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Title: Truth, The by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0-380-81819-1 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 04 September, 2001 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (68 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: What just happened?
Comment: ...I just finished The Truth; when does it get good? I'll agree with previous reviewers on one point only: the Discworld series has been in need of new blood. The established groups of characters have all had many books devoted to them, have grown in complexity and humanity, and have become quite beloved among the fans, but at the same time they may have begun to run out of stories. Pratchett himself seems to be sensing this; both Carpe Jugulum (the most recent Witches book) and The Fifth Elephant (the last Watchmen book) had a strong feeling of finality about them, as if he was determined to put his all into one last brilliant work featuring Granny Weatherwax or Sam Vimes. And of course, with the seeming passing of former casts, new blood is being introduced. That's the first trouble with The Truth. Most of Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork stories (and all of his best ones) have featured Sam Vimes as the (anti-) hero. Now Vimes has been replaced by idealistic newspaper editor William de Worde, and Lady Sybil by William's lady friend, Sarcharissa. I realize I'm going to sound like a Crochety Old Discworld Fan here, but William and Sarcharissa are no substitutes. William is appealing and likable, but he's just not very interesting. Pratchett paid surprisingly little attention to him for a main character; if he had then he might have come to life, but as is, the author's done this sort of thing better before. Sarcharissa also has more of the stock Pratchett heroine from his very early books in her than anything else. Okay, so now that I've made plenty of enemies by bashing the new characters, let's talk about the plot. Discworld plots usually range from perfect to somewhat hit-or-miss, but this one downright misses. Too many satiric targets are being aimed at. The Truth tries to make fun of both the press in general and of Nixon and Watergate in specific, thus making it both a book in the vein of Soul Music, which goes after a pop-culture phenomenon, and one like Jingo, which shoots for a specific topic. With all of this plus an almost entirely new cast, neither the characters nor either plot is given enough time, and in the end it suffers from a severe lack of development or resolution. You get the sense that you have missed a crucial scene somewhere; you're never quite sure how things got from A to B. So if the characters aren't so good, and the plot isn't so good, what is left but humor? A mediocre Pratchett book in terms of the other two factors usually has the saving grace of being funny, but no such luck here. The style is as amusing as ever, but much of the descriptions of the city- I couldn't tell if they have been actually reused from other books or are so similar that you I couldn't tell the difference. There are a number of cameos from famous characters (the Bursar's scenes being a case in point) that don't have any place in the plot; these only serve to distract instead of adding humor or easing the transition to William's story. As for the villians, Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip...they're funny, all right, but did anyone else think that they read like out-and-out parodies of Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere? The resemblence was too similar for me to ever take the New Firm seriously nor laugh at them very much. The Truth, appropriate to its subject, is at least free of the typographic errors that plagued The Fifth Elephant (except on one memorable occasion when a character called Deep Bone has his name written "Deep Throat".) The cover, rendered in not two but three nasty colors, is not pretty, but it does the job and doesn't hurt like the last one. The real reason that I had such a problem with The Truth is its author. We are now so used to Pratchetts' churning out brilliant book after brilliant book that our standards may have become too high. If anyone else had written this book I would have liked it far more, but compared to Jingo or The Fifth Elephant, it doesn't stand a chance. Is The Truth an excellent novel? Of course. Is it an excellent Pratchett novel? Not really. And you can quote me.
Rating: 5
Summary: Pressing business in Ankh-Morpork
Comment: The Truth has the honour of being the 25th Discworld book. I haven't read all 25, but I have read a fair number of them, and I'd have to say this one is the best in awhile, even better than The Fifth Elephant.
William de Worde, outcast son of a local rich family in Ankh Morpork, has been regularly supplying (via engraving) a news page to a few select people in the city and the surrounding areas. One day, he is literally run over by the power of the press, in this case allowed to run amok by a group of dwarves. After regaining consciousness, William sees what this press can do and the possibilities it represents to get the news out to people. Imagine, movable type! Thus begins the saga of the Ankh-Morpork Times. William enlists the dwarves, and hires a young lady, Sacharissa Cripslock, to be a reporter. She's got a nose for headlines and is able to use some feminine wiles to get sources to talk to her. He also hires Otto Chriek, a vampire, as a photographer. Poor Otto has a fascination with flash photography, but every time the flash goes off, he becomes a pile of ash and needs help reforming himself.
When Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of the city, is accused of attempted murder, the City Watch is on the case, followed closely by William. Sometimes, too closely, as Commander Vimes has to deal with not only the crime, but also this new person breathing down his neck and asking questions. William thinks the public has a right to know what is going on. As the investigation continues, things get hotter and hotter for William, as he finds out that the search for the Truth isn't always a safe one.
There are so many things that make this book stand out. The first is the character of William. He's a crusader, a second son of a rich family. In Ankh-Morpork, only first sons ever really do anything. Subsequent sons are expected to go to school, graduate, and stay out of the way. William doesn't do that, but instead wants to make a name for himself. He hardly ever lies and has a deep respect for the truth, which is why he's so dedicated in this book. He's a wonderful straight man, reacting to some of the absurd events that are surrounding him as if they're not absurd.
Probably the best character, though, is Otto. He is so earnest in his profession, but he also has the funniest lines and situations. You would think that the repetition of "Flash! Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" would get boring after awhile, but it doesn't. The situations that it happens in are so varied that it never gets old. He's a very dedicated photographer, innovative (he is able to invent colour photography) and very loyal to William. He's also "on the wagon," which means that he doesn't drink human blood anymore. One of the funniest scenes in the book is when he's tempted (completely innocently and in a stressful situation) by Sacharissa.
One of the more interesting aspects of this book, at least for long-time Discworld readers, is the City Watch. This is the first book (or at least the first I've read) where the Watch is featured very heavily, but it's not *about* the Watch. There are only two or three scenes that are from the viewpoint of somebody who's in the Watch. Thus, you get to see them as outsiders see them. You see the strangeness that can happen without seeing the inherent reasoning behind it, and that is refreshing. Vimes is the same as he always has been, but his reactions to William and this new idea of somebody actually trying to tell people what is truly going on are simply hilarious. He doesn't like it and he doesn't react well to it.
The book mirrors the rise of newspapers very well, even down to the creation of tabloids (Mayor Stolen by Aliens!). Of course, the whole thing is condensed into a few weeks (and one investigative story), but it's still a nice parallel. Pratchett goes all out, showing not only the virtues of a free press, but also some of the faults. Most importantly, though, it shows the various reactions to this new medium: some fear it, some welcome it, some will take advantage of it (like the guy with the funny vegetables who wants them in the paper every day). Just like real life, only funnier.
This book is definitely worth a read. It doesn't matter if this is your first Discworld book or your 25th, you'll love it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful new characters!
Comment: This is one of the more entertaining books I have read in ages! Once again, Pratchett has written a book that satirizes yet consistently pulls off wondeful plot twists.
We meet William de Worde, ambitious paper editor, reporter and defender. He wants the truth, but there is always more to it than meets the eye. He makes friends of many hilarious characters, the best one being Otto Chriek, a vampire who is trying to overcome his blood addiction. This character is by far one of Pratchett's best creations ever.
If you are looking for a light read that nevertheless is satisfying to your intelligence, this is the book for you. And don't stop here! There are almost thirty more Discworld books!
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Title: Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0061031321 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 30 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Fifth Elephant: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0061020400 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 03 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0061020397 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0061059072 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Jingo: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett ISBN: 0061059064 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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