Night Watch - Don't Miss this Gem from the Backlist!

December 14, 2012

Terry Pratchett’s laugh-out-loud humor, sharp wit, and savvy satire have kept me reading, re-reading his novels, and snatching up his new books as soon as they hit the shelves for years. His Discworld series, now over 40 titles, made Sir Pratchett, (knighted in 2009) the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. They've sold over 70 million copies worldwide in 37 languages.

Discworld is just that, a flat disc hurtling through space on the backs of four elephants who in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. Sound weird? In each novel, Pratchett draws satirical parallels to current political, scientific, and cultural issues with dwarves, vampires, golems, wizards, humans, and dragons. Even weirder? Pratchett's brilliant storytelling makes this magical world of fantastic characters and situations feel utterly familiar and utterly real.

In my opinion, the most accessible stories of Discworld involve the character, Captain Sam Vimes. So, a great choice for your introduction to Sir Pratchett is Night Watch starring Captain Vimes and his band of watchmen, my favorite group of Pratchett heroes. The series started back in 1983, and some of the older titles have been lovingly read to shreds here at MCPL. The first of the Sam Vimes stories, Guards, Guards!, is among those. Happily, you can still request it through WorldCat, if you’d like to read them all in order.

Every audiobook of a Pratchett novel that I’ve listened to has been fabulous, too. And many of his books were made into BBC movies…and there are graphic novels available through WorldCat…and there’s a whole series of stories for young adults…!

Put Terry Pratchett on your Christmas list!

Laura M.
Kearney Branch