THe Night Watches …

Can I make a confession, here?

Can I?

Can I confess, I’m something of a Terry Pratchett fan?

Like you haven’t probably guessed, by now …

I know, I know, I’m probably something of a one horse pony*, on that front; but, when I do for an author’s work, I tend to go as bonkers as my budget allows.

Iain Banks — when he’s in Iain M. Banks mode — is superb, for example. Actually, I can’t help but wonder about some of the scripts for the new series of “Doctor Who”. Some of the Virgin New Adventures did seem to have fallen off the back of Glasgow bound lorry …

There’s other’s. Julian May, on form, always tickled me — her Saga of Exiles, in particular, was a mix of high fantasy, and gun toting alien elves.

And I’ve given a lot of attention to Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, over the past few months; the original novel of “Dune”, before you ask me about the film, or mini-series. Still a very relevant read, I think, with Barack Obama cracking those self mocking 73rd Day gag’s; he’s read it, he must have done.

But the one author who’s been a consistent presence on my shelves has been a former PR man for Windscale, who claims that his taking that job, at roughly the same time Three Mile Island kicked off, was just unfortunate timing.

I’m talking about Terry Pratchett.

Now, I know this’ll sound odd, but I’m going to go slightly sideways here. I like escaping. That’s been a bane of my life, in some regards; far too many’s the time I’ve found escaping from — usually with a lot of beer — to be very easy.

But I’m also — like so many other’s — fond of escaping to.

Big distinction, there.

And, yes, I’m very aware of it.

Now whether escaping to involves EastEnders, Coronation Street, or Star Wars — or the tribal Saturday afternoon football matchº — is purely a matter of choice, here.

Or maybe something simpler.

In my case, it was a simple matter of an eye catching cover; that of The Colour of Magic, and its immediate follow ups, The Light Fantastic and Equal Rites, not long after Equal Rites was published, in early 1987. I was wondering through my local branch of Martins, when it was giving W. H. Smiths a good run for the money in the book selling game, and happened to catch the covers of the first two books.

And read the blurb on the back of The Colour of Magic …

What really caught me was its description of the setting ‘… supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown)’.

Which is what caught me.

I’ve come to expect all sorts of things from fantasy books, over the years.

I don’t expect the blurb writer to have their tongues stuck that firmly in their cheeks.

And what was even more surprising was that the cover of The Colour of Magic actually was a good example of the plot of the book; usually many fantasy book are a little bit more … well … disconnected from what’s inside the covers.

I bought it.

And started reading it, on the way home.

And haven’t stop laughing, since.

And kept reading Terry’s work, every time a new one’s hit the shelves …

Including the recentish bedtime read, Night Watch.

Night Watch is the 29th — and, although Terry’s usual humour’s there, also one of the darker entry’s — in the series and caught me up from the word go, as the Disc’s only time travel novel; it sees its central character, Commander Vimes, thrown back in time, chasing the very nasty villain of the piece, Carcer.

And having to teach his younger self how to be a good copper, in the process. And make sure that graves get as filled as they should be; The city of Ankh-Morpork is having something of an upheaval, at this point in its history …

Something I mentioned about Mark Strong’s performance in Body of Lies, was how convinced I was that he’d be able to give a very good performance as Ankh-Morpork’s ruler, Lord Vetinari. I’ve alway’s thought like that; clocked an actor in a film, and felt they’d be able to do well as a character in the film or TV version of a given book.

But sometimes I’ll read a book, and a character in it will get me thinking of someone I’ve met; sometime several someones.

Carcer is one of those character’s …

And that’s a ‘several’, I should add, here.

Unfortunately …

I won’t name names, but that’s part of Terry Pratchett’s appeal, for me. He’s always maintained that the Discworld is a world — with its own rules and history — and a mirror of worlds.

We see what’s around us, in while new ways.

And how he describes Carcer — as someone who “… wouldn’t shoot you in the back, if there was a good chance of cutting your throat” — is very applicable to real world characters.

Scary things, mirrors …

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* Did I just invent a phrase, there … ?

º I’m no fan of football, I’ll happily admit, but I do know how important it is for many; and I’m thinking it has a huge tribal element to it. At least in the sense that it provides us with badge of identity.