I listened to this story on the road between my family's home in Colorado and El Paso, Texas (my mother's hometown). This was our family's first encounter with Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Guards! Guards! had everyone in the van shrieking with laughter.
Terry Pratchett's style of humor is coarser than that of P.G. Wodehouse, more literary than that of Dave Barry, more heartfelt than that of Douglas Adams. The storyline - which involves, among other things, a simple but honest youth who was raised by dwarfs, the unsavory City Watch that he joins, a magic book stolen from a university library, and dragons - meandered somewhat, as if the author had toyed with various possible plot developments and decided to keep whatever bits amused him.
What endeared Guards! Guards! to me the most was the way that the author conveyed the wonder of books. Large collections of books, Pratchett says, can bend space and time. Someone initiated into the secret knowledge of librarians can venture into "L-space", which connects all libraries everywhere. His descriptions suited my sense that books in general, and libraries in particular, are magical.
(The recording from Isis audio books was excellent, too. Reader Nigel Planer brings to life a large cast of characters.)
I'm curious - are any of you acquainted with Pratchett's Discworld novels? If so, do you have a favorite? More generally, what do you read when you're looking for a good laugh?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ooo, this sounds great! I've never read any of these novels but I'm going to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of L-space.
ReplyDeleteI don't tend to seek out humorous books, but I probably should. I still have to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.