee Free Men:
"Tiffany is such an appealing protagonist, with a strong moral compass,
courage, common sense and determination, and this is such a refreshing
fantasy tale full of autonomous, empowered women from Tiffany and her
late grandmother to the Kelda who rules the fearsome Nac Mac Feegle, and
even the evil Fairy Queen. The Wee Free Men is a fun little story that
plays around with fairytale tropes, and it’s a great witchy read..."
https://lovelyandgrateful.wordpress.com/2020/10/19/the-wee-free-men-by-terry-pratchett/
Blogger Delamortia's review of Small Gods:
"Terry Pratchett ventures in explaining the origin of religions, how
people quickly in the name of said religions turn them into institutes
of fear, the launching pad for power and control; and the essence of
evil embodied by Deacon Vorbis. Vorbis is Om's greatest law enforcer,
radiating dreadfulness and truly believes in the righteousness of his
own violence; while Om was inexplicably manifested as a tortoise and
thus learns about his own religion and its consequences through his own
neglect. I wouldn’t say that I necessarily cared about Brutha and
Didactylos & co. One can learn everything there is about evil and
goodness through Vorbis and Death instead. Through darkness we see the
light... the book as a whole is surprisingly heavy and slow-burning. Om
incarnated as a tortoise is certainly a treat, and Brother Nhumrod is a
much needed comic relief in a book drenched in suffering, fear, and
confusion. Small Gods is definitely one of the more somber books (quite
aligns to the latter books in the City Watch series), if only it could
carry a little more humor..."
https://delamortia.wordpress.com/2020/10/12/small-gods/
...and of Unseen Academicals:
"Unseen Academicals is hardly about either the university or the
football game itself, but rather an exploration of the self. The game is
only the playground of such inspections (hah!), the background for four
young persons to connect with the self they can’t help being born
into... As the story progresses, each is forced to question who they are
/ what they want to be vs the unwritten social rules. It’s warm and
familiar in the crab bucket and any attempt to crawl out might prove to
be fatal, is it still worth it to align yourself to something that keeps
tugging at your sleeve... Surprisingly enough, Trev Likely is my
favorite character in the sea of characters that make any Discworld book
for me: the wizards in UU, Vetinari, and the Sam. He first appears to be
a lazy bastard who kicks a tin can on the street and gets involved in
petty tumbles. However, it’s revealed that he suffers from much
childhood trauma by the death of his idolized father. Talk about a
shattered dream. Through the progression of the story, Trev becomes more
aware of himself and sincerely wants to be better. First impressions can
be deceitful. But as per tradition, arm in arm with the sharpness in
social observation, Unseen Academicals never lacks its wickedly funny
side and one-liners..."
https://delamortia.wordpress.com/2020/10/13/unseen-academicals/
Blogger Jonathan Feinstein returns with his thoughts on The Science of
Discworld (Darwin's Watch)audiobook:
"It is hard to keep up with fields you have not studied since you were
an undergrad. To their credit, this did not happen very often nor did it
ruin my enjoyment of the books. This time around, however, there was
less of that and we have an interesting view on Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution and of how it evolved itself. Along the way, they discuss many
known theories of how life came to be, both ancient, medieval and
modern, spending much of their time, naturally on views that were
accepted from the 18th to 21st Century. They actually give time to the
so-called “Scientific Creationism,” before showing where it falls apart
to show its superstitious core and even point out that many religious
experts accept Darwinian Evolution because knowing how God created life,
does not necessarily mean He/She did not. In short, they give time for
most commonly vocalized views on the subject. Some of the lectures are
long and a bit boring, however, and mostly tolerable only because Terry
Pratchett’s on-going story of the wizards of Discworld and their
patronage of their creation “Roundworld” (aka Earth) keeps us reading/
listening for the next chapter. However, in all this is the compelling
argument for evolution by natural selection and a sound debunking of the
less scientifically based hypotheses we hear of from the less-informed
sources and done in a way that I think high school students really ought
to be exposed to no matter where they are. The point of an education, I
think, is to learn how to judge for yourself what and what not to accept
in a hopefully rational and intelligent manner and the arguments in this
book are an excellent guide to this when it comes to natural selection.
Although, I admit, I really kept reading for the story..."
https://jonathanfeinstein.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/an-audio-book-review-this-should-be-a-text-in-every-highschool/
Blogger Ed Bedford's thoughts on the Discworld series:
"It would, of course, be wrong to say that all the books are equally
good and Pratchett in explaining continuity errors admitted that it was
just because he improved as an author and so decided to change aspects
of characterisation. Yet this development of writing style can also be
an advantage. Pratchett improved as a writer, but also changed in tone,
for his early books are exceptionally funny parodies of the fantasy
genre, films and so on, whereas his later books focus more on serious
satire. This means that you can reach for a brilliantly funny book,
which mildly takes the piss out of filmic expectations, or you can reach
for a book, still laugh out loud comic at points, that is a serious
examination of the role of the police within society. This expanse of
topic and approach – for really it is not a series of books, but rather
a world of interlinked series, linked just as tangentially as human
history – is what brings me back to these books so often..."
https://edbedfordblog.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/book-review-the-discworld-books-by-terry-pratchett/
Blogger Joe Kessler praises Night Watch:
"I think the reason I love this novel so much is that Vimes is
fundamentally a hero with clarity of right and wrong in a murky and
uncertain moment where many are tempted to descend to their worst
impulses. He has the benefit of coming from a later era, but he’s still
a beacon for the people around him and a model for what peacekeeping
should be. (The scenes of him training up his fellow guards, I now
realize, are a lot like Raoden rallying the Elantrians towards good
civic leadership in another favorite of mine.) I’m so moved by this
effort to improve a small corner of the world, and so caught up in the
personal struggle not to despair over the things that nevertheless can’t
be saved..."
https://lesserjoke.home.blog/2020/10/13/book-review-night-watch-by-terry-pratchett/
Blogger Ken Powell gives props to Witches Abroad:
"In a post-modern world on the brink of environmental disaster while (at
the time of writing) on the brink of economic disaster through a
pandemic, there is an existential crisis being forced upon everyone,
rich or poor. If Harari, in ‘Sapiens’ is right, -that we all live by
stories, by myths, by lies that we all sign up to, to continue
pretending they’re real – what happens when those stories go out of our
control? The story of capitalism is doing exactly that right now as the
unthinkable has occurred, industries en masse are sinking as one, and
governments battle between saving lives or saving economies. You can
have one or the other, it seems; you can’t have both. Pratchett is a
genius at making you face such deep conundrums, yet simultaneously
giving you the escape from reality you probably sought from picking up a
fantasy humour novel in the first place. You don’t come away feeling
dejected or miserable, weighed down by the problems or impossibilities
of the world. He always leaves us with a smile on our face, a feeling of
contentedness and a sense of waving – not a ‘goodbye’ to the characters,
but a ‘see you later’..."
https://writeoutloudblog.com/2020/10/04/book-review-witches-abroad-by-terry-pratchett/
Blogger and author Michael J Ritchie contemplates The Long Utopia:
"The series continues to stagger, although here we are spending much
more time in worlds we already know rather than constantly exploring new
ones. Is this a bad thing? I don’t know. I love the explorations and
getting to see a collection of strange Earths where evolution and
geology took hold differently. However good those are, however, one has
to concede that they don’t necessarily move the plot along. Here, plot
is everything. We also get flashbacks to the 1800s to find out about the
history of steppers – in those days called waltzers – and the
introduction of yet another race happens, this time the cybernetic
beetles. One of the characters we’ve grown to enjoy also dies here,
which is a shame when there’s still a book to go, but I’m intrigued as
to how what has been set up will pay off in the finale. The characters
continue to lace everything with humour, and the worlds are vivid and
interesting, although I do always find myself wanting more detail..."
https://fellfromfiction.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/the-long-utopia-by-terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter-2015/
And to finish on a hot topic, blogger Dungeon Grumbling's thoughts on
those The Watch previews:
"I should point out that I’m not going into this expecting a perfect, or
even a close, adaptation of the original works. Given what we currently
know that would be an exercise in futility. What I want to try and
evaluate here is the BBC America’s version of the City Watch series. I
want to see what they have done with it... I feel like they have
captured the shambles that is Ankh-Morpork, the weird mix of grime and
dirt and the very jarring nature of old and new evolving in one place
that has always added depth to the city and made it feel real, a place
where people live and work and improve things and things aren’t perfect
because cities aren’t perfect and don’t follow nice straight lines. I’m
slightly worried that they go to far on it, and the “electricity”
aspects become too common but from what I’ve seen in the photos and the
trailer I can get on board with current levels of technology...
"A TV series doesn’t have the same capacity to add depth to characters
that you can in a book. It’s hard to show internal monologues in a
visual medium, and you don’t have the same time to devote to character
building, it needs to be more immediate for the TV audience. However
even with these caveats I just don’t understand some of the choices that
have been made... What in the name of Offler's handbag have you done
with Sybil? We’ll come back to questions of diversity and the physical
aspects in the casting section later but here I’m looking purely at her
characterisation. Book!Sybil is polite, she is reserved, she is an
incredibly shrewd negotiator that can go blow for blow with the Low King
of the Dwarfs and she wields her old school network like a troll wields
a club in one of the most amazing displays of soft power ever put to
paper. She is on the same level of political shrewdness as Vetinari for
crying out loud, and on top of all of that, what really makes her
amazing is that she is all of this and still kind, gentle and caring.
She doesn’t need a weapon to be badass, though she can make do if needs
must. It pains me to imagine her as some sort of vigilante fighter
because apparently that is what we need to show a strong female
character now. Heavens forbid that, you know, they might actually be
strong on their own terms rather than having to adopt society’s
masculine interpretation of what strength is..."
[Note: there's a lot more, quite a lot more, but worth reading it all – Ed.]
https://dungeongrumbling.com/2020/10/19/my-thoughts-on-bbc-americas-the-watch/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
The cast of Brisbane Arts Theatre's recent production of Feet of Clay:
https://bit.ly/2FWBsH8
Murder in Ankh-Morpork poster, courtesy of Stephen Briggs on twitter:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ej9JyyGXsAAVTlf?format=jpg&name=small
https://twitter.com/StephenPBriggs/status/1314850769464627202/photo/1
A smiling Paul Kidby in front of some of the Discworld and Beyond
exhibit pieces at the Red House Museum:
https://twitter.com/PaulKidby/status/1319959959166197760
A superb Luggage birthday cake:
https://twitter.com/sianytweet/status/1314644681179922432/photo/1
And another amazing cake, this one for Discworld fan and redditor Beccy
aka _oh_for_fox_sake_:
https://bit.ly/37A2Nu7
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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/79728.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
More information about the Wossname
mailing list