The World Book Night Pick-up …

Hmmm ...

Look’s like Blogger'as not exactly compatible with the version of Internet Explorer*, anymore.

Which is ...

Well, it does make for a certain amount of awkwardness, uploading the photos I meant to show you.

But, at least, I've now managed to get hold of the books I'll be handing out, on World Book Night, this coming Saint Georges Day.

Of course, the one problem, at the moment … ?

Is how exactly to get them home.

The box is a BIT bigger than I was expecting … !!!

*        I initially posted this from Brentwood Library, where the books I’m due to hand out had been delivered … 

I Shall Wear Midnight: Pterry’s most recent …

You know, you can tell we’ve just got past that time of year, can’t you … ?

Decorations are coming down, plastic Christmas trees are being put back in the attic, shedding tinsel’s being placed gently and reverentially in the bin …

And the interesting crimbo pressies are being oggled …

Yes, I know I’m being a touch self centred, there, maybe.

But there you go …

|«•»|

At any rate, I mentioned, a day or two ago, I’d been given the latest Terry Pratchett hardback, I Shall Wear Midnight, for Christmas, and how impressed I was with it.

Having actually finished it … ?

I’m still impressed …

I Shall Wear Midnight — the fourth of the Tiffany Aching novels — sees Tiffany going about her day to day work as the only witch in the area she lives: one facing a slowly building climate of suspicion she’s never experienced, until now.

As the novel progresses, she — and we — find that the fear of witches is being caused by an entity called The Cunning Man: an Omnian witch-finder who’d died over a millennium before, after falling in lust with a witch he was due to burn.

An entity who’s found that the one thing he really wants to do …

Is still to persecute witches …

⋘•⋙

Now, I said, earlier, that I was impressed … ?

Yes, I did, and I am.

Now, I’ll be honest, I’ve not actually re-read Unseen Academicals, the last Discworld novel: mostly were I felt that Pterry’s condition was seriously starting to show.

That doesn’t seem to be the case with I Shall Wear Midnight.

It is — by turns — frightening, laugh-out-loud funny, romantic …

And uplifting, as only Terry Pratchett can be.

Granted, it may not be his best work.

I think that honour goes to 2008’s Nation.

But I Shall Wear Midnight … ?

Definitely tells me Terry Pratchett is still fighting that demon …

Footing the Ball …

You know, I’ve got to admit, there’s a couple of things I got for Christmas, that I haven’t told you about.

At least, not yet …

I think I’m going to remedy that, now, in telling you about something my Mum picked up for me.

Terry Pratchett’s latest Discworld book, Unseen Academicals.

And I’m …

Well …

Actually, I’ve got to be honest, I’m scrabbling for words, here.

I’m fairly sure I don’t necessarily want to use the phrase, “mixed feelings,” here, but don’t necessarily want to overuse it.

But it is true that that’s kinda the phrase I’m looking for, maybe.

After all, if you’ve been reading my words for a while, you’ll know how I’m something of a fan of Terry Pratchett, so getting Unseen Academicals for Christmas was both a treat, and something I’ve been mildly dreading.

Mildly might even be to mild a word, but let’s stick with that, shall we?

You might be wondering why.

But Terry’s been a favourite author of mine for a very long time, so when the news broke, a while back, that he’d been diagnosed with a form of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s was genuinely devastating: especially as it had — effectively — killed my paternal grandmother, years before she actually died.

So getting this book …

Phew …

Was …

Was …

Hmm …

Something to take slowly …

Which I must confess I did.

The plot sees the Faculty of Unseen University — when confronted by the realisation that they may be about to run out of money for food, unless they honour the terms of a rather BIG bequest — having to face the fact that they’re going to have to do the unthinkable.

Play football …

Added and abetted by by some of the actual ‘below-stairs’ staff of the University: including Glenda and her pies, Juliet — who, during the story, find out she may be the Disc’s greatest living fashion model —, Trevor — tin can kicker, and son of Ankh Morpork’s greatest footballer — and the mysterious Mr Nutt.

Who’s — seemingly — got a lot more going for him, than a talent for dribbling candles.

All this co-incides with the re-discovery of the city’s ancient rules of football, and Lord Vetinari’s attempts to tame the modern version of the game.

•••••

Now, normally, I’d be telling you how much I’ve enjoyed this.

Which I have.

But I’m also very aware — very aware — of the condition he has.

And reading Unseen Academicals, I was very aware of the trouble that writing has been giving him. There are times, Unseen Academicals reads a look like one of his earlier Discworld novels. And possibly one were he was still learning to be the writer we’ve come to know and love, today.

There’s also moments where he seemed — to me — to be genuinely struggling with his condition.

Choices of words, times when established characters seem out of kilter, times when the plot seems to be drifting a touch …

And there’s times when he’s still on form.

Especially when the gang from UU are concerned.

•••••

It just seems a shame to me, that I feel I can tell Alzheimer’s seems to be starting to affect him.

Saying that, however, I do know that that may well simply be the fact that he’s finding it difficult to to actually concentrate on the physical aspect of writing this entry in the Discworld series: he has, from what I can gather, been forced to rely on some fairly extensive dictation software to get the book done: and I think that’s possibly showing.

•••••

And I think that’s why I’m feeling a touch confused about Unseen Academicals.

The scars from the demon’s fangs are starting to show.

But I’m also very aware that he’s still fighting it …

⌘⌘⌘

The Belgariad

Well, now THAT’S annoyed me!

Ever since I heard, yesterday, about the death of author David Eddings, I got to thinking I should re-read his “Belgariad” series; the covers of which are pictured.

I came across this set, around the same time I first started reading both Julian May, and Terry Pratchett.

And while I think that Terry, Pratchett is the better writer, and that Julian May makes better use of celtic mythology, I do know that David Eddings has a place.

NOBODY did light and frothy fantasy much better.

I’m also thinking a comparison to “Star Wars” is fairly appropriate.

Both “The Belgariad” and “Star Wars” are coming of age drama’s, with an innocent farmboy finding he has mystical powers, inherits a magical sword, and advised by a wizard.

And chased around by a villain in black.

Luke Skywalker never had to deal with Torak, the scarred God of Angarak, though.

What I’m trying to say, here, is that neither is stunning original, and both draw on pretty much the same sort of archetypes.

I also think that Eddings managed to do dialogue a lot better than George Lucas did with “Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope”.

Now I’m no literary or movie critic.

But I do know that, in amongst the darker stuff I’ve read or watched, it’s nice to have a good ol’ fashioned romp!

THAT’S why misplacing these five books is annoying.

They are serious fun escapism …

In Memorium; David Eddings

Oh, now that’s a shame!

I’ve just found out from the BBC’s teletext and web coverage, that the 77 year-old fantasy author, David Eddings died, on Tuesday.

I’m mildly upset.

I LOVED his stuff; right from page one of the Belgariad series.

Which is maybe putting it strongly.

I also know that he wasn’t a stunningly great genius of a writer.   But he was very entertaining.   His plot’s were fairly formulaic; but his — or he and Leigh, his late wife and collaborator — did have a wonderfully way with dialogue.

And, yes, I know I usually wouldn’t — these days — go for brick thick novels, Eddings was one of the few exceptions.

As he put it himeself, “I’m never going to be in danger of getting a Nobel prize for literature, I’m a storyteller, not a prophet. I’m just interested in a good story”.

Which I think says it all …

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 …

•••••

•••••

* 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.