Kaethe

2008 January 1

It probably shouldn't be allowed for a writer to have this much fun with a mystery story.

***

2014 August 20

More mysteries: who is poisoning Vetinari, and, more importantly, how? Who killed the two old men? Why are the golems suddenly acting odd?

Vimes is hard at work on the first question, Carrot is looking into the second and third. Vital assistance is provided by Angua, Detritus, Colon, and Nobbs. Also, there's a new member of the watch, formerly of the alchemists, Cheery Littlebottom. His job is to run the forensics, His role in the book is to open up the questions of minority members of the force and gender identity.

Pratchett uses various species to show how everyone has prejudices and how getting to know a member of a species does a great deal to dispel them. Well, it does if one is a good person. The bad guys persist in cruel stereotyping regardless.

There's been some research recently into reader identification (with characters in the Harry Potter series) and what effect that has upon readers' empathy. Pratchett uses magical creatures just as Rowling does, to continually push at the definition of "human" and to demonstrate how people can behave morally without the imposition of gods or religions. Pratchett's funnier, though.

Personal copy.