I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett and think he’s one of the best comic writers since Wodehouse, but his recent Discworld book “Thief of Time” is frankly gusset.
The characters aren’t very interesting, the story is weak and the level of humour is poor (apart from a brilliant remark about Salad Cream).
Is it just me or did he lose the plot with this one. The only other Discworld book I didn’t much care for was Lords and Ladies, but the rest please me hugely.
Hopefully he’ll return to form soon.
Sorry, but I’ve read virtually all of TP’s books, and I must disagree. I think that Thief of Time is one of his best ever. it explores themes like the nature of time, reality, and what it means to be human. Heady stuff. I hope he continues in the same vein.
So, yeah, it’s just you 
Yeah me too. I think ToT is my second fave book after Small Gods.
Yeah, my general feeling, owlstretchingtime, is that it’s just you. I’ve read quite a few Pratchett boards and what-n-not (Not to mention the assorted threads on this board), and the general consensus is that The Thief of Time is one of his best. Of course, it features Susan, who is one of many people’s favorite characters, so that might play a part. Personally, I thought all the bits with Lu-Tze were brilliant, and his discussions about time (and Time) were extremely well handled. While it wasn’t my favorite Pterry book, I did like it a lot, but then again, I liked Lords and Ladies, so what do I know?
I have only read ToT. I liked it.
Any reccomendations for my next one?
I very nearly bought the one where death is santa claus (forgot the name). I got as far as the counter before I realized I didn’t have enough dosh.
Not very good?
I thought it was bloody brilliant.
I’ll have to read it again, but like Why A Duck, this book stands a very good chance of becoming my second favorite Discworld novel, after Small Gods.
Read them all, lobley. I like them all, but I must admit his earlier ones seem not as good as his later ones. But they’re all enjoyable, and in the last 8 or 9 years, they’ve been fantastic.
So go get Hogfather or whatever, and get reading!
I kinda agree with owl to a point. I didn’t think it was bad, but it wasn’t one of TP’s best. Of course, I’m in the minority on my opinion of Small Gods, too. (It was one of my least favorites.)
On the other hand, I love Lu-Tze and hope to see more of him.
Hmmmm. Maybe this can be my excuse to reread Thief of Time. It doesn’t take much of an excuse for me to reread Pratchett – altitude, for instance, is a fine excuse. Sometimes I stand up and the sudden change in altitude makes me want to reread a book.
I thought it was ok. There are others I like much better (though it was nice to see Susan again, btw, why isn’t she duchessing? I’ve forgotten.) On the other hand, I did read it in one sitting - so…
But then, I thought the same of Small Gods.
Well, there you have it. If you liked Small Gods, you’ll probably like Thief of Time. (I loved Small Gods).
I once made the mistake of recommending Small Gods to my wife for her women’s book group. Most of them didn’t care for it at all (not my wife, fortunately). Previous books the group has reacted favorably to have been Bridges of Madison County, Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Fried Green Tomatoes. I don’t know what any of that means.
I greatly enjoyed Theif of Time. I thought Lu Tze was an interesting addition to the Discworld, and the philosophy was as thought-provoking as ever. But I only liked Small Gods, it wasn’t one of my favourites at all.
Odd. I really liked Small Gods, but I would put Thief of Time in the middle of the pack - not bad, not great. All of the Watch books, for example, were better.
You have all demonstrated Pratchett’s lasting appeal. Each book seems to touch everyone in a different way.
Nobody has ever listed my favourite Discworld novel in their top ten’s (Maskerade), and initially I listed Small Gods as pretty low on my list, but even his bad books are better than most others out there.
I think TOT is equal to Small Gods (which is my favorite). Lu-Tze I think is Cohen the Barbarian’s lost twin brother.
Ben
Did Lu-Tze appear in any books prior to Small Gods?
Well I got Hogfather today. Turns out it was the one I was describing without knowing the name.
I read one page at work and thought it was funnier than anything in ToT. I still loved ToT though (I say that as if i’ve finished it. I haven’t. I still have about 6 pages to read)
I wasn’t too taken with Thief of Time, mostly because it seemed too short. On the other hand, I just finished The Last Hero (even shorter) and enjoyed it immensely.
I wasn’t too keen on Small Gods, but loved Thief of Time. My favourite at the moment is probably ‘The Truth’, and in general I like the city watch books. I thought ‘The Last Hero’ was superb, as was ‘The Amazing Maurice…’
I’m still waiting for a novel where Ponder Stibbons says: ‘Open the Squash Court Doors, Hex’
Thanks to owlstretchingtime’s brazen slander, I was finally motivated to dig through my library and find Thief of Time to read again.
Yep, still one great whanging corker of a novel. It’s just as good the second time around (a la “The Sixth Sense”). I’d put it and The Truth as the top sequentially published Discworld novels, thereby proving mathematically that Pratchett is still at the top of his game.
So there.
I found Small Gods a bit laboured. Maybe it’s because I dont care much for religion at all, as I’m an athiest, and I find reading about it, even if it is taking the piss out of it, a bit of a waste of time.
It was an ok book, and had some funny moments, but there are far better Pratchett books imho.