Thief of Time

Rating:
Summary: Read the Title
Review: For the Perennial Pratchett Fans: This book is firmly in the Death series. Death and Susan have to save the world. Again. Is anyone keeping track of how many times the world has almost been destroyed?

For the New readers: This book stands on it own well enough. Regular fans will already know Death, War, Famine, Pestilence, Susan, Nanny Ogg, Igor, Lu Tze, and the Way of Mrs.Cosmopilite they are old friends and we are happy to see them again. But Pterry gives enough information so new readers are not lost. Just know that if you like them you can read more about them without waiting for another book.

So what is it about?

The Auditors have hired Jeremy, a man with a perfect sense of time, to build a glass clock that will stop time.

Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd of the History Monks are on a mission to stop the clock.

Susan is working as a school teacher until Death puts her to work saving the world. (Nanny Ogg has a cameo as the world's best Midwife)

Death is having a hard time getting the other three Horsemen to Ride Out for the Apocalypse.

And then there is the Fifth Horsemen, Ronnie, who left before they got famous.

All the stuff about the History Monks is one continuous joke about Kung Fu movies.

The Five Horsemen lend themselves to Beatles references but also to any rock band where some members are more famous than others.

Susan seems to have developed a Chocolate dependency. It is nice to know that Pterry understands these things.

The American edition cover is hideous, they could not have made it more ugly if they tried. Are they actually trying to lose business?

The British cover is the usual Josh Kirby (in case your are wondering it depicts the History Monks' time storage vault,. The little yellow figures are monks. They are getting buckets of water and yak butter out of storage wells to cool and grease the time spindles)

Rating:
Summary: Too much of a good thing
Review: With each successive Discworld novel, Terry Pratchett pushes the boundaries of his creation further and further - in Thief of Time, he tries to destroy it altogether.

... using the Auditors, the little papershufflers of the universe who crave order, and find humanity the source of way too much disorganization. The Auditors send an emissary to find a sympathetic human to unwittingly aid them by re-assembling the Glass Clock which imprisons Time. This plot to bring and end to chaos is discovered by Death, who brings iin hbis granddaughter Susan, who's been working as the hardest-working schoolteacher in Ankh-Morpork...

... already you can tell it's a little much, even for Terry Pratchett. The idea behind Thief of Time is good, but it almost might have made two books instead of just one. We get to spend some great, hilarious moments with Lu Tze (from Small Gods) the humble sweeper and rogue History Monk; Death, as always plays a role, but the really great bits go to Susan; and Nanny Ogg plays a bit part in the substory which, of course, merges with the main plot in the last 80 pages.

While the subject matter of reversing time, editing history, "slicing time" is very inventive; it tends to make the reading a bit chaotic. The characters, as always are funny and warm, and resonate well with this enjoyable series - but the individual parts intereaction seemed a bit forced. Any one of the substories would have made a good story by itself: with Lu Tze and Lobsang, Susan and her students, and Lady LeJean and Jeremy Clockson you find youself wishing for only one thing - a little more time.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: I've read perhaps 5 of the Discworld series, and have really enjoyed a couple of them and thought the others were entertaining but not entirely captivating. I picked up Thief of Time on my 19 year old son's recommendation, which was "Do yourself a favor, read this book and make your life better." Well, how could I not?

He was right. In Thief of Time Pratchett strikes a unique balance between many different types of humor--from silly take-offs of oriental martial arts names (okidoki) to literate inside jokes (the raven named Quoth) and far beyond--with a complex and even philosophical plot. It's truly an amazing bit of writing that admittedly might fall flat for those looking for lighter entertainment, but I was delighted. I think it best not to go into plot details--you'll enjoy the book much more if you discover them for yourself--but there are plot twists aplenty, all of which make "sense". Especially nice are the scenes dealing with the revelation of the identity of the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, and the Zen Buddhist humor.

So do yourself a favor, read this book and make your life better.

Rating:
Summary: Complicated but wonderful!
Review: I'm somewhat of a newbie to the Discworld books. I've only read two, and I'm getting started on a third. But, inexperience aside, I really, really enjoyed "theif of time", and whether you've read all the other Discworld books, or you're new like myself, you'll probably enjoy this one, too.

Jeremy Clockson, a young man with a passion for exact time, is recruited by a mysterious employer to make a clock that is always exact. Along with his new assistant, the strangely built and hilariously weird Igor, he gets started on it. What Jeremy doesn't realize, though, is that by creating this clock, the world will end, and time will cease to exist. It is up to Lu-Tze the history monk (actually he's just a sweeper), his apprentice Lobsang Ludd, and Death's granddaughter, a kindergarten teacher named Miss Susan, to stop the unassuming clockmaker from destroying the world as we know it.

The one problem I had with this book was that it was very easy to be thrown off track towards the end. However, the complications are just a minor problem. The book overall is most definitely a worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: Another Gem
Review: Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are staggeringly funny, yet contain an element of poignancy. This book is no exception, I had it read within 5 hours of receiving it. Fortunately Pratchett's books are worth at least a couple of reads. I always define Discworld books in terms of the characters. This book fits into the Death category as Death and his Granddaughter Susan Sto Helit are among the main characters. Susan is a schoolteacher in this book and her conversation with the soppy headmistress of the Froud Academy and creator of the Froud Method of Learning by Fun is a riot. The Death of Rats (SQUEAK), the Raven (got any fresh eyeballs), Nanny Ogg and an Igor (yeth marthter) also figure in this story. Particularly prominent is the sweeper (no one notices the sweeper) monk Lu-Tze, who creates bansai mountains with small shovels and mirrors to focus the sun. As far as I know, this character only appeared in one other book, Small Gods, and its a pleasure to see him again. I also thouroughly enjoyed Susan's classroom, Death's Gentleman's Club, Jeremy Clockson's lab, Igor's method of arrival, the Auditors' corporeal confusion and the Five riders of the Apocalypse, Death, Famine, War, Pestilence and the fifth, who left before they got famous. In a typically Pratchettian description, back then Death was Death, of course, but Famine, War and Pestilence were only Localized Crop Failure, Scuffles and Spots. If you haven't read a Discworld book, there is no need to read them in order, they all stand by themselves and this is as good of a one to start with as any of them. If you have read Discworld books before, you already know this one is another must read.

Rating:
Summary: DEATH rules!
Review: And another great book by Terry Pratchett. Thief of Time is number 26 in the Diskworld series and again Pratchett doesn't disappoint. The story is a simple one. The Auditors want to stop Time so the world can be neat and organised. An unfortunate side effect would be that all life will go extinct. But you can't have it all. Some great characters of the Diskworld play a role in this book. First there is DEATH. And it's always fun to have DEATH around because he just is. Second there is Susan, the granddaughter of DEATH, who is a schoolteacher and who really likes chocolat. And then there is Igor, the loyal servant who doesn't condemn his masters. The lisp and hunch are complimentary. Many others also played and perhaps we'll see them again in future Diskworld books. Fans of the Diskworld series will have to buy this one. And for those who haven't read any yet. This book can safely be read without knowledge of the others. It's just not as much fun.

Rating:
Summary: My first Discworld book, and I loved it!
Review: I just finished reading "Good Omens" byt Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett last week, and was hungry for more. Fortunately, I ran into some Pratchett fans in the bookstore, and they recommended "Thief of Time" as a good book to start with. I can't remember ever enjoying an author so much since Tolkien! (Not to mention that Pratchett is quite a bit funnier!) You don't need to have read any of the other books in this series to follow along, by any means. I alternated between laughing, thinking so hard that my head nearly exploded, and laughing again. I never thought I would enjoy something like this, based on the description on the back of the book, but I'm so grateful I gave it a try because I'm hopelessly hooked now. I would say that the only downfall to reading this is that it may cost you quite a bit of money to keep up with your "Pratchett Fix" afterwards! Fortunately, it looks like I'm going to have plenty of his books to read, so I won't be going into withdrawals anytime soon! You don't need to be a fantasy or science fiction lover to enjoy this book; just someone who loves a dry sense of humor and a good read!

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Discworld
Review: This is partly a Death story, but it can stand alone; it is, in part, a great spoof on western society's fascination with Tibet and Buddhism, and quite funny. It is probably my single favorite Discworld novel so far, and I have only a small handful remaining to read. Jeremy Clockson is an obsessive-compulsive clockmaker who has to stay on his medication or his mind goes a little bit off the rails. He is commissioned to build a clock, and not just any clock, and is even sent an Igor to help him. Meanwhile, the monk Lu-Tze has taken on an apprentice from the thieves' guild. Unlike a lot of the Pratchett books, in this one the various plots remain coherent and the ending actually brings it all together (and gives new meaning to the phrase "death by chocolate").

Rating:
Summary: It's complicated
Review: Thief of Time is possibly the most complex plot Pratchett has spun. We get a better look at those crazy monks who re-direct wasted time, particularly Lu Tze. We also meet Lobsang, Jeremy Clockson, a Lady, and we see the Auditors again. Death, again, is one of the best characters ever.
The story centers around a young clock maker being commissioned to make the most accurate clock in the Universe, down to the last tick. Problem is, with a clock like that, a bad person could control time. Lu Tze, sweeper extraordinaire, and his assistant Lobsang are off to the rescue.
With a spinning plot that touches on physics, the nature of time, and chocolate, Thief of Time is at times confusing. You've got to pay attention! But have faith, the conclusion brings it all together.
For those familiar with Pratchett and the Discworld, there are many funny moments, but you won't be in pain like you were with Eric. But you will love it anyway!
For those not familiar with Pratchett, hold on tight because you will have your socks knocked off!

Rating:
Summary: My first Pratchett Book
Review: Having enjoyed the Douglas Adams books I turned to this author thinking he was as good. I was hoping for an entertaining romp through time and space (Like the old Dr. Who TV series). It was not that enjoyable, not that funny, and not that interesting. I heard Pratchett is a very good science fiction writer, but my hope is that this is not one of them. Not having read any of his other works, and reading other reviews, this is not a good intoduction to his work.