Like the fact that death’s granddaughter, Susan Sto-Helit (the daughter of Mort and of Death’s adopted daughter), now working as a governess to a wealthy family in Ankh-Morpork, where her job consists mainly of using the poker on creatures conjured into existence by the tortured imaginations of her young charges, finds herself riding Binky the pale horse of death across the boundaries of reality, accompanied by Bilious the “oh god” of hangovers, while Teatime’s team of crooks is picked off one by one by their worst childhood fears in a castle of human teeth. Like the fact that Death himself is doing the Hogfather’s rounds on a sleigh pulled by four wild boars, accompanied by his faithful servant Albert (in a gnome costume). Like, for instance, the fact that every time the wizards at Unseen University happen to mention a fanciful creature, like the “Eater of Socks” or the “Cheerful Fairy,” it comes into existence. And of course, because Discworld is on the edge of reality, where the boundary between Real and Unreal is very, very thin, this sort of thing is bound to cause bizarre side effects. His target is the Hogfather, the Discworld equivalent of Santa Claus, though he wouldn’t say no to killing the Tooth Fairy and Death Himself into the bargain. Together with a band of thugs, thieves, and misfits (including an expert at picking locks and a student wizard trying to pay off some debts) he takes on the job of a lifetime–or rather, of all lifetimes. The villain is a handsome young assassin named Teatime (Teh-ah-TIM-eh) who is, unlike most assassins, a raving psychopath. The twentieth Discworld novel is a good read, solid entertainment. As they say: ‘You’d better watch out…’.Purchase here Ever again.Ī festive feast of darkness and Death (but with jolly robins and tinsel too). Susan the gothic governess has got to sort everything out by morning, otherwise there won’t be a morning. Superstition makes things work in Discworld, and undermining it can have Consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. There are those who believe and those who don’t, but either way it’s not right to find Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say Ho Ho Ho. It wasn’t that her parents didn’t believe in such things. She’d never puta tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. Features gold foil embossing and a foreword by Tony Robinson, who also starred in SKY1’s adaptation of Hogfather as Mr Crumley himself. A beautiful new paperback edition of Terry Pratchett’s cult holiday book in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Hogfather by terry pratchett