(Discworld Novel 26) (Discworld series) - Thief Of Time

This book brings three of Pratchett's best characters: the small ancient Lu Tze, Death, and Death's granddaughter Miss Susan. Unlike many Pratchett books, this one is a page turner. Highly recommended

What can you say about Pratchett ? Philosophy, science both political and material, religion in all its varieties all get their amusing and topical due. If you catch only half the allusions you still have plenty to go on in this weird and loopy discworld. I'm presently on discworld 36 which deals with the very topical idea of banking and money. Simply love the guy!!!

The rules of the universe are once again being bent to endanger life, but this time it is really Time itself that is being used as the weapon of choice. The 26th installment of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series finds many characters quite literally being a Thief of Time from certain points of view, yet only one can truly change history.

The Auditors of Reality attempt once again to organize the universe by getting rid of life by literally stopping everything by having a clockmaker construct the perfect clock. Unfortunately for the Auditors, Death catches wind of their scheming and once against enlists his granddaughter Susan to track down someone who might be able to correct their actions. Meanwhile the Monks of Time catch wind of the construction of the perfect clock as warning sign pop up like they did the first time such a clock was constructed. While Death and Susan take their own paths towards battling the Auditors, the famous Lu-Tse and his apprentice race to stop the clockmaker. And while these heroes race to save Time, the Auditors of Reality begin to learn about what it means to be human and that sudden emersion probably wasn’t the best way to do so.

Thief of Time follows a new pattern by Pratchett in which he focused more on plot and story structure, instead of jokes that string along the story. In fact while there is humor in this book it isn’t paramount to anything connected with the plot, it’s just that some funny things happen along the way towards the climax. This isn’t to say that the book isn’t good, in fact it continues Pratchett’s string of great work but the early sophomoric humor or plain repetitiveness of some jokes are thing of the past in the series. However while the events in this book clear up various timeline anomalies created earlier in the series, it also marks the ending of the Death subseries (though he continues to make appearances) and the last appearance of Susan Sto Helit which for their fans is a major disappointment as the series would continue for 15 more books.

Yet while Thief of Time does turns out to represent the last appearance for some fan favorites, it continues Pratchett’s string of great installments of the Discworld series. For anyone who is a fan of Pratchett you’ll love this book and if you’re new to the Discworld after reading this book you’ll be interested about his earlier installments.

Reread. (again, but whose counting?)

Susan Death is a wonderful protagonist. She just wants to be normal! Not happening. Not even if she goes the most traditional and boring route of Governess and graduates to Schoolmarm. Death happens, or it doesn’t, and Susan has to take up the old scythe. Darn it, time to save the world again!

From a glass clock, just like the fairy tale. Doesn’t sound so bad, but it can stop time. And the Auditors are taking a more direct hand… there’s some interesting observations about the human condition in there. Some subtle, some so broad a slapstick team would blush.

Jeremy the clock-maker – so sane that he comes to crazy from the other direction. And he takes one spoon of meds every day – and pours it down the sink. And has ‘little moments’ when he doesn’t take his meds. Sigh. Some people with mental disabilities hate that bit, because the neuro atypical are more likely to be harmed by ‘normals’ than to do the harm…. but that’s not funny, so its not in the book.

And then Susan finds out that there’s someone like her – the child of an anthropomorphic personification. And romance is supposed to be inevitable, but… not really. I think romance was Pterry’s least favorite part of the story, because they always fall so flat. There’s no chemistry between Susan and Lobsang “Hero is Just Another Word For Idiot” Ludd. Except that he’s someone like her, so who else does she have?

This was certainly an interesting one. The Auditors are once again trying to rid the universe of life.
As such, Susan is featured heavily in this one and, as with The Hogfather, I very much enjoyed her "at the end of the day, someone's got to tip the wee out of the shoes" attitude to life. Not sure if I'd have wanted her as my teacher though.
Having loved Small Gods, I was overjoyed to find the history monks are involved, particularly Lu Tze. He was quite the character and had me snickering like a hyena for ages while reading. And I'll certainly remember Rule One as I'm no doubt sure many of Discworld's characters wished they had. Especially the Auditors. And Lobsang. Poor Lobsang, always forgetting Rule One. ^_^
The one blemish in this otherwise excellent read? I wasn't a fan of Jeremy, he was a little too ... odd for my liking and some of the beginning scenes with him are equally out of whack. But then again, Jeremy wasn't a fan of Jeremy either.

They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day." John Watts

First things first. This review is dedicated to Stephen Haines. A prolific, life-long reader Stephen (known to his friends on the store as The Bunyip) was a fine reviewer. Opinionated, literate, and coherent, Stephen covered a wide range of subjects. In particular though he was devoted to Terry Pratchett, science generally and Darwin specifically, and loved nothing more than to do battle with those who saw science as something to be feared or bent to serve some cause or ideology other than science itself. He loved to talk, loved to argue and enjoyed the battle of dissenting, sometimes spluttering opinions amongst his friends. He also loved the taste of single malt and how can you not like a guy who likes a sip of whiskey on a cold Ottawa night? So I decided to pen a review in Stephen's honor and since Stephen's time was too short; a skeletal man riding a white horse named Binky showed up too early at his door, I thought one of Pratchett's finest Discworld books, "Thief of Time" would be suitable. Stephen was a good man and a better friend.

Now, down to brass tacks. Thief of Time pits the forces of rules and order (in the morphing form of the Auditors) against the forces of chaos (humanity - in whatever form that takes in Discworld). The auditor are all about the rules, the laws of nature, numbers, and the objective `data' that goes into making a universe tick. The auditors have long despised the folks on Discworld. They don't know or understand `the rules' and they seem to always put a crimp in the beautiful order of things. So the auditors send one of its own, in the form of the aptly named Lady Myria LeJean (apparently a play on myriad and legion) to build a clock so perfect, so precise that it will stop time. Myria retains the service of Jeremy Clockson, an orphan apprenticed to the Clockmaker's Guild who is renowned for his clock making skills to make this perfect clock. At the same time Lobsang Ludd, also an orphan but one apprenticed to the Thieves' Guild, and who is renowned for his exquisite skills at thievery finds himself being taught new skills by the aged Lu Tze (think Dalai Lama with the skills of Jackie Chan). DEATH smells a rat (and it isn't his sidekick the Death of Rats) and discovers that the auditors are up to no good. He drafts his granddaughter Susan to help Lobsang and Lu Tze. The rest of the book tracks the two camps, Lu-Tze/Lobsang/Susan and Lejean/Jeremy/Auditors as they prepare for the inevitable clash. Oh yes, and DEATH tries valiantly to bring the four other (yes four) horsemen of the apocalypse to help do battle with the auditors.

The above plot description, as convoluted as it may be, is only a superficial description. As any Discworld reader knows, Pratchett's stories are set out in rapid-fire fashion and often include multiple plot lines. Thief of Time is no exception. But also no exception is that the thrill of reading any Discworld book is the unique combination of wit, humor, and insight that Pratchett brings to the table. He manages to take a raft of complex issues, in this instance time and our perception of time, and weave these pretty significant concepts into a fantasy world filled with pretty weird but strangely endearing characters. Lu Tze, Lobsang are two such characters.

All-in-all this is one of Pratchett's finest Discworld books in my opinion. Although it stands on its own, I think readers will enjoy Thief of Time a bit more if they have a few other volumes under their belt. It really would help to have an understanding, for example, of the role DEATH plays in the Discworld series.

Thief of Time closes with this: "Even with nougat you can have a perfect moment." There were a lot of perfect moments in Thief of Time just as I trust Stephen had a lot of his own. Stephen, we miss you. RIP Bunyip.

l. fleisig

When it comes to some airplane/beach reading, Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are definitely not a bad choice if you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan. They're light, not too long, and funny in that British kind of way. They'll make you think a little bit, but not too much to make your head hurt. The mixture of comedy, action, and a little romance is just right for when you want an enjoyable book that isn't too heavy and overbearing.

That said, "Thief of Time" is the fourth of Pratchett's Discworld novels I've read and it didn't really make much of an impact on me. It killed a couple hours at the airport, on the plane, and later on a train but that was really about it. Mostly, this felt the same as the other Discworld books I'd read where some seemingly innocuous thing created by some fringe character threatens to destroy the universe until a ragtag bunch of non-heroes band together to stop it.

In this case, Jeremy Clockson is an orphan adopted by the Clockmaker's Guild who is obsessive about making accurate clocks. A strange but beautiful woman named Lady LeJean comes into his shop one day with the challenge to make the Ultimate Clock. Jeremy takes this on with the help of his rented Igor and some inspiration from his dreams for a glass clock.

Unbeknownst to Jeremy, this has already been done before and the fallout required the mysterious History Monks to patch Time back together into something resembling a plausible reality. Sweeper Lu Tse was the one who nearly stopped the last clock and vows to stop it this time with the help of his new assistant Lobsang Ludd. Meanwhile, Death realizes the universe will end on Wednesday and is preparing for the Apocalypse by rounding up the other three Horsemen: Pestilence, Famine, and War in a style reminiscent of the "Blues Brothers." In the meantime he tasks his "granddaughter" Susan to look into what will bring an end to life as we know it.

All these different plot threads come together fairly well in the end as all our non-heroes battle the bureaucratic Auditors for the fate of the universe. Still, as I said, even though I've only read four of these it felt like I'd read most of this before with only the specifics changed. I suppose when you write as many of these as Pratchett has it's easy to fall into a formula, albeit an enjoyable formula.

As I said at the beginning though, if you want some light reading that is a little more substantial and enjoyable than the latest Nicholas Sparks or James Patterson rag, Pratchett is your man. It just probably doesn't matter WHICH one you read.

That is all.

In `Thief of Time' the Assessors, those mysterious, anal retentive entities who are fanatically dedicated to an orderly, clockwork Universe and hate the messiness introduced by living beings, are at it once again with yet another plot to cleanse the world of the contagion of life. This time, their plot involves the building of the ultimate clock; a device made all of crystal and so in tune with the heartbeat of Universe that it can capture and imprison Time herself (yes, on Discworld, Time is a she). To accomplish this, they need the help of Jeremy Clockson, a clockmaker whose brilliance at his trade is only rivaled by the unsettling instability of his personality. More remarkably, they find it necessary for some of their number to actually assume human form and risk the horror of personality to accomplish their goal. Opposing their diabolical plan are the History Monks (a super secret order who work behind the scenes to preserve the integrity of history), and Death, who once again marshals his forces and rides to the rescue of life. As with many of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, this plot is of little importance in itself, but serves mostly as the loose framework upon which he can hang his amazing characters and an excuse to display his highly evolved and hilarious sense of satire and parody.

Discworld fans will recognize many old friends in the present cast, led by Death himself, who as usual displays his grim fascination with and sympathy for those living creatures that are his responsibility to terminate. His companions, Death of Rats and Quoath the raven (the Laurel and Hardy of grim reaping), along with his ever resourceful granddaughter, the stern and perpetually ticked off Miss Susan do most of the footwork, while he rides off to marshal the rest of the Four Horsemen to ride as the world's quite Apocalypse approaches. Even Granny Ogg, the most colorful of the three Lancre witches has a significant cameo which adds nicely to her legend. But stealing center stage for much of the book is Lu-Tze, the humble sweeper and mythic hero of the History Monks. He shines as he expounds upon his Way, a body of wisdom learned from an old lady seamstress and consisting entirely of stale clichés treated as deep, sacred wisdom, and as he displays a remarkable grasp of the art which senior Lancre witch Granny Weatherwax calls headology, which he continually demonstrates in his own sly, unassuming style.

Pratchett's satire is sharp as ever, as he tackles everything from the apparent absurdity of mystical philosophy (and the fact that it sometimes works in spite of this) to the wild realm of Chaos Theory. Along the way he interjects priceless parodies - Qu, the History Monk's device expert (a la 007), who creates such items as exploding begging bowls with spring loaded blades; the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, who split with the other four early on because of creative differences and went on to pursue a career in dairy products, and of course, death by chocolate.

`Thief of Time' is not the best place to begin if you have never before read any of Pratchett's Discworld novels. Though it can stand alone, it builds upon themes and characters that have appeared in previous novels, such as `Hogfather', `Reaper Man', `Mort', `Wyrd Sisters', and others. If you are already familiar with some or all of these books, you can appreciate `Thief of Time' to the fullest extent of its brilliance. I recommend this one for experienced Discworld travelers.

Theo Logos

Thief of Time, the 26th Discworld novel written by Terry Pratchett, is much more metaphysical than most of the previous books (other than Small Gods, perhaps). The book is so full of ideas that it's almost bursting, which has both its good and bad points.
This is yet another winner by Pratchett. It's nowhere near as good as The Truth, the last Discworld book I read. However, it is really good. Pratchett deals with a lot of large issues, such as the nature of time and space. He's never really been this metaphysical before. Even Small Gods was a bit minor compared to this. It can get a bit confusing at times, which is one strike against the book. If you're not that interested in these kinds of issues, then the book can drag a little. It's still worth it, though, for the many riffs on other, less "grand" things. There's a James Bond riff, a comment on the state of the educational system, even a parody of martial arts movies. You will find yourself laughing despite yourself.
I think Pratchett does a nice job of balancing everything in this one. If you've read my review of Small Gods, you'll know that I thought that it was missing the humour that is Pratchett's trademark, and it suffered a bit. This time, though, he's got the mix right. There is plenty to laugh at, but there is plenty of subtext as well for the serious reader. I really enjoyed reading about Lu-Tze and the sacred text that he follows which is based on the words of a boarding house manager ("Ah, but is it not said, `There is a time and place for everything?'"). This isn't just funny, but turns a series of cliches on its head.
Pratchett doesn't forget the characters in this book, either. In fact, it's so full of characters that sometimes they start stepping on each other. All of them have their funny hook. The Abbott of the monastery, who is immortal only through serial reincarnation (and right now he's just been born again so he's got a baby's urges), is probably the funniest. There's also Susan, who has come to terms with the fact that being the granddaughter of an anthropomorphic projection isn't all it's cracked up to be. She wants to lead a simple life as a teacher, but she finds out that sometimes you have to get involved in things in order to make the world go right.
There are really too many characters to mention all of them, but suffice it to say you'll be entertained by them all. They are all unique characters with wonderful character hooks that get you to care about them. There's a nice mix of characters we've seen before and new characters as well. Don't worry, though. All of the returning characters are explained enough that you will be able to follow along. There is a tiny reference to Small Gods as pertains to Lu-Tze, but it's not that important if you don't get it.
The plot of this book is very large. At 427 pages, it's very long for a Discworld book, as Pratchett has a lot to say on the subject. There are times that it drags, and unfortunately one of those times is when everybody's in the thick of the problem. There are some funny moments in that sequence, but for some reason the book seems to come to a screeching halt occasionally and it takes a while to get going again. There are one or two other sequences where this happens as well (such as when Lobsang stops a timestorm from getting out of hand). In retrospect, I can see the value of these scenes, so I don't think of this as padding. The writing just lets it down so that it feels like padding as you're reading it.
The concepts in this book, though, are marvelous. I love the idea of taking time from somewhere it's not needed and putting it where it is needed (have you ever wondered, "where has the time gone?" It probably got used somewhere else while you were doing something boring). I loved most of the metaphysical and philosophical issues that Pratchett addressed. If this isn't your thing, then I think you'll still be entertained by the book. Perhaps you can just skim through the philosophy. If you do, though, you will miss a lot of the meat of the book.
I highly recommend this book with the above caveat. However, while everything is explained within the book, I would certainly not recommend that you start reading the series with this one. It's not necessarily typical of the Discworld books, and there's a lot of stuff that you won't get the nuances for if you haven't read at least some of the other books. The rest of the series is worth it, though, so I definitely suggest you do that.

Terry Pratchett's wit, erudition and sheer volume of words & ideas will continue to amaze, long after he retires from Discworld writing. Even so, as he got up to the two dozen mark, some of us began to suspect that perhaps he was at last tiring of his creation. He never ran out of fresh ideas, but the way the ideas coalesced into novels started to seem mechanical. It wasn't so certain as before that he was affectionately disposed towards his lead characters. The same bit-part actors began constantly to put in cameo appearances (e.g. the irritating talking dog, the meat pie man, and so on), and to deliver the same predictable punchlines ("on-a-stick", "woof", Death talking "IN CAPITAL LETTERS", etc). For a time, even at best, it looked like writing by numbers. Worse still, the plots sometimes only worked because of holes in the narrative, essential connections between people or actions that the author withheld from the reader in a slightly contrived way (check it out for yourself if you don't believe me). Of course Pratchett remained entertaining - I think he finds it quite hard not to be - but it made me look back nostalgically to "Equal Rites" and "Small Gods".
The good news is that "Thief of Time" is a triumphant return to form. The plot runs like clockwork. The wit, simultaneously affectionate and bitingly ironic, is delivered with beautiful timing. The lead characters are gently heroic, and the villains chilling, even as they are comic. The tragi-comedy runs particularly deep with Lady LeJean, the poignancy of whose inner turmoil (and I don't want to spoil things for anyone who still has the book to look forward to) has been tackled with special warmth and compassion. She ranks as one of the finest creations in Pratchett's entire body of work.
I'm not going to waste your time or mine recycling the plot. Suffice it to say that once again the Universe is in danger of imminent demise. Once again, Pratchett develops a further strand in the cosmology of a universe that works according to the science and superstitions of our medieval ancestors. Yet another cinematic genre is held up to satire (this time the Kung Fu tradition). And once again, Pratchett makes some deceptively deep observations about the world we ourselves live in.
This is Pratchett's best book for some years. Even allowing for the fact that there as always quite a few in-jokes for long terms fans, this would be as good a place as any for a new reader to start.

Much as I love Pratchett, this one was probably the weakest Discworld book of his I've read so far. The first half was great, wittily interweaving three seemingly separate subplots. When they merged half way through, though, something just didn't click together correctly. Sadly, the book never regained its earlier momentum.

On the bright side, parts of it throughout are genuinely funny -- we expect no less from Pratchett -- and he has a few interesting insights into the nature of time and what it is to be human.

Unfortunately, the climax of this book seems to occur half way through it, and then becomes an overly extended sequence that takes up another quarter or so of the book. Several parts of this seemed awkwardly written and/or structured, enough I had to reread a few paragraphs to make sure I hadn't brain-blipped and missed something. That's not normally the case with Pratchett, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to both him having a bad day as a writer and me as a reader.

One other thing disapointed me: I've always thought that one of the strengths of the series is the vast cast of well-developed characters, yet they are conspicuously absent. There are cameos by Nanny Ogg, Quothe, and Death of Rats, but that's about it. I kept hoping some of the others (the Librarian, Nobby, Vetinari, etc) would show up for at least a "walk on" but no luck.

If you're a fan of Discworld, I suspect this book will be a let-down. At the very least, keep your expectations reasonable, knowing he's done a lot better.

If you are looking for enlightened entertainment or you want some Zen with your zany, this hilarious offering from the pen of Terry Pratchett is the best choice you can make.

In THIEF OF TIME, Death's granddaughter Susan is again called upon to put down her schoolteacher's marking pen and save the world from the Auditors--sinister accountant-like figures who just don't get this chaotic thing called Life.

The title character is an orphan raised by the Thieves Guild until he is discovered manipulating time by the Monks of History--who are the ultimate managers of this concept humans call Time. Young Lobsang is quite a pain to his teachers in the monastery who hit on the idea of apprenticing him to the "humble" sweeper Lu-tze. While many city people came to the mountains to find simplicity, Lu-tze went to the city to discover complications and there found his own spiritual guru in the person of Mrs. Cosmopilite. Her philosophy may be summed up in the beautiful words: "It won't get better if you pick at it."

Whether you find this profound, or just profoundly funny, don't miss this book. Highly, highly recommended!

_Thief of Time_ by Terry Pratchett HarperCollins, 324 pages,
... ISBN:0-06-019956-3
HarperCollins should thank their lucky stars that their
company seems to have the lock on Terry Pratchett releases in the
U.S. Depending on what you allow as a "Discworld" book,
Pratchett has turned out twenty-five to thirty volumes. And they
all sell like ice cream in Hell on Lucifer's day off.
He has sold more words than any living British author (and
he's closing in on the dead ones). His books never fail to make
England's best sellers lists. Maybe his readers love him because
he sends us _all_ up. No stereotype of fantasy, science,
religion, philosophy, geography, or even death is safe from a
hilariously askew viewing.
The Monks of Time, for instance, can speed Time, slow Time,
pump Time from historical station to station, as needed. Once,
long ago, they had to repair the entire universe when a
(predictably) mad scientist built the almost-perfect clock. If
it had kept ticking, everything else dependent on Time would have
stopped. The damage was awful then, but a much more talented
someone is tampering again. Hired by the spectral accountants
from the Outside, who hate the chaos of life, he is too sane, but
too singleminded, not to succeed. Only a ancient, little sweeper
and a strange boy recruited on the streets of Ankh-Morpork have a
chance to stop him. (Rule One: "Do not act incautiously when
encountering a little bald wrinkly smiling man.") Of course,
there's Death's granddaughter, Susan, the perfect teacher.
Students love her and never give her trouble. How many second
graders actually get to visit, say, an erupting volcano, or have
the real option of being thrown in if they misbehave? Once she
learns to use chocolate as a weapon against the specters . . .
But that would be telling.
Similarly, you may just be surprised when the Five Horsemen
ride forth at the End of Time. (No, that's not a typo.) And
then there's the reason why yetis are only embarrassed by being
beheaded. Or the role that Igors (plural) play in the life of a
mad scientist.
If you're just a little weirdly baroque yourself, you can't
help loving Terry Pratchett. Enjoy; enjoy; enjoy.

Years ago, I had the perfect introduction to the joy's Terry Pratchett's unique vision when I checked out this very audiobook from my local library... and I'll forever be grateful to the author, and cast for truly wonderful performances.

I saw in some other review the cry to stop changing narrator's. This strikes me as ignorant as people who complain about the bars on the top and bottom of wide-screen movies.

To shift the narrators as you shift perspective is brilliant. The third person limited narrator is a wonderful tool, and you should read Orson Scott Card's work entitled Character and Viewpoint before you start throwing stones at this masterful manifestation of the tool.

Everything about the performances and brilliance of these actors is to be praised.

Stefan Rudnicki will forever be the perfect voice of Death in my mind and no one can deliver narration with a combination of menace and mischief like Harlan Ellison.

Plus, the woman who narrates the portions about Death's granddaughter, Gabrielle De Cuir, deserves an Audie for just the combination of sensous threat she gives every word.

In short, this audiobook is one of my favorites and when I finally made the jump to the store's partner, Audible, I knew I had to buy it and the rest of Pratchett as soon as possible, which I have since done.

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)

I admit to enjoying Terry Pratchett very much. I've read all 26 Discworld books. I've got the juveniles and the early experiments like _Strata_. Perhaps the best part of reading so much of his work is that I can see how he has grown and evolved as a writer. _Thief of Time_ is an extremely sophisticated book and, while not his funniest, is plainly his best yet.
Early Discworld books were comedy monologues strung together by a plot. Sometimes a pretty thin plot. As just one example, a whole page was required to set up the famous "felonious monk" pun in _Soul Music_. The early stories tended to be pretty much a structure to support the jokes. Sure, there was more, but it was mostly for laughs.
Somewhere between _Hogfather_ and _Carpe Jugulum_, Pratchett brought his writing to a new level. It's controversial among some of his fans, but the newer books raise deeper issues and work at multiple levels. There are still lots of laughs - you can't read about a raven named "Quoth" without smiling - but there's also a terrific, compelling story to be told. While the humor in _Color of Magic_ could be sophomoric - remember when the imp ran out of the color pink when Rincewind and Twoflower visited the Whore Pits? - there is nothing even slightly sophomoric about the plot or jokes in _Thief of Time_.
This story involves the ongoing struggle between Death and the Auditors, the use and abuse of time, quantum physics, the Monks of Time (appearing for the first itme since _Small Gods_) and the peculiar and completely different aptitudes of two very different young men to manipulate time. As an unexpected bonus, you learn why there are those nagging inconsistencies across the Discworld novels; it turns out its not Terry's fault at all... Oh, and the whole Kung Fu/Mystic Masters thing gets the Pratchett Treatment.
On the Discworld, natural forces and even unnatural forces are personified. Death is a person. Well, maybe three persons, but I don't want to spoil anything. The Auditors - roughly, the heat death of the universe - are more or less persons. Time, as it turns out, is a person. And each of those Personifications has most of the foibles of humans. After all, humans invented them.
Trust me, it all makes perfect sense.
This is a terrific book. Highly recommended. You don't need to know anything about Terry Pratchett, the Discworld or Susan Sto Helit to appreciate this book. I disagree with other reviewers who say that we won't read Pratchett 25 years from now. We will, for the same reason we read Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain and other great satirists: their skewed view of their times that they present helps us understand our past. They help us understand what it means to be human.
The Discworld truly is a mirror of our world and, while it is mostly a fun house mirror, it's still possible to know without doubt what it is you are seeing in that distorting mirror. And it makes you laugh.

If you're a newcomer to Terry Pratchett, this may not be the best Discworld starting point. "He's hilarious!" is the frequent recommendation from friends urging Discworld books on you. You won't find much hilarity here, although you will encounter fine writing expressed with penetrating wit. If you're a dedicated Discworld advocate, you'll find this book rather more than "another Discworld novel." Casting a skein of plot threads, he's able to weave them together into a coherent finale. In particular, he achieves new levels of excellence in creating and portraying characters. But it's his view of the Cosmos that captures and holds your attention here. Pratchett is too often portrayed as a "fantasy writer" in contrast with "science fiction" authors. Yet, as this book shows, he has a better grasp of science than most within the "SF" genre. He's shown up the "science writers" in presenting complex questions in understandable terms. If those descriptions use fantasy tempered with the famous Pratchett wit, we've all gained.

Lobsang Ludd is a thief. His wondrous abilities at theft are due to speed. He's unstoppable. He can pick up closely observed items with impunity, disgorging them upon request or his own whim. How does he manage it? A foundling at the Thieves' Guild, he's spotted in Ankh-Morpork by a "field operative" monk and sent to the Monks of History temple in the Ramtops. His abilities lead to his assignment as an apprentice to Lu-Tze. Why should Lobsang be given such a role when Lu-Tze is only the temple Sweeper?

In Ankh-Morpork, meanwhile, another lad, Jeremy Clockson, also exhibits amazing talents. He's a clock maker, the best in the business. He's so good, the Guild has exiled him. Only a few blocks from the Guildhall, but far enough to shed responsibility for him. His reputation for accurate clocks has caught the attention of Lady LeJean, who commissions him to build "a clock of perfect accuracy." Such a clock, it seems, will stop time. Does this matter to Lobsang?

It's staggering to think what Pratchett went through in writing this book. Ankh-Morpork without the Watch or the Patrician. Distortion of reality without the meddling of the Wizards. Death, who last convened the other Horseman for a game of Bridge ["You tell me humans do this for fun?"] seeks out War, Pestilence and Famine: they have to Ride Out. Their evasive excuses are high points of the book, brief as they are. War, henpecked by a Valkyrie spouse, is pitifully real. Only Death, though never married, has a granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, who finds herself again aboard Binky on a quest of dubious result. Susan must confront one of Pratchett's finest creations, Nanny Ogg, midwife and witch of renown. Susan must learn what Nanny knows about an unusual birth. Then there's Ronnie Soak, Ankh-Morpork's morning milkman. If the Hogfather can clamber down all those chimneys in one night, how long to deliver Ankh-Morpork's cream and yoghurt? And what does it take for an Auditor to learn to be human?

Most significantly, Pratchett has surpassed every previous effort with this book. He's achieved a fresh level of artfulness in his people and the background to the story. He shares insights in ways few can equal, none surpass. He's not pandering to any imposed labels of "humorous fantacist," but firmly establishing he's without peer. Always unique in his writings, this book works in new ideas and threads of thinking. If you're just looking for laughs, go back to Rincewind. If you are willing to have your mind challenged and your thoughts enlarged, buy this. Pratchett will take you into a new world, and the trip is delightful. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

[For context's sake, I have been reading the Discworld books in publication order. Thief of Time is #26.]

Thief of Time was definitely one of my favorite Discworld books. It had a good plot with compelling offshoots and side stories. While Pratchett explored a lot all at once, things tied together nicely, with none of the plotlines coming across as superfluous or indulgent. There was humor--not so much as some other Discworld books, but it was there--and it was never there just for the purpose of humor. It was always furthering an overarching point or plotline. The characters were amazing, as always. I found myself enjoying and understanding Susan Sto Helit more (which is always nice, since I'm not her biggest fan) and really having fun with the new characters (and minor recurring characters).

Start with the most unlikely characters you might think of:

-- A kindergarten teacher,

-- The horsemen of the Apocalypse,

-- A psychotically sane watchmaker,

-- A sanely psychotic lady who's passionate about toast,

-- A little bald guy with a broom,

and a few others, with some very peculiar relationships between them. With Pratchett writing, things don't always go as planned. When the end of the world comes, the Horsemen are fighting against it. A good thing, too, or that kindergarten teacher would give them a good talking to and they'd all wish the world had ended.

With Pratchett, the plot almost doesn't matter. It's the getting there, the play of words and the play of characters against each other. Even into the third dozen of this series, Pratchett sustains energy and interest.

If you haven't read any other Discworld books, this stands well by itself. If you have visited Discworld before, this brings back familiar characters and brings forth some new ones. It's just as good either way.

//wiredweird

The latest Pratchett installment would have got 5 stars but it felt a little long winded (given the philosophical nature of the plot perhaps this is a cleverly subtle technique by Pratchett?)
In Thief of Time Discworld steps into the shadowlands of time to chase down a glass clock that has been made in Ankh-Morpork. The only trouble is, this clock can stop Time Herself. We meet Time Monks, the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, Susan is the main protaganist, DEATH makes a welcome return and we meet the mysterious auditors (who are obsessed with Rules and simplicity).
If you read Pratchett with a serious philosophical bent you will find that, despite the parody, some of the philosophy spouted is fundamentally thought-provoking. Lobsang's and Lse-Tsu's trip to chase down the clockmaker and Susan's subsequent guidance to a satisfactory post-apocalyptic conclusion are as delightful as ever. It is diffcult to synopsis this novel without giving much of the little puzzles away, but it is fair to say that this is a good effort by Pratchett. Not as good as the previous Fifth Elephant, but an enjoyable ride through time.

Ever wonder why technology and history on the Disc is so crazy? Why there's "The Disc" and The Opera House practically on the same street? Why some places seem Medaevil, and others seem pre-Industrial? Well, here's the answer to all of your questions! No more headachey arguments with your fellow Fans of Pterry! No more discussions of quantum effects on the Discworld! (You can pick up The Science of Discworld for THAT.)
This book is really only for long-time, well-established Discworld fans. Newcomers will NOT understand some of the nuances of this book, and will be confused/disappointed. Those of us who are longtime fans will recognize the in-jokes and references to earlier Pratchett works.
The best way to read Discworld is in order, people. The earliest three (The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, and Equal Rites) are a little mind-numbing, but overall will help you understand the Disc better.
My only real complaint about this book is that Death and Susan weren't in it enough...it wasn't nearly as good as the other Death books. Still, Pratchett knows his stuff.

A century or so ago, a madman constructed a perfectly accurate clock which, as a side-effect, splintered the universe until the History Monks restored it, piecing bits of space and time back together. Now the world's most sane man (or at least, so he SEEMS) is going to reconstruct the clock. But if he does, and the universe is again splintered, the Monks can't fix things this time.
This is the basic plot behind "Thief of Time," the latest in the Discworld series. The only ones who can stop Jeremy Clockson are Lu-Tze and Lobsang, two of the Monks; Miss Susan, the schoolteacher who is the granddaughter of Death; and the mysterious Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse.
This is a very good book, hampered only by Miss Susan. She's the favorite character of many readers, but to me she's always been a bit irritating (except in SOUL MUSIC). ... Still, Pratchett takes a step to remedying that here, by letting other characters (and thus us) see one or two of her personality flaws for just that, not 'quirks.'
Even with Miss Susan, this is recommended.

I generally dislike stories that deal with time travel. The innate paradoxes always trouble me and even in fantasy I find it less than reasonable. But of course, Pratchett finds a way to make me enjoy it! This book is filled with all the things that make Pratchett a master of the genre, great characters like Lu-Tze, the simple sweeper who is the fixer for the monks that guard history, is an amazing blend of the wise mentor found in almost any martial arts movie and Groucho Marx and the villains of the piece (I won't say who) make a startling discovery about the human condition that is extremely funny and ranks with some of Pratchett's best stuff. The reader also gets to travel around the Disc,and once again be reminded how strange, (Wait until you see how Yetis can help you get around!) and yet logical Discworld is and just when you think you're starting to understand it Pratchett throws in another great curve ball.

Pratchett has been on a roll since "Fifth Elephant," following several, by Pratchett's standards, lackluster and mediocre offerings such as "Jingo" or "Last Continent" (I know, I know: such a statement will lead the jingoists among you into heightened fits of indignant choler and impassioned vilification. But come on, after 26 Discworld novels let's admit not every outing can be a singular stroke of genius), rapidly turning out three outstanding novels in a row, "Fifth Elephant" followed close on the heels by "Truth" and now "Thief of Time." While some might argue that Pratchett has abandoned his earlier and more forthright humor, I would agree that his plotting has become marvelously much tighter, and his sense of satire increasingly deft and subtle. Yes, the puns and parodic gymnastics continue, but no longer are they providing the main support to Pratchett's compositions. Instead, the author is providing more and more layers of depth to his novels, probing and exposing existential and ontological issues in ways only glimpsed or hinted at in his earliest novels.
The thing that is in many ways amazing in the continued development and improvement of Pratchett's writing is that it is accomplished within the format of formula. Pratchett writes in a manner and structure that is linearly and closely linked to his earliest novels, repeatedly returning to previous tropes and conventions yet, with the exception of a few novels, continually refining, expanding and reinvigorating his formulas, somehow able to keep them for the most part fresh and engaging. Even when he turns to what is an obvious cliched stereotype---the wise, old self-effacing Eastern monk/sweeper Lu-Tze and his naive apprentice---Pratchett is able to reinvest the character and role in a guise at once familiar and inventively rendered. In the hands of anyone else the figure of Lu-Tze would come off trite and outworn, but Pratchett is somehow able to re-infuse the character with significance and fresh perspective despite the anticipated behavior and acting out of a role long cliched and tired.
As in most Pratchett novels, we revisit old and fondly remembered characters---Death and his granddaughter Susan, the Four---no Five---Horseman, Nanny Ogg, the Igors and, not seen since "Small Gods," the Monks of History. But the book is centered---if any book by Pratchett can be said to have a center---around the not quite brotherly reflections, Jeremy Clockson and Lopsang Lud, the nature of Time, identity and how we measure it (oops, I used a grey word), the end of the world and, perhaps most importantly, the delights and unavoidable, passionate consumption of chocolate. And this is just skimming a summary. It might be argued that in "Thief of Time" Pratchett explores more than in any previous novel---I can't recall absolutely for certainty---and does so with a subtlety and skill not before accomplished.
That said---floating out on a limb alongside Quoth the Raven, or mayhaps digging a pit with Death of Rats...Squeak!---as is apparent from any reading of Pratchett's many reviews, the author's fans---a legion continuously and rightly growing---all have individual and highly vocalized opinions as to the best of Pratchett's work. Regardless, they are almost all good, and well above the standard lining the retailer's shelves. If you haven't read Pratchett before, you're in for a rollicking thrill, and if you have, no need to fear you'll be disappointed. Another marvelous outing from our contemporary Swift.

I've heard many good comments about Terry Pratchett's work, from many different people, but somehow never managed to pick up any of his books until now. Having finished this one, I can't say that I disagree with any of what I've heard. Pratchett has created a highly imaginative world, one where the rules, while different from the ones we're accustomed to, have their own logic. There is also lots of humor in his work, and I often found myself giggling, or even laughing right out loud.

This is, perhaps, one of the most inventive conceptions of time I've ever come across. The quasi-quantum view of time presented here presents an abundance of opportunities for confusion and paradox, but it provides a wonderful framework to hang the story on. And what a story it is, full of surprises and interesting twists, all drawing the reader towards a fairly satisfying ending. This was a thoroughly entertaining book, and I look forward to reading more of Pratchett's work.

I tried to get through "The Truth," and couldn't. I don't know what; but I picked up "The Thief of Time" cautiously. It didn't sound very interesting on the back cover. But its not...too bad.
It starts out entertainingly and amusingly enough. Pratchett holds our interest with the time "thing." Hmmm....its hard to describe the complexity/confusion of this book. Its amusing. Its got DEATH, Susan Sto Helit, Igor, a dash of Nanny Ogg and two new characters, Sweeper and Lobsang Ludd/Jeremy. These two are Monks of History. Sweeper is Lobsang's trainer and they travel time in a confusing manner. The world is going to end if they don't get to stop the Glass Clock from ticking in time. So they "slice time." The story almost reads like a mystery: who is Time's child? Thats probably the only thing that kept me going: who was it? And to see how the Auditor (more confusion) turned human ended up. Yes, the Auditor battles the Auditors with Susan in the end, an enjoyable messily written scene of battle with chocolates. If this review is confusing, its probably because I still haven't sorted the story out myself! And this is the way YOU will feel afterwards! HOWEVER: the good thing is: There is an excerpt for Pratchett's new story, Night Watch at the end.
Sam Vimes again. I'm not a big Vimes fan, but Prachett seems to slip into the glove of writing Vimes much easier and skillfully than any of the other characters. I enjoyed that wee little review much more than I did the entire "Thief of Time." Read it if you have nothing else to read. Read it if your dying for Prachett. Read it if you can't stand waiting for "Night Watch."

Like many of the "standalone" Discworld novels (Moving Pictures, The Truth, Going Postal), this book leaves most of the protagonists we know and love to follow a new main character: Lu-Tze, the Sweeper, of the History Monks. Of course, like the other "standalone" novels it's still tied closely into the major Discworld storylines (in this case by a major subplot featuring Susan Sto Helit of the Death books), but more than the others this one feels like its own book.

In most of the others, Pratchett seems to be exploring an Idea--What would a postal service look like in Ankh Morpork? Why do civilized nations adopt fiat currency? Why is everyone in Los Angeles crazy?

Perhaps this book could fall into the same list with the question, "What does martial arts look like on the Discworld?" The story he spins out of that question is a fun one. And the philosophical/poetic exploration of Time in this novel shines as well as any of the other topics Pratchett has considered, but the bulk of this book is dedicated to doing what he does best: exploring personalities.

The characters are engaging, but most impressive was the way the theme (Time, and the philosophical approach to it of the History Monks) suffused the entire narrative. It's still unquestionably a Discworld novel and a Pratchett novel, but the so-familiar narrative voice was constantly modulated by the perspective of Time. It's masterfully done.

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!

If you're interested enough in Discworld to sift through all the reviews of "Thief of Time" to read this one, you will buy the book. There's nothing I'd be able to say or do to influence your decision one way or the other. I was always going to buy it no matter what as well. I'll write this for the benefit of Pratchett starters.
"Thief of Time" is... interesting. If it were a movie, you could imagine it with a lot of Matrix-style time-stopping special effects. That kind of interesting. Basically the kind of interesting you'd be bound to get when your main character is an 800-year old monk whose order lives in the belief that yesterday they weren't born. When your other main character is Death's grand-daughter Susan (who gets better every book she's in, IMHO). She's a damn fine schoolteacher - well, for starters, you'd imagine the kind of discipline she could wield... The kind of interesting you get where the word "when" has no meaning for large portions of the story. That kind of interesting.
And if you were confused by this review, you _shouldn't_ buy Thief of Time, as it's at least that level all the way through. Hence only four stars. Pratchett beginners go get a City Watch novel, they're equally brilliant and usually easier to read. Sam Vimes is not a complicated man. Folks who are really into Pratchett have surely bought the book already.

This is the first Terry Pratchett book I read. In the beginning, it was difficult for me to get through first pages. The characters and dialogues sounded so absurd with no obvious story line. But once I reached 3 - 4 chapters, it got clearer. Then I got so engaged, I finished it immediately. I must say, this book really deserved the 5 stars review it got from many of its readers.

There were dialogues about universe with its physical, spiritual aspects, and inhabitants, which I know belongs to different religions teaching and quantum physic theories/ concepts. Mr. Pratchett juggled and wove all those into a hilariously entertaining story. Never had I found such a heavy concepts blended so well into a story book, and still managed to be fun-to-read at the same time.

Thief of Time story revolved around these major characters:

Master Wen, who knew the answers to many questions. But said one of the most difficult ones to answer was what to have for breakfast.
Lobsang Ludd, because of who he was, could be doing many things. And yet found the most pressing thing to do after saving the universe, was to learn the fifth surprise of Lu-Tze's garden.
Jeremy, a clock maker, who was going to build a glass clock so accurate, it could have measured universe's tick.
Lady Lejean, formerly member of the auditors, who could not resist the temptation of chocolate.
Lu-Tze , a monk who found some of his Way in Ankh-Morpork, the city with merchants whose ad claimed to have everything, and the lady innkeeper Mrs. Cosmopilite, who was not born yesterday.
The Auditors, who avoided death by never going so far as to get a life.
Miss Susan, Death's granddaughter, who practically had practical answer to everything.
Death, one of the Four Horsemen, who found that after Wednesday one o'clock, there would be no future.
The Fifth Horsemen, who was actually the first of the horsemen, but withdrew from the history, before he got famous. He was back, though.

And these few characters whose brief appearance, made this book even more amusing:

Soto, a monk, who was bald under all the hair.
Yeti, who had found the secret of growing back the chopped off head.
Clodpool, who knew for sure, it was too early in the morning for it to be too early in the morning.
The Abbott, who was currently at growing teeth stage, again.
Igor, who had never worked for a sane person before, until the Clock Maker.
The White Clothed Angel, who after waiting for thousands of dull, boring, wasted years, found out he had been edited out from the Book of Prophecy.
War, one of the Four Horsemen, who got married to a former Valkyrie.
Famine, one of the Four Horsemen, who did not care.
Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen, who was frightened.
Nanny Ogg, the edge witch, who delivered the twin.

I love all the characters that made this story. I can even relate to Clodpool or Mrs. Cosmopilite, the regular human who remains much oblivious and ignorant to the religious/physical concept of universe or life, and yet, live the day-to-day life according to those concepts. I found the absurdity of many dialogues were so hilarious, bursting into laugh almost every page turn. And I have come to love the Discworld, too, a world carried by four elephants on the back of a giant turtle.

The whole Discworld series now has reached 37 books. I am excited now by the prospect of reading the rest of them. Can't wait!

Terry Pratchett's Discworld books never fail to entertain me.

I especially love his books about Death and his Granddaughter Susan. This was no exception.

Even with my favorite characters in tow, the book was still stolen (appropriately) by the Thief of Time.

Both the Time Monks and the "Mad" Scientist and his Igor were thoroughly fascinating characters.

Pratchett's trademark wit was on full display, without sacrificing some truly ingenious storytelling, including a fascinating view at humanity for several entities new to the experience.