Pre-numbered label used for registration.

Release planned for Saturday, January 11, 2003 at Beacon Hill - Charles Street - Bella Vita Caffe in Boston, Massachusetts USA.

Since it was BookCrossing that first convinced me to try Terry Pratchett (and thus got me addicted!), it's only just that I should find a Discworld novel that I haven't read yet at the Meetup. (There were two, actually - in addition to the one I brought to kick off a bookray - but I let somebody else have the other one. Wouldn't want to seem TOO greedy. {grin})

[Glad to finally meet you, Deborah!]

Another adventure on the Discworld, in which Rincewind the "Wizzard", renowned for his cowardice (aka "survival instinct"), gets drafted to go to the distant and mysterious Counterweight Continent to fulfill a prophecy. He is not pleased about this.

In the course of the story we meet several old friends, including the wizards of Unseen University, the Luggage (which has a smaller role in this tale than in most of Rincewind's adventures, but we do get to see it in its natural habitat) and Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde (seven geriatric barbarian heroes). This story picks up after the events of "Sourcerer" and happens some time before those of "The Last Hero". (As with most of the Discworld books you don't have to read them in order, but it does add a bit to the fun.)

The Agatean Empire on the Counterweight Continent is the Discworld's version of ancient China (more or less), so this story features a lot of culture-clashing, with some forays into the nature of tyranny, rebellion, and heroism (barbarian and otherwise) - along with a lot of slapstick (and a fair amount of mayhem, although the details are usually left to the imagination). The climactic battle sequence is wonderfully rendered; I could almost see it unfolding, dramatic bits and hilarious ones together.

Here's a brief excerpt from Rincewind's attempt to talk the rag-tag revolutionaries out of what he considers certain death:

***

"Listen to me, will you?" he said, settling down a little. "I know about people who talk about suffering for the common good. It's never bloody them! When you hear a man shouting 'Forward, brave comrades!' you'll see he's the one behind the bloody big rock and wearing the only really arrow-proof helmet! Understand?"

He stopped. The cadre were looking at him as if he was mad. He stared at their young, keen faces, and felt very, very old.

"But there are causes worth dying for," said Butterfly.

"No, there aren't! Because you've only got one life but you can pick up another five causes on any street corner!"

"Good grief, how can you live with a philosophy like that?"

Rincewind took a deep breath. "Continuously!"

***

[There's a TV Tropes page on the book, with some entertaining tidbits.]

Controlled release:

I'm sending this to BCer jmg49 in Canada; hope you enjoy it!

Thank you GoryDetails. I just took this out of my mailbox. It's one of the many books I plan to read this summer.

My hubby just brought this book home to me from the our bank's book sale. It was a reminder that I haven't "released" any books in a long time.

Wow it's been a long time since I've been to book crossing but I found this book in Elmira and decided it was time to start back up :)