book review

Thief of Time

Terry Pratchett

8/13/2006

Death contacts his granddaughter, Miss Susan. He sees all times, past and future. But Death can't see anything past 1:00 PM next Wednesday. He will call together the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to see if there is anything they can do. But Death thinks Miss Susan will have a better chance at preventing a timeless calamity.

The Monks of History are responsible for time. They manage the resource, sharing it between those who don't need it to those who can use extra. The most famous living monk, Lu Tze, is given a new apprentice, Lobsang. Lu Tze starts to share his wisdom when they are faced by the time calamity. Someone is trying to build a perfect clock. But if the work is completed, time will stop.

This is Discworld. Time is controlled on spinning cylinders. Witches are midwives. Orphans are left on the doorsteps of the Trade Guilds so they have a chance to learn a trade as they grow without parents. Lobsang had been left at the Thieves Guild, but was discovered to have an uncanny knack for dealing with time, so he was transferred to the monastery of the Monks of History. Miss Susan is human and the immortal granddaughter of Death. Very little is as it seems.

But it's fun. The humor is dry and amusing. Terry Pratchett has created a wonderful fantasy world that allows us to poke fun at ourselves and pokes fun a serious fantasy novel worlds. Thief of Time is great. We are always manipulating time - trying to save time, trying to rush time, trying to stretch it out, trying to finish. We never have enough time, but it may take forever for a favorite event to happen.

Pratchett has a lot of fun with this book, helping the reader visualize time in a whole new way. I had a lot of fun with the book as well. So should you.

You can find more about this book at .

The Series:
The Colour of Magic
The Light Fantastic
Equal Rites
Mort
Sourcery
Wyrd Sisters
Pyramids
Guards! Guards!
The Truth
The Last Hero
Eric
Moving Pictures
Reaper Man
Witches Abroad
Small Gods
Lords and Ladies
Men at Arms
Soul Music
Feet of Clay
Interesting Times
Maskerade
Hogfather
Jingi
The Last Continent
Carpe Jugulum
The Fifth Elephant
The Truth
The Thief of Time
The Last Hero
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Night Watch
Wee Free Men
Monstrous Regiment
A Hat Full of Sky
Going Postal

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