The Folklore of Discworld: Legends, Myths, and Customs from the Discworld with Helpful Hints from Planet Earth

by Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson Narrated by Michael Fenton Stevens

Overview

Terry Pratchett joins up with a leading folklorist to reveal the legends, myths and customs of Discworld, together with helpful hints from Planet Earth.

Most of us grew up having always known when to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly some of these things are beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, and fairy tales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got here. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings, which on Earth are creatures of the imagination - like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods - are real, alive and, in some cases kicking, on the Disc.

In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2014 - AudioFile

The Discworld universe is composed of a vast array of magical creatures, but what was the inspiration for them? Michael Fenton Stevens delivers this compendium with a charming English accent and clear enunciation that engages the listener even throughout the drier parts of the book. While fans will appreciate the vignettes about the inspiration for the world's species, even more entertaining are the varied voices Stevens creates for them: deep bass tones for the dim-witted trolls, high-pitched cackling for the witches, and an aristocratic lilt for the vampires. He successfully distinguishes between the main text and quotes from referenced Discworld novels with effective pauses and changes in tone. A solid addition to any Pratchett fan’s listening library. E.E. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Beautiful analysis of the overlapping myth and legends in both Discworld and ours. You'll learn a lot about each.” —The Bookseller

Praise for Terry Pratchett

"Like all great creators of imaginary worlds, Terry Pratchett writes like an enthralled and driven reader. He creates a brilliant excess of delectable detail, he respects his own creation and his readers."
     —A. S. Byatt

"It is [his] closeness to reality—within a fantasy context—that makes Pratchett's books so popular with a wider readership than merely the goblin junkies and interplanetary nargs."
     —The Sunday Times (London)

“One of the most interesting and critically underrated novelists we have. . . . The Folklore of Discworld—co-authored with the eminent folklorist Jacqueline Simpson—emphasizes his irreverence and drollery.”
     — The Times

“Pratchett is, like Mark Twain or Jonathan Swift, not just a great writer but also an original thinker . . . Funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious.”
     —The Guardian

JUNE 2014 - AudioFile

The Discworld universe is composed of a vast array of magical creatures, but what was the inspiration for them? Michael Fenton Stevens delivers this compendium with a charming English accent and clear enunciation that engages the listener even throughout the drier parts of the book. While fans will appreciate the vignettes about the inspiration for the world's species, even more entertaining are the varied voices Stevens creates for them: deep bass tones for the dim-witted trolls, high-pitched cackling for the witches, and an aristocratic lilt for the vampires. He successfully distinguishes between the main text and quotes from referenced Discworld novels with effective pauses and changes in tone. A solid addition to any Pratchett fan’s listening library. E.E. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171816896
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/25/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

I N T R O D U C T I O N
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "The Folklore of Discworld"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Terry Pratchett.
Excerpted by permission of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Videos