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Discworld #20
Hogfather
Susan had never hung up a stocking . She'd never put a tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. It wasn't that her parents didn't believe in such things. They didn't need to believe in them. They know they existed. They just wished they didn't.
There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo. Anything that undermines superstition has to be viewed with some caution. There may be consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. When those consequences turn out to be the end of the world, you need to be prepared. You might even want more standing between you and oblivion than a mere slip of a girl - even if she has looked Death in the face on numerous occasions...
There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo. Anything that undermines superstition has to be viewed with some caution. There may be consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. When those consequences turn out to be the end of the world, you need to be prepared. You might even want more standing between you and oblivion than a mere slip of a girl - even if she has looked Death in the face on numerous occasions...
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
2,584 people are currently reading
34.5k people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
626听books45k听followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983鈥�2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,324 reviews
December 26, 2022
This is a book about the nature of belief; the reminder that things we think of as essential, eternal, unbreakable are here because we willed them to be. It is the book about origins, of sorts.
This book is a reminder that what we think of as sweet harmless stories come from darker, scary places. And that is for a reason. So many things stem from the simple fact - we, humans, need to believe; we need to create and fantasize to make the world make any sense, to have the world we think of as permanent BE.
Belief is what underlies what we are as humans. But Pratchett, in this Christmas-type Discworld story does not harp on the same old 'You gotta believe because of the holiday spirit" BS. He does not limit himself to the cynical in its childhood clarity belief that 'if you don't believe in Santa, there will be no presents'. No, in his interpretation belief is our attempt to make things make sense. Yes, we chose to believe in god(s) or in nature or karma or things of that sort; we take comfort in these things. But belief Pratchett is concerned with is way more than that - it is what's woven into the fabric of our existence; without it, would we ever even have abstract concepts that define us - mercy, justice, compassion, friendship, love? Basically, we need to believe in little lies - like Hogfather - before we are able to believe in big lies that make us human.
And that's what Pratchett says in this book, through the small-caps voice of his most enigmatic and inhuman character - DEATH. Why? Because "some things are fairly obvious when it's a seven-foot skeleton with a scythe telling you them."
Despite what I wrote above, this story, with all the think-about-it message is far from preaching; on the contrary, it's hilariously entertaining. Due to a bit of trouble involving the Auditors of Reality and a sociopathic member of the Assassins Guild ("Mister Teatime, who saw things differently from other people, and one of the ways that he saw things differently from other people was in seeing other people as things."), Death finds himself in need to impersonate the legendary Hogfather (think Santa Claus with boar husks, riding a sleigh led by boars). And there are teeth involved.
And ultimately it's up to Death's granddaughter (don't ask) Susan to fix this entire mess. Susan, the level-headed, extra-rational, self-sufficient duchess-turned-governess who firmly believes that "Real children do not go hoppity skip unless they are on drugs." Susan, the level-headed young woman that, despite trying to cling to normality, keeps monsters in line with a very important storyline-wise fireplace poker.
And, of course, we get to enjoy the company of one of Pratchett's most fascinating characters - Death. There are plenty of funny moments as he tries on Hogfather's false beard for size, so to say. Up until now, he never had to trouble himself with the 'naughty or nice' question, and he's never had people line up eager to see him. And there are a few things that Death learns thanks to this new temporary jobs - like the value of charity, the gift of life (if you've ever been scarred by Andersen's saddest fairy-tale 'A Girl with Matches' you'll know right away what I mean!) and the unfairness of socio-economic status quo.
Not to mention the pointy-hatted appearance of the Wizards of the Unseen University ("Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time."), the amazing thinking machine Hex (which from now on will be FTB-enabled ), Verucca Gnome, Nobby Nobbs (who, of course, had been a nice... ummm... individual), and one well-crafted bathroom. All together, all this creates Pratchett's trademark witty and slightly absurd atmosphere, frequently with seriousness cleverly hiding behind well-placed puns and goofs.
5 stars and a high recommendation to new and old Pratchett fans. This one will definitely remains my beloved annual holiday read.
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌�
My ever-expanding collection of Pratchett鈥檚 Discworld reviews:
- Guards! Guards!
- Men at Arms
- Thud!
- Lords and Ladies
- The Wee Free Men
- Hogfather
- Monstrous Regiment
This book is a reminder that what we think of as sweet harmless stories come from darker, scary places. And that is for a reason. So many things stem from the simple fact - we, humans, need to believe; we need to create and fantasize to make the world make any sense, to have the world we think of as permanent BE.
Belief is what underlies what we are as humans. But Pratchett, in this Christmas-type Discworld story does not harp on the same old 'You gotta believe because of the holiday spirit" BS. He does not limit himself to the cynical in its childhood clarity belief that 'if you don't believe in Santa, there will be no presents'. No, in his interpretation belief is our attempt to make things make sense. Yes, we chose to believe in god(s) or in nature or karma or things of that sort; we take comfort in these things. But belief Pratchett is concerned with is way more than that - it is what's woven into the fabric of our existence; without it, would we ever even have abstract concepts that define us - mercy, justice, compassion, friendship, love? Basically, we need to believe in little lies - like Hogfather - before we are able to believe in big lies that make us human.
And that's what Pratchett says in this book, through the small-caps voice of his most enigmatic and inhuman character - DEATH. Why? Because "some things are fairly obvious when it's a seven-foot skeleton with a scythe telling you them."
------------------
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
"They're not the same at all!"
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME... SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point鈥�"
MY POINT EXACTLY.
Despite what I wrote above, this story, with all the think-about-it message is far from preaching; on the contrary, it's hilariously entertaining. Due to a bit of trouble involving the Auditors of Reality and a sociopathic member of the Assassins Guild ("Mister Teatime, who saw things differently from other people, and one of the ways that he saw things differently from other people was in seeing other people as things."), Death finds himself in need to impersonate the legendary Hogfather (think Santa Claus with boar husks, riding a sleigh led by boars). And there are teeth involved.
And ultimately it's up to Death's granddaughter (don't ask) Susan to fix this entire mess. Susan, the level-headed, extra-rational, self-sufficient duchess-turned-governess who firmly believes that "Real children do not go hoppity skip unless they are on drugs." Susan, the level-headed young woman that, despite trying to cling to normality, keeps monsters in line with a very important storyline-wise fireplace poker.
"The children refused to disbelieve in the monsters because, frankly, they knew damn well the things were there.And it is exactly this combination of magic and firm reality that makes her such an irresistible character. That, and the extreme pragmaticism combined with a weary knowledge of the world that does not fit into the rigid frames of everyday "normal".
But she'd found that they could, very firmly, also believe in the poker."
"She'd become a governess. It was one of the few jobs a known lady could do. And she'd taken to it well. She'd sworn that if she did indeed ever find herself dancing on rooftops with chimney sweeps she'd beat herself to death with her own umbrella."
And, of course, we get to enjoy the company of one of Pratchett's most fascinating characters - Death. There are plenty of funny moments as he tries on Hogfather's false beard for size, so to say. Up until now, he never had to trouble himself with the 'naughty or nice' question, and he's never had people line up eager to see him. And there are a few things that Death learns thanks to this new temporary jobs - like the value of charity, the gift of life (if you've ever been scarred by Andersen's saddest fairy-tale 'A Girl with Matches' you'll know right away what I mean!) and the unfairness of socio-economic status quo.
"Charity ain't giving people what you wants to give, it's giving people what they need to get."
Not to mention the pointy-hatted appearance of the Wizards of the Unseen University ("Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time."), the amazing thinking machine Hex (which from now on will be FTB-enabled ), Verucca Gnome, Nobby Nobbs (who, of course, had been a nice... ummm... individual), and one well-crafted bathroom. All together, all this creates Pratchett's trademark witty and slightly absurd atmosphere, frequently with seriousness cleverly hiding behind well-placed puns and goofs.
5 stars and a high recommendation to new and old Pratchett fans. This one will definitely remains my beloved annual holiday read.
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌�
My ever-expanding collection of Pratchett鈥檚 Discworld reviews:
- Guards! Guards!
- Men at Arms
- Thud!
- Lords and Ladies
- The Wee Free Men
- Hogfather
- Monstrous Regiment
July 4, 2021
Father Christmas should watch out who is his sick leave substitute, although even a strange rebranding won麓t be able to stop the commercialization of sticky, superficial holiday bliss.
Power vacuums are nasty things, just imagine what happens if an unimportant, human factor disappears, weakens, or changes sides, pure anarchy, and chaos, even worse, real progressive change is suddenly possible. And that麓s nothing compared to Discworld level of power, Pratchett uses the idea of a well balanced universe with personified entities and natural forces, able to change time, space, and the laws of physics, causing catastrophes if they are sabotaged, disappear or are just having a bad day. Could be seen as kind of funny cosmic horror, not so many Lovecraftian 眉beraliens maybe destroying a universe for fun, more anthropomorphized superbeings that have trivial problems that drive them sad, depressed, or nuts and, by the way, the universe close to destruction.
But no matter how mighty they might be, humans and fantasy creature麓s believes, prayers, and sacrifices are still so important for them that they need an audience, classic god complex, in this case mixed with feelings of inferiority. Wait what second class alternatives are already nervously waiting to take their place.
Can please anyone tell me the different options of what The Auditors of Reality mean in the respective contexts in the books they appear in? What philosophical, real- life, and metaphysical, theoretical physics explanations are hidden in their motivations and why they do what they do. I麓ve done rereads and especially focused on their dialogues, analyzed how they are tricked, what conclusion they draw, etc. it麓s still an enigma, I feel like I am not getting something, help!
I would prefer a commercialized, delicious soft drink associated Hogfather in contrast to the boring Christkind that has a pretty tough monopoly in parts of central Europe and even hasn麓t any kind of potential evil minions or dark helpers that could make the handing out of presents a bit more thrilling. Thereby I also don麓t know enough about the Hogfather thing to get all the hidden innuendo treasures, stupid Christkind, shame on you, I will stop believing and you will lose all your power, ha! Cry as much as you want, commercialization owns you anyway, you old, outdated legend, I couldn麓t even sit at your lap when I was small, what a poor superpower is not cloning oneself to be in every mall like good old Santa? Childhood dreams crushed.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
Power vacuums are nasty things, just imagine what happens if an unimportant, human factor disappears, weakens, or changes sides, pure anarchy, and chaos, even worse, real progressive change is suddenly possible. And that麓s nothing compared to Discworld level of power, Pratchett uses the idea of a well balanced universe with personified entities and natural forces, able to change time, space, and the laws of physics, causing catastrophes if they are sabotaged, disappear or are just having a bad day. Could be seen as kind of funny cosmic horror, not so many Lovecraftian 眉beraliens maybe destroying a universe for fun, more anthropomorphized superbeings that have trivial problems that drive them sad, depressed, or nuts and, by the way, the universe close to destruction.
But no matter how mighty they might be, humans and fantasy creature麓s believes, prayers, and sacrifices are still so important for them that they need an audience, classic god complex, in this case mixed with feelings of inferiority. Wait what second class alternatives are already nervously waiting to take their place.
Can please anyone tell me the different options of what The Auditors of Reality mean in the respective contexts in the books they appear in? What philosophical, real- life, and metaphysical, theoretical physics explanations are hidden in their motivations and why they do what they do. I麓ve done rereads and especially focused on their dialogues, analyzed how they are tricked, what conclusion they draw, etc. it麓s still an enigma, I feel like I am not getting something, help!
I would prefer a commercialized, delicious soft drink associated Hogfather in contrast to the boring Christkind that has a pretty tough monopoly in parts of central Europe and even hasn麓t any kind of potential evil minions or dark helpers that could make the handing out of presents a bit more thrilling. Thereby I also don麓t know enough about the Hogfather thing to get all the hidden innuendo treasures, stupid Christkind, shame on you, I will stop believing and you will lose all your power, ha! Cry as much as you want, commercialization owns you anyway, you old, outdated legend, I couldn麓t even sit at your lap when I was small, what a poor superpower is not cloning oneself to be in every mall like good old Santa? Childhood dreams crushed.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews:
The idea of the dissected motifs rocks, highlighting the main real world inspirational elements of fiction and satire is something usually done with so called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and feeling smart all together.
Read
June 29, 20224.5/5 stars. One of the greatest Christmas stories ever told
This was a wonderful story, and Terry Pratchett continues to amaze me at what he is able to conjure up in that genius brain of his. Not only is he able to come up with truly unique fantasy plots, but he has the ability to make me laugh from start to finish along the way.
Story: 4/5
The story itself is fun, unique, and enjoyable. I loved the idea that Pratchett could decide that he wants to parody something like Christmas, but then end up churning out something so perfectly fit within the Discworld theme in ingenious fashion. I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone who may read this, as I think even the basics should be preserved so that you get surprised at how awesome the concepts are here.
The only reason that I knocked a little off the score was I thought that the last 1/4 of the book kind of slogged along and didn't finish very strongly - but other than that this was an extremely enjoyable read.
World Building: 4/5
The world wasn't really expanded on much here, it simply takes what we already know about Discworld and introduces a story within it. While I do love the Discworld itself, I do ultimately find myself wishing that it could be more thoroughly explored. There are so many interesting locations that could be gone into in more detail, but virtually all the books take place at the same locations.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5
The fantasy elements to this book are evident from the first few pages, and persist throughout the entire book. I don't really want to go into more detail here as I worry about ruining what makes this book so great - but needless to say the fantasy parts of this book are part of what makes this book so special.
Characters: 4/5
The story centers around the character of "Death", who is probably the person most people associate with being the best Discworld character. For me, while he is interesting, his monotone outlook on everything usually follows an arc of extremely interesting at the beginning, but it wears a bit thin towards the end. This is definitely my favorite story involving this character though, and it's the best story involving his daughter Susan as well - who I have found to be uninteresting gin the past.
Writing Style: 5/5
Terry Pratchett's writing style is what keeps me coming back. He is able to wonderfully blend some deep philosophical perspectives with uproariously funny humor in a way that nobody has ever been able to do when this book was written. He keeps you smiling from start to finish, and it just feels good to read a book from an author who is as good as he is.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
I loved this book, it was funny, poignant, and I couldn't put it down. I did think the ending was the weak point in it, but I still thought this was one of the better Discworld books ever written.
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April 9, 2024
"IT IS THE THINGS YOU BELIEVE IN WHICH MAKE YOU HUMAN. GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS, IT'S ALL THE SAME."
Hogfather itself concerns the Discworld, where there are things that control the Universe called The Auditors and they do not like Humans, because Humans are messy. Well, they did invent dullness. And Death is meddling again. His grand-daughter Susan is trying to be normal, but how normal is hitting bogeymen with a poker, really? And we haven't even mentioned the one-eyed Assassin yet, or the fact that no-one seems to believe in the Hogfather any more.
Terry Pratchett's 20th Discworld novel is their version of a Yuletide story, complete with many deaths, lots of Death and some of the most thought-provoking conversations I've ever come across. He has other books that are better written, although I think you'd be hard pressed to find any mistakes here. The depth of characters (considering how many there actually are) is astounding and is brought forward in such a way that you don't really notice it until you close the book and realise that you know more about Ridcully than you do your own Nan.
The humour is typical early-Discworld. It is the same that runs through the entire series, but here it is a bit less rounded than elsewhere. It can often be subtle, or it can very much in your face. It is very much an English-kind-of-Humour book.
What you take from this particular novel, however, is just how important belief is to Human Beings. It is not enough to say that we tell children to believe in Father Christmas just so that they don't understand the value of money and have to work it out later on or because it's "tradition", but it's so we can understand that beliefs are the most important thing to us. If we did not believe, what would we be?
I'm not sure how, but my third read of this made me upgrade it to a full 5-stars. Am I getting in to the Christmas Hogswatch spirit?
Every year I read this. Every year I love it more and more. I am incapable of putting in to words my utter love for this book and everything contained within.
[First read: 9th June, 2013. 3 stars.
Second read: 19th December, 2015. 4 stars.
Third Read: 21st December, 2016. 5 stars.
Fourth Read: 16th December, 2017. 5 stars.
Fifth Read: 9th November, 2022. 5 stars.
Sixth Read: 14th March, 2024. 5 stars.]
Hogfather itself concerns the Discworld, where there are things that control the Universe called The Auditors and they do not like Humans, because Humans are messy. Well, they did invent dullness. And Death is meddling again. His grand-daughter Susan is trying to be normal, but how normal is hitting bogeymen with a poker, really? And we haven't even mentioned the one-eyed Assassin yet, or the fact that no-one seems to believe in the Hogfather any more.
Terry Pratchett's 20th Discworld novel is their version of a Yuletide story, complete with many deaths, lots of Death and some of the most thought-provoking conversations I've ever come across. He has other books that are better written, although I think you'd be hard pressed to find any mistakes here. The depth of characters (considering how many there actually are) is astounding and is brought forward in such a way that you don't really notice it until you close the book and realise that you know more about Ridcully than you do your own Nan.
The humour is typical early-Discworld. It is the same that runs through the entire series, but here it is a bit less rounded than elsewhere. It can often be subtle, or it can very much in your face. It is very much an English-kind-of-Humour book.
What you take from this particular novel, however, is just how important belief is to Human Beings. It is not enough to say that we tell children to believe in Father Christmas just so that they don't understand the value of money and have to work it out later on or because it's "tradition", but it's so we can understand that beliefs are the most important thing to us. If we did not believe, what would we be?
I'm not sure how, but my third read of this made me upgrade it to a full 5-stars. Am I getting in to the Christmas Hogswatch spirit?
Every year I read this. Every year I love it more and more. I am incapable of putting in to words my utter love for this book and everything contained within.
[First read: 9th June, 2013. 3 stars.
Second read: 19th December, 2015. 4 stars.
Third Read: 21st December, 2016. 5 stars.
Fourth Read: 16th December, 2017. 5 stars.
Fifth Read: 9th November, 2022. 5 stars.
Sixth Read: 14th March, 2024. 5 stars.]
December 25, 2024
For me this has been the perfect Christmas read ever since I first read it. :)
鈥淐harity ain鈥檛 giving people what you wants to give, it鈥檚 giving people what they need to get.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a tip, though. Just 鈥榟o, ho, ho鈥� will do. Don鈥檛 say, 鈥楥ower, brief mortals鈥� unless you want them to grow up to be moneylenders or some such.鈥�
IT IS THE NIGHT OF HOGSWATCH (Terry Pratchett's answer to Christmas) when all children around DISCWORLD have hung up their stockings and are waiting for the Hogfather (aka Father Christmas) to arrive on his sleigh drawn by 4 wild boars and bring their presents.
If they were not asleep, they would find that instead of the FAT MAN, a rather thin-looking skeleton with a false beard and a pillow underneath the red garments, arrives to deliver the prezzies with an old, ugly, reluctant and drunk "pixie" in tow.
And the reason why Death has to "jump in" and save the day or the night in this particular case is that The Hogfather went missing as well as a toothfairy.
Strange and evil powers are at large to eliminate all beliefs and superstitions in the world and Death with the help of his granddaughter Susan and the oh-god of hangovers is out to save humanity....
I first read the Hogfather in 2010 and it became a favourite by page 15 or maybe page 10. I have reread it before/during Xmas ever since to get into/out of the spirit of things.
It is an awesome book & never stops to amaze / entertain me even after the Nth reread.
鈥淵ou can't give her that!' she screamed. 'It's not safe!'
IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
'She's a child!' shouted Crumley.
IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
'What if she cuts herself?'
THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON.鈥�
鈥淚T'S THE EXPRESSION ON THEIR LITTLE FACES I LIKE, said the Hogfather.
"You mean sort of fear and awe and not knowing whether to laugh or cry or wet their pants?"
YES. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL BELIEF."
What I love about it:
Everything, but especially
- The scene with Lord Downey & the auditors
- Death dressing up as the Hogfather & Albert as pixie
- Hex, Archchancellor Ridcully & the wizards of UU and their Hogswatch feast craziness
- Bloody Stupid Johnson's bathroom design
- The oh God of Hangovers, Bilious, & how the wizards cure the world's greatest hangover
- How the book holds a not-so-very distorted mirror reflecting upon our 鈥渟pirit of Christmas鈥�
- How all the layers of Hogswatch / Xmas are removed/explored one by one to get to the long forgotten origins of this festival & how cleverly it is connected with other beliefs (tooth fairy, controlling someone through teeth/fingernail/hair)
What I don鈥檛 like:
- No such thing. 鈥� COWER BRIEF MORTALS. HO.HO.HO.鈥�
鈥淐harity ain鈥檛 giving people what you wants to give, it鈥檚 giving people what they need to get.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a tip, though. Just 鈥榟o, ho, ho鈥� will do. Don鈥檛 say, 鈥楥ower, brief mortals鈥� unless you want them to grow up to be moneylenders or some such.鈥�
IT IS THE NIGHT OF HOGSWATCH (Terry Pratchett's answer to Christmas) when all children around DISCWORLD have hung up their stockings and are waiting for the Hogfather (aka Father Christmas) to arrive on his sleigh drawn by 4 wild boars and bring their presents.
If they were not asleep, they would find that instead of the FAT MAN, a rather thin-looking skeleton with a false beard and a pillow underneath the red garments, arrives to deliver the prezzies with an old, ugly, reluctant and drunk "pixie" in tow.
And the reason why Death has to "jump in" and save the day or the night in this particular case is that The Hogfather went missing as well as a toothfairy.
Strange and evil powers are at large to eliminate all beliefs and superstitions in the world and Death with the help of his granddaughter Susan and the oh-god of hangovers is out to save humanity....
I first read the Hogfather in 2010 and it became a favourite by page 15 or maybe page 10. I have reread it before/during Xmas ever since to get into/out of the spirit of things.
It is an awesome book & never stops to amaze / entertain me even after the Nth reread.
鈥淵ou can't give her that!' she screamed. 'It's not safe!'
IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
'She's a child!' shouted Crumley.
IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
'What if she cuts herself?'
THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON.鈥�
鈥淚T'S THE EXPRESSION ON THEIR LITTLE FACES I LIKE, said the Hogfather.
"You mean sort of fear and awe and not knowing whether to laugh or cry or wet their pants?"
YES. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL BELIEF."
What I love about it:
Everything, but especially
- The scene with Lord Downey & the auditors
- Death dressing up as the Hogfather & Albert as pixie
- Hex, Archchancellor Ridcully & the wizards of UU and their Hogswatch feast craziness
- Bloody Stupid Johnson's bathroom design
- The oh God of Hangovers, Bilious, & how the wizards cure the world's greatest hangover
- How the book holds a not-so-very distorted mirror reflecting upon our 鈥渟pirit of Christmas鈥�
- How all the layers of Hogswatch / Xmas are removed/explored one by one to get to the long forgotten origins of this festival & how cleverly it is connected with other beliefs (tooth fairy, controlling someone through teeth/fingernail/hair)
What I don鈥檛 like:
- No such thing. 鈥� COWER BRIEF MORTALS. HO.HO.HO.鈥�
October 3, 2024
鈥淗umans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.鈥�
From Discworld鈥檚 inception, readers have known that Sir Terry Pratchett has fired a shot across the bow of convention, especially religious institutions, with his concept of a flat world atop four elephants who themselves stood atop of great turtle. Hogfather, his 20th Discworld novel first published in 1996, takes off where 1992鈥檚 (his 13th) leaves off.
鈥淗ello, inner child, I'm the inner babysitter!鈥�
Hogfather, Discworld鈥檚 swinerific version of Jolly Old Saint Nick, has gone missing and Death has taken over while things get sorted out. But that鈥檚 only the beginning of the fun Terry has in store for us as Susan, the Wizards, The Librarian (Oook!), Nobby Nobs, Foul Old Ron and a host of Discworld favorites join in to make this one of the best Discworld novels.
鈥淒O I DETECT A NOTE OF UNSEASONAL GRUMPINESS? said Death. NO SUGAR PIGGYWIGGY FOR YOU, ALBERT.鈥澨�
鈥淏elief鈥� is difficult at best in our world, but in Pratchett鈥檚 Discworld, the complexities of belief in a theological personification can take on a whole other sort of intricacy. When the Auditors get sideways and we start seeing deific entities like an Oh god! of Hangovers and Eaters of Socks, we get to explore absurdities the likes of which only Pratchett could pull off.
鈥淭his is very similar to the suggestion put forward by the Quirmian philosopher Ventre, who said, "Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right?" When he died he woke up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of them said, "We're going to show you what we think of Mr Clever Dick in these parts...鈥澨�
Pratchett takes on the Gaimanesque idea that gods and mythical creatures exist and gain sustenance from belief nine years before Neil鈥檚 masterpiece . Then Terry goes one step further and satirizes the concept of belief and fear and studies themes of faith, psychological need, and fundamental fairness in his special and unique way. Fairness, when discussed between Death and Albert, is one of the high points in the entire Discworld universe and is an archetypal moment in his prose.
One of his best, a MUST read for Discworld fans and maybe a good start for the series by those not yet initiated.
鈥淪ome things are fairly obvious when it's a seven-foot skeleton with a scythe telling you them鈥�
*** 2024 reread -
To my fellow Discworld tourists: I cannot recommend rereads any higher. This is so much fun and of course I picked up on much more of his wit and devilishly clever word play.
Here's another featuring the nefariously bureaucratic Auditors (we'll spend more time with them in Thief of Time a few books after this one) Death and Susan and all the Death books themes.
It's all about belief and while this insists upon a comparison with Neil Gaiman's American Gods (the two were close friends) this led me to another noteworthy similarity to Piers Anthony's work. Anthony first published his Incarnations of Immortality in 1983. Pratchett first published this wonderful book in 1996.
But the idea about anthropomorphic manifestations of concepts goes back ... eons.
Also, Pratchett has here given us one of his most disturbingly villainous antagonists in Mr. Teatime. We can look to the Elves and Tiffany Aching's bad guys to see someone even remotely as sinister as Teatime. He is perhaps drawn on the DC Joker template, a chaotic evil trickster god.
All too much good fun and I'm off to find my next reread!
From Discworld鈥檚 inception, readers have known that Sir Terry Pratchett has fired a shot across the bow of convention, especially religious institutions, with his concept of a flat world atop four elephants who themselves stood atop of great turtle. Hogfather, his 20th Discworld novel first published in 1996, takes off where 1992鈥檚 (his 13th) leaves off.
鈥淗ello, inner child, I'm the inner babysitter!鈥�
Hogfather, Discworld鈥檚 swinerific version of Jolly Old Saint Nick, has gone missing and Death has taken over while things get sorted out. But that鈥檚 only the beginning of the fun Terry has in store for us as Susan, the Wizards, The Librarian (Oook!), Nobby Nobs, Foul Old Ron and a host of Discworld favorites join in to make this one of the best Discworld novels.
鈥淒O I DETECT A NOTE OF UNSEASONAL GRUMPINESS? said Death. NO SUGAR PIGGYWIGGY FOR YOU, ALBERT.鈥澨�
鈥淏elief鈥� is difficult at best in our world, but in Pratchett鈥檚 Discworld, the complexities of belief in a theological personification can take on a whole other sort of intricacy. When the Auditors get sideways and we start seeing deific entities like an Oh god! of Hangovers and Eaters of Socks, we get to explore absurdities the likes of which only Pratchett could pull off.
鈥淭his is very similar to the suggestion put forward by the Quirmian philosopher Ventre, who said, "Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right?" When he died he woke up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of them said, "We're going to show you what we think of Mr Clever Dick in these parts...鈥澨�
Pratchett takes on the Gaimanesque idea that gods and mythical creatures exist and gain sustenance from belief nine years before Neil鈥檚 masterpiece . Then Terry goes one step further and satirizes the concept of belief and fear and studies themes of faith, psychological need, and fundamental fairness in his special and unique way. Fairness, when discussed between Death and Albert, is one of the high points in the entire Discworld universe and is an archetypal moment in his prose.
One of his best, a MUST read for Discworld fans and maybe a good start for the series by those not yet initiated.
鈥淪ome things are fairly obvious when it's a seven-foot skeleton with a scythe telling you them鈥�
*** 2024 reread -
To my fellow Discworld tourists: I cannot recommend rereads any higher. This is so much fun and of course I picked up on much more of his wit and devilishly clever word play.
Here's another featuring the nefariously bureaucratic Auditors (we'll spend more time with them in Thief of Time a few books after this one) Death and Susan and all the Death books themes.
It's all about belief and while this insists upon a comparison with Neil Gaiman's American Gods (the two were close friends) this led me to another noteworthy similarity to Piers Anthony's work. Anthony first published his Incarnations of Immortality in 1983. Pratchett first published this wonderful book in 1996.
But the idea about anthropomorphic manifestations of concepts goes back ... eons.
Also, Pratchett has here given us one of his most disturbingly villainous antagonists in Mr. Teatime. We can look to the Elves and Tiffany Aching's bad guys to see someone even remotely as sinister as Teatime. He is perhaps drawn on the DC Joker template, a chaotic evil trickster god.
All too much good fun and I'm off to find my next reread!
December 27, 2019
鈥炩€ρ囆拘残敌� 锌芯 锌褉懈褉芯写邪 械 屑懈褌芯锌芯械褌懈褔薪芯 褋褗褖械褋褌胁芯.
鈥� 袠 泻邪泻胁芯 芯蟹薪邪褔邪胁邪 褌芯胁邪?
鈥� 袨蟹薪邪褔邪胁邪, 褔械 褋懈 褋褗褔懈薪褟胁邪屑械 胁 写胁懈卸械薪懈械 褉邪蟹薪懈 谐谢褍锌芯褋褌懈.鈥�
袩褉懈蟹褉邪泻褗褌 薪邪 芯褌屑懈薪邪谢邪褌邪 袣芯谢械写邪 胁褋械 芯褖械 胁懈褌邪械 懈 袛褟写芯 袩褉邪褋 械写胁邪 褖芯 械 泻邪蟹邪谢 锌芯褋谢械写薪芯褌芯 褋懈 啸袨. 啸袨. 啸袨. 校褞褌薪芯 胁褉械屑械 褔芯胁械泻 写邪 褋械写薪械 懈 写邪 薪邪锌褉邪胁懈 褉邪蟹斜芯褉 薪邪 谐芯写懈薪邪褌邪. 袠谢懈 薪邪 卸懈胁芯褌邪 褋懈. 袠谢懈 薪邪 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟褌邪 褋懈 泻邪褌芯 褑褟谢芯. 袗 胁懈械 胁 泻邪泻胁芯 胁褟褉胁邪褌械?
孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 薪邪褌芯胁邪褉胁邪谢 锌褉芯褋褌懈褔泻懈褌械 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟 褋 写芯褋褌邪 褌械卸泻邪 褋懈屑胁芯谢懈泻邪. 袨薪械蟹懈 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟, 泻芯懈褌芯 薪械 芯褋褌邪胁褟褌 泻芯褉械薪邪 薪邪 褔芯胁械泻 写邪 褋械 懈蟹褌褉褗谐薪械 芯褌 蟹械屑褟褌邪, 写芯褉懈 写邪 械 芯褋芯斜械薪芯 褏懈谢邪胁. 袙褟褉胁邪薪懈褟褌邪, 薪邪 泻芯懈褌芯 卸懈胁芯褌褗褌 褋械 褍锌芯胁邪胁邪 懈 泻芯懈褌芯 褌懈 谐邪褉邪薪褌懈褉邪褌, 褔械 薪邪泻褗写械褌芯 懈 写邪 褋械 械 褌褗褉泻芯谢懈谢 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪懈褟褌 褌懈 褋胁褟褌, 胁懈薪邪谐懈 懈屑邪 械写薪芯 泻褗褌褔械, 泻褗写械褌芯 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 褋械 蟹邪胁褗褉薪械褕 懈 写邪 锌芯褔械褉锌懈褕 褋懈谢懈. 袨斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 胁褗锌褉芯褋薪芯褌芯 泻褗褌褔械 械 胁 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褌懈, 薪芯 锌芯胁械褔械褌芯 褏芯褉邪 泻邪褌芯 褔械 薪械 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褌 褌芯胁邪.
孝芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 褔邪泻 褋械谐邪 (!) 芯褋褗蟹薪邪胁邪屑 胁 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械 蟹邪 小胁械褌邪 薪邪 袛懈褋泻邪, 胁 泻芯懈褌芯 小屑褗褉褌 蟹邪械屑邪 褑械薪褌褉邪谢薪邪 褉芯谢褟, 械, 褔械 褌芯泄 薪褟泻邪泻 褋懈 械 胁褗锌谢褗褖械薪懈械 薪邪 锌芯胁械褔械 褔芯胁械褖懈薪邪 芯褌 褋邪屑懈褌械 褏芯褉邪. 小屑褗褉褌 褋械 芯锌懈褌胁邪 写邪 褉邪蟹斜械褉械 褏芯褉邪褌邪, 写邪 谐懈 懈屑懈褌懈褉邪 写芯褉懈, 薪芯 薪褟泻芯懈 褌械褏薪懈 锌褉懈胁懈褔泻懈 褋懈 芯褋褌邪胁邪褌 薪械锌芯薪褟褌薪懈 蟹邪 薪械谐芯. 袧褟泻邪泻 芯斜邪褔械 褍褋锌褟胁邪 写邪 褍谢芯胁懈 薪械锌褉械褏芯写薪邪褌邪 懈屑 褋褗褖懈薪邪, 芯薪芯胁邪 褔芯胁械褕泻芯, 泻芯械褌芯 褋褟泻邪褕 谐芯 薪褟屑邪 胁 褔懈褋褌 胁懈写, 邪 械 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢芯 褋邪屑芯 胁 褍屑芯胁械褌械 薪邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪 懈谢懈 胁 锌褉械写邪薪懈褟褌邪, 泻邪褌芯 懈写械邪谢, 泻邪褌芯 锌芯褋谢械芯斜褉邪蟹 薪邪 写褉械胁薪懈, 蟹写褉邪胁芯 褋褌褗锌懈谢懈 薪邪 蟹械屑褟褌邪 锌褉邪写械写懈. 小屑褗褉褌 械 锌懈褔 褋 械写薪邪 写褍屑邪.
孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 褋褗褖芯 褌邪泻邪 褋懈 锌邪写邪 懈 锌芯 邪褉褏懈蟹谢芯写械懈褌械. 袣邪泻胁邪 锌芯谢蟹邪 写邪 懈蟹胁褗褉褕懈褕 谐械褉芯泄褋褌胁芯, 邪泻芯 褖械 械 褋褉械褖褍 薪褟泻邪泻褗胁 写褉械斜械薪 锌褉芯褌懈胁薪懈泻? 袟邪褖芯 写邪 褋械 斜芯褉懈褕, 邪泻芯 薪械 械, 蟹邪 写邪 芯锌邪蟹懈褕 褑械谢懈褟 褋胁褟褌 (懈 芯褌 褋邪屑懈褟 薪械谐芯, 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪 褋械)? 袝, 锌褗褉胁芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 锌褉械斜芯褉懈褕 褋褗褋 褋械斜械 褋懈, 蟹邪褖芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 写械斜薪械 胁 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪芯褌芯 褌懈 褋褗蟹薪邪薪懈械, 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 械 锌芯-谢芯褕芯 芯褌 胁褋懈褔泻懈 泻邪褉邪泻芯薪写卸褍谢懈 懈 胁邪屑锌懈褉懈 褌褗写褟胁邪. 袨褋胁械薪 邪泻芯 薪械 褋懈 写械褌械. 孝械 褋邪 薪械锌芯斜械写懈屑懈. 孝械褏薪懈褟褌 褋胁褟褌 鈥炐感沸拘毖壭� 薪械 械 褋褗泻褉邪褌械薪邪 胁械褉褋懈褟 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪 薪邪 胁褗蟹褉邪褋褌薪懈褌械鈥� 袙褋懈褔泻芯 械鈥� 胁 锌芯胁械褔械鈥�. 效邪泻 锌芯薪褟泻芯谐邪 褋械 锌懈褌邪屑 泻褗写械 芯褌懈胁邪 胁褋懈褔泻芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪 鈥炐� 锌芯胁械褔械鈥�. 袠 褋懈 屑懈褋谢褟, 褔械 泻邪褌芯 褉邪褋褌械屑, 蟹邪斜褉邪胁褟屑械 锌芯胁械褔械 薪械褖邪, 芯褌泻芯谢泻芯褌芯 薪褟泻芯谐邪 褖械 薪邪褍褔懈屑. 袛械褑邪褌邪 胁褟褉胁邪褌, 邪 胁 褌芯胁邪 懈屑邪 屑薪芯谐芯 褋懈谢邪. 袙褟褉胁邪褌 懈 胁 薪械斜懈胁邪谢懈褑懈褌械, 懈 胁 袛褟写芯 袩褉邪褋, 懈 胁 褉褗卸褠薪邪.
鈥炐樠佈傂感叫把傂� 械 薪褟泻褗写械 褌邪屑, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 褋邪屑芯 写邪 褋械 锌褉械褋械谐薪械褕 泻褗屑 薪械褟, 谢褗卸懈褌械 芯斜邪褔械 芯褌写邪胁薪邪 褋邪 褋械 薪邪屑械褋褌懈谢懈 胁 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褌懈.鈥�
袟薪邪械褌械 谢懈 泻芯械 械 芯斜褖芯褌芯 屑械卸写褍 薪邪褋 懈 小胁械褌邪 薪邪 袛懈褋泻邪? 袩褉械写懈 薪褟泻芯谢泻芯 胁械泻邪 胁褋械 褖械褕械 写邪 褋械 懈蟹胁褗写懈 薪褟泻芯泄 褍屑薪懈泻 写邪 泻邪卸械, 褔械 械 锌谢芯褋泻邪褌邪 蟹械屑褟, 薪芯 薪械. 袗薪褌褉芯锌芯屑芯褉褎薪懈褌械 锌械褉褋芯薪懈褎懈泻邪褑懈懈 褋邪. 袙褗锌谢褗褌械薪懈褌械 褋褗褖械褋褌胁邪, 蟹邪薪懈屑邪胁邪褖懈 褋械 褋 薪械褖邪, 泻芯懈褌芯 胁褋械 薪褟泻芯泄 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 谐懈 褋胁褗褉褕懈. 袟邪褖芯褌芯 写褉褍谐 薪邪褔懈薪 薪褟屑邪, 薪芯 懈 蟹邪褖芯褌芯 胁褋懈褔泻懈 懈褋泻邪褌 褍褌褉械 写邪 懈蟹谐褉械械 褋谢褗薪褑械褌芯, 邪 薪械 鈥炐敌葱叫� 薪邪泄-锌芯褕谢芯 泻褗谢斜芯 芯褌 锌谢邪屑褌褟褖 谐邪蟹鈥�, 薪邪谢懈 褌邪泻邪?
鈥炐バ炐犘愋⑿� 袠袦袗孝 袧校袞袛袗 袨孝 肖袗袧孝袗袟袠袠孝袝, 袟袗 袛袗 袘歇袛袗孝 啸袨袪袗鈥� 袠袟袩袠孝袙袗孝袝 袩袨孝袪袝袘袧袨小孝 袛袗 袙携袪袙袗孝袝 袠 袙 袨袧袨袙袗, 袣袨袝孝袨 袧袝 袝 袠小孝袠袧小袣袨. 袠袧袗效袝 袣袗袣 孝袨 些袝 小袝 小袥校效袠 袧袗袣袪袗携?鈥�
袧械 蟹薪邪屑 写邪谢懈 胁褋懈褔泻懈 褋屑械 褋谢褍褕泻邪谢懈 写芯褋褌邪褌褗褔薪芯 锌褉械蟹 懈蟹屑懈薪邪谢邪褌邪 谐芯写懈薪邪 懈 写邪谢懈 褋锌芯褉械写 褌芯胁邪 褋懈 锌芯谢褍褔邪胁邪屑械 (懈谢懈 薪械) 锌芯写邪褉褗褑懈褌械, 薪芯 泻邪泻胁芯褌芯 懈 写邪 褋褌邪胁邪, 胁褟褉胁邪泄褌械 胁 锌芯薪械 械写薪芯 薪械褖芯, 锌芯-谐芯谢褟屑芯 芯褌 胁邪褋 (写邪, 懈 袡械褌懈 褋褌邪胁邪) 懈 薪械 蟹邪斜褉邪胁褟泄褌械 写邪 锌懈械褌械
袦-袧-袨-袚-校-啸-袗-袩-效-袠-孝-歇-袨-孝-小-校-楔-袝-袧-袠-袞-袝-袘-袠.
鈥� 袠 泻邪泻胁芯 芯蟹薪邪褔邪胁邪 褌芯胁邪?
鈥� 袨蟹薪邪褔邪胁邪, 褔械 褋懈 褋褗褔懈薪褟胁邪屑械 胁 写胁懈卸械薪懈械 褉邪蟹薪懈 谐谢褍锌芯褋褌懈.鈥�
袩褉懈蟹褉邪泻褗褌 薪邪 芯褌屑懈薪邪谢邪褌邪 袣芯谢械写邪 胁褋械 芯褖械 胁懈褌邪械 懈 袛褟写芯 袩褉邪褋 械写胁邪 褖芯 械 泻邪蟹邪谢 锌芯褋谢械写薪芯褌芯 褋懈 啸袨. 啸袨. 啸袨. 校褞褌薪芯 胁褉械屑械 褔芯胁械泻 写邪 褋械写薪械 懈 写邪 薪邪锌褉邪胁懈 褉邪蟹斜芯褉 薪邪 谐芯写懈薪邪褌邪. 袠谢懈 薪邪 卸懈胁芯褌邪 褋懈. 袠谢懈 薪邪 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟褌邪 褋懈 泻邪褌芯 褑褟谢芯. 袗 胁懈械 胁 泻邪泻胁芯 胁褟褉胁邪褌械?
孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 薪邪褌芯胁邪褉胁邪谢 锌褉芯褋褌懈褔泻懈褌械 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟 褋 写芯褋褌邪 褌械卸泻邪 褋懈屑胁芯谢懈泻邪. 袨薪械蟹懈 胁褟褉胁邪薪懈褟, 泻芯懈褌芯 薪械 芯褋褌邪胁褟褌 泻芯褉械薪邪 薪邪 褔芯胁械泻 写邪 褋械 懈蟹褌褉褗谐薪械 芯褌 蟹械屑褟褌邪, 写芯褉懈 写邪 械 芯褋芯斜械薪芯 褏懈谢邪胁. 袙褟褉胁邪薪懈褟褌邪, 薪邪 泻芯懈褌芯 卸懈胁芯褌褗褌 褋械 褍锌芯胁邪胁邪 懈 泻芯懈褌芯 褌懈 谐邪褉邪薪褌懈褉邪褌, 褔械 薪邪泻褗写械褌芯 懈 写邪 褋械 械 褌褗褉泻芯谢懈谢 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪懈褟褌 褌懈 褋胁褟褌, 胁懈薪邪谐懈 懈屑邪 械写薪芯 泻褗褌褔械, 泻褗写械褌芯 屑芯卸械褕 写邪 褋械 蟹邪胁褗褉薪械褕 懈 写邪 锌芯褔械褉锌懈褕 褋懈谢懈. 袨斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 胁褗锌褉芯褋薪芯褌芯 泻褗褌褔械 械 胁 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褌懈, 薪芯 锌芯胁械褔械褌芯 褏芯褉邪 泻邪褌芯 褔械 薪械 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褌 褌芯胁邪.
孝芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 褔邪泻 褋械谐邪 (!) 芯褋褗蟹薪邪胁邪屑 胁 褉芯屑邪薪懈褌械 蟹邪 小胁械褌邪 薪邪 袛懈褋泻邪, 胁 泻芯懈褌芯 小屑褗褉褌 蟹邪械屑邪 褑械薪褌褉邪谢薪邪 褉芯谢褟, 械, 褔械 褌芯泄 薪褟泻邪泻 褋懈 械 胁褗锌谢褗褖械薪懈械 薪邪 锌芯胁械褔械 褔芯胁械褖懈薪邪 芯褌 褋邪屑懈褌械 褏芯褉邪. 小屑褗褉褌 褋械 芯锌懈褌胁邪 写邪 褉邪蟹斜械褉械 褏芯褉邪褌邪, 写邪 谐懈 懈屑懈褌懈褉邪 写芯褉懈, 薪芯 薪褟泻芯懈 褌械褏薪懈 锌褉懈胁懈褔泻懈 褋懈 芯褋褌邪胁邪褌 薪械锌芯薪褟褌薪懈 蟹邪 薪械谐芯. 袧褟泻邪泻 芯斜邪褔械 褍褋锌褟胁邪 写邪 褍谢芯胁懈 薪械锌褉械褏芯写薪邪褌邪 懈屑 褋褗褖懈薪邪, 芯薪芯胁邪 褔芯胁械褕泻芯, 泻芯械褌芯 褋褟泻邪褕 谐芯 薪褟屑邪 胁 褔懈褋褌 胁懈写, 邪 械 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢芯 褋邪屑芯 胁 褍屑芯胁械褌械 薪邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪 懈谢懈 胁 锌褉械写邪薪懈褟褌邪, 泻邪褌芯 懈写械邪谢, 泻邪褌芯 锌芯褋谢械芯斜褉邪蟹 薪邪 写褉械胁薪懈, 蟹写褉邪胁芯 褋褌褗锌懈谢懈 薪邪 蟹械屑褟褌邪 锌褉邪写械写懈. 小屑褗褉褌 械 锌懈褔 褋 械写薪邪 写褍屑邪.
孝械褉懈 袩褉邪褌褔械褌 褋褗褖芯 褌邪泻邪 褋懈 锌邪写邪 懈 锌芯 邪褉褏懈蟹谢芯写械懈褌械. 袣邪泻胁邪 锌芯谢蟹邪 写邪 懈蟹胁褗褉褕懈褕 谐械褉芯泄褋褌胁芯, 邪泻芯 褖械 械 褋褉械褖褍 薪褟泻邪泻褗胁 写褉械斜械薪 锌褉芯褌懈胁薪懈泻? 袟邪褖芯 写邪 褋械 斜芯褉懈褕, 邪泻芯 薪械 械, 蟹邪 写邪 芯锌邪蟹懈褕 褑械谢懈褟 褋胁褟褌 (懈 芯褌 褋邪屑懈褟 薪械谐芯, 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪 褋械)? 袝, 锌褗褉胁芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 锌褉械斜芯褉懈褕 褋褗褋 褋械斜械 褋懈, 蟹邪褖芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 写械斜薪械 胁 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪芯褌芯 褌懈 褋褗蟹薪邪薪懈械, 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪芯 械 锌芯-谢芯褕芯 芯褌 胁褋懈褔泻懈 泻邪褉邪泻芯薪写卸褍谢懈 懈 胁邪屑锌懈褉懈 褌褗写褟胁邪. 袨褋胁械薪 邪泻芯 薪械 褋懈 写械褌械. 孝械 褋邪 薪械锌芯斜械写懈屑懈. 孝械褏薪懈褟褌 褋胁褟褌 鈥炐感沸拘毖壭� 薪械 械 褋褗泻褉邪褌械薪邪 胁械褉褋懈褟 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪 薪邪 胁褗蟹褉邪褋褌薪懈褌械鈥� 袙褋懈褔泻芯 械鈥� 胁 锌芯胁械褔械鈥�. 效邪泻 锌芯薪褟泻芯谐邪 褋械 锌懈褌邪屑 泻褗写械 芯褌懈胁邪 胁褋懈褔泻芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪 鈥炐� 锌芯胁械褔械鈥�. 袠 褋懈 屑懈褋谢褟, 褔械 泻邪褌芯 褉邪褋褌械屑, 蟹邪斜褉邪胁褟屑械 锌芯胁械褔械 薪械褖邪, 芯褌泻芯谢泻芯褌芯 薪褟泻芯谐邪 褖械 薪邪褍褔懈屑. 袛械褑邪褌邪 胁褟褉胁邪褌, 邪 胁 褌芯胁邪 懈屑邪 屑薪芯谐芯 褋懈谢邪. 袙褟褉胁邪褌 懈 胁 薪械斜懈胁邪谢懈褑懈褌械, 懈 胁 袛褟写芯 袩褉邪褋, 懈 胁 褉褗卸褠薪邪.
鈥炐樠佈傂感叫把傂� 械 薪褟泻褗写械 褌邪屑, 褌褉褟斜胁邪 褋邪屑芯 写邪 褋械 锌褉械褋械谐薪械褕 泻褗屑 薪械褟, 谢褗卸懈褌械 芯斜邪褔械 芯褌写邪胁薪邪 褋邪 褋械 薪邪屑械褋褌懈谢懈 胁 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褌懈.鈥�
袟薪邪械褌械 谢懈 泻芯械 械 芯斜褖芯褌芯 屑械卸写褍 薪邪褋 懈 小胁械褌邪 薪邪 袛懈褋泻邪? 袩褉械写懈 薪褟泻芯谢泻芯 胁械泻邪 胁褋械 褖械褕械 写邪 褋械 懈蟹胁褗写懈 薪褟泻芯泄 褍屑薪懈泻 写邪 泻邪卸械, 褔械 械 锌谢芯褋泻邪褌邪 蟹械屑褟, 薪芯 薪械. 袗薪褌褉芯锌芯屑芯褉褎薪懈褌械 锌械褉褋芯薪懈褎懈泻邪褑懈懈 褋邪. 袙褗锌谢褗褌械薪懈褌械 褋褗褖械褋褌胁邪, 蟹邪薪懈屑邪胁邪褖懈 褋械 褋 薪械褖邪, 泻芯懈褌芯 胁褋械 薪褟泻芯泄 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 谐懈 褋胁褗褉褕懈. 袟邪褖芯褌芯 写褉褍谐 薪邪褔懈薪 薪褟屑邪, 薪芯 懈 蟹邪褖芯褌芯 胁褋懈褔泻懈 懈褋泻邪褌 褍褌褉械 写邪 懈蟹谐褉械械 褋谢褗薪褑械褌芯, 邪 薪械 鈥炐敌葱叫� 薪邪泄-锌芯褕谢芯 泻褗谢斜芯 芯褌 锌谢邪屑褌褟褖 谐邪蟹鈥�, 薪邪谢懈 褌邪泻邪?
鈥炐バ炐犘愋⑿� 袠袦袗孝 袧校袞袛袗 袨孝 肖袗袧孝袗袟袠袠孝袝, 袟袗 袛袗 袘歇袛袗孝 啸袨袪袗鈥� 袠袟袩袠孝袙袗孝袝 袩袨孝袪袝袘袧袨小孝 袛袗 袙携袪袙袗孝袝 袠 袙 袨袧袨袙袗, 袣袨袝孝袨 袧袝 袝 袠小孝袠袧小袣袨. 袠袧袗效袝 袣袗袣 孝袨 些袝 小袝 小袥校效袠 袧袗袣袪袗携?鈥�
袧械 蟹薪邪屑 写邪谢懈 胁褋懈褔泻懈 褋屑械 褋谢褍褕泻邪谢懈 写芯褋褌邪褌褗褔薪芯 锌褉械蟹 懈蟹屑懈薪邪谢邪褌邪 谐芯写懈薪邪 懈 写邪谢懈 褋锌芯褉械写 褌芯胁邪 褋懈 锌芯谢褍褔邪胁邪屑械 (懈谢懈 薪械) 锌芯写邪褉褗褑懈褌械, 薪芯 泻邪泻胁芯褌芯 懈 写邪 褋褌邪胁邪, 胁褟褉胁邪泄褌械 胁 锌芯薪械 械写薪芯 薪械褖芯, 锌芯-谐芯谢褟屑芯 芯褌 胁邪褋 (写邪, 懈 袡械褌懈 褋褌邪胁邪) 懈 薪械 蟹邪斜褉邪胁褟泄褌械 写邪 锌懈械褌械
袦-袧-袨-袚-校-啸-袗-袩-效-袠-孝-歇-袨-孝-小-校-楔-袝-袧-袠-袞-袝-袘-袠.
December 25, 2024
Re-Read (again) on 12/25/24:
Wonderful, and generally getting better with EVERY re-read. It's just one of those Discworld novels that age so well.
What do I want to ask Hogfather?
A good Hogswatch every year. Custom crossbows are optional.
And yes, I'm still afraid of the tooth fairy, and Teatime is merely the bag in which all the hogs reside.
Merry Hogswatch!
POSTSCRIPT
I'm continuing with my little experiment of writing synesthesia reviews -- my impression of books by way of my other senses.
Unlike most books, this one evokes less adjacent food recall and more a color explosion. Specifically, the whole novel is like Ridcully's bath. A rainbow of great fruit flavors. :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
Original Review:
Re-read on Xmas!
And it couldn't have better timing. Who else would like to see Death taking on the role of Discworld's Santa?
Or better yet, have Susan get involved. :)
Or have a hit put out on the Hogfather while Death flies with the pigs?
OR HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIDCULLY's BATH? *shudder*
Well, here's to ants in the AI! I've just upped my score on this one to a full five. For some reason, this Pratchett tickled me in all the best places. :)
In this particular book, I got the distinct impression of vinegar, but not too much. It was more used like a condiment for something a bit unusual, like a hint of grilled salmon on rye. Most of it carried just a bare hint of flavor, but the vinegar stood out, as if it was being used copiously at the table next to me.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
Wonderful, and generally getting better with EVERY re-read. It's just one of those Discworld novels that age so well.
What do I want to ask Hogfather?
A good Hogswatch every year. Custom crossbows are optional.
And yes, I'm still afraid of the tooth fairy, and Teatime is merely the bag in which all the hogs reside.
Merry Hogswatch!
POSTSCRIPT
I'm continuing with my little experiment of writing synesthesia reviews -- my impression of books by way of my other senses.
Unlike most books, this one evokes less adjacent food recall and more a color explosion. Specifically, the whole novel is like Ridcully's bath. A rainbow of great fruit flavors. :)
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
Original Review:
Re-read on Xmas!
And it couldn't have better timing. Who else would like to see Death taking on the role of Discworld's Santa?
Or better yet, have Susan get involved. :)
Or have a hit put out on the Hogfather while Death flies with the pigs?
OR HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIDCULLY's BATH? *shudder*
Well, here's to ants in the AI! I've just upped my score on this one to a full five. For some reason, this Pratchett tickled me in all the best places. :)
In this particular book, I got the distinct impression of vinegar, but not too much. It was more used like a condiment for something a bit unusual, like a hint of grilled salmon on rye. Most of it carried just a bare hint of flavor, but the vinegar stood out, as if it was being used copiously at the table next to me.
Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.
Arctunn.com
August 16, 2021
This was a reread of one of my favourite Pratchett books which stars two of my favourite characters, Death and Susan Sto Helit. If ever I were to get into a reading slump (not that that ever seems to happen) I am pretty sure this book would pull me out of it.
As usual the author's humour is spot on and his philosophising is done with a light touch. The book travels between the wizards at the university, Death on a sleigh handing out presents to small children, and Susan attempting to find the Tooth Fairy and save the Hogfather. Sounds silly? Of course it is, but Pratchett makes it all seem logical and gives the reader lots of laughs along the way.
I enjoyed it enormously as I do every time I read it. The television version is pretty good too.
As usual the author's humour is spot on and his philosophising is done with a light touch. The book travels between the wizards at the university, Death on a sleigh handing out presents to small children, and Susan attempting to find the Tooth Fairy and save the Hogfather. Sounds silly? Of course it is, but Pratchett makes it all seem logical and gives the reader lots of laughs along the way.
I enjoyed it enormously as I do every time I read it. The television version is pretty good too.
November 26, 2023
This book tickled my funnybone while also giving me food for thought! One of my favorite quotes is: "Shoes so sensible they could do their own tax returns." This made me laugh out loud for no discernible reason at all except maybe because I have worn sensible shoes all my life. As a child, we got one pair of shoes per year. They were always sensible Clarks with leather uppers and were big enough to allow for growth. Part of the yearly ritual was to go to the shoe store and have our feet measured. One shoe store even had an electric machine!
Another favorite quote which makes my mind boggle and my imagination run away with me is: "He wished he'd had the time to tidy up his rooms a bit, or at least get some of the more embarrassing bits off the stuffed rhinoceros!"
Finally, here is a quote that makes me ponder, and I do so love to ponder: "The truth may be out there but lies are inside your head."
Update 9/8/23: our daughter is visiting for the weekend, so we are listening to the next volume in the Death mini-series!
Update 11/25/23: Nigel Planer's snuffling/sucking sound effects for the Eater-of-Socks character has us in stitches!
Another favorite quote which makes my mind boggle and my imagination run away with me is: "He wished he'd had the time to tidy up his rooms a bit, or at least get some of the more embarrassing bits off the stuffed rhinoceros!"
Finally, here is a quote that makes me ponder, and I do so love to ponder: "The truth may be out there but lies are inside your head."
Update 9/8/23: our daughter is visiting for the weekend, so we are listening to the next volume in the Death mini-series!
Update 11/25/23: Nigel Planer's snuffling/sucking sound effects for the Eater-of-Socks character has us in stitches!
September 21, 2011
This book is hilarious.
The Auditors have decided that they need to "remove" the Hog Father...so they contact the Assassin's guild and Mr. Teatime (pronounce it "Teh-ah-tim-eh." ) is sent to "inhum" him (but Hog Father isn't human). As you can imagine chaos ensues. With Death taking over the Hog Father's role to keep belief in him alive, while Mr. Teatime (pronounce it "Teh-ah-tim-eh.") and Susan (Deaths grand daughter) are in the realm of the tooth fairy...Teatime trying to use what's there to assassinate the Hog Father and Susan trying to stop him, while Death is taking children's Hog Watch wishes very literally..... While all this is going on we haven't even talked about the wizards and......well you get the idea.
Pratchett at his best (and that's saying something). Read this ....or the Verruca Gnome might show up.... think about it.
The Auditors have decided that they need to "remove" the Hog Father...so they contact the Assassin's guild and Mr. Teatime (pronounce it "Teh-ah-tim-eh." ) is sent to "inhum" him (but Hog Father isn't human). As you can imagine chaos ensues. With Death taking over the Hog Father's role to keep belief in him alive, while Mr. Teatime (pronounce it "Teh-ah-tim-eh.") and Susan (Deaths grand daughter) are in the realm of the tooth fairy...Teatime trying to use what's there to assassinate the Hog Father and Susan trying to stop him, while Death is taking children's Hog Watch wishes very literally..... While all this is going on we haven't even talked about the wizards and......well you get the idea.
Pratchett at his best (and that's saying something). Read this ....or the Verruca Gnome might show up.... think about it.
December 18, 2022
IT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN, LIFE, said Death, stepping forward, SPEAKING METAPHORICALLY, OF COURSE. IT鈥橲 A HABIT THAT鈥橲 HARD TO GIVE UP. ONE PUFF OF BREATH IS NEVER ENOUGH. YOU鈥橪L FIND YOU WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER.
When it comes to favourite Christmas reads, Terry Pratchett's Hogfather is as perfect as they come for me. It certainly beats Charles Dickens when comes to spreading seasonal cheer and tell an uplifting tale of what makes humans ... human.
Hogfather has got all the classical elements of stories of woe and hardship appealing to our collective social conscience, it has charming wintry scenes, it has a fat man climbing down chimneys to deliver presents. But it is also a lot of fun. And it has auditors, assassins, DEATH, and a passive-aggressive raven.
And, yet, all the wizards, fairies, gnomes, bogeymen, and ant-driven computing machines cannot take away any of the depths that line the story of how DEATH's love of humans saves the world from eternal meaninglessness.
The sun rose.
The light streamed over Susan like a silent gale. It was dazzling. She crouched back, raising her forearm to cover her eyes.
The great red ball turned frost to fire along the winter branches. Gold light slammed into the mountain peaks, making every one a blinding, silent volcano. It rolled onward, gushing into the valleys and thundering up the slopes, unstoppable . . .
When it comes to favourite Christmas reads, Terry Pratchett's Hogfather is as perfect as they come for me. It certainly beats Charles Dickens when comes to spreading seasonal cheer and tell an uplifting tale of what makes humans ... human.
Hogfather has got all the classical elements of stories of woe and hardship appealing to our collective social conscience, it has charming wintry scenes, it has a fat man climbing down chimneys to deliver presents. But it is also a lot of fun. And it has auditors, assassins, DEATH, and a passive-aggressive raven.
And, yet, all the wizards, fairies, gnomes, bogeymen, and ant-driven computing machines cannot take away any of the depths that line the story of how DEATH's love of humans saves the world from eternal meaninglessness.
The sun rose.
The light streamed over Susan like a silent gale. It was dazzling. She crouched back, raising her forearm to cover her eyes.
The great red ball turned frost to fire along the winter branches. Gold light slammed into the mountain peaks, making every one a blinding, silent volcano. It rolled onward, gushing into the valleys and thundering up the slopes, unstoppable . . .
December 26, 2019
Hogfather (Discworld, #20; Death, #4), Terry Pratchett
Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, It was first released in 1996.
The series closely follows the plot of the novel, in which the Hogfather, the Discworld equivalent of Father Christmas, has gone missing and Death is forced to take his place while Death's granddaughter Susan, attempts to find out what happened.
丕夭 賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖 芦丿蹖爻讴 賵乇賱丿禄 鬲丕讴賳賵賳 亘蹖卮 丕夭 趩賴賱 乇賲丕賳 亘賴 趩丕倬 乇爻蹖丿賴貨 讴賴 丿乇 夭賲蹖賳賴 蹖 禺蹖丕賱倬乇丿丕夭蹖 賵 胤賳夭 賵 賴夭賱 賴爻鬲賳丿貙 賵 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕賸 賴乇 趩蹖夭蹖 夭蹖乇 丕蹖賳 禺賵乇卮蹖丿 乇丕 亘賴鈥� 爻禺乇賴 诏乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿. 芦丿蹖爻讴鈥� 賵乇賱丿禄貙 氐賮丨賴 蹖 鬲禺鬲蹖 丕爻鬲貨 讴賴 乇賵蹖 卮丕賳賴 蹖 趩賴丕乇 賮蹖賱 睾賵賱鈥屬聚屭┴� 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 賮蹖賱鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 禺賵丿 亘乇 乇賵蹖 倬卮鬲 丌鬲賵卅蹖賳 讴亘蹖乇貙 賱丕讴鈥屬矩簇� 毓馗蹖賲鈥� 丕賱噩孬賴鈥� 丕蹖 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿 讴賴 丿乇 丿賳蹖丕蹖 亘蹖讴乇丕賳 卮賳丕讴賳丕賳 亘賴 爻賵蹖 賲賯氐丿 賳丕賲毓賱賵賲蹖 丨乇讴鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 乇賲丕賳鈥屬囏й屫� 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕賸 賴乇 趩賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲 禺蹖丕賱鈥屬矩必ж槽� 賵 毓賱賲蹖-鬲禺蹖賱蹖 丕爻鬲 乇丕 卮丕賲賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丕蹖丿賴鈥屬囏� 賵 丨賯賴鈥� 賴丕貙 卮乇讴鬲 賮蹖賱賲鈥屫池ж槽� 亘乇诏賲賳貙 丕爻鬲乇丕賱蹖丕貙 賮蹖賱賲鈥屫池ж槽屫� 丕賳鬲卮丕乇 乇賵夭賳丕賲賴貙 賲賵夭蹖讴 乇丕讴 丕賳丿 乇賵賱貙 賮乇賴賳诏貙 賮賱爻賮賴貙 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賲氐乇 亘丕爻鬲丕賳貙 賲賴丕噩乇鬲 賯亘丕蹖賱 丕賵賱蹖賴貙 亘蹖鈥屬嗀纲呟� 賵 爻賱胤賳鬲 賵 ...貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, It was first released in 1996.
The series closely follows the plot of the novel, in which the Hogfather, the Discworld equivalent of Father Christmas, has gone missing and Death is forced to take his place while Death's granddaughter Susan, attempts to find out what happened.
丕夭 賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖 芦丿蹖爻讴 賵乇賱丿禄 鬲丕讴賳賵賳 亘蹖卮 丕夭 趩賴賱 乇賲丕賳 亘賴 趩丕倬 乇爻蹖丿賴貨 讴賴 丿乇 夭賲蹖賳賴 蹖 禺蹖丕賱倬乇丿丕夭蹖 賵 胤賳夭 賵 賴夭賱 賴爻鬲賳丿貙 賵 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕賸 賴乇 趩蹖夭蹖 夭蹖乇 丕蹖賳 禺賵乇卮蹖丿 乇丕 亘賴鈥� 爻禺乇賴 诏乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿. 芦丿蹖爻讴鈥� 賵乇賱丿禄貙 氐賮丨賴 蹖 鬲禺鬲蹖 丕爻鬲貨 讴賴 乇賵蹖 卮丕賳賴 蹖 趩賴丕乇 賮蹖賱 睾賵賱鈥屬聚屭┴� 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 賮蹖賱鈥屬囏й屰� 讴賴 禺賵丿 亘乇 乇賵蹖 倬卮鬲 丌鬲賵卅蹖賳 讴亘蹖乇貙 賱丕讴鈥屬矩簇� 毓馗蹖賲鈥� 丕賱噩孬賴鈥� 丕蹖 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿 讴賴 丿乇 丿賳蹖丕蹖 亘蹖讴乇丕賳 卮賳丕讴賳丕賳 亘賴 爻賵蹖 賲賯氐丿 賳丕賲毓賱賵賲蹖 丨乇讴鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 乇賲丕賳鈥屬囏й屫� 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕賸 賴乇 趩賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲 禺蹖丕賱鈥屬矩必ж槽� 賵 毓賱賲蹖-鬲禺蹖賱蹖 丕爻鬲 乇丕 卮丕賲賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丕蹖丿賴鈥屬囏� 賵 丨賯賴鈥� 賴丕貙 卮乇讴鬲 賮蹖賱賲鈥屫池ж槽� 亘乇诏賲賳貙 丕爻鬲乇丕賱蹖丕貙 賮蹖賱賲鈥屫池ж槽屫� 丕賳鬲卮丕乇 乇賵夭賳丕賲賴貙 賲賵夭蹖讴 乇丕讴 丕賳丿 乇賵賱貙 賮乇賴賳诏貙 賮賱爻賮賴貙 鬲丕乇蹖禺 賲氐乇 亘丕爻鬲丕賳貙 賲賴丕噩乇鬲 賯亘丕蹖賱 丕賵賱蹖賴貙 亘蹖鈥屬嗀纲呟� 賵 爻賱胤賳鬲 賵 ...貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
December 28, 2020
With a normal Christmas ruined, I felt the need to load my batteries with the maximum amount of Christmas content. I've listened to absurd amounts of Christmas music of dubious quality, watched Die Hard for the first time, drank my sorrows away with mulled wine, and now felt charitable enough to finally give Discworld another chance after realising this is probably the closest the fantasy genre has to a Christmas novel!
The result? This might be my favourite Discworld novel out of the ones I've tried so far. Could potentially have been caused by the festive mood, but who knows? I enjoyed both the humour, the ridiculousness of the parallel world solar festival traditions, and the philosophical explorations of human nature.
Hogfather is a fascinating little tale basically describing the Grim Reaper having to masquerade as Santa Claus, and ending up discovering a whole lot about what's important to people and their customs.
All in all, a good package.
The result? This might be my favourite Discworld novel out of the ones I've tried so far. Could potentially have been caused by the festive mood, but who knows? I enjoyed both the humour, the ridiculousness of the parallel world solar festival traditions, and the philosophical explorations of human nature.
Hogfather is a fascinating little tale basically describing the Grim Reaper having to masquerade as Santa Claus, and ending up discovering a whole lot about what's important to people and their customs.
All in all, a good package.
December 26, 2018
This is the 20th Discworld novel so, technically, I've read this out of order (I haven't read #19 yet) but it being Christmas made me and my fellow buddy-readers mix it up a little because it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
It is almost Hogwatch Night, the Discworld's version of Christmas and the Hogfather (Santa) is ... a little different. For starters, he's gone. And when he does show up after all, he's a skeleton and his pixie is ... well, Albert plus a considerable number of sherries. Death has taken over from the original Hogfather in order to save the universe, sort of.
The Death of Rats is getting Susan, because if anyone can stop true catastrophe from striking (which it will if order isn't restored since Death isn't too good at being human - or, rather, too good at it), it's the half-human-half-Death governness with the poker that makes any monster run for cover. Oh, and he's aided by the raven he befriended last time.
After a brief period of denial, she goes with the pair to look after her grandfather. After all, he did expressly forbid her from getting involved.
Unfortunately, there's a very creative assassin, too, and the Auditors are egging him on (they really should know better from their last plot). And Ridcully and the wizards - along with Hex - have their hands full as well when helping both Death and Susan.
Each and every group of characters was hilarious. From Hex only working when it's given its teddy bear and the ever complaining raven, to the terrified monsters and Death of Rats squeaking excitedly. Then there are also the contemplative musings of Death with Albert and/or Susan. There was fun, there was suspense, there was the signature humour as sharp as Death's scythe, ... In short: another perfect addition to the series.
For a better look at what I mean when I say this novel is very deep and contemplative, please have a look at all the quotes I highlighted - because I scarcely have words.
Moreover, this had a peculiar seasonal feel to it what with all the magical beings coming into the world and us seeing our own traditions and customs through the distorted lens of this flat but oh-so-well-rounded world.
It is almost Hogwatch Night, the Discworld's version of Christmas and the Hogfather (Santa) is ... a little different. For starters, he's gone. And when he does show up after all, he's a skeleton and his pixie is ... well, Albert plus a considerable number of sherries. Death has taken over from the original Hogfather in order to save the universe, sort of.
The Death of Rats is getting Susan, because if anyone can stop true catastrophe from striking (which it will if order isn't restored since Death isn't too good at being human - or, rather, too good at it), it's the half-human-half-Death governness with the poker that makes any monster run for cover. Oh, and he's aided by the raven he befriended last time.
After a brief period of denial, she goes with the pair to look after her grandfather. After all, he did expressly forbid her from getting involved.
Unfortunately, there's a very creative assassin, too, and the Auditors are egging him on (they really should know better from their last plot). And Ridcully and the wizards - along with Hex - have their hands full as well when helping both Death and Susan.
Each and every group of characters was hilarious. From Hex only working when it's given its teddy bear and the ever complaining raven, to the terrified monsters and Death of Rats squeaking excitedly. Then there are also the contemplative musings of Death with Albert and/or Susan. There was fun, there was suspense, there was the signature humour as sharp as Death's scythe, ... In short: another perfect addition to the series.
For a better look at what I mean when I say this novel is very deep and contemplative, please have a look at all the quotes I highlighted - because I scarcely have words.
Moreover, this had a peculiar seasonal feel to it what with all the magical beings coming into the world and us seeing our own traditions and customs through the distorted lens of this flat but oh-so-well-rounded world.
December 24, 2024
Pacing wise, this lagged in the middle, but other than that, I LOVE the writing and characters! Especially Death and Susan - more more more please
September 9, 2021
Discworld's take on Santa Claus and the nature of belief in general. It provides a great starring role for Susan, Death's granddaughter, much more so than her prior appearance in . Mister Teatime (pronounced Teh-ah-tim-eh, don't you know) came onto the scene as an interesting villain, but later devolved into a one-dimensional psychopath. The faculty of Unseen University have really grown on me during my current series re-read.
The story leaves you feeling like you missed something in places, and the last 50 pages of so were underwhelming, although not without a couple of interesting moments. There are plenty of fantastic scenes, but sometimes it seemed like Pratchett struggled to string them in a logical order.
Note for readers outside the U.K.: a verruca is a plantar wart. This is essential knowledge for this book.
The story leaves you feeling like you missed something in places, and the last 50 pages of so were underwhelming, although not without a couple of interesting moments. There are plenty of fantastic scenes, but sometimes it seemed like Pratchett struggled to string them in a logical order.
Note for readers outside the U.K.: a verruca is a plantar wart. This is essential knowledge for this book.
December 18, 2023
袦薪芯谐芯 屑懈 褏邪褉械褋邪, 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯 锌芯写褏芯写褟褖邪 屑懈 写芯泄写械 蟹邪 袣芯谢械写邪. 袥懈锌褋胁邪褕械 屑懈 褌芯蟹懈 褏褍屑芯褉!
December 26, 2019
2/14/2008
Inseparable in my mind from a Futurama Christmas episode. Which is not a bad thing at all.
***
6/21/2014
Winter solstice holiday book at the summer solstice, why not? A wintry book can be just the thing on a day it is too hot to move, let alone go outside.
Here is Death, trying to maintain faith in the jolly man in the red suit, Albert along to coach and play elf, while Susan is diverted from her job as a governess to try and hunt the down the missing big guy. There is the creepiest assassin ever, a tooth fairy, the ohgod of hangovers, and strange things afoot at the Unseen University.
There's also a contemporary feel, with Pratchett riffing on Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story, as well as more modern retail jokes. The particular winter holiday of the story is a Dickensian sort of event in the home where Susan's working, but the overall effect is part of the general trend of bringing a medieval-Londonish fantasy setting up to the modern day. Once again, Pratchett shows how the stories we tell are a huge part of what makes us human.
It is a delightful treat.
Personal copy.
Inseparable in my mind from a Futurama Christmas episode. Which is not a bad thing at all.
***
6/21/2014
Winter solstice holiday book at the summer solstice, why not? A wintry book can be just the thing on a day it is too hot to move, let alone go outside.
Here is Death, trying to maintain faith in the jolly man in the red suit, Albert along to coach and play elf, while Susan is diverted from her job as a governess to try and hunt the down the missing big guy. There is the creepiest assassin ever, a tooth fairy, the ohgod of hangovers, and strange things afoot at the Unseen University.
There's also a contemporary feel, with Pratchett riffing on Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story, as well as more modern retail jokes. The particular winter holiday of the story is a Dickensian sort of event in the home where Susan's working, but the overall effect is part of the general trend of bringing a medieval-Londonish fantasy setting up to the modern day. Once again, Pratchett shows how the stories we tell are a huge part of what makes us human.
It is a delightful treat.
Personal copy.
December 25, 2024
12/25/24: I had to buy the ebook because I forgot to grab my paperback to bring with me to India, and let me tell you the crappy formatting almost ruined the experience. What angers me is publishers taking advantage of their authors' backlists, putting them in ebook format so they can make more money, but not doing basic cleanup on the text. This is particularly important for a Discworld book, which has no chaptering; there were huge blank spaces and a couple of missed section breaks and some punctuation that altered the meaning of the story. I am trying to regain my holiday cheer, but somehow seeing this book, which has so much to say about why people believe and the commercialization of holidays, treated as a commodity seems particularly wrong.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
12/23/22: Missed reading this last year, made up for it with the new audio production. I don't know what more I can say than I've said before. This is still near the top of my holiday reading list. I loved sharing it with my husband this year.
12/22/20: I don't actually know how many times I've read this, but enough that I didn't expect to be surprised by it. But Susan and Death's conversation about humans learning to believe the little lies (i.e. the Hogfather bringing presents to all the good little boys and girls) so they can believe the big lies (i.e. justice, mercy, love) really struck me this time. Death says, in essence, that those things exist nowhere in the universe in any concrete way, and yet humans insist on believing them--and Susan replies that if they don't believe, what's the point? I kind of like the idea of humanity being a function of all of us telling the universe where it can get off.
12/9/19: Not much to add this year, except I laughed a lot and disturbed my husband, who was also reading but whose book wasn't as good as mine. Ho. Ho. Ho.
12/23/18: It never ceases to amaze me how well Terry Pratchett, an atheist, understood the nature of belief, of how belief is a peculiarly human characteristic and what it means that humans need things to believe in, for good or ill. Hogfather is one of my favorite Christmas books, and I try to re-read it every couple of years at this season. This time, I particularly loved the computer Hex's transformation into a believer in the Hogfather, and how that made it just as entitled to a relationship with that god/anthropomorphic personification/demiurge as any human child. I also love Susan's relationship with her grandfather Death, and how Death both fully understands human nature (in the way he gets Susan involved in the Hogfather's disappearance) and really, really doesn't (in practically everything else.)
Two scenes come to mind when I think of what this book says about the Christmas season. One is the "Good King Wenceslas" scene, where Death interrupts a king giving his leftovers to a proud, poor man who never asked nobody for nothing. Death's well-made point is that the king gave of his abundance not because he cared for the man, but because it made him feel good to receive gratitude. I have been in the position of receiving well-meant but humiliating charity, and it's made me conscious of my own motives--giving is all very well, but where am I the other 364 days of the year?
The second is the "Little Match Girl" scene (this book is heavily populated with references to familiar Christmas stories) in which Death intervenes to keep the little girl alive rather than let her die to be a heartwarming tale for the more fortunate to remember and be grateful they aren't a frozen child dead in the snow. I don't like Christmas stories whose purpose is solely to tug at the heartstrings, to evoke emotion on the back of other people's tragedies, and the image of Pixie Albert pelting the angels with snowballs makes me laugh.
12/24/16: I love this book. The interactions between Death and his granddaughter Susan are perfect. It's something I re-read every year, a reminder of all the symbolism behind the waning of the year. And there's so much going on in this book: the wizards and their investigation of why there's suddenly a Verruca Gnome and a Cheerful Fairy wandering the halls of Unseen University, the horribly creepy Teatime and his clever but simple plan to "inhume" the Hogfather, Death's scramble to keep the sun rising, and Susan, caught up once again in her grandfather's plan. The Auditors are probably my favorite of Pratchett's villains, because they are so antithetical to life in all its shapes, and yet are torn by the same impulses to become individuals that humans are. It's a marvelous story, with a deeper meaning beneath the humor of the surface: Remember the poker.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
12/23/22: Missed reading this last year, made up for it with the new audio production. I don't know what more I can say than I've said before. This is still near the top of my holiday reading list. I loved sharing it with my husband this year.
12/22/20: I don't actually know how many times I've read this, but enough that I didn't expect to be surprised by it. But Susan and Death's conversation about humans learning to believe the little lies (i.e. the Hogfather bringing presents to all the good little boys and girls) so they can believe the big lies (i.e. justice, mercy, love) really struck me this time. Death says, in essence, that those things exist nowhere in the universe in any concrete way, and yet humans insist on believing them--and Susan replies that if they don't believe, what's the point? I kind of like the idea of humanity being a function of all of us telling the universe where it can get off.
12/9/19: Not much to add this year, except I laughed a lot and disturbed my husband, who was also reading but whose book wasn't as good as mine. Ho. Ho. Ho.
12/23/18: It never ceases to amaze me how well Terry Pratchett, an atheist, understood the nature of belief, of how belief is a peculiarly human characteristic and what it means that humans need things to believe in, for good or ill. Hogfather is one of my favorite Christmas books, and I try to re-read it every couple of years at this season. This time, I particularly loved the computer Hex's transformation into a believer in the Hogfather, and how that made it just as entitled to a relationship with that god/anthropomorphic personification/demiurge as any human child. I also love Susan's relationship with her grandfather Death, and how Death both fully understands human nature (in the way he gets Susan involved in the Hogfather's disappearance) and really, really doesn't (in practically everything else.)
Two scenes come to mind when I think of what this book says about the Christmas season. One is the "Good King Wenceslas" scene, where Death interrupts a king giving his leftovers to a proud, poor man who never asked nobody for nothing. Death's well-made point is that the king gave of his abundance not because he cared for the man, but because it made him feel good to receive gratitude. I have been in the position of receiving well-meant but humiliating charity, and it's made me conscious of my own motives--giving is all very well, but where am I the other 364 days of the year?
The second is the "Little Match Girl" scene (this book is heavily populated with references to familiar Christmas stories) in which Death intervenes to keep the little girl alive rather than let her die to be a heartwarming tale for the more fortunate to remember and be grateful they aren't a frozen child dead in the snow. I don't like Christmas stories whose purpose is solely to tug at the heartstrings, to evoke emotion on the back of other people's tragedies, and the image of Pixie Albert pelting the angels with snowballs makes me laugh.
12/24/16: I love this book. The interactions between Death and his granddaughter Susan are perfect. It's something I re-read every year, a reminder of all the symbolism behind the waning of the year. And there's so much going on in this book: the wizards and their investigation of why there's suddenly a Verruca Gnome and a Cheerful Fairy wandering the halls of Unseen University, the horribly creepy Teatime and his clever but simple plan to "inhume" the Hogfather, Death's scramble to keep the sun rising, and Susan, caught up once again in her grandfather's plan. The Auditors are probably my favorite of Pratchett's villains, because they are so antithetical to life in all its shapes, and yet are torn by the same impulses to become individuals that humans are. It's a marvelous story, with a deeper meaning beneath the humor of the surface: Remember the poker.
December 7, 2020
Pratchett's festive treat is certainly a great way to celebrate the 20th Discworld book in the series.
Ever since I'd first step foot in Prachett's fictional world of Ankh-Morpk I'd always been excited to reach this one.
Out of the many novels I reckon this is the one that everyone has probably heard of, I even skipped a couple just to read this in December.
How does one even go about reviewing this crazy story?
Well the simple premise is that the Hogfather (similar to our Father Christmas) has gone missing, so DEATH has decided to step into his place - in full fake beard and pillow up his coat so that the children still believe in Hogswatch.
In the meantime his Granddaughter Susan is tasked with finding the real Hogfather.
BUT GOING DOWN THE CHIMNEY? WHERE'S THE SENSE IN THAT? I CAN JUST WALK THROUGH WALLS.
Prachett's usual hilarious style is in abundance in such an easy topic to spoof.
DEATH knows the important of the belief in the Hogfather is that he goes to great lengths to keep up the presence, just thr idea of the skeleton having to switch his normal black robes to red is incredibly funny.
Add to the fact the villain of this novel is also just as memorable too, with such a delightfully fiendish plan.
Susan's second appearance in the series also shows so great character development since Soul Music.
I'd recommend reading the other DEATH novels first, but this has been my favourite from his sub-series.
Ever since I'd first step foot in Prachett's fictional world of Ankh-Morpk I'd always been excited to reach this one.
Out of the many novels I reckon this is the one that everyone has probably heard of, I even skipped a couple just to read this in December.
How does one even go about reviewing this crazy story?
Well the simple premise is that the Hogfather (similar to our Father Christmas) has gone missing, so DEATH has decided to step into his place - in full fake beard and pillow up his coat so that the children still believe in Hogswatch.
In the meantime his Granddaughter Susan is tasked with finding the real Hogfather.
BUT GOING DOWN THE CHIMNEY? WHERE'S THE SENSE IN THAT? I CAN JUST WALK THROUGH WALLS.
Prachett's usual hilarious style is in abundance in such an easy topic to spoof.
DEATH knows the important of the belief in the Hogfather is that he goes to great lengths to keep up the presence, just thr idea of the skeleton having to switch his normal black robes to red is incredibly funny.
Add to the fact the villain of this novel is also just as memorable too, with such a delightfully fiendish plan.
Susan's second appearance in the series also shows so great character development since Soul Music.
I'd recommend reading the other DEATH novels first, but this has been my favourite from his sub-series.
October 7, 2019
Los humanos necesitan la Fantas铆a para ser humanos. Para estar en el lugar donde el 谩ngel ca铆do se encuentra con el simio que se alza.
Solo por frases como esta, cualquier libro de Pratchett est谩 muy por encima de cualquier libro del mont贸n. A煤n as铆, no es de los mejores de Mundodisco pero tiene algunos di谩logos, sobre todo cuando aparece La Muerte, que demuestran este nivel de Pratchett.
En esta ocasi贸n, se centra en el mundo de las creencias y en la necesidad de creer enPap谩 Noel Pap谩 Puerco para que la humanidad pueda seguir siendo como es.
De los arcos argumentales de Mundodisco, el mejor es de los Guardias en mi opini贸n, pero el de La Muerte, a pesar de que las historias no llegan al nivel, tienen tanta fuerza los di谩logos y las reflexiones de personajes como La Muerte, Albert y Susan que para m铆 es el segundo mejor arco de Mundodisco. Disfruto con cada novela de esta trama sea lo que sea lo que me cuente.
Solo por frases como esta, cualquier libro de Pratchett est谩 muy por encima de cualquier libro del mont贸n. A煤n as铆, no es de los mejores de Mundodisco pero tiene algunos di谩logos, sobre todo cuando aparece La Muerte, que demuestran este nivel de Pratchett.
En esta ocasi贸n, se centra en el mundo de las creencias y en la necesidad de creer en
De los arcos argumentales de Mundodisco, el mejor es de los Guardias en mi opini贸n, pero el de La Muerte, a pesar de que las historias no llegan al nivel, tienen tanta fuerza los di谩logos y las reflexiones de personajes como La Muerte, Albert y Susan que para m铆 es el segundo mejor arco de Mundodisco. Disfruto con cada novela de esta trama sea lo que sea lo que me cuente.
November 22, 2022
鈥淎ll right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little鈥�"
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
"They're not the same at all!"
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET鈥擠eath waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point鈥�"
MY POINT EXACTLY.鈥�
I think I'll have to make this book a Christmas tradition. It was just as good as I had expected. Reading Discworld throughout 2021 was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed each book immensely and also loved the way the world and it's vast, varied cast of characters was masterfully crafted. The rest of the series will be a priority in 2022, and once I've finished the lot I think I'll just go back to the start and read it all again.
鈥淵ou can't give her that!' she screamed. 'It's not safe!'
IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
'She's a child!' shouted Crumley.
IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
'What if she cuts herself?'
THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON.鈥�
**
鈥淎nd then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.鈥�
**
鈥淢ister Teatime had a truly brilliant mind, but it was brilliant like a fractured mirror, all marvellous facets and rainbows but, ultimately, also something that was broken.鈥�
**
鈥淭he phrase 'Someone ought to do something' was not, by itself, a helpful one. People who used it never added the rider 'and that someone is me'.鈥�
**
鈥淚t was nice to hear the voices of little children at play, provided you took care to be far enough away not to hear what they were actually saying.鈥�
**
鈥淏E HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU鈥橵E GOT, IS THAT THE IDEA?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 about the size of it, master. A good god line, that. Don鈥檛 give 鈥檈m too much and tell 鈥檈m to be happy with it. Jam tomorrow, see.鈥�
THIS IS WRONG. Death hesitated. I MEAN鈥T鈥橲 RIGHT TO BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU鈥橵E GOT. BUT YOU鈥橵E GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT HAVING. THERE鈥橲 NO POINT IN BEING HAPPY ABOUT HAVING NOTHING.鈥�
**
鈥淓ducation had been easy. Learning things had been harder.鈥�
**
鈥淐harity ain鈥檛 giving people what you wants to give, it鈥檚 giving people what they need to get.鈥�
**
鈥淭he children refused to disbelieve in the monsters because, frankly, they knew damn well the things were there. But she鈥檇 found that they could, very firmly, also believe in the poker.鈥�
December 2, 2023
2023 re-read. Yes, every year I get Hogfather out at this time of year because as a Christmas book you can't beat it. As a Discworld book it's very high on the list of my favourites. Every year something new springs out at me, every year I laugh like a drain, have a little cry and it renews my faith in all things Pratchett and even humanity. The part that got me this year was right at the end where Death is talking about what a peculiar species humans are. Terry Pratchett, apart from being a master storyteller, world creator and generally hilarious author was great at the study of human beings with all our faults and foibles. I miss that new Pratchett Christmas book every year but thank Offler that we still have the whole Discworld to lose ourselves in. Happy Hogswatch people!
Perfection.
I've been a Pratchett fan for about 35 years but I think Hogfather despite being the 20th Discworld novel (1996 vintage) is a great place to start. It gives you some of the best loved characters-Susan, Death, Albert, the Assassins Guild and the wizards of Unseen University and the librarian but it works wonderfully as a stand alone novel. You don't really need to know anything about their history because the story of Father Christmas/ Hogfather and Christmas time/ Hogswatch is a well trodden road.
I listened to the new recording released in 2021 and it brought back my love of the book when I read it all those years ago. It's funny and silly and clever and everything you expect from a Discworld novel.
Just suspend your skepticism and BELIEVE!
Highly recommended.
Perfection.
I've been a Pratchett fan for about 35 years but I think Hogfather despite being the 20th Discworld novel (1996 vintage) is a great place to start. It gives you some of the best loved characters-Susan, Death, Albert, the Assassins Guild and the wizards of Unseen University and the librarian but it works wonderfully as a stand alone novel. You don't really need to know anything about their history because the story of Father Christmas/ Hogfather and Christmas time/ Hogswatch is a well trodden road.
I listened to the new recording released in 2021 and it brought back my love of the book when I read it all those years ago. It's funny and silly and clever and everything you expect from a Discworld novel.
Just suspend your skepticism and BELIEVE!
Highly recommended.
October 31, 2023
Trigger warnings: death, murder, violence, vomit, child abuse (in the past), teeth(??), death of a parent (in the past).
31/10/2023
Pratchett at his best. The scene with Death trying to open a door is comedy gold.
25/12/2019
Perfection. The end.
28/11/2018
I love everything about this. EVERYTHING. Especially the peeing pig and how long that joke is dragged out for. It's spectacluar.
25/12/2017
Yes, I reread this even though I'd just finished it in January. Whatever. It's amazing and I love it.
21/1/2017
I ran out of time to reread this in 2016, so I got in early this year. There is so much INCREDIBLY clever writing in here that makes you think about yourself and your beliefs. There are so many fabulous characters. There are so many iconic moments ("meet the Hogfather at the fancy department store" turning into "watch the Hogfather's enormous hogs piss all over the fancy department store", for one). And honestly? It's just a delight.
26/12/2015
I've adored Terry Pratchett's Discworld series for nearly 20 years now, but in the past year or so, I've gained a new appreciation for the subtleties of his writing. Yes, this is hilarious. And yes, it's incredibly entertaining. But there is SO much in this story about belief, about the impact that belief has on children, about how the things we're told as children - "don't suck your thumb, or the Scissor Man will come and cut it off!", "don't step on a crack in the footpath or a bear will eat you!", "be careful or the bogeyman will get you!" - impact on our lives as adults, as well as throughout childhood.
There's also a lot about belief being full of layers - the Hogfather ultimately comes from the idea that a midwinter sacrifice is necessary for the sun to return. So what starts as a pagan tradition gets warped and changed through the years and through the generations until somehow it pops out the other end as a fat jolly man who gives presents to small children.
In short, you can read Pratchett at a surface level and laugh yourself silly. Or you can look a little deeper, and be blown away by just how much of a genius Pratchett really was.
19/12/2013
I adore this book with every fibre of my being. It's one of my favourite Discworld books, hands down. And it was the perfect Christmas reread - while it may be deeply funny and highly entertaining, at its core, Hogfather is a story about the power and importance of belief.
Susan and Death are two of my favourite Discworld characters, and it's completely wonderful to have them both throughout so much of this book. Oddly, despite loving the book to pieces, I really wasn't a big fan of the TV adaptation from a couple of years ago. I'm just not convinced that they can ever quite capture the magic of Death and the spirit of Hogswatch on television, you know?
If for no other reason, this is worth reading for the scene where Death takes over as a department store Hogfather. His conversations with the kids in the store are completely priceless, the reactions of the parents are hilarious, and the unexpected addition of Nobby Nobbs is simply the icing on the cake of awesomeness.
31/10/2023
Pratchett at his best. The scene with Death trying to open a door is comedy gold.
25/12/2019
Perfection. The end.
28/11/2018
I love everything about this. EVERYTHING. Especially the peeing pig and how long that joke is dragged out for. It's spectacluar.
25/12/2017
Yes, I reread this even though I'd just finished it in January. Whatever. It's amazing and I love it.
21/1/2017
I ran out of time to reread this in 2016, so I got in early this year. There is so much INCREDIBLY clever writing in here that makes you think about yourself and your beliefs. There are so many fabulous characters. There are so many iconic moments ("meet the Hogfather at the fancy department store" turning into "watch the Hogfather's enormous hogs piss all over the fancy department store", for one). And honestly? It's just a delight.
26/12/2015
I've adored Terry Pratchett's Discworld series for nearly 20 years now, but in the past year or so, I've gained a new appreciation for the subtleties of his writing. Yes, this is hilarious. And yes, it's incredibly entertaining. But there is SO much in this story about belief, about the impact that belief has on children, about how the things we're told as children - "don't suck your thumb, or the Scissor Man will come and cut it off!", "don't step on a crack in the footpath or a bear will eat you!", "be careful or the bogeyman will get you!" - impact on our lives as adults, as well as throughout childhood.
There's also a lot about belief being full of layers - the Hogfather ultimately comes from the idea that a midwinter sacrifice is necessary for the sun to return. So what starts as a pagan tradition gets warped and changed through the years and through the generations until somehow it pops out the other end as a fat jolly man who gives presents to small children.
In short, you can read Pratchett at a surface level and laugh yourself silly. Or you can look a little deeper, and be blown away by just how much of a genius Pratchett really was.
19/12/2013
I adore this book with every fibre of my being. It's one of my favourite Discworld books, hands down. And it was the perfect Christmas reread - while it may be deeply funny and highly entertaining, at its core, Hogfather is a story about the power and importance of belief.
Susan and Death are two of my favourite Discworld characters, and it's completely wonderful to have them both throughout so much of this book. Oddly, despite loving the book to pieces, I really wasn't a big fan of the TV adaptation from a couple of years ago. I'm just not convinced that they can ever quite capture the magic of Death and the spirit of Hogswatch on television, you know?
If for no other reason, this is worth reading for the scene where Death takes over as a department store Hogfather. His conversations with the kids in the store are completely priceless, the reactions of the parents are hilarious, and the unexpected addition of Nobby Nobbs is simply the icing on the cake of awesomeness.
December 4, 2018
Re-reading of "Hogfather", one of my all time favorite books, or so I thought. It's almost 20 years since I read it the first time and I estimate that I've read about 3000 books in the interlude. Nope, all of them are not on goodreads, my memory isn't that good and I've only been keeping track the past nine years. Despite the number of new books under my belt, this held up incredibly well.
Susan, the non-biological grand daughter of Death, is employed as a nanny and trying to be normal. This is made difficult as she regularly needs to literally bash in the heads of the children's monsters with a poker. Her fragile attempts at normality end when she feels the need to investigate why her father has decided to dress up as the Hogfather (the Discworld's variation of Santa Claus). Where has the real Hogfather gone? And why are all sorts of magical creatures popping into existence?
The first third of the book is incredibly funny. I had forgotten the finesse of Pratchett at his finest. Okay, not always finesse, but hilarious none the less. The end of the book has one of the best quotes ever.
"'All right.' said Susan. 'I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need .. fantasies to make life bearable.'
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMAN NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
'Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little ---'
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU AHVE TO START OUT BE LEARNING OT BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
'So we can believe the big ones?'
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
'They're not the same at all!'
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET--- Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME .. SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
'Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point---'
MY POINT EXACTLY."
****
This was the first Pratchett book I ever read. I was quite sceptical. Within six months after finishing this book, I had read every other Discworld novel to that date. "Hogfather" is an amazing fairy tale for every grown-up that still nourishes the child in them. This is a book that can be read at several levels, if nothing else, then simply for the humour. This book is hilarious!
Susan, the non-biological grand daughter of Death, is employed as a nanny and trying to be normal. This is made difficult as she regularly needs to literally bash in the heads of the children's monsters with a poker. Her fragile attempts at normality end when she feels the need to investigate why her father has decided to dress up as the Hogfather (the Discworld's variation of Santa Claus). Where has the real Hogfather gone? And why are all sorts of magical creatures popping into existence?
The first third of the book is incredibly funny. I had forgotten the finesse of Pratchett at his finest. Okay, not always finesse, but hilarious none the less. The end of the book has one of the best quotes ever.
"'All right.' said Susan. 'I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need .. fantasies to make life bearable.'
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMAN NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
'Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little ---'
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU AHVE TO START OUT BE LEARNING OT BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
'So we can believe the big ones?'
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
'They're not the same at all!'
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET--- Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME .. SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
'Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point---'
MY POINT EXACTLY."
****
This was the first Pratchett book I ever read. I was quite sceptical. Within six months after finishing this book, I had read every other Discworld novel to that date. "Hogfather" is an amazing fairy tale for every grown-up that still nourishes the child in them. This is a book that can be read at several levels, if nothing else, then simply for the humour. This book is hilarious!
January 28, 2019
Part of the Pratchett reread with the SpecFic Buddy Reads group in 2019.
The Hogfather, Discworld's Santa Claus analogue, is missing and Death is filling in. Death has also carefully instructed his granddaughter Susan Sto Helit not to get involved, so she leans into her family heritage and investigates the latest interference by the Auditors of Reality.
This is one of the Discworld books that I've reread the most, including both print and audio, and I've seen the mini-series a couple of times. So it was actually surprising how much the book struck me this time around. It's easy to think of some of the great bits in this book like "the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape" and "you need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?", but some of the subtler points stood out to me this time, like the description of flowering tube worms at the bottom of the ocean as "a tiny yes in the night".
This definitely holds up on rereading and remains one of the best books of the entire series in my opinion.
The Hogfather, Discworld's Santa Claus analogue, is missing and Death is filling in. Death has also carefully instructed his granddaughter Susan Sto Helit not to get involved, so she leans into her family heritage and investigates the latest interference by the Auditors of Reality.
This is one of the Discworld books that I've reread the most, including both print and audio, and I've seen the mini-series a couple of times. So it was actually surprising how much the book struck me this time around. It's easy to think of some of the great bits in this book like "the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape" and "you need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?", but some of the subtler points stood out to me this time, like the description of flowering tube worms at the bottom of the ocean as "a tiny yes in the night".
This definitely holds up on rereading and remains one of the best books of the entire series in my opinion.
December 6, 2017
Still as good on every reread. Pratchett at his best with better insights in to humanity than anyone else.
November 27, 2016
It finally happened. I finally made it up to Hogfather in my Discworld reading list. I was a bit early for Christmas, but at least I reached it within the general winter holiday time frame.
Hogfather is the fourth book in the Death subseries. The Hogfather, for those uninitiated in the madness of the Discworld, is the Disc鈥檚 version of Santa Claus. He delivers gifts to children on Hogswatch Night. There are problems this year, though. The mysterious beings known as the Auditors have hired the Assassin鈥檚 Guild to kill 鈥渢he fat man鈥� and now the Hogfather is missing. Death decides to fill in for him, and he really warms up to the role.
This book was quite funny; there were a lot of parts that made me laugh. One of the things that was starting to get tiresome to me in the Death subseries was the way Death always seems to be in the middle of some internal crisis, shirking his responsibilities while others take up the slack. This book was a nice change of pace from that. Although Death did occasionally lose sight of his 鈥渞eal鈥� responsibilities, he was taking up the slack for somebody else this time and he took the whole thing very seriously. I thought he was more fun to read about in this book than he had been in the previous Death books.
This story, on the other hand, seemed like one of Pratchett鈥檚 more disjointed stories. There were a few different pieces to the story, and they did all tie together, but the ties were pretty tenuous. This was one of those stories where you may be told something happened and why, but it still doesn鈥檛 seem terribly sensible or logical. I know, I know, this is the Discworld. Things aren鈥檛 supposed to be sensible and logical. But I like sense and logic. :) For the most part, I was able to just enjoy the humor in the current part of the story I was reading without thinking too hard about the over-all plot.
Hogfather is the fourth book in the Death subseries. The Hogfather, for those uninitiated in the madness of the Discworld, is the Disc鈥檚 version of Santa Claus. He delivers gifts to children on Hogswatch Night. There are problems this year, though. The mysterious beings known as the Auditors have hired the Assassin鈥檚 Guild to kill 鈥渢he fat man鈥� and now the Hogfather is missing. Death decides to fill in for him, and he really warms up to the role.
This book was quite funny; there were a lot of parts that made me laugh. One of the things that was starting to get tiresome to me in the Death subseries was the way Death always seems to be in the middle of some internal crisis, shirking his responsibilities while others take up the slack. This book was a nice change of pace from that. Although Death did occasionally lose sight of his 鈥渞eal鈥� responsibilities, he was taking up the slack for somebody else this time and he took the whole thing very seriously. I thought he was more fun to read about in this book than he had been in the previous Death books.
This story, on the other hand, seemed like one of Pratchett鈥檚 more disjointed stories. There were a few different pieces to the story, and they did all tie together, but the ties were pretty tenuous. This was one of those stories where you may be told something happened and why, but it still doesn鈥檛 seem terribly sensible or logical. I know, I know, this is the Discworld. Things aren鈥檛 supposed to be sensible and logical. But I like sense and logic. :) For the most part, I was able to just enjoy the humor in the current part of the story I was reading without thinking too hard about the over-all plot.
January 1, 2020
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