The Truth
A little more than halfway through the Discworld series, the Industrial Revolution is starting to take off. The Truth introduces the movable type printing press, leading immediately to the invention of the newspaper (and, naturally, tabloids).
It's fun to return to this novel in particular because it introduces a bunch of characters who continue to inhabit the background for the rest of the series. Reporters William and Sacharissa and their photographer, a vampire named Otto, will keep popping up any time there's something interesting going on. But this is where they first get the bug for chasing and reporting the news.
The mystery at the heart of this story is actually the least interesting thing about it to me. Someone is trying to frame Lord Vetinari for murder in an attempt to replace him with a new patrician of their choosing. This is a well Pratchett returns to time and time again. But Vetinari is smarter, more resilient, and, strangely enough, more beloved than that. He's a fixture of Ankh-Morpork, and he's not going to fall to the current shadowy villain.
Much more interesting is the antagonism between William and Commander Vimes. They are on the same side, but they mistrust each other immensely, and they have vastly different methods for confronting the wrongs around them. The relationship between these two remains one of my favorite in the series, though it's mostly relegated to the background after this book. But it's always nice to see the checks police and the media have on each other (in a free society).
This is perhaps not the best book in the series, but it's a solid showing with some of the longest running consequences. So it was a treat to revisit and see some beginnings. Especially since I can better recognize them this time around.
It's fun to return to this novel in particular because it introduces a bunch of characters who continue to inhabit the background for the rest of the series. Reporters William and Sacharissa and their photographer, a vampire named Otto, will keep popping up any time there's something interesting going on. But this is where they first get the bug for chasing and reporting the news.
The mystery at the heart of this story is actually the least interesting thing about it to me. Someone is trying to frame Lord Vetinari for murder in an attempt to replace him with a new patrician of their choosing. This is a well Pratchett returns to time and time again. But Vetinari is smarter, more resilient, and, strangely enough, more beloved than that. He's a fixture of Ankh-Morpork, and he's not going to fall to the current shadowy villain.
Much more interesting is the antagonism between William and Commander Vimes. They are on the same side, but they mistrust each other immensely, and they have vastly different methods for confronting the wrongs around them. The relationship between these two remains one of my favorite in the series, though it's mostly relegated to the background after this book. But it's always nice to see the checks police and the media have on each other (in a free society).
This is perhaps not the best book in the series, but it's a solid showing with some of the longest running consequences. So it was a treat to revisit and see some beginnings. Especially since I can better recognize them this time around.
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