Hogfather by Terry Pratchett Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hogfather
Book Review: Clever as Teatime himself!
Summary: 4 Stars
Hogfather's my first Discworld book, and I'm not disappointed at all! Pratchett's style is erratic and subtle at the same time, fraught with clever wording and the funniest lines of dialogue. The footnotes are a refreshing bit. Hogfather is a story of belief and imagination, of the dreams and nightmares of childhood. Amazingly deep and philosophical without being boring. The only problem I had with the book is that my Teatime (yes, I've come to think of him as *mine*), the absolutely brilliant - and creepy - villain, wasn't played up enough. He could have been an enduring character! But that excluded, Hogfather is an altogether brilliant work!Book Review: Dark and Witty!
Summary: 5 Stars
What do you get when you combine "The Godfather", a "traditional" holiday story, and Death's Daughter? You get "The Hogfather" of course! Terry Pratchett once again amuses and enlightens in this entertaining satire! Bravo, Mr. Pratchett! I can't wait to read your next one!Book Review: Discworld - that says it all!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a bit different than the rest of the discworld series, it starts when the leader of the assassins guild gets contracted (by some mysterious entities) to make the Hogfather "vanish". The Hogfather is Discworld's equivalent of Santa, and Hogwatch is the extremely similar version of Christmas. The next thing we see in the book is Death (yes, Discworld's lovable Grim Reaper) acting instead of the Hogfather, that is, going from house to house to fill up stockings, putting little boys on his lap and saying Ho Ho Ho. The rest of the book kind of reads like a mystery novel: how did this happen? why does Death fill up for the Hogfather? I was very immersed in the book, and couldn't wait till the conclusion.As usual, the result is very witty and is truly hilarious. Towards the rest of the book it became more serious and philosophical, which added another layer of depth to the book. The same ideas which underly "Hogfather" also appear in "Small Gods", and partially in "Pyramids". The fact that the Discworld series always have such an insight into many aspects of being human has always been one of the factors which makes it much more than just a regular fantasy/humor series (a la Piers Anthony), and that's why "Hogfather" is such a great book.
If you love the Discworld (or even if you just "like" it), this book is really for you.
Book Review: First Pratchett Novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Just a quick review. I picked this book up a year ago because the artwork vaguely reminded me of The Nightmare before Christmas. Pratchett is as witty and hilarious as Douglas Adams, yet succeeds in creating a style of "randomness" all his own. I absolutely adore the character of Death; his philosophic monologues and the way in which he repeatedly questions some of our earthly ways is downright intriguing. Pratchett mixes complex humor and likeable characters, then adds in a dash of theological and gothic tone. A great intro to the Discworld series.Book Review: Funny but confusing
Summary: 4 Stars
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
HarperPrism, 1996
292 pages
Discworld; Fantasy; Comedy
4/5 stars
Source: Library
Summary: The Auditors exist as a blob with no distinguishable traits. They hate people for messing up the world and consequently have decided to "kill" the Hogfather (he can't exactly be killed like a human but it's similar). In order to maintain the very fabric of the universe Death assumes the role of the Hogfather and very definitely does not ask his granddaughter Susan to interfere.
Thoughts: I was a little confused about everything going on here. There are basically three threads: Death fulfilling the Hogfather's duties, Susan tracking down what's going on, and occasionally the Auditors would show up for short stretches of the book. Death and Susan each had their own plans and couldn't communicate straightforwardly which caused my confusion. I love Death as I think I've mentioned a lot. Susan was a great character. Having read Mort and knowing about her family, I could appreciate her more.
Quotes:
"If you left off traditions because you didn't know why they started you'd be no better than a foreigner." -footnote on page 115
"It's amazing how good governments are, given their track record in almost every other field, at hushing up things like alien encounters." -footnote on page 155
Lawyer slam! "It's a nicer version of Death Row, with the bonus of now lawyers." -footnote on page 213 (I guess I really enjoy the footnotes!)
Overall: A very funny story although I was a little confused.