Rating: 
Summary: The Truth and Droll Vegetables
Review: Pratchett is a former journalist himself, so I suppose it was just a matter of time before journalism was held up to the fun-house mirror that is the Discworld. Perhaps it is his experience in the trade that makes this such a wonderful story.William de Worde is the estranged younger son of a noble family. He earns a living providing private reports on the news of Ankh Morpork to foreign rulers. On his way to deliver his latest report to his engraver, William is struck by the power of the press; in this case, a runaway wagon carrying a moveable type press that dwarves are smuggling into the city. One thing leads to another, and, this being the Century of the Fruitbat, before long "The Ankh Morpork Times" is on the streets, and William is launched on a career as an editor, publisher and investigative journalist. The economy of Ankh Morpork is built on institutionalized corruption. There's no shortage of work for a budding investigative journalist, including the latest plot against the Lord Vetinari, the city's ruler. Soon William and his newspaper are pitted against conspiring nobility, a competing tabloid, assassins and the City Watch, to name just a few. From the subtle - watch the typos in the newspaper's masthead - to the slapstick - a vampire photographer who cannot survive the bright light of his camera flash - there are a lot of laughs in this book. Some of the humor clearly traces to Practhett's journalism experience; Mr. Windling and his amusing vegetables, for example. But as has been the case in the last 10 - 12 Discworld stories, the humor is a means to an end and not the end itself. Pratchett makes important points as he entertains, and raises difficult questions. What is the Truth, anyway? And does anyone care? In Lord Vetinari's apt phrase, don't readers want the Olds, rather than the News? And why does printing something make it more true? And Pratchett addresses larger issues, too. Among the fascinating new characters is Harry King, the King of the Golden River, who will recycle absolutely anything. He is wealthy, has a certain economic power, but absolutely no prestige. William's father, a member of the Old School Nobility, regards his privileges as a right. He has prestige, but what power he had is slipping away. And Gunilla Goldmountain, a dwarf who can turn lead into gold, but would really like to be married instead. Tulip, otherwise an illiterate stock villain, has a deep, informed appreciation of all things art. People are complex, and the relationships between people and society are still more complex. Pratchett reminds us of that reality by holding our life up to the funhouse mirror he has created. There are echoes of Watergate - William's informant is "Deep Bone" - and echoes of all those old newspaper movies like "His Girl Friday" and "The Front Page" in the relationship between William and his reporter, Sacharissa. Pratchett is particularly good at making use of our cultural references in his jokes and his points. Allusion-spotters will have a field day. Like all Pratchett's books, "The Truth" is great fun to read and still rewards a thoughtful reader. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A lie travels around the world . . .
Review: As always in his later novels about Disworld, Pratchett mixes wit and word-play with often very pointed commentary on some aspect of our own world. This time, he takes on the Fourth Estate in the person of young William de Worde, idealistic younger son of Lord De Worde, a very unpleasant and rather fascist leader of a cabal attempting to overthrow Lord Vetinari, the Patrician who runs Ankh-Morpork with an astute and even hand. William, who has been sending out occasional newsletters to foreign decision-makers of local events of interest, manages to invent not only the newspaper but journalism itself, discovering along the way that what people need to know generally isn't what they want to know and that tabloidism outsells News any day. Pratchett is more sympathetic to newspaper people than to those who read their work. Of course, William uncovers the facts about the plot -- gets personally caught up in it, in fact -- and must decide just how much of his father's son he really is. And Commander Vimes of the Watch (one of my two favorite recurring characters, the other being Lord Vetinari) must deal with the discovery that freedom of the press impinges on his own occasional urges. The practical Mr. Goodmountain, dwarf typesetter and owner of the actual press, is a nice balance to William's zeal, as is Sacharissa, natural newswriter. And Otto, the vampire iconographer. Most unsettling, perhaps, are Mr. Tulip and Mr. Pin, the former a combination of enraged thug and art connoisseur, the latter a cold-blooded "arranger" for hire. I hope Pratchett lives another few decades and keeps this stuff coming.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth as It Should Be Told
Review: A newspaper on the Disc World, it had to happen sooner or later. William de Worde the editor will never be short of something interesting to print or photograph even if it's only the man who bombards him with humourously shaped potatoes. However he still has to cope with the perils of journalistic life, people who would like to see HIM on the front page as part of a nasty accident. A vampire who has a fascination with flash photography.
Think of the copy you could write about the disc world characters. I was a newspaper man for 40 years and believe me it's all there (not the vampire), though I had my suspicions.
Pratchett is at is very best. The man is genius. There are many top line comedians who would die for a script writer of his calibre. There are not many authors who can make me laugh out loud while reading, but Pratchett's one liners are priceless. Don't just buy this one, buy them all.
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett Impregnated By Aliens: Gives Birth to "The Truth"
Review: Two random immages occur frequently when reading a Terry Pratchett Discworld book. The first is of time lapse photography, the type used in nature or wildlife programs. One can see a seed planted, germinate, sprout, and then blossom into a flower in a manner of seconds even though it might take weeks to occur in `the real world'. The second is of a frog in a pot of water. It is a time worn cliché that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water it will leap out immediately. However, if you drop a frog into cool water and gradually bring it to a boil it won't think about jumping out until it is too late.
Terry Pratchett has a marvelous habit of taking devices or institutions that have developed over time in our word and subjecting them to the literary equivalent of time-lapse photography when he imports them into Discworld. Typically, the devices, be they guns (Men at Arms), movies (Moving Pictures), or the modern postal system (Going Postal), are introduced and evolve very quickly., In presenting us with guns, movies, or postal networks formed in such short order Pratchett highlights the perversions these great inventions are subjected to over time that are not so readily apparent when you live through the gradual changes. The reader, like the frog, is presented with a proverbial pot of boiling water and, no doubt, on reflection must ask him or her self, how in the world did we ever let things go this far? This is exactly what Pratchett does with the newspaper business in The Truth. As you witness the time-lapsed development of the institution known to us as the press you cannot help but shake your head and say, how did it ever come to this?
The plot has already been well summarized on the product page. Suffice it to say, Pratchett does his typically splendid job setting up the establishment of Ankh-Morpork's first newspaper by the aptly named William de Worde. The cast of characters includes Otto, the vampire photographer. Otto is fresh from the vampire equivalent of a 12-step program and struggles mightily to avoid a relapse.
Of course the press needs to have a story and Pratchett gives us the Ankh-Morpork version of Watergate. A crime has been committed and the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, is the prime suspect. It appears in fact to be something of an open and shut case. Of course, the truth is not always what it appears to be. De Worde soon comes to suspect that perhaps, just perhaps, the oligarchs that don't suffer Vetinari all that gladly just may have something to do with all this.
Every investigative reporter needs a source and Pratchett gives us the Ankh-Morpork version of Deep Throat, this time in the form of Pratchett's most intelligent creations, Gaspode, the talking dog. Call him "Deep Bark" perhaps. The words Pratchett puts in Gaspode are pure Pratchett and are funny and insightful. Also worthy of note is Pratchett's characterization of the inevitable collision of the press with the police in the form of the dealings between de Worde and Command Sam Vimes.
Events wend their way to their inevitable conclusion. Will Commander Vimes be forced to `round up the usual suspects' or will de Word uncover that elusive thing called the truth? Inquiring minds want to know!
The Truth is up to Pratchett's usually high standards and will be enjoyed by both Pratchett old timers and those new to Discworld. For newcomers, the Truth is an excellent place to start.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun
Review: I enjoyed this book. While i have become somewhat less enthusiastic now when i hear another disc world book is due out, this one was a cut above some of the more recent ones. Dont get me wrong, i like most of the titles... but i almost get the impression he's writting out of habit rather than swept with the urge to tell a story. Not so with this one. Enjoyable throughout.
Rating:
Summary: The truth, the whole truth, only if the dwarf can print it
Review: This is supposed to be the 25th Discworld novel, I don't know exactly how many I have read but it has been quite a few. You need to buy the whole Discworld concept with the elephants and the giant turtle floating through space. If you are still on board, then prepare yourself for what I feel is an enjoyable ride. If you are new to the Discworld series, this is not the book to start with. The beauty of the way this and other of Pratchett's Discworld stories work is that the reader needs to be at least slightly familiar with some of the characters. The Guilds, Lord Vetinari, Ministry of Magic, Wyrd Sisters, and now William de Worde. I enjoyed this book the most next to Mort and Soul Music. The descriptions the author gives everything such as the city of Ankh-Morpork are hilarious, I find myself laughing out loud. I did that a lot reading this book. The joy in reading Terry Pratchett is not the story itself but in the actual page by page commentary he gives and his funny wit. Each page contains enough sarcasm that you want to remember some of this to sound a little clever yourself when discussing things with your friends and co-workers. So much that it just becomes fun to read just 4 to 8 pages at a time and let it soak in. Welcome to the Discworld.
Rating: 
Summary: In the presence of genius...
Review: Many years ago in my early youth, I came across The Colour of Magic. As a (then) slightly po-faced devourer of fantasy novels, I was unimpressed by Pratchett's writing and vaguely offended at the spoofery. My prejudice continued until a few days ago when I was enticed by the blurb on the back of The Truth. As a journalist/editor (until recently) I felt I'd be in line for sufficient entertainment/insight to keep me interested even if the mock-fantasy stuff got up my nose a little.
Within the first few pages, much as I wanted to demur, I felt myself being seduced. The novel turned out to be a hugely exhilarating ride and, on turning the last page and with metaphoric cigarette in hand, I began the process of kicking myself. Hard. How on earth could I let this wondrous Discworld universe pass me by for so long?! Pratchett's creation is lovingly, lovingly detailed. Even if some of the humour is a bit obvious and old hat; even if Pin and Tulip are occasionally tiresome; even if the story is unnecessarily strung-out and bloated; even if there are banalities and idiocies in some of the characters and plotlines... you're still left with a rollicklingly good read, an effortless page-turner and the intoxicating knowledge that you will seek out (as I am currently, obsessively doing) every last story that Pratchett has committed to paper. The only problem I have now is in taking 99.9% of `serious' fantasy seriously again. How could I? Why would I? When Pratchett provides such a complete, intricate, hilarious and poignant set of portraits incorporating such multifarious and sympathetic and unique characters as are to be found in Discworld. The Truth is, by no means, a perfect (or even classic) (or even must-read) book - hence only three stars. But I already know that the Discworld sequence is perfect, classic and must-read taken as a whole. In fact, I am so entranced by Discworld after finishing The Truth, getting half-way through Mort and having just seen a very amateurish stage version of Carpe Jugulum, that I am beginning to feel that Pratchett's genius rivals that of P.G. Wodehouse. And that is high praise indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett Digs Deep
Review: The Truth stands out to me as one of the better examples of Pratchett's ability. It harkens back to the earlier books giving the reader a delightfully mix of real-world and fantastical parody. From cover to cover images of Perry White, J. Jonah Jameson, Richard Nixon, The Sun, and conspiracy theorists flash through the readers brain giving us a new look at Ankh-Morpork and new characters who I hope will make appearances in future books. If you are a fan of the Disc's dwarven community, this book also gives the reader a closer scrutiny of that noble and industrious race, and you will also see the effects of iconography on a vampire iconographer. Underneath all the humor runs a storyline about truth, duty, and family. The first two are quite obvious considering the title of the book, but the third is what touched me. A man really doesn't have to follow in the footsteps of his family, and a person's character can really change if it is truly desired.
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett Delivers Again
Review: When Terry Pratchett started writing the Discworld series, he intended to skewer fantasy cliches in a straight-up parody. Twenty-five full-length novels later, he somehow ended up producing highly literate satires with virtually nothing in common with fantasy, except that the occassional troll, vampire, and talking dog does wander through. In "The Truth" he turns his eys on the newspaper industry, and the more you know about the curious organization of Britain's print media, the more references you can catch. But while the news media presents a broad target for satire, a novel of this sort could easily have wandered off course, bashing the most obvious jokes into the ground. But "The Truth" doesn't. It is, after all, written by Terry Pratchett.
William deWorde is the outcast younger son of a wealthy family, who suffered greatly and hilariously at boarding school in his youth. Through odd circumstances he teams up with the lovely Sacharissa and a band of dwarves to produce a crude newspaper. In come Lord Vetinari, the Bursar, some trolls, Detrius, and various other friends old and new, and soon hilarious high-jinks are happening all across the city. To try summarizing the plot would be futile, but suffice to say it will satisfy and long-term Pratchett fan.
Pay attention also to little things. Over the last twenty-five books, Pratchett's skill has grown at, well, everything. He now masters such a huge variety of modes of literature that you couldn't even count them all. Among things to notice in "The Truth" are non-verbal communication (particularly when Vetinari is on-screen), discussion of the rising middle class, and oh yes, Death. And I'm sure all find more on my second read. And my third. And my fourth.
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