For the benefit of those who don't like me using the same description of Discworld on each book I review (though as the basic concept doesn't actually change, it does seem a little pointless describing it in different ways each time...), here goes with a new one...

Discworld is a world that's also a disc. It's carried through space on the back of a giant turtle. The things that happen on the world are often the same sort of things that happen on earth - but the ways they happen are completely different. (For instance, a photograph - or "iconograph" - is taken by pressing a button on a small box - which activates a whip on a small demon who paints the picture very quickly...) Discworld is inhabited by both humans (some fairly normal, others not so) and a variety of mythical creatures - wizards, goblins, trolls, dwarves, and even unicorns in some parts of the world. (Magic is stronger in certain areas, thus allowing rarer and more fanciful creatures to exist there). The land is full of political intrigues, magical plots, bizarre happenings, and bumbling wizards. The books are a mix of humour and thriller, and the best books of the series (of which this is most definitely one), impossible to put down.

Moving Pictures is excellent, definitely one of the best in the series, and perhaps the most accessible for people who've never read a Discworld novel before. There are some new characters, most notably Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little" and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never heard of") as two of the main protagonists, while old favourites such as the Wizards, Gaspode the amazing talking dog and the Librarian (who accidentally got turned irreversibly into a monkey, and can only say "oook") also feature strongly.

As you may have guessed from the title, Discworld has discovered the wonderful world of films. Well, strictly speaking, a combination of ancient magic and an accident at an alchemist's house are responsible for bringing the silver screen to the Disc. Yet, all is not what it seems, and Discworld is in grave danger...

Most of the Pratchett's novels are excellent, but this book reaches an even higher level. Reading it is a pure joy, it's brilliantly written and very funny, the plot moves along well, and having the Librarian and Gaspode back is great. The new characters (such as Rock, a romantic but hopelessly old-fashioned troll, along with Victor and Theda, who were mentioned earlier) are also very good, and the whole way that Holy Wood is set up and run is a wonderful parody of Hollywood. Particularly good is the interaction between Gaspode (who's rather cynical and only heroic very reluctantly) and Laddie, a very stupid dog who Gaspode guides through the nastiness of life. The only trouble is, while Gaspode for a change is actually heroic, everyone assumes it's Laddie because he... well... looks more the heroic sort. "Good boy Laddie" is his only vocabulary, and Gaspode gets very frustrated with him, but at the end their parting is sweet sorrow...

The final set piece, with The Thing (King Kong) coming out of the big screen into the streets of Ankh-Morpork, is brilliant, including many insights into films. The following extract is taken from the final scene, where Victor is on a mission to take out the "Thing" which came from the clicks into reality, while the inhabitants of Ankh-Morpork look on transfixed.

"There has to be enough light", he panted, "to see the darkness".

He staggered onwards.
"And in Holy Wood I never run out of strength", he added, hoping that his legs would believe him.

That took care of the next turn.

"And in Holy Wood I have to be in the nick of time", he shouted. He leaned against the wall for a moment and fought for breath.

"Always in the nick of time", he muttered.

He started to run upwards again.

The slabs passed under his feet like a dream, like squares of movie clicking through the picture box.

And he'd arrived in the nick of time. Thousands of people knew he would.

If heroes didn't arrive in the nick of time, where was the sense on anything?

This is a book that has everything. It will delight fans of the series, and I strongly suspect that anyone new to it, or even who haven't particularly liked it before, will really enjoy it. It's probably my joint favourite of the series with Mort, but Mort just sneaks it, though only because I like the character Death!



Recommended:
Yes