Tag: Discworld

WWW Wednesday – October 1, 2025

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Since last week I’ve been reading Strange Pictures by Uketsu, a standalone novel written in a similar vein to the author’s previous novel Strange Houses. So far, I’m a couple of chapters in at just over 100 pages, and I’m liking it considerably more than the last book. Strange Houses had a problem of detachment, with the bulk of the narrative taking place as a conversation between characters, either speculating over floor plans or divulging secrets to each other. This time around, chapters are more couched in direct experiences, occasionally reviewing media, and it’s working out a lot better so far. I thought the chapters were their own self-contained stories with the motif of digging into the meaning behind seemingly mundane images, but the second chapter revealed they are in fact connected. I hope it pays off well by the end.

Recently Finished

Last week I finished reading The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett, the 28th Discworld novel. Though I wrote last week that I felt the book had oddly already reached its end despite nearly 50 pages reamining, I’m happy to report that it stills ends strong and did not feel disjointed with the rest of the book. In fact, throughout my reading I had felt that the community of Bad Blinitz was unusually absent for much of it, so it did a great job of taking that loose end and tying things back together. I’m curious if these characters will make any more appearances throughout the remainder of the series; I was already surprised to learn that they were first referenced all the way back in Reaper Man in 1991.

Reading Next

As today kicks off the Halloween season, I shall soon be starting my Halloween reads for this year (Strange Pictures still serving as the primer, which I’ll hopefully be finishing this week). First off, I will be reading Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum, a novella I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Originally, my plan was to borrow a digital copy of this book from my library, but I ended up making an unplanned visit to Little Ghosts Books, a horror bookshop in Toronto, where I was able to buy myself a copy. I’m eager to find out what all the fuss is about with this book; according to the worker at the bookstore, it’s body horror, which I wasn’t expecting.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – September 24, 2025

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’ve got a little bit left, but I’m almost finished reading The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. I started out enjoying this book quite well, but I really didn’t expect to end up loving it as much as I do. Despite the “children’s book” label, it feels as deep as any other novel in the series, just a little more streamlined and shorter, and I’ve been really enjoying how richly it has been exploring the rats’ emergence into sapience and how they must navigate thinking of themselves and others as people and what that means for who they are collectively going forward. The only thing I feel a little stuck on is it felt like the story had its climax and was ready to wrap up, but there were still 40 pages left. I’m hoping it still ends on a strong note and doesn’t feel disjointed.

Recently Finished

Nothing new this week.

Reading Next

Very soon, I’m going to start reading a selection of books I’ve chosen for the Halloween season, but as a primer this week and perhaps into next week, depending on how long it takes me, I’m going to start reading Strange Pictures by Uketsu. Unfortunately, I didn’t find Strange Houses to be all that great, though it wasn’t without its intrigue, so I’m trying to remain optimistic that I’ll like this one. Strange Pictures was the first of his books to catch my eye, and I’m more drawn in by the idea of unusual pictures being the focal point rather than rampant speculation over bizarre floor plans, so maybe it will work out. If I find this one to be lackluster as well, I probably won’t pick up anymore of Uketsu’s work in the future.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – April 9, 2025

Ryan4 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Earlier this week, I started reading The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett, the next novel in the Discworld series that I need to read. Like Faust Eric before it, this is an illustrated novella, so the pacing feels very different from what is typical for the series. I’m only about 40 pages in, which I feel doesn’t mean as much with how fewer words there are per page, but I’m really into the premise so far, as Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde are embarking on a quest that may just destroy the world, so the powers that be in Ankh-Morpork are scrambling to try and stop him. Despite how long it’s been, I’m really appreciating how much this is acknowledging the events of Interesting Times. What especially stands out are Paul Kidby’s gorgeous illustrations, which perfectly capture the characters like never before.

Recently Finished

In surprisingly short order I started and finished A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, a novella about a tea monk who sets off on their own into the wilderness to visit an old ruin and encounters a wild-built robot, a descendant of the machines who stepped away from humanity into the wilds centuries before, never to be contacted again. I really liked this book, it was enjoyably brisk, but I can’t help feeling that a novel’s worth of ideas was trimmed down to novella length. It built a really interesting and seemingly elaborate world and characters that had deep motivations that were left more nebulous or glossed over when I would have enjoyed them being fleshed out more. I felt like I wasn’t given enough time to steep in it. Considering how quick of a read it was, I’m motivated to start the next one, especially since I’m anticipating a story line this one didn’t get to, so I’ve already put in a library request for it.

Reading Next

As I said, I want to read A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers next, the second Monk and Robot book. Beyond that, I do not have anymore concrete plans.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – January 1, 2025

RyanLeave a comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing, as I write this. Happy New Year! 🎉

Recently Finished

A Guest in the HouseI took a break for Christmas last week, so I’ve got a lot more than normal to write about here this week. First up, we have A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll, which I read on Christmas Eve. Though it is not my favourite of Carroll’s work, I nonetheless really enjoyed this graphic novel, which turned out to be a rather unique spin on a ghost story, especially thanks to the sapphic elements playing a crucial role in the story. The only thing I feel mixed about with it is that I can’t really say that what’s going on is ambiguous; aspects of it are, but the character is so prone to flights of fancy and has such an overactive imagination that you can’t say that none of it was just in her head. I choose to believe the supernatural elements are real, at least partly, but it could’ve been a little more definitive.

Thief of TimeNext, I managed to finish Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, the 26th Discworld novel and the 5th Death novel. Overall, I quite liked this book. Despite supposedly being a book about Death, it was really about Lu-Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd of the History Monks, who can control the flow of time and oversee history. I would have preferred the book be more about Death and his granddaughter Susan, who really only play supporting roles here, a problem I actually find I have with a lot of the Death books, but I was so endeared to this book’s two leads that I didn’t really care. I only wish this wasn’t Death’s final outing, but at least I know he’ll still show up whenever somebody kicks the bucket. I do wonder if I’ll see Susan again, though.

This is Where We Talk Things OutWith only a couple of days until the new year, I endeavoured to read only short things after finishing the last book, because I don’t want things to cross over into the new year, for the sake of reading challenges. So, on Monday I read the novella This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau, a horror story about a woman spending a weekend at a remote cabin with her mother in an attempt to reconnect and mend their relationship. At times, it was a little-on-the-nose with the parental issues (though still very believable) and predictable, as it bears a lot of similarities to Misery by Stephen King, but I found the reading experience so profoundly stressful that I ultimately regard it quite highly. Once again, I regret that I didn’t stick to Halloween reads like this one instead of the duds I picked up from the library.

Slaughterhousse-Five GNFinally, to close out the year and leave me at 42 books read in 2024, yesterday I read the graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children’s Crusade by Ryan North and Albert Monteys. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of my favourite classics, and after coming across a copy of this adaptation at the library, it was an easy choice for a final quick read to close out the year. I’d actually consider owning this graphic novel at some point too, as the visual aspects of the new medium were utilized in exceptional ways to depict Billy Pilgrim’s experiences with being unstuck in time. The form was used in other great ways to tell the story as well, really making the adaptation feel worthwhile and unique while still staying true to the source material.

Reading Next

Moby-DickThanks to my new work schedule, which has allowed for a greater amount of reading time, I have decided to embark upon what I expect to be a more challenging read: I am finally going to read Moby Dick by Herman Melville. I’ve owned a copy of this book for well over 10 years now, originally purchased out of a feeling of obligation to read the classics, perchance, rather than actual interest in this story, and it has languished on my shelf long enough. I may start it today, but with it being a holiday I may hold off until tomorrow. We shall see. Either way, I’m sure we can all look forward to the next several of these post being mostly about Moby Dick. I hope y’all like whaling.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – December 18, 2024

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Thief of TimeWith all of the reading time afforded to me at the moment with my new schedule, I decided to really go for it and started reading Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, the next Discworld book that I need to read and the final in the “Death” subseries. It’s a little bittersweet to know that this will be the last one, I think for the first time during my read through of this series, but it’s been a long time coming too. So far, I’m enjoying it quite a book at about 160 pages in; in typical fashion it still feels like things are ramping up, though the stakes are fairly clear at this point. Once again an Igor is playing a supporting role, so apparently Pratchett really loves the idea of these characters, though I find reading their accents a little tiresome at times. Another small character from a previous book, Lu-Tze, has returned in a major role here. I love how seamlessly he brings characters back around like this.

Recently Finished

AcceptanceLast week I finished reading Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer, the third and final book in what used to be the Southern Reach trilogy. Skimming some of the reviews on Goodreads, I was surprised to see a fair amount of ambivalence and negativity about this book, as I personally loved it as a conclusion to the series. It provided enough information that I don’t feel like I was strung along grasping at comprehension, but it continued to be just so weird and nebulous that it preserved a sense of something ineffable going on. Though I’m very intrigued about what the newest novel, Absolution, could be about, I would be very satisfied if this was indeed the final word on this series. I think this is the first time I’ve finished a novel series in a year (I did not anticipate a new release, so I don’t count it). I’m hoping I can maybe turn this into a personal trend, at least occasionally. Better sometimes than never.

Reading Next

With things starting to ramp up and get busier with the holidays, I probably won’t try to read anything more than A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll; it’s irrational, but I hate the idea of starting a book at the end of the year and continuing it into the next.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – October 2, 2024

Ryan2 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

FrankensteinWith October having kicked off, I started reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley last night; the edition I’m reading includes spectacular pen and ink illustrations by Bernie Wrightson, well known for his work on comic series like Swamp Thing. So far, I’ve only read the front matter, which included a few introductions and sections giving some historical context for when it was written. The more modern introduction was written by Stephen King, and we are also treated to the introduction written by Shelley herself for the 1831 reprint. I was quite surprised to learn that, according to the author’s introduction, in her imagining of the creation of the Creature, when the story was still just a seed of an idea, she described it as being animated by “the working of some powerful engine.” I had thought the explicit use of technology of that nature was an addition by later adaptations, but clearly I’ve been mistaken for years.

Recently Finished

Everything is TeethEverything is Teeth by Evie Wyld and Joe Sumner is an autobiographical graphic novel I picked up from the library a week or so ago. This was another case of me fully embracing the accessibility libraries grant us and picking up a book I wouldn’t have ever purchased for myself. The story mainly covers the author’s experiences spending her summers in Australia as a young girl, her obsession with sharks serving as a through line throughout her experiences. This was one of those books that resonated with me despite not tapping into a precise childhood fixation I shared because the way she was feeling was familiar, even if the subject of her feelings wasn’t. I’m really happy I checked this one out.

James Bond The BodyJames Bond: The Body by Aleš Kot and various illustrators is a standalone volume from the recent James Bond comics published by Dynamite. This was another library book, but what most caught my eye about it was Kot as the author; I think he did exceptional work on the Bloodborne comics (especially for a video game tie in), so my interest is likely to be piqued if I see him attached to something. It was an interesting look at the toll being a secret agent takes on Bond’s body, as well as the fortitude required for him to live this life, weaving together several semi-self-contained smaller stories that all connect by the end. What was most refreshing was the idea of his missions feeling smaller scale; ultimately, the fate of world really is still at stake, but Kot managed to make the focus feel more grounded.

The TruthLastly, I managed to finish reading The Truth by Terry Pratchett, so I’ve managed to read at least one Discworld novel this year. I’m sad that this will likely be the only one, but I don’t want my reading to be too narrow. I feel like I comment on this a lot while reading this series—after all, it’s pretty hard to read 25 books set in the same world and not have similar things to say about it—but I really think this was a solid iteration on a familiar story structure to this series that we hadn’t seen in a while. It did have some notable similarities, like I can’t help but feel like the hero and heroine duo we get in books like these, unlikely to appear as protagonists in the series again, are all secretly facets of the same people. Nevertheless, this was a stronger outing that felt like it had something to say about newsprint and media and stood its ground by having it here to stay in the Discworld going forward.

Reading Next

Nothing this week, so to speak, but only because I will be posting my opening post for Frighteningly Good Reads either tomorrow or Friday, and that is where I plan to outline what I’d like to read for the month of October.

WWW Wednesday – September 25, 2024

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

The TruthI’m still making my way through The Truth by Terry Pratchett, but I’ve managed to read through another 100 pages are so since last week, so I’m closing in on finishing it up. I’m hoping I can have it done by next week, especially since I will want to get started on Halloween reads, and this is very much not a spooky read in any way. Though the main plot of this book, involving a secret group of elites trying to depose the Patrician of the city so that a puppet can be elected in his place, sounds pretty interesting, it’s been a little bland so far. Still, I am really enjoying William trying to establish a newspaper with integrity, especially in the face of more established guilds essentially making tabloid papers that will just make things up. I wonder if things will lead to him being humbled as he maybe starts to over-inflate himself as some sort of arbiter of Truth, but so far I’m rooting for him; I hope the Ankh-Morpork Times is here to stay in the series going forward.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

FrankensteinThough I’m still humming and hawing about all the books I think I can realistically read this October (a post is forthcoming), I can say with certainty that one of them that I want to read (a rare reread!) is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, specifically the edition with illustrations by Bernie Wrightson. Frankenstein is one of my favourite books, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read it, so I’m excited for that fact alone, but I’m also really looking forward to Wrightson’s breathtaking art accompanying the experience. I bought my copy a few years ago now (probably longer than I think), so I’m glad I’m finally getting to it.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – September 18, 2024

Ryan2 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

The TruthI’m still making my way through The Truth by Terry Pratchett, though I haven’t made especially good progress this past week. With the story presenting newspapers as a novelty in the city, I can’t help  but feel oddly compelled to read a newspaper myself. It’s something that’s never been a habit for me, but the way it’s being presented is hearkening back to a time before widespread online media, and it’s making me feel that reading a paper for precisely local news, where I live, would hold much more appeal. This is probably a fleeting whim, but it’s amusing to be so self-aware of fiction’s influence. The mounting conflict seems to be about the Patrician of the city being replaced by an imposter, with the end goal of usurping him, but with the shadowy group’s insistence he not be killed, I wonder what more they have planned.

Recently Finished

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The HorseI ended up coming across another shelf of graphic novels at my local library, so I brought a number of them home, relishing the opportunity for more brisk reads that I wouldn’t pick up under other circumstances. One was Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen, a “Sarah’s Scribbles” collection of comic strips. It was an amusing outing, but I’m glad I didn’t buy this book when it came out, as I think I’ve outgrown the style a little; it’s millennial humour that was better suited to me when I was in my 20s. I also read The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy, which caught my eye because of its lovely ink art. Essentially an all-ages picture book, it was full of nice, thoughtful sentiments, though at times they felt more like saccharine platitudes. Still, it was a moving work that made for a nice, relaxing read. Lastly, I finished reading Stung with Love: Fragments and Poems by Sappho. I haven’t got much more to say on it, other than I’m happy that it was more enriching for me than other ventures into reading poetry, which I struggle with sometimes.

Reading Next

Suddenly, the end of September feels like it is coming up really fast, so I’m starting to shift into thinking about October reads. I haven’t fully settled on what horror book I want to start with just yet, but I’ll be taking part in Frighteningly Good Reads again this year, so I’ll have a post at the start of next month detailing a selection of books I want to get through.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – September 4, 2024

Ryan2 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

The TruthIt’s feeling rather late in the year for this considering I used to try to read one every quarter, but I’ve finally started the next Discworld novel I need to get to: The Truth. I’m expecting this one to feel a little refreshing because it’s been a long time since I’ve read one that wasn’t a part of a subseries like the Witches or the City Watch. This follows a similar yet more open-ended structure to some of the previous ones, about the world being effected by the arrival of a new innovation in some way. This book sees a machine printing press coming to the city of Ankh-Morpork and with it widespread print media. This would have a profound effect anywhere, so I’m really curious about what will unfold in this unique setting. I’m only 30 pages or so in so far, but I’m hoping I can get a lot more done soon.

Stung with Love Poems and FragmentsI also started reading Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho, a book collecting all of the surviving poems and fragments by the well-known Greek poet. I’ve only read a section on poems about Goddesses so far, as there was actually a good deal of front matter to this book giving more context to what we know about Sappho as a figure. I found this most interesting as a look into just how fragmentary surviving art and history can be. There are plenty of references to her work and skill as a great poet throughout histoyr, but comparatively little of her actual work has survived up to now. It’s surreal to see ancient Roman sources cited, who would’ve had direct access to her work, and having to base our understanding of it off of theirs. I don’t know how quickly I’ll finish this, it’s not very long, but I likely won’t give full updates like this each week if my progress is slow.

Recently Finished

AuthorityLast week I finally finished reading Authority by Jeff VanderMeer, the second book in the Southern Reach trilogy. Things finally came to a head in the story in the final chapters, and in true Southern Reach fashion I had only a vague understanding of what was really going on, except for a few certainties that were quite apparent. I really liked that a prevailing feeling I had throughout the book without a single explicit indicator to it was made to be right. I know it’s a 10-year-old book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anybody who may be interested, so I’m being vague myself. Despite the fact that I had trouble finding good momentum with reading this book, I did really enjoy it, and I’m happy with how it concluded. I’m wondering if Acceptance will hold any real, concrete answers or if I should resign myself to being in the dark about a lot of it, even at the very end.

Reading Next

I’ve not decided anything that I want to read next with certainty, but with October just around the corner I am starting to consider what horror books I think I can get through. My reading speed has been a little stunted this year, which is really bothering me, so I’m worried I won’t be able to do more than one average-sized novel. We shall see.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Book Review – The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

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The Fifth Elephant

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett is the 24th novel in the author’s Discworld series and the fifth novel in the “City Watch” sub-series. Sam Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, lives a life fraught with danger, pursuing hardened criminals throughout his notorious and modern city and dodging assassins sent by those with distaste for such a committed man of the law. He is about to face his toughest challenge, however, when made to step into his role as a Duke and play ambassador to the mysterious and filthy-rich country of Uberwald, a place that follows its own rules in deference to the various figures who hold power there. Politicking may not be his forte, but with a sacred dwarf artifact going missing and murders piling up, a no-nonsense policeman may be just what the place needs, if only he can keep the wolves from snapping at his heels.Read More »