The release of this book evoked some distress among Terry Pratchett fans. Expecting another City Watch or Rincewind book, this pre-Christmas issue took most by surprise. Initial reactions were muted praise at best. Over time, more readers came to understand that this book introduced a new aspect of PTerry's thinking and writing. After a string of hilarious fantasies featuring Rincewind or the Wyrd Sisters, he presented here an unexpected dark side.

The story itself is almost simplistic, although classic Pratchett. The Auditors, who elsewhere attempted to give Death the sack, have decided that Hogswatch Night is a source of cosmic disorder. Contracting with the Assassin's Guild to have the Hogfather "brought to an end", they unleash a disturbing series of events. And cause Pratchett to introduce the first truly evil character in the Discworld series.

No-one likes the Patrician. But his job isn't designed for popularity contests. Ipslore cheats death to have revenge on his fellow wizards, but overzealous parents are no novelty. Mister Teatime [pronounced "Teh-ah-tim-eh"], however, is a real departure from Pratchett villains. He is consummately evil, cleverly choosing the most vulnerable segment of society in his attempt to control all the Discworld. This is the first truly repulsive character Pratchett's created. Reading Hogfather makes you wonder: is there a real-life model for this character, or has PTerry created him wholly? If the first, we must find and destroy him/her. If the latter, there's a terribly dark place in Pratchett's psyche and we have to wonder what else is in there.

The irony of Death substituting for the missing Hogfather is pure Pterry. Death's ongoing struggle to understand humans is vividly presented in this novel. He replaces a department store Hogfather in one of the most hilarious scenes in Discworld literature. Pratchett also responds to the rising tide of feminists by raising Susan Sto-Helit from near obscurity. She is destined to become a leading figure in the Discworld series. Her raven associate is almost as cynical as Gaspode the Communicating Canine. Pratchett uses these characters to demolish the more fervently held myths we hold dear. With a finesse other writers must envy, Pratchett uses the Discworld to mirror our own - the motto he's given us often. From a hesitant acceptance of this book as "another Discworld novel", Hogfather has become one of the leading examples of Pratchett's expressive talent. It's worthy of a second read.

I think this is my favorite of the Discworld novels, although "The Fifth Elephant," "Small Gods," and any other Vimes novel are also high contenders. "Hogfather" gets points for its poignancy, its interesting insights into human belief, and of course the hysterical scenes with Unseen University's bungling high wizards.

I don't want to give anything away, but Pratchett's visions of the mind's eye of childhood and the things that terrify you when you're young are brilliant. The assorted gods, fairies and gnomes that fall into existence when the Hogfather goes missing are wonderful and crazy characters, and of course, any book with Death as a primary character is always a great read.

All in all, I loved this book. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I admit, it had me in tears at the end. BUY THIS NOW. You won't regret it.

This book was brilliant. It contains great humor! It was one of the funniest books I'd read in a long time. Terry Pratchett portrays 'Death' brilliantly. I liked the whole concept of Death taking over the Hogfather's job and doing his best, even if his best isn't very good. Terry Pratchett's humor is totally different to anything I've ever seen and it's this type of humor that draws me to this book.Characters are excellent and well written. Personally, I would consider it the best Discworld novel.

First, I'll give a brief synopsis, then what I liked and disliked about the book.
Okay, the great mystery is who killed two old men, and where is this mysterious clay found at the scene of the crime coming from. Vimes and the watch struggle to solve this, and suddenly, Nobby Nobbses royalty is brought to attention, Cherry Littlebottom joins the watch, and the Angua Carrot relationship is heightened a few more steps. In the midst of all this, Lord Vetinari (a FANTASTIC character) is being poisoned. All these come together in one of the most satisfying climaxes I've witnessed in a Pratchett Book yet.
There, that's out of the way.
The Guard are among the best characters Pratchett has introduced, standing next only to... Death. And even though you don't get to see the Grim Reaper, you'll have to settle for the Grim Squeaker (the death of rats). Anyways, Pratchett, as always, delights the reader with the two most vivid main characters. I'd be speaking of Sir Samuel Vimes, and Nobby Nobbs. Vimes has so much of a Dirty Harry-esque feel to him, and he... ahem... prods buttock so thoroughly that you have to cheer him on. The cigar smoking, teetotaling commander is best portrayed in the opening pages in which a VERY foolish assassin tries to end Vimes's life. Bad move.
Onto Nobbs. Nobbs is such a fantastic character, Pratchett gives him great scenes, the best in my mind being the scene in which a few Puppetmasters are trying to get Nobby to assume his royal position. Through most of this, he is saying, "Vimes would go spare! I can't do that! He'd go spare!"
Okay, here is what I disliked about the book.
Angua is a very weak POV, personally. I understand the need for a strong anchoring character to counterbalance the nuttiness of Nobbs, Vimes, and Carrot, but Angua comes off as too whiny, and her chapters take away from the irreverance that Pratchett infuses his book with. I also felt that Vetinari should have been giving a larger role in the scheme of things, particularly around the mystery involving him. He and Vimes have an excellent scene together at the end, but that is all that really stands out.
My biggest problem, would have to be with the Dragon character. I don't want to spoil any of the plot twists revolving around him, but he is too much of a cut out, with no real idiosyncracies other than his "Ah-ha" in every sentence.
There, thats the review.
On the whole, Feet of Clay really does a great job of keeping you occupied. Its 4 stars is definitely warranted.

Some of the other Pratchett books I've had to give only four stars - because of Feet of Clay. This, to me, was the most memorably enjoyable book in the Discworld series.

A series of brutal, yet inexplicable crimes once again lead Sam Vimes and the Watch down the alleys and backstreets of Ankh-Morpork ... well, not Nobby, because he's been appointed a lord by the Registrar of Heraldry!

For those who relish in the early Pratchett non-stop puns, Feet of Clay has it; like the plot twists? got you covered; like a little message about free will? No problem. You want fries with that?

Anyone who enjoys humor will enjoy Terry Pratchett - people who like a very engaging plot with a surprising ending will really enjoy Feet of Clay. Since you don't really have to read the Discworld books in order, this can be a great starting point - just on the strength of the read. I highly recommend it.

Feet of Clay is a perfect example of why I love Discworld. In Feet of Clay we are once again following the efforts of Commander Vimes of the Watch to develop something like the rule of Law in Anhk-Morpork, largest city on a Discworld. Once again, the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, Captain Carrot, is there to help. Once again the expression "Who watches the watchers?" takes on a whole new meaning.

These books are satires on human habits and mores, a wonderful compendium of the fatuous in human affairs. But there is so much more to them than that. They are great adventure stories, great character stories,and often, great mystery stories.

This book is, don't get me wrong, very funny. No human institution is left unscathed. And believe me, no one scaths like Pratchett. But, like Commander Vimes, Pratchett's apparent cynicism about people hides an abiding love for those who struggle through life, just trying to get along(whether they are human, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves or golems), and an abiding hatred of those who hurt them for fun and profit.

I have watched the development of Terry Pratchett for a number of years now. He just keeps getting better. There has to be a limit, somewhere, I suppose. He has not reached it yet.

And that's enough to get this book four stars straight off. As a longtime Pratchett fan though, I couldn't give it the extra star because it just can't compare with some of his earlier novels. If you're new to Pratchett, it's probably best to begin with the first Discworld novels ('The Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic') which are both incredible, or the first book involving the Ankh-Morpork Watch, 'Guards! Guards!', also one of his best in my opinion.

Fellow T.P veterans: not as good as 'Feet of Clay', but better than 'Jingo'. As much as I love the watch, it might be good if they were given a rest for a bit. Just how far can Vimes possibly get promoted?

Pratchett rocks. 'The Fifth Elephant' is thoroughly enjoyable, as always. Read it!

I've owned this book for a while and I recently re-discovered it on my bookshelf and I just could not put it down till I'd re-read it. I certainly think the book deserves a re-read or two.

This is a great Discworld book full of details of discworld.

The watch is back. Trouble in the Uberwald sends Vimes, Cherry and Detritus to the coronation of the new Dwarf King. Meanwhile Carrot and Agnes are having some problems, which leaves Sergeant Colon next in line for promotion to head of the watch....

This is a great story, full of humor, politics and plot twists. So easy to read I picked up the book and I read it without putting it down. It has more of a political tone compared with the watches last outing (Jingo), which was more of an adventure. The fifth elephant expands the disk word by padding out the dwarfs and giving incite to the Uberwald (expect more books from the Uberwald)

It's a good book if your just coming into the disk world books and a Great book if your following the disk world series

I was blown away by this novel.

I haven't read a lot of Pratchett, two books and a couple of short stories, but I wasn't overly impressed. Sure he's good (I particularly enjoyed his 'Troll Bridge' story) but I've always preferred Douglas Adams or Tom Holt. This book changes everything.

With 'The Fifth Elephant', Pratchett creates a comic masterpiece. He flawlessly weaves humor, both subtle and laugh-out-loud funny, into the framework of an engaging story.

City Watch overlord Sam Vimes travels into a dark and mysterious country to attend the coronation of a new Low King. He discovers that the dwarf's hallowed Stone of Scone has been stolen by unknown nefarious persons. Vimes strives, amidst interference from disingenuous vampires, bloodthirsty werewolves and loyal Igors, to find the sacred Stone.

If that's not enough, Pratchett throws in Fred Colon, Vimes temporary replacement on the Watch, panicking in his new authority. There's the traveling clerk with distinctly un-clerklike skills and the tangled love story between straight-arrow watchman Carrot and werewolf Angua.

After reading through reviews for recent Pratchett books I received the impression that they were steadily declining in quality. If so, this one is a major comeback. An excellent, excellent book. A recent magazine reviewer for F&SF calls this the best Discworld book in a long time. I'll go a step further and call this the best book I've read in months. Pratchett now holds a solid place on my must-read list.

Don't miss this one.

In this era of triumphant religious fundamentalism, Small Gods is a pretty dangerous item to be seen carrying. Terry Pratchett, carrying a reputation of being a major force in writing fantasy and humour has shed both in this penetrating book. It's an incisive satire of the mores and methods of the three major religions of Western Civilization. Pratchett's astute axiom that the Discworld is a "mirror of worlds" applies with more force here than any other Discworld book. Pratchett casts away whatever subtle restraint he's given other philosophical issues to directly confront us with a harsh truth about faiths.

The basic theme is a simple, but rarely recognized, truth. Gods are created by people. The fewer the believers, the smaller and weaker the god. When belief fades or believers eliminated, the gods cease to exist. Once mighty, the god Om has been relegated to the body of a tortoise. He retains but one true believer: Brutha, a novice in the Citadel of Om. Brutha makes frequent reference to segments of the "holy book" Om supposedly authored. Mystified by attribution to himself of these writings, Om wonders who really wrote them. And why they were written. What has been perpetrated in His Name?

Brutha, who has a photographic memory, is conscripted into a religious crusade against neighbouring Ephebe. The Omnian Church wants to erase Ephebe's false belief that the world is a disc riding on the backs of four elephants standing on a turtle swimming through space. According to Vorbis, head of the Quisition, such false doctrine must be erased, erasing the Ephebians in the process, if necessary. Besides, Ephebe's on the best trade route to the Turnwise coast. Tucked away in Brutha's pocket, Om is taken along. But how does Vorbis expect to conquer mighty Ephebe, home of philosopher kings, with a token force of fifty soldiers?

Pratchett is as direct as Vorbis is devious. There's an old saying that runs "I'm not a bigot, I hate everybody". Vorbis doesn't hate anybody, just those following false doctrines. Nor does Pratchett hate anyone, but his scathing wit in this book leaves few untouched . There are some light passages, but this book is deadly serious. It's not small gods, but small minds that Pratchett targets and he hits the mark unerringly [He's nearly prescient about Christian reaction to J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books]. Pratchett holds the mirror before us to consider our beliefs. What do we have faith in, and what sustains that faith?. If it proves false, how do we respond? What an experience it would be to visit Pratchett when one of the evangelicals arrives at the door! If he's as verbally devastating as he is with the printed word, there'd only be a smudge on the doormat.

I was picking through my mom's book collection, and found Small Gods to be a little different from the rest. I had no idea when I began to read it how different it was! From the first page onward I could not put it down. Terry Pratchett takes us into a private world, so similar to our own, and yet not. Religion is brought out into the open in a humorous, insightful way. We see a little bit of ourselves in the blind faith of Brutha, the novice with the amazing memory, who, out of thousands of hollow believers, truly has faith in the Great God Om, *holy horns* who through a failed attempt to become a massive white bull, compleate with fire and might, instead becomes a humble tortoise, whom most everyone will admit, "there's good eating on one of those." Pratchett adds a little intriuge, betrail and a hint of human cruelity to this wonderful book, perfect for long, otherwise boring, summer days.

Terry Pratchett is an awesome writer and "Small Gods" is a fantastic book. Pratchett has singlehandedly created his own genre and has garnered himself a huge following -- and it's easy to see why. "Small Gods" has to be one of the wittiest books ever written, with incredibly sharp one-liners, in-jokes and pratfalls. Great names and clever words hide subtle parodies and satire, which are a bonus as the plot is entertaining enough on its own.

I tried to read this book in contracts class when it first came out and kept on getting busted for laughing out loud, no matter how much I tried to hide it. The only other author able to do this for me is PJ O'Rourke. If you read it on public transport, people will look at you and think you're kinda strange, unless they too know who Pratchett is, in which case they will envy you reading and try to catch furtive glimpses of the text over your shoulder.

This is one of my favourite books of all time -- read it and love it too. If I could award it 6 stars, I would.

This is one of the best Discworld novels. City Watch is one of my favorite themes, so this book didn't disappoint. There are certainly so many differnt characters here: main ones like Vimes, Carrot, Vetinari the Patrician; other watch people like Angua, Detritus, Nobby, and Colon; and interesting minor characters like Leonard de Quirm and 71-hour Ahmed, Vimes' Klatchian counterpart.

A new island (later we learn not so new) has risen to the surface, and both Klatch and Ankh-Morpork claim it, even though it in itself is hardly spectacular. It is funny to see the two groups of settlers fighting over wood and water as if it were gold. On the surface, it looks like no contest - Klatch has a real army; Ankh-Morpork has none. But Klatch doesn't have Vimes or Vetinari or Leonard de Quirm on their side to help them.

On one hand, the rich leaders of the city under Lord Rust try to raise a real army and attack Klatch. This is funny, especially Vimes' butler Willikins as a soldier (better than I would think). On the other hand, Vimes smells a rat concerning an attempt on the Klatchian ambassador's life and travels to Klatch to confront his Klatchian counterpart, 71-hour Ahmed who basically seeks the same information from him. Further, Vetinari, together with Leonard de Quirm, Colon, and Nobby, seek their own answers - they go on a submarine mission to the island to see if they can solve the problem another way.

The submarine mission is very funny, especially Nobby in disguise in Klatch - it has quite an effect on him in later books. Leonard de Quirm gets a large role here, more so than in Men at Arms. I always like reading about the discworld's answer to the Renaissance Man. (It gets even better in the later book "The Last Hero").

A good all-around book with plenty of interesting characters.

This was the novel that got me hooked on the Discworld and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. It's very very funny and also wickedly intelligent. Someone here pointed out that Terry Pratchett is actually a philosopher masquerading as a funny man. Perhaps the reason why some people don't like "Jingo" is that the philosophy is a bit more overt here than in other Discworld offerings.

Those of us who were around when Maggie (excuse me, Baroness Thatcher) launched her little homage to the 19th century in the Falklands/Malvinas will probably enjoy "Jingo" a little more than others I suspect, but the book itself rings true on so many different levels that it transcends such a particular interpretation. This is Pratchett on the subject of nationalism, militarism and racism with Sam Vimes as usual cast in the role of ironic observer and moral center.

I actually liked seeing Vetinari out and about more, and it's clear that this novel marks the beginning of a more three-D presence in the Discworld universe for both Sergeant Colon and the ambiguously human Corporal Nobbs. Leonard of Quirm needs more work though. Once you got the initial conceit, he became tiresome quite quickly.

Captain Carrot, Sergeant Angua and Corporal Detritus do their usual sterling service. I had hoped for more from Constable Visit-the-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets given that the conflict between Klatch and Ankh-Morpork was partly a religious one, but you can't have everything.

Perhaps my favorite things in the novel were the face-off between the city nobles and Vimes, the Demon Pocket Organizer, and Vimes' precise and beautifully-articulated exposition of the differences between soldiers and policemen. Vimes, I suspect is an old-fashioned copper who believes in justice, rather than merely protecting and serving the law. Too bad the LAPD doesn't read Terry Pratchett.

Jingo is yet another book that takes place in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. It's the fourth book to feature the City Watch, which is the police force of Ankh-Morpork, a city on the Disc. It's also one of the best. The City Watch, in its initial incarnation, was an homage to those no-name soldiers, troopers and other various cannon-fodder that inhabit adventure and sci-fi movies. They're usually hapless, the hero runs right over them, and their survival rate is fairly low. Originally, it consisted of three people, Samuel Vimes, Nobby Nobs, and Sergeant Colon.

This was until Carrot joined. Carrot is a human who was raised by dwarves, thus he considers himself a dwarf. He's the ultimate innocent, but yet he has a way of getting people to listen to him and follow him. By the time of Jingo, he's been raised to Captain (no comic book jokes, please). This all happened in the first City Watch book, Guards Guards. In subsequent books, the Watch has grown almost exponentially. It now has over 50 members, with more joining all the time. In fact, Jingo jokes a couple of times about how Vimes, the commander of the Watch, doesn't know that somebody's joined. It's very common for him to say "Who's that?" and be told that he signed the paperwork.

Jingo involves an island that has suddenly appeared between Ankh-Morpork and the land of Klatch. Klatch is based on the Arab countries of our world, and there are quite a few jokes about how something that was supposedly invented in Ankh-Morpork has been used in Klatch for years. The people of Ankh-Morpork have a lot of the same stereotypes of Klatchians as exist in the real world about Arabs as well. Pratchett goes to great lengths to show just how stupid this is. He portrays the actual Klatchians very well, with no actual stereotypes that I saw.

Anyway, both Ankh-Morpork and Klatch lay claim to this island, and thus talk of war begins. There's an attempt on the life of a Klatchian prince and other sorts of violence start to break out in the city. Samuel Vimes is trying to deal with all of this. He's a simple cop who just wants to solve crimes, but sometimes the crimes are too big for one man to solve. Events start to spiral out of control and Vimes and some of his troops find themselves in Klatch trying to stop things before the war gets out of hand.

There are so many wonderful characters in these City Watch books, and this one even adds some more. The main new character is 71-hour Ahmed, a Klatchian who's more than what he seems. Vimes has to deal with him a lot, and while he starts out seeming stereotypical, but he eventually develops into a well-rounded character. There's Reg Shoe, who I understand is introduced in a non-City Watch book, but becomes a member of the Watch in this book. He's a zombie. Then there are the regulars, such as Carrot, Detritus (a troll), Constable Visit, Colon, Nobs, the Patrician (who, uncharacteristically, takes an active role in events after he's deposed from power), and finally Vimes himself. There are just too many of them to describe them all, but they all have their hilarious moments.

Vimes is who the books are essentially about, and he gets the most character development. He used to be a drunk who barely got by, and didn't have to do anything in his job. He wasn't required to, because nobody gave the Watch any respect anyway. Carrot gave him a sense of duty, though, and he's progressed well since then. Jingo continues this progression, as he tries to stop the madness. Vimes is always an interesting person to read about. He's not a violent man, and he's trapped in a violent circumstance. Watching him get out of it is very entertaining.

Discworld is known for it's humour, and this is a very funny book. Pratchett usually cloaks his philosophical points in the laughs. This book isn't quite as funny as the previous ones, though, and the philosophy sticks out even more in this one because of it. It basically points out the pointlessness of mindless militarism, nationalism and patriotism. The closest thing it is a parody of is the Falklands conflict, with a war over a worthless piece of land that nobody in their right mind would want anyway. Along the way, though, many jokes are cracked. The best thing about the City Watch books is that the humour seems to come from within the characters, which makes for very zany, yet almost believable, events. That's why I prefer them.

This book is definitely worth a read. You could start with it, but I would suggest that you read the first three: Guards Guards, Men at Arms, and Feet of Clay. There is a progression of character that you will miss if you start with Jingo. But don't miss this one. It's a keeper.

Really 4.5 stars, an excellent book!

I admit I am biased - Rincewind is one of my favorite (if not #1) characters. This story has so much - action (and running away), battles, Rincewind, Cohen the Barbarian, the wizards, and exotic locations - this time the Agatean Empire - a lampoon of Chinese and Japanese culture.

Here Rincewind meets Cohen, now to be called "Genghis Cohen," and his Silver Horde.

This is book is very funny in making fun of things "Auriental." Yes, one could be a bit put off, but it is all light-hearted. Basically, the "Red Army" is trying to overthrow the Emperor, but they are little match for Lord Hong, a Auriental Vetinari who wants to use them as an excuse to seize power by seeiming to put down a rebellion that he encourages so that he can be a hero and crush it later. So he helps them contact a "Great Wizard" to help them, since he always likes a challenge. What they all get is Rincewind.

Rincewind meets Twoflower again, and, of course, the Luggage returns to its home. Agatea has lots of Luggages and sapient pearwood, too. How can Rincewind play hero (so his own allies don;t kill him) but also avoid getting killed by Hong and the armies around the capital? How can we ask? Rincewind is expert at running away, and when he can't, usually something turns up at the last minute. Things really heat up when Rincewind discovers the secret of the real Red Army. And of course Cohen helps, too.

Rincewind is his usual drollness. But the best character is the man who plays Cohen's "accountant," trying to teach his barbarian friends manners and civilization. The best lines in the whole book are when he tries to explain to Cohen and friends that when you go to the market you need to actually pay for what you want. It is worth it just for that.

All in all, a wonderful book and very, very funny - even for a Rincewind book.

"Interesting Times" was the first full Discworld book I read, having been introduced to Pratchett through the "Legends" anthology, and while I liked it well enough, I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more the second time around. Pratchett prides himself on making each Discworld novel a work that can stand on its own, apart from the rest of the series, and while he is mostly successful in this, it can't be denied that familiarity with the older books makes the newer ones go down easier.

In "Interesting Times" Rincewind, the world's worst Wizard, gets transported to a far-off continent where people expect him to be some sort of magical genius. While there he encounters Cohen the Barbarian, a geriatric marauder, who has assembled a small "Silver Horde" of wizened old warriors to conquer the Empire. People discount the old barbarians. What they don't take into account is that most barbarians don't LIVE to be the old kind...

It was a funny book the first time I read it. It was even cute. But after having read the books prior to this one, especially "The Color of Magic," "Sourcery" and "Eric," this book took on a whole new dimension. I now grasped the prior relationships between Rincewind, Cohen and Twoflower, and I no longer read each luggage passage wondering what the heck was going on. It was, simply put, a better book.

So this is a great book and a worthy addition to the Discworld series, but if you haven't read it yet, I suggest reading those other three I mentioned first.

While I've known Terry Pratchett's name for some time now (his collaboration with Neil Gaiman in Good Omens is fantastic) I'd never read one of his books before. I was familiar with the world from an old graphic novel of one of his books (I think Color of Magic) so I didn't feel obligated to start at the beginning.

Interesting Times follows the character of Rincewind on a journey through the Counterweight Continent, the discworld version of the Orient. Rincewind is an interesting character and Pratchett plays him well as a rather powerless wizard who just happens to get by through a sheer amount of luck, and the quickness of his fleeing legs. A pessimistic character, I liked him through the beginning of the book, though by the end his uneagerness to help anyone grew a bit tiresome (though unconciously he tends to help out a great deal.) Rincewind shares the stage, however, with a group of aging barbarians called the Silver Horde who steal the show really. The best bits of the book are the ones involving the Horde. Their lessons on how to be civilized and inability to change their habits.

While I can't rate this in comparison to other Discworld books, I found it highly entertaining, and though, probably not the best place to start the series off. Read some other Pratchett books to aquaint yourself with the world, and work your way up to Interesting Times. It's worth the time.

Vampires have invaded Lancre and any fan of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick won't be disappointed with their adventures. Magrat has gone through some pleasing changes, and Agnes ("She that calls herself Perditax") has become a very interesting addition to the coven.

_Carpe Jugulum_, like all the other Discworld novels, is not simply straight-forward fantasy, or just an amusing read. It's difficult to review a Discworld novel because they manage to be both amazingly funny and poignant at the same time. There are some truly beautiful moments in this book, and I cried with laughter more than once on reading it.

If you enjoy humorous fantasy, you'll never find anything as remotely funny as Pratchett. If you're tired of having your intelligence insulted by the usual, tired fantasy plot devices and characters and don't mind thinking, I heartily suggest this book and all the other Discworld series.

Pratchett's previous book, "The Last Continent", about the Disc's equivalent of Australia made me lose faith in one of Britain's most talented authors. It seemed that he'd finally run out of steam, wallowing in old characters without trying to do anything new but (as you can probably tell by the 5 stars above) it seems he's back on form.

It seems that just about every passing mythological creature wants to mess with Lancre these days. They're fighting tooth and nail (and fang and talon) to take over. Following on from the elves of "Lords and Ladies" are a family of vampires who have decided that their kind should stop lurking around in the shadows and living in impractical gothic mansions and take over Lancre, with the rest of the world to follow. No longer happy with how things are, they've decided to enslave the humans of the Disc (they obviously don't believe in free-range food). Sadly, they make the mistake of starting with a certain small county starting with "L"...

Whereas in "Last Continent", Pratchett seemed to forget about character progression (aside from poor Ponder Stibbons), he's back on form here. Agnes Nitt stops being a slightly more tough version of Magrat and becomes a fully fledged character in herself, whilst Granny's put through the emotional wringer again. As well as bringing back the old familiar (in both senses of the word) characters, CJ also brings in some new people - a priest who's lacking in self-confidence and a stereotypical igor being two of the most memorable.

In fact, there are only a couple of problems with the book, starting with the aforementioned igor character - in a world where Pratchett seems desparate to supply explanation for every odd occurance (how gods are 'made' in "Small Gods" or how an aerodynamically dragon can fly in "Guards! Guards!) the idea behind a community where people are sewn together from their relatives' body parts just doesn't feel... right (it makes for some pretty good jokes though). Likewise, there's a grey area as to exactly who's been turned into a vampire by the end of the book.

But it quotes a Beautiful South song, so that's okay.

Still, it's great to see Pratchett back on form. Welcome back, sir.

Okay, I have this odd sence of de ja vu when I read a vampire novel, I mean if you read 3 how different can the 4th be? Not this one. It's a beautiful satire and has far too many one liners and jokes like all Terry Pratchett books to really go into. It has Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax two of the witches in Lancre driving out the vampires (sorry, vampyres)who were invited in by King Verence for his daughter's christening. Possibly my favorite bit, was when the older vampires are making fun of young vampires who wear bright clothes and stay up until noon and wear their hair short and tell people that their name is Pam or Agnes.... it's a very funny quick read. I also have a hard time thinking of it being a blow off. There are bits with Granny Weatherwax that make you feel you may have just read somethingg important.

Maskerade is yet another Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, although the only binding elements to the Discworld are place names, the Ramtops and Ankh/Morpork, and a few beloved characters. The witches, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg (with Greebo the cat), being the main characters. Oh yes, Death puts in some cameo appearances. Apart from this, the story could be any fantasy setting. Pratchett is, once again, extremely witty, making me laugh out loud several times. The plot is not, perhaps, very original; being an obvious satire of the Phantom of the Opera, but it has enough of a Pratchett twist to keep you reading. A who-dunnit Phantom? One drawback of the book is that the author assumes a knowledge of the Discworld's magic, anyway how the witch's magig works, and to a much lesser extent the geography. While this will probably not lessen a first time readers enjoyment very much, it will perhaps make for some puzzling passages. While perhaps not as inventive as his other Discworld novels, such as Lords and Ladies, it is still very good and extremely funny. PS: I missed the footnote jokes present in Pratchett's other novels.

If you've never heard of Terry Pratchett, you're clearly living on the wrong planet. So join the rest of us in Pratchett's Discworld and enjoy the antics of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, the Disc's best-known witches. Visit Ankh-Morpork's Opera House with them (accompanied by their lunatic guests). You'll marvel at the amazing scenes of chaos that Pratchett can conjure up, seemingly without trying. And no matter what the topic, Pratchett is able to satirize it and make you question your former opinions - and you'll howl with laughter as you do so. I've read quite a lot of Discworld books and there are not many that have not held a chuckle a page and a full belly laugh a chapter. Maskerade lives up to its author's reputation in full, satirizing opera, theatre production, the lot - and all with a smile on his face. If, after reading Maskerade, you are in any doubt that Terry Prachett is not the most creative and funniest contemporary author around, you've obviously got a funny bone missing somewhere. Although it is not his best work, Maskerade is still hilarious and well worthy of five stars.

This is the 19th of Pratchett's Discworld series. In this book, Pratchett uses the "Phantom of the Opera" as the basis for his plot. The main character (outside of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg) is Agnes (Perdita X.) Nitt, who had a cameo role in "Lords and Ladies." With a lot of adventure, murder, mystery, and comedy, Pratchett manages to set her up as a replacement for Magrat in the coven. An amusing sub-plot is how Nanny manipulates Granny (whom she's worried about) into the main plot. Though it works, this, not surprisingly, fairly quickly boomerangs on her. This book has oodles of those passages where you burst out laughing while reading and just have to tell your spousal unit while she's busy trying to do something else. An essential, excellent book. Read it.

In the mists of time I was a committed Pratchett fan, from the glory days of the mid 80's when the only titles published were the 'Colour of Magic' and the 'Light Fantastic' (I bought my first Pratchett in 1986)- and when only real fans had actually heard of the man. After introducing many other readers, I fell by the wayside, (I haven't read a Pratchett since Reaper Man), so reading The Last Continent was a bit like going back in time (strangely time travel features greatly). I regret to say I was not impressed. Mr Prachett's cauldron must be running down to the last black sludgy bits. At the rate he's producing them, I'm not surprised. Oh, don't get me wrong - it's funny. The same little footnotes, the wry character observations, the humorous situations created by word associations etc (the 'Oz' jokes in particular were fun - converted into a 'fantasy' setting nicely). But the punch is rather flat, the jokes are more one-liners than subtle funnies which prey on the mind with the sly wit that Pratchett is famous for. Not classic Pratchett as I remember it from those early heady days ... sigh. Fun but not great.

It is impossible to convey in mere words the feelings that Mr Pratchett can invoke in the heart and mind of his readers. Suffice it to say, that if there was no terry pratchett, the world would be a very boring place to live in. What can I say to make other people buy his books, so that they can partake in the joy and pleasure that comes from reading his books? I can not recommend one of his books without urging you to read the other chapters in the discworld saga. To read one of his books is to for the first time in your life know what it to breathe really fresh air, and you can not go back to the stale air you used to breathe. The last continent, like all other discworld books, did not in any way disappoint me. It was a stark contrast to the watch, death or witches novels, but that is why I keep reading book after book. I have fallen in love with all the characters and the world they live in. I always want more. The last continent might not bring the sudden, loud, or the delayed laughter caused by reading the same passage over and over again ten times, that other books have brought, but when I read this book I experienced the kind of feeling that I can only find when spending time with a loved one, be it organic or inanimate. When I read the book I could really feel as if I were in Australia, and I have never even been there. I would like to give the book five stars, but there are better books. These books would also be pratchett's. The four stars does not mean that the book is lacking in anything, it just means that this book which is "merely" fantastic could not attain the divine position of the other stupendous, fabulous and utterly breath-taking books that he has written. This is a book which I would not have wanted to have left unread.

Well, I don't know why everyone's going on about this book not being so good--unless they simply prefer the more "serious" or not so pop-culture-reference-laden books of the Discworld series. Me, call me cheap, but, as nice as some philosophy can be, I like the ones that make me LAUGH. And the Last Continent did that. BIG-time!

In one plotline, we have Rincewind, who I liked from the moment I first read "The Colour of Magic" and have laughed myself silly at any book he's ever been in since. (Including the unpopular "Sourcery", which had me almost DYING with laughter, and even "Eric".) How can a character who's so _cowardly_ be so _likeable_? It defies logic on the surface of it, but, there you go! Terry Pratchett is the only author I've seen so far who can make the most pathetic losery _anti_-hero you can think of--and then genuinely make you cheer for him.

Anyway, Rincewind's plotline involves him not only wandering all over "FourEcks" and running into a parody version of just about _every single famous Australian thing known to man_, but also a whole ton of just plain side-splitting jokes and scenes. I LOVED the whole "Priscilla" thing! Assuming that Rincewind was another drag-queen, with his "dress" (wizard robe), oh, gods...! I was so in stitches. And the Luggage in high heels even!

The other plotline involves the wizards from Unseen University--but this time, they are OUT of the University! Big improvement! I guess I'm in the minority here, but when it comes to favourite "groups" of characters the wizards are TOPS for me, with the witches, Guards, "Death" family, etc. below them. I dunno. Maybe I just like eccentric whackazoid characters. (And HEX rules.) Anyway, this part of the book takes the wizards out of their usual cloistered surroundings for a welcome (for us; frightening to them) breath of real fresh air and sunshine--and weirdness! Highlights of this plotline include young Ponder Stibbons becoming a very strong character suddenly (he gets a sympathetic background and a hot temper among other things) and Mrs. Whitlow also being developed further. As for the God on the island offending heavily-religious people, listen: He's the GOD of EVOLUTION. Like, since evolution is something you can "believe" in, it must have a god behind it...well, on Discworld, anyway! He was making fun of atheists or secular humanists in a tongue-and-cheek way. Notice it was Ponder, the scientific wizard, who was _horrified_ to find out that such a god could exist (at first...then he thought it was cool...for a while.) Last but not least, I _liked_ the way the two plotlines tied together at the end. I just hope this isn't the end of Rincewind's "adventures", not just yet.

In short: BOTH plotlines are funny, have character development and HILARIOUSLY funny lines and scenarios. It _does_ make sense if you pay attention to it, and you don't have to be Australian to get the jokes--just alive and alert for the later part of the 20th century is all. If you want to laugh, get this book! If you didn't like it so much the first time...wait a while, then try it again. I wasn't so impressed the first time. This review is from my _second_ read.

And if you STILL don't like it, well, no worries!