Abridged ... but still a good story
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This was my first Pratchett audio books and, though abridged, was a joy to listen to, especially when travelling.
I love the way Tony Robinson (not one of my favourite actors) voices the characters, it is virtually perfect. I would love to see him narrate the entire book, rather than the abridged version.
ISIS books produce the unabridged version - but a quick word of advice - Nigel Planer is deadpan with little alteration in his voice. At times he appears bored with the story, pausing where there shouldn't be pauses and placing emphasis (when he gets round to it) where it shouldn't be. It appears to be a paycheque for Planer.
Robinson, on the otherhand, appears to be a Pratchett fan, is narration is full of the depth of the true connoisseur.
Overall, abridged or not, I'd sooner have Robinson than Planer.
One final comment about the ISIS audio books - avoid the MP3 versions which have every chapter on one single disc. The chapters don't run properly due to the numbering system that they are using for the individual tracks. Instead of 01, 02 ... 10, 11, etc they have used 1, 2, 3, etc meaning that you start on track 1 then move to track 10, 11, etc. If you are after a straight run without problems, fork out the extra money and buy the multi disc versions, you can play these anywhere on any system.
If you're new to Pratchett, or travelling, or going into hospital, then the abridged version are well worth having.
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What kinds of strange and curious creatures do you think exist ?
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Thanks to this book I am now acquainted with all kinds of possible and impossible beings. I have read all the Discworld novels and I can say, that this one is one of the best. I especially liked the idea of tod taking over the job of the missing Hogfather - with Nobby sitting on his bony knees waiting for a present. Hard to put down!! Let me also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestseller--The Fates--if you missed it!
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BEWARE: ABRIDGED
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Nowhere on the description of this audiobook on Amazon is there any mention of the fact that it is abridged and is not in fact a narration of the book as in, for example, Harry Potter, but essentially only a summary, being only 3 cds long.
I bought this and "Making Money" and the reading by Tony Robinson is superb, but I would recommend anybody who wants the proper full version to buy the unabridged version (Nigel Planer, Harper Audio) for another 10 US dollars.
Basically a great book was ruined by the felling of having been totally ripped off: Amazon - please show clearly when an audiobook is abridged or risk your customers feeling conned!
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A pure delight and a histerically funny tale about a different Christmas... and "haute cuisine"
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I confess immediately that I am addicted to Pratchett and greatly enjoyed almost all of the Discworld novels - and here is what I consider his second best (number 1 in my book being "Small gods"). And Pratchett's second best is still a great masterpiece. The story is quite simple - on the Discworld there is no Christmas, but instead there is the (almost identical) Hogwatch Night. So the local Santa Claus is of course called the Hogfather. And this year there is a major problem - the Hogfather is missing and there is an urgent need for a remplacement, a back up, an interim, whatever, but the Hogwatch Night must go on! Children are waiting for their toys and a merry "ho, ho, ho".
Now, in order to replace the Hogfather, the candidate must have some important qualities: he must be a supernatural being. He must have the ability to be in many places in the same time. He must be able to travel instantly from one point to another. He must have a long experience in supernatural work necessary to keep the world in order. And the most important - he must have a 100% success in his previous line od duty. So, what do you think, who will get the job? Well, I am certain you have already guessed....
The very idea of replacing the Hogfather (Santa Claus) by... well, the guy who replaces him, was already a great idea. But it gets better. The author actually managed to keep this idea under good control, avoiding all the traps and producing an incredible amount of smart gags, funny jokes and delicious one liners, when in the same time always keeping the good taste and never allowing himself even one vulgarity. Great achievement!
But after all, most of Pratchett books are like that. So, what makes this one a masterpiece? It is the "haute cuisine" moment. Now, Pratchett always claimed that "cuisine" and food are two different things - and in this book he proves his point, describing the best and the most expensive restaurant in Ankh Morpork struggling to serve dinner to customers without any real food! Some knowledge of French will be required to appreciate this fragment of the book (or at least a French English dictionary) but otherwise this is probably the most intelligent and funniest (the most tasty) gag in all Pratchett's works until now.
To conclude, this work is a treasure - go get it! There is no excuse - you have to read it!
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One of the best books I've read.
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I read this book about 3 years ago but I still reckon it's one of the best Pratchett books I've read so far. I think it's just written very well as well as being very interesting. It seemed to draw me into it's pages more-so than any other Pratchett book.
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