Scan barcode
bluejayreads's review against another edition
3.75
It seems like every Discworld book that takes place in Anhk-Morpork somehow involves a threat to overthrow Lord Vetinari. Most of them so far have been City Watch books and had the Watch thwarting the plot. In this case, though, despite the Watch definitely being present, it was investigative journalism that uncovered the answer.
The Truth is the second of Discworld's "Industrial Revolution" books. In the first one, Moving Pictures, the Discworld got introduced to movies and Hollywood Holy Wood glitz and glam. In The Truth, the Discworld gets journalism. The thing I love most about it is that it happens entirely by accident. There's something really appealing to me about stories where the protagonist didn't mean to do all that, they just had a good idea for something small and it got out of control. Which is exactly what happened with William de Worde, who didn't actually intend to become a journalist, he just thought a moveable-type printing press would make his letter-writing easier and it spiraled from there.
As with most other Discworld books, this one has some interesting themes and questions. The big obvious one is journalism - the nature of the press, what is considered news, journalistic judgement, what people want to read versus what "the public" needs to know, and some very pointed and un-subtle digs at tabloids. And if the title didn't make it painfully obvious, it also mulls over the nature of truth and how journalism and printing affects the perception of what's true. (It also tried to say something about privilege during the climax, I think, but that one was very muddled.) This book has a lot of interesting themes and ideas, but it is not particularly subtle about them.
I'm not often much for mystery plots, but I didn't mind this one. Part of that is because it's less of "a mystery" than many smaller mysteries in a trench coat. William is trying to untangle all the pieces of who framed Lord Vetinari. But there's also a cast of fascinating characters and strange happenings to keep that from feeling too mystery-heavy. The talking dog is back, and he's at least in an interesting situation this time, even if he's no more likeable. There's a vampire on staff at the newspaper who takes photographs and is experimenting with using flashes of darkness instead of light to take pictures. There's the New Firm, a pair of hit men who go by the names Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip. They start out somewhat comedic (at least in Mr. Tulip's desperate attempts to pick up a drug addiction, consuming all sorts of weird and unpleasant things along the way), but turn into one of the darkest plot lines I recall happening in a Discworld book. And there's also the Watch, trying to do their jobs with all of William's meddling.
The Truth is definitely less funny than some of the other Discworld books, but it was entertaining the whole way through and quite fun at times, even if I didn't end up actually laughing. It has interesting things to say (even if they are SIGNIFICANTLY less subtle than I've come to expect from Sir Terry) the plot is solid and kept my interest, the cast of characters was strong, and the ending wrapped everything up neatly, including a few plot threads I had forgotten about. On the whole, it's an enjoyable, if a bit in-your-face, entry into both Discworld canon and the Industrial Revolution arc.
(And as a note that's only relevant to the audiobook, my favorite Discworld narrator Nigel Planer has still been replaced with some guy named Steve, the guy who did a terrible job on Carrot's voice in The Fifth Elephant and also did a terrible job on Death's voice in The Truth. It's not relevant unless you read the audiobook, but I am not a fan of Steve.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Drug use, Classism, and Alcohol
ampharos906's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide attempt, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
More...