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A review by pippa_w
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
4.5
'Though here's a tip, though. Just "Ho. Ho. Ho," will do. Don’t say, "Cower, brief mortals" unless you want them to grow up to be moneylenders or some such.'
HO. HO. HO.
Okay. I totally get it now. This one tickled and touched me in all the ways I imagined a Discworld novel would before I ever read a Discworld novel.
Following through on my suspicion that the Death series really needed more Death, he is an absolute, nuanced delight. There is little I can draw on literature that I have enjoyed more than reading as the entity that literally divides souls from bodies experiences moral qualms about the Hogfather's inequality of gifts. The ways in which he triumphs, fails utterly, and is completely baffled are... every emotion rolled up into one, really.
Because Death and his many complexities receive more attention in this book, other characters who were more difficult to love in previous books are elevated. Susan meets her potential (helped by the surprisingly developed God of Hangovers), Albert is at his sardonic best, and the Unseen University crew is finally starting to grow on me (a bit like a fungus, but at least we're getting somewhere). Teatime is a fantastic, chaotic villain - the Joker energy is real as he very nearly destroys the Discworld equivalent of Christmas. And I think I'm in love with Hex the thinking machine, his entitlement to a letter to the Hogfather, and how he needs a mouse and his teddy bear to work?
HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN.
The story is a beaut, and for the first time, really, I completely feel that the elements were fully cohesive and, even with the Discworld's trademark nonsense, everything really did make sense. Human nature, from its best to its worst, is effectively examined without hitting the reader over the head. Every time things are getting a bit much, Pratchett throws in a clever laugh.
I... really... don't think this book needed the Ridcully and the secret bathroom storyline.
NEVERTHELESS. This one will be a re-read at Christmastime again and again. I will gift it to my pre-teen one day. It was fantastic.
WELL THEN... HAPPY HOGSWATCH.
AND GOOD NIGHT, CHILDREN... EVERYWHERE.
HO. HO. HO.
Okay. I totally get it now. This one tickled and touched me in all the ways I imagined a Discworld novel would before I ever read a Discworld novel.
Following through on my suspicion that the Death series really needed more Death, he is an absolute, nuanced delight. There is little I can draw on literature that I have enjoyed more than reading as the entity that literally divides souls from bodies experiences moral qualms about the Hogfather's inequality of gifts. The ways in which he triumphs, fails utterly, and is completely baffled are... every emotion rolled up into one, really.
Because Death and his many complexities receive more attention in this book, other characters who were more difficult to love in previous books are elevated. Susan meets her potential (helped by the surprisingly developed God of Hangovers), Albert is at his sardonic best, and the Unseen University crew is finally starting to grow on me (a bit like a fungus, but at least we're getting somewhere). Teatime is a fantastic, chaotic villain - the Joker energy is real as he very nearly destroys the Discworld equivalent of Christmas. And I think I'm in love with Hex the thinking machine, his entitlement to a letter to the Hogfather, and how he needs a mouse and his teddy bear to work?
HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN.
The story is a beaut, and for the first time, really, I completely feel that the elements were fully cohesive and, even with the Discworld's trademark nonsense, everything really did make sense. Human nature, from its best to its worst, is effectively examined without hitting the reader over the head. Every time things are getting a bit much, Pratchett throws in a clever laugh.
I... really... don't think this book needed the Ridcully and the secret bathroom storyline.
NEVERTHELESS. This one will be a re-read at Christmastime again and again. I will gift it to my pre-teen one day. It was fantastic.
WELL THEN... HAPPY HOGSWATCH.
AND GOOD NIGHT, CHILDREN... EVERYWHERE.