Hogfather: Discworld Novel 20
1 journaler for this copy...
Another Discworld book read along with Mark Oshiro and another one I already knew as an audiobook.
The plot:
When the Auditors plot to kill the Hogfather (Discworld's "Santa Claus"), Death steps in to ensure people keep believing in him. As a consequence, Death's granddaughter Susan has to take up the scythe yet again and together with the wizards she tries to find out what's going on.
A lot of my fellow readers named this book as their favourite Discworld book and I've been trying to figure out why I don't much care for it myself. I mean it's a good book and has some great scenes but I think it fails to grab me for the following reasons:
- While I enjoy some aspects of celebrating Christmas (family time, pretty lights everywhere, Christmas trees, cookies) I feel it's a wildly overhyped holiday and taken too seriously by plenty of people as well as society as a whole.
- I simply don't like Susan much. I'm not entirely sure why because by now she's outgrown most of her teenage selfcentredness and there are plenty of scenes showing her being kinda awesome. In truth, I have this nagging feeling that I still "blame" her for her parents' deaths (Mort was my favourite book for a couple of years).
- I really don't like the Oh God of Hangovers. Bilious is clearly supposed to be a comedic relief character, but I found him mostly annoying and pitiful.
- For some reason, I found the whole backstory on the Hogfather's origins (old gods, new jobs) nowhere as fascinating as the inside view of Small Gods.
- We've seen the idea of lifeforms being created out of the wizards' imaginations before (in Reaper Man). I feel it was better executed here (with the notion of belief powering even the most unlikely of creatures), but it still felt like an older idea being warmed up.
- Teatime is seriously creepy. I don't want to spend any more time reading about him than I absolutely have to.
And to top it off, while I don't (much) mind having Christmas scenes in the middle of a book or movie even, reading an entire book around this theme in mid-August was a bit much.
Things I liked about this book:
+ Susan as a governess
+ Death as Hogfather in the mall
+ Nobby's cameo
1. Small Gods
2. Maskerade
3. Men at Arms
-------- (imaginary line splitting special favourites from "normal" favourites)
4. Guards! Guards!
5. Reaper Man
6. Hogfather
7. Witches Abroad
8. Wyrd Sisters
9. Soul Music
10. Mort
Next up: Jingo
The plot:
When the Auditors plot to kill the Hogfather (Discworld's "Santa Claus"), Death steps in to ensure people keep believing in him. As a consequence, Death's granddaughter Susan has to take up the scythe yet again and together with the wizards she tries to find out what's going on.
A lot of my fellow readers named this book as their favourite Discworld book and I've been trying to figure out why I don't much care for it myself. I mean it's a good book and has some great scenes but I think it fails to grab me for the following reasons:
- While I enjoy some aspects of celebrating Christmas (family time, pretty lights everywhere, Christmas trees, cookies) I feel it's a wildly overhyped holiday and taken too seriously by plenty of people as well as society as a whole.
- I simply don't like Susan much. I'm not entirely sure why because by now she's outgrown most of her teenage selfcentredness and there are plenty of scenes showing her being kinda awesome. In truth, I have this nagging feeling that I still "blame" her for her parents' deaths (Mort was my favourite book for a couple of years).
- I really don't like the Oh God of Hangovers. Bilious is clearly supposed to be a comedic relief character, but I found him mostly annoying and pitiful.
- For some reason, I found the whole backstory on the Hogfather's origins (old gods, new jobs) nowhere as fascinating as the inside view of Small Gods.
- We've seen the idea of lifeforms being created out of the wizards' imaginations before (in Reaper Man). I feel it was better executed here (with the notion of belief powering even the most unlikely of creatures), but it still felt like an older idea being warmed up.
- Teatime is seriously creepy. I don't want to spend any more time reading about him than I absolutely have to.
And to top it off, while I don't (much) mind having Christmas scenes in the middle of a book or movie even, reading an entire book around this theme in mid-August was a bit much.
Things I liked about this book:
+ Susan as a governess
+ Death as Hogfather in the mall
+ Nobby's cameo
1. Small Gods
2. Maskerade
3. Men at Arms
-------- (imaginary line splitting special favourites from "normal" favourites)
4. Guards! Guards!
5. Reaper Man
6. Hogfather
7. Witches Abroad
8. Wyrd Sisters
9. Soul Music
10. Mort
Next up: Jingo
