Pure fun!

The adventure part proceeds at a pace similar to those Indiana Jones movies from way back when (fast!), as our heroes narrowly escape death again and again. Though I must point out that in Pratchett’s books (this one is the first of the Discworld series), it’s not death but rather Death, an intriguing character in its own right.

But adventure isn’t what attracts me again and again to books by the late Terry Pratchett – it’s the language! I love the word plays, the imagery and the choice of names. Not to mention the humor! It’s wonderful when logic simply gives up… I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of connotations but delight in the ones I’ve picked up on. Both my sons have read this book and I’ve been sounding off my interpretations on them. They approve of some of them…

For example, I’m positive that when listing the shady characters around town, “gonephs” is from the Yiddish / Hebrew “Ganav” (thief). I also suspect that a place called Bel-Shamharoth is a word play on the Hebrew name of the place “Beit Ha Shomroni Ha Tov” (the house of the Good Samaritan). You might think that couldn’t be so because the place in the books was not a hospitable one at all, but I think doing that would be a typical Pratchett word play. My sons aren’t convinced…

It’s great to share books! The boys recommend “The Wee Free Men” next time I’m in the mood for another Pratchett book. Noted!