Hogfather by Terry Pratchett Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hogfather
Book Review: Happy Hogswatch!
Summary: 5 Stars
The first time that I read one of Pratchett's novels I was a bit confused. His writing style is so drastically different from most novelists I've read - something I've learned to appreciate. He doesn't use chapter breaks, tends to have several, if not dozens of characters active in each book, and even includes foot notes...some of which can be drastically long.
And he's hilarious. Pratchett writes satire with such flair that it's staggering and brilliant in his execution. Sometimes, while I'm reading, I can't help but wonder if he didn't just aimlessly picked up his pen and decided to give it a go that day and oh look, it happened to work out. The truth is he is brilliant, although I get the sense he'd never admit it. Not only do his plot lines connect in ways the reader would never suspect but while creating this great story he interweaves some amazing characters at the same time. Each character stands on their own, even the supposed "flat" characters and I'm always left with the intense feeling that he could write a book on each of them, if he hasn't already.
Hogfather is a perfect example of this. Parodying our belief in Santa Clause, (or any other fictional being, such as the Tooth Fairy and Bogeymen) the Disc World has their own holiday icon - the Hogfather. But this year he's missing and something is terrible amiss.
So while the Hogfather is MIA, someone has to take up the reigns (literally and figuratively) and make it a jolly Hogswatch night. Who better the reigns than one of Pratchett's beloved characters, Death? Death is so literal, so innocent, so perfect of a character that it is incredibly hard not to love him. (Read Reaper Man for more!) The way he interacts with humans is always amusing and when he's out of his element, it's even more enjoyable.
Throughout the novel hilarity and sometimes a great sense of fear go hand-in-hand. Susan is clever, determined and quite dry. Teatime makes you hope and pray you never meet anyone like him and Death, bless him, does his best to continue the belief in the Hogfather. The very interesting thing about this is how clever the storyline becomes. It's not just about believing in the Hogfather, but why do we believe in the entities we do believe in? Where are their origins from and what would happen if one day, we stopped? The conclusion (Pratchett doesn't really give conclusions, more of allusions to...) is very well done and thought out. I can honestly say, his writing is completely new and unique each time, unlike many stories that feel recycled time and time again....but that's another post.
Book Review: Hilarious tale about childhood icons with twists and laughs!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was hilarious. Not only did it have the grim reaper playing Santa Claus (or Hogfather as the case may be), but it also has a colorful cast of other "mythical" beings like the tooth fairies, the bogeyman, the "oh god" of Hangovers and the assassin with manners, Mr. Teatime. (That's Te-ah Tim-eh.) This is one of my favorite in Pratchett's Discworld series. It shows the human side to Death himself and his idealistic and childlike yearnings to rob the rich to feed the poor. I recommend it to anyone looking for a wonderful combination of fantasy and laughs (although not without a bit of morale thrown in).Book Review: Hilarious!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was brilliant. It contains great humor! It was one of the funniest books I'd read in a long time. Terry Pratchett portrays 'Death' brilliantly. I liked the whole concept of Death taking over the Hogfather's job and doing his best, even if his best isn't very good. Terry Pratchett's humor is totally different to anything I've ever seen and it's this type of humor that draws me to this book.Characters are excellent and well written. Personally, I would consider it the best Discworld novel.Book Review: Hilarious, yes, but also profound and thoughtful.
Summary: 5 Stars
At this point, I think I've read about two-thirds of the Discworld books, so take that into account when I make this next statement: Hogfather is probably the funniest of any of the Discworld books I've read. The disappearance of Discworld's version of Santa Claus leads Death to take over the reins, and the resulting madness is hilarious, horrifying, and absolutely brilliant. (A long sequence involving the replacement of a mall Hogfather had me laughing uncontrollably.) But as usual, what really makes Pratchett's work so magical is not just the way he exerts a masterful control over his plot - really, any other author would lose control of all this madness, but Pratchett juggles it all perfectly - but the way that he spins it into something more profound and meaningful. Only in Discworld could a story about retiring Tooth Fairies, a profoundly disturbed Assassin, a Death with a fake beard and belly, and a Hangover God turn into a complex and thoughtful meditation on the nature of humanity and the importance of our dreams and fantasies. Hogfather is in the upper-tier of Discworld books, and given the high quality of the rest of the series, that's high praise indeed. A thoughtful, hilarious, moving, unsettling joy to read.Book Review: Hogfather
Summary: 4 Stars
Terry Pratchet's Hogfather is a comedy that deals with what happens when Death has to assume the role of Hogfather (like Santa Clause). The reader is easily drawn into Pratchet's Discworld; a vivid and comical world filled with character that can only make one laugh. Three characters particularly caught my attention, Teatime, Death, and Susan. Their descriptions and quirky traits always brought a smile to my face. Yet it is worth mentioning the background characters, who in turn provide most of the comical relief (in my opinion). Characters such as the Death of Rats, and the guard at the university were really hilarious as their comments were so original that I couldn't help but go and tell others. "The Death of rats nibbled a bit of the pork pie because when you are the personification of the death of small rodents you have to behave in certain ways." Page 49-50.The theme that I see in this book is that one should accept who you are, this can be clearly seen with Susan and Death both trying to be someone there not. I agree with this theme because I too have dreamed of a different life, one where I am a SWAT team member. Yet due to my poor eyesight this dream is currently nothing but a daydream.
I strongly recommend this book to all readers that want to escape reality by becoming part of another world such as Discworld or J.R.Toliens middle-earth. It is also a book for people who enjoy sophisticated humor.