1996; 354 pages. Book #20 (out of 41) in the Discworld series; Book
# 4 (out of 4, I think) in the Discworld Death series. New
Author? : No. Genre : Comedic Fantasy. Laurels : 137th in The Big Read;
British Fantasy Award nominee in 1997. Overall
Rating : 9*/10.
It’s Hogswatchnight Eve on Discworld, and
something seems just a bit awry with the Hogfather. No, it’s not the four giant, flying hogs –
Tusker, Snouter, Gouger, and Rooter - that pull his sleigh while he delivers
toys on this night; they’re the same as always.
Instead, its the Hogfather himself.
He seems ...well... different. His
face is narrower, darker, and bonier. And
although his girth is plump as always, it appears he’s actually a skinny guy
with a pillow strapped around his stomach.
Then of course, there’s that scythe he’s carrying. That definitely is not a standard piece of
Hogfather paraphernalia.
What’s To Like...
The book’s cover lets you know immediately who
is being parodied here; so I chose this as my 2015 “Christmas read”. Published in 1996, this is at the creative height
of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld wit and storytelling. Hogfather
is also one of four Discworld books that spotlights Death and some of his
associates, including his granddaughter, Susan; and his rodent counterpart, The
Grim Squeaker.
This
is a classic Discworld story, with its usual structure – lots of hilarious
footnotes, no chapter divisions, a great supporting cast that includes both
familiar faces: the Wizards (with their computer called “Hex”), Corporal
Nobbs, and my favorite, The Librarian; and some refreshingly new ones: Banjo,
Violet Bottler (the
Tooth Fairy), Bilious (the “Oh God” of Hangovers), and the enormously cute and charming galoot, Banjo.
There
are a bunch of plot threads (I counted at least five of them) that
Pratchett skillfully weaves together at the end. But make no mistake about it: Death is the
star here, and that’s a big plus.
Pratchett cleverly uses him, as he makes his rounds with Albert, his
pixie assistant, to discuss the true
meaning of Hogswatchnight/Christmas.
His conclusions may surprise you.
The other major theme here concerns the merits of Belief itself,
particularly those involving the god or gods of your personal choice. Terry Pratchett was an avowed humanist, so
his thoughts on this were enlightening. OTOH,
if you prefer your themes a bit less serious, you’ll delight in the Campaign for Equal Heights. Or the ability of Belief to conjure up all
sorts of pesky mini-gods.
Kewlest New Word ...
Profligacy (n.)
: the state or quality of wasting something, usually money, but here the
wasting of life.
Excerpts...
“Well, I mean, dammit, it’s human nature, isn’t it?”
said Ridcully hotly. “Things go wrong,
things get lost, it’s natural to
invent little creatures that – All right, all right, I’ll be careful. I’m just saying man is naturally a mythopoeic
creature.”
“What’s that
mean?” said the Senior Wrangler.
“Means we make
things up as we go along,” said the Dean, not looking up. (pg. 191)
Violet’s lips
moved silently. Part of Bilious thought:
I’m attracted to a girl who actually has to shut down all other brain functions
in order to think about the order of the letters of the alphabet. On the other hand, she’s attracted to someone who’s wearing a toga that looks as
though a family of weasels have had a party in it, so maybe I’ll stop this
thought right here. (pg.
286)
Death was hereditary. You got it from
your ancestors. (pg.
203 )
Hogfather is another fine Discworld tale, but there are
a couple caveats. For starters, the
storyline at times slips into a darker tone.
There's a psychopathic assassin, a cold-blooded murder or two, and several
horror scenes that Dean Koontz could take pointers from. If you like your Christmas reads full of snow
bunnies, cocoa, and warm, blazing fireplaces, this probably isn’t your kind of
book.
Also, if you’re not reading this series in order (and I’m not), some of
the threads and characters may get confusing.
I never did figure out the role and goal of the Auditors; apparently
they’re carryovers from an earlier story featuring Death. But you can still read this as a standalone
novel; just be prepared for one or two minor info gaps.
9 Stars. I expected Hogfather
to be a fascinating read, and it did not disappoint. Subtract 1 Star
if you were hoping for something along the lines of A
Charlie Brown Christmas.
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