Hogfather

Rating:
Summary: HO. HO. HO.
Review: The Hogfather is, of course, Father Christmas - except that he drives in a sleigh pulled by pigs, and gets sherry and turnips as snacks.
But someone has hired the Assassins Guild to `get rid of' this certain somebody, and they get on the job.

While the Hogfather faces the peril of being un-believed in (which is how a god `dies', though just as soon they can come back to `life'), Death takes up the reigns, puts on a fake wig, stuffs some pillows under his coat, and becomes the substitute Hogfather. Eating the sherry and turnips (or leaving the turnips and letting his assistant Albert drink the sherry), leaving toys in the stockings, and making sure there are plenty of coal-prints on the carpet, Death hopes to keep the belief of the Hogfather alive.

Meanwhile, Mr. Teatime (that's `teh-ah-tim-eh' to you), the hired Assassin, has hired a few thugs to help him with his work. They are having a hard time getting used to this odd, one-eyed (one glass eye), eccentric assassin.

And Susan - the daughter of Death's adopted daughter and his former apprentice (thus Death's granddaughter) - knows something's wrong; when Death instead of the Hogfather comes in and fills the kid's stockings. She is trying to lead a `normal' life as a governess; though when your hair rearranges itself, you can walk through walls, can see bogeymen, and talk in capital letters like Death, it's hard to be normal.
So Susan, along with the 'oh god' of Hangovers (who she runs into), goes to find out what has happened to the Hogfather - and see if she can return Hogwatch to what it was before, with the correct Hogfather.

Along with 'Interesting Times', and 'Small Gods', this makes it to the top 5 of all the Discworld novels.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greats
Review: This is the twentieth book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle. Anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.

In this book, the Ankh-Morpork Guild of Assassins receives their strangest contract ever - they are to arrange the death of the Hogfather (the Disc's version of Santa Claus)! A very strange assassin is assigned the project, and he goes after it with disturbing enthusiasm. But, there are more players to this game than meets the eye, including Death and his granddaughter. Will the Hogfather survive? And if not, what might the cost be?

This is another great Discworld book, one of my favorites - heck, I love any Discworld book with Death in it! As with many of the later Terry Pratchett books, this one is not laugh-out-loud funny like the early ones were. I mean, it is quite funny, but even more so, this is a thoughtful book that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and your nose planted firmly in the book. The characters are fascinating, and the plot is great!

So, if you like the Discworld books in general, then be assured that this is one of the greats. I highly recommend this book.


Rating:
Summary: My First Trip to Discworld
Review: "Hogfather" is the first Terry Pratchett book that I read, based on a strong and enthusiastic recommendation. I am sorry I did not discover Pratchett earlier. His writing is filled with laugh-out-loud moments and peppered with sharp insights into the ways humans function. He has created a marvelously warped, but awfully familiar universe with his Discworld. "Hogfather" is largely a satire about Christmas and the way that we celebrate it; but it is more importantly about the beliefs that shape who we are and the strength those beliefs have over us.

The basis for "Hogfather" is that the Hogfather has been "killed" and Death must take over the reins in order to ensure that the sun will rise the next morning, as well as to try to bring back the Hogfather. As he crisscrosses the world on Hogswatch Eve, he is startled by the lack of belief that he encounters in his interactions with humans. Surely something is wrong in the universe if humans don't belief in the Hogfather and it is Death's task, along with others, to try to set things right.

The novel includes a wide cast of characters who are believable and add to the rich tapestry of Pratchett's yarn. We are allowed to see the story from various vantage points as we discover what is the cause behind this lack of belief. We laugh out loud at the escapades of the Oh-God of Hangovers and the other various 'gods' who have strangely gained entrance into Discworld. Yet the best storyline involves Susan Sto-
Helit; as Death's grand-daughter, she would like nothing more than to live a normal life as a governess, but inevitably finds herself wrapped up in the plot to save the Hogfather and restore order to Discworld.

Pratchett is a highly entertaining author. He balances the wit and humor of his story with sharp (and sometimes biting) observations about life. I look forward to more trips into Discworld.

Rating:
Summary: A Hogswatch carol
Review: The dark time of the year is filled with chaos, and so is this book, despite the efforts of the Auditors, nasty little bastards that they are. They want to eliminate the Hogfather and so prevent the sun from coming up, thus stopping the messy, disorganized process of life. (Hint: the whole mystery here centers around belief and the control of it).
A question provides a subtheme throughout the action: "What IS the real meaning of Christmas/Hogswatch?"
The easy answers, like the wishful, naive, simplistic, theme of "Wouldn't it be nice if everyone was nice?" (the Discworld is notoriously pantheistic) are juxtaposed harshly against reality. The commercialism of the merchant ("...but he's GIVING the stuff away!") while down the street The Little Match Girl freezes to death in the cold and snow, only to be rescued by Death as The Hogfather, pointing out that that's how it SHOULDN'T go, is pure Pratchett irony...seemingly gentle, but sharper than a diamond scalpel. Humans can't be bothered, but the Hogfather can give a gift...and a life is a pretty good one.
Another 'real meaning' is explored too, in Albert's voice, bone-real as in "Will there be enough food to get us through the winter after the pigs are slaughtered?"...
This moves even further back to the sacrificial blood on the snow bringing back the sun and renewing the earth after the winter solstice. Old gods do new jobs.
'Charity' also comes in for a scrutiny here ("..not what you want to give them, but what they need to get").
My personal favorite comparison here is Death as the Hogfather, pillow, fake beard, scythe and all, held up against the poor, fat, red-suited guy who has been demoted to going "ho ho ho" and passing out toys. Now Death is a Hogfather with 'NADS...in a manner of speaking.
Pterry has written a story that is impossible to explain without telling it, it has so many layers. The best thing to do is just read it, wait some time, and then read it again. Repeat this many times. You will get or learn something different each time you do so.
HO. HO. HO.

Rating:
Summary: It has it all...
Review: By far, this book is the best of the Discworld series and in my top 5 favorite books. It had me cracking up just purely by the writer's style. It was truely enjoyable.

All in all, I think this book would make an excellant movie, if done properly.