Category: Comedy

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 10: Moving Pictures

We haven’t visited the wizards of Unseen University properly since the events of Sourcery, so Moving Pictures was a very welcome entry in the series for me, especially after the return of Rincwind in Eric, the previous book. Imagine my surprise then, when after a really big build-up at the beginning of the novel, the … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 10: Moving Pictures →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 9: Eric

So after eight books, it was pretty apparent that Terry Pratchett and Discworld were becoming a major success. And Josh Kirby’s fabulous covers did play a sizeable part in that success. So let’s go back in time to an age when cover illustrations were a pretty big deal. For a lot of people, the front … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 9: Eric →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 8: Guards! Guards!

For new readers this is a great jumping-on point because the world is quite well-established (it’s the eighth book) but we aren’t presented with anything that requires a big load of exposition as to what has gone before. It’s also the longest novel in the series so far, with a lot of near-future volumes finding … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 8: Guards! Guards! →

A Novel Ian Likes: Small World by David Lodge

Persse McGarrigle is attending his first academic conference and is not enjoying it. Newly appointed to a tiny Irish university, he is keen to stretch his wings professionally and do some networking. But it all seems to be very disillusioning until he meets Angelica Pabst, a beautiful doctoral student, and is instantly smitten. However, the … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Small World by David Lodge →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 7: Pyramids

In a lot of ways, Pyramids, the seventh Discworld novel, is a bold effort. It was the first book since Mort to introduce completely new characters without references to books gone by. We also get a closer look at the Assassin’s School, referenced in Wyrd Sisters, but given a life (ironically) of its own here. … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 7: Pyramids →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 6: Wyrd Sisters

While Sourcery saw the return of Rincewind to varying degrees of success, Wyrd Sisters sees the return of another established character, but with greater impact to the series as a whole. Granny Weatherwax had previously appeared in Equal Rites, third in the series, and was back for a second appearance. This time, though, she brought … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 6: Wyrd Sisters →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 4: Mort

We met Death in the three previous Discworld novels. In The Colour Of Magic, he (for want of a better pronoun) had seemed a somewhat quixotic individual, prone to fits of random destruction, while in The Light Fantastic, he was more introspective and humanlike, going so far as to have a house and an adopted … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 4: Mort →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites

This one came as a bit of a shock. There were no ties to either of the previous books – save a surname shared by a character in this and in The Light Fantastic – and there were fewer jokes, although it was still very funny. The story was quite different, too: the world was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic

When we left Twoflower and Rincewind at the end of The Colour Of Magic, they were plummeting to their doom off the edge of the Discworld. As endings go, that one felt pretty final. After all, it’s hard to survive falling off the side of a flat planet into space. However, the solution is pretty … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic →

The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic

This is where it all started, really. Sir Terry had written three novels and a ridiculous amount of short stories prior to this but it wasn’t until The Colour Of Magic came out on the 24th November 1983 that he finally achieved a significant measure of success. Like his previous novel, Strata (1981), this was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic →

The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction

Next month sees a significant anniversary of a beloved series. It has fans all around the world who love the amazing adventures that the characters have had in a variety of different settings. I am, of course, referring to Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. On the 24th of November (the day after that other DW-initialed series … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction →

A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Priscilla is struggling to make ends meet as a waitress while trying to create the perfect perfume in her spare time. Alobar has a problem: if he displays any signs of aging, his reign as king will come to an end. Pan, though, is coming to terms with the fact that nobody believes in him … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins →

A Novel Ian Likes: Holy Mother by Gabrielle Donnelly

Anne, Stephen, Maureen, Denis, Geoffrey and Kate meet every Friday night at their local Catholic church under the tutelage of Father Bob. The group is also planning a pilgrimage in honour of Bob’s impending 30th birthday. But when Maureen invites her old friend Alison to join them one evening, half as a joke, it has … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Holy Mother by Gabrielle Donnelly →

A Film Ian Likes: The Tall Guy

We all think we know Richard Curtis, right? Huge British writer/ director who helped make modern British cinema what it is today? Reinventor of the romantic comedy before sinking it under the weight of his own clichés? Co-creator and co-author of Blackadder? Figure most responsible for the rise of Hugh Grant as an actor? Right. Well, this movie is where you … Continue reading A Film Ian Likes: The Tall Guy →