Terry Pratchett's Discworld - Hogfather

Introduction

I started reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld in school circa 1991 circa 15 years old. I loved the weirdness of the story (Reaper Man) but also the heart and humour that was in it. I then realised there was a whole back catalogue of stories I hoovered up then shared with friends at school. My copy of Good Omens was on its last legs when I went to university. Every year I would eagerly await the next instalment and usually very quickly devour it.

I think Pratchett is a great way to grow up to see the world a little differently. Fantasy that tackles class; bigotry, science and religion but also has huge levels of warmth, humour and the pure joy of being human. Plus, he I think became one of the best writers there is. The Discworld is his magnus opus able to tell so many types of stories from pure fantasy skit to angry treatises on religion and war. And now there are no new Pratchett’s and I miss his voice though I do think you can see his influence in other writers.

For this readalong the intention is probably each week to soak up one Discworld explore how as a writer he grew and what themes but also what mistakes we see. I’m largely going in publication order but as it’s still Christmas time; plus I know I’m going to find some of the early books really a bit annoying now, then I think let’s start from something mid-way and festive and amazing.

Oh, the intention is also to do a Saturday thread on twitter of my favourite quotes so look out for #DiscworldReads from my @runalongwomble account

Shout out to Elizabeth from @booksandpieces YouTube channel for doing a reading that reminded me why I would be better off to read this now rather than in early summer!!

Published - Gollancz in 1996

Discworld Sequence – The 20th (eek) and Death Sequence 4th

It’s the night before Hogswatch. And it’s too quiet.

There’s snow, there’re robins, there’re trees covered with decorations, but there’s a notable lack of the big fat man who delivers the toys…

He’s gone

Susan the governess has got to find him before morning, otherwise the sun won’t rise. And, unfortunately her only helpers are a raven with an eyeball fixation, the Death of Rats and the oh god of hangovers.

Worse still, someone is coming down the chimney. This one time he’s carrying a sack instead of a scythe, but there’s something regrettably familiar…

HO HO HO

It’s true what they say.

“You’d better watch out”

I am the first to admit Christmas is not my favourite national holiday. I think it’s stressful and I don’t like how it seems to be hectic hectic hectic then suddenly over but I’ve learned to like the principle of it and I think Hogfather does a great job of looking at the pros and the cons of the holiday.

Hogswatch is the Discworld version of Christmas and the Hogfather and his sleigh pulled by pigs comes down chimneys and delivers presents. But he appears to have gone and another anthropomorphic personification has stepped in to take his place. Unfortunately, while kindly Death is not quite the person to be jolly and bring smiles to faces. We discover the infamous auditors of reality have decided to take the Hogfather out of action and recruited the dangerous Discworld assassin Mr Teatime (ahem Teh-ah-tim-eh) to perform the deed. Death’s granddaughter Susan is told by Death to stay away and so that obviously means time for her to investigate.

I think there are two aspects to explore how this story gets structured and allows Pratchett to play with what by now is quite a large cast. Notably we now have Susan as an established Heroine, and I like that she is competent; not falling in love and never a cliché. Something I think earlier books struggled with. I love her level headedness and yet very authentic embarrassment about her very weird grandfather. She feels three dimensional and has developed from Soul Music. We get little side plots with members of the Wizards, Guards and even beggars. Teatime though feels an unusually genuine threat. Usually Pratchett bad guys are understandable; and Teatime isn’t he sees the word very clearly and ruthlessly that his scenes carry menace and unpredictability. You actually fear for Susan and you feel he is capable of winning throughout the story which is unusual. The one character I always feel these days guilty about is The Bursar a man with a mental heath issue who just becomes a joke. I do note much later in the series he seems to change but this now feels so unkind and out of sync with the usual Pratchett approach as we know metal illness is not a laughing matter.

Pacing is done well it starts with little episodes and amusements but slowly the real stakes are revealed and then we get a very weird and unsettling version of the Tooth Fairy’s castle where your worst nightmare lurks and really can get you. There are lots of jokes, but people really are dying here.

But it’s approach to Christmas through the eyes of Death that I love. Many of the adult human characters in the novel criticise him for taking such a black and white view of the season but I think its death honest and perhaps childlike love of humanity that allows the tough questions to be asked. Why are rich people only kind to others one day a year; why are middle class people so heart-warmed by a little match girl freezing to death and there is a takedown of both the commerciality of Christmas and the idea you should be better than you are just once a year. But its not all cynical. We do get to see that weird awe kids have meeting Santa and yes that in many ways makes him a modern god; Albert and others’ discussion of childhood memories and a reminder that this season is about goodwill. There is genuine joy here and a reminder that we can’t let cynicism win. This culminates in a brilliant discussion at the end with Susan about why the little lies like the Hogfather are needed. A statement (see below) that I often think applies not just to myth but fiction full stop. We need to be reminded that life is more than the cold hard rationalism of the auditors we need love; we need kindness and we need mercy and justice and they are humanity’s best inventions.

For a novel that seems initially to be ‘let’s imagine the fun Death would do as Santa’ by the end I was so impressed that Pratchett used the tale to actually interrogate humanity and our relationship with a midwinter festival that has morphed like the Hogfather over many years. Its all done amazingly deftly but you don’t half come away thinking about it for many days afterwards but with a smile on your face.

Happy Hogwatch to you all!! Let me know what you think in the comments or tweet @runalongwomble

Next up – The Colour of Magic