The Folklore of Discworld

By: Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson

Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly, some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, and fairy tales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings which on Earth are creatures of the imagination - like vampires, trolls, witches, and possibly, gods - are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc.

In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated, and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

©2008 Terry and Lyn Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson (P)2012 Random House AudioGo

I wish it could never end.

This is the perfect companion to the series and a educating look back at the books I love. If you enjoy the discworld I would reccomend this one.

Folk tales

I realy like that I can hear the folk lore of Discworld. It is one of my pations to colect storrys, and how bether to do it then via Discworld and retelling of Terry Prattcet?

A lotta good folklore and behind the scenes

I have to give this book a good overall rating but low story grade because it is a sort of Best Of Album . Also if you are one of the few people who hasn't read anything it is chock full of spoilers. A good listen for a long drive.

Gods bless Terry.

One of the best I've listened to. Just finished my tenth or so listen. Wonderful work:)

shows the roots of discworld folklore

its fascinating to seen how various folklore originated and interweave to create the disworld folklore.

Time to revisit

From Reaper Man to Last Hero, i think it high time to revisit the joy these novels contributed to Earth

Loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, very interesting

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I clean house when listening, cleaned house REALLY well with this book.

Any additional comments?

Answered lots of "where DID he get that" questions.

A look into the folklore origins of Discworld.

This book can be alternatively a fascinating and a slog to get through. When I purchased it I was hoping for a more narrative approach to the material like the science of Discworld series where the chapters alternate between a chapter of narrative story and a chapter describing the science behind the elements of that narrative. The Folklore of Discworld instead is a straight up concordance of all of Discworld's magical creatures, sayings, and traditions and where Terry Pratchett got his inspiration for them in traditions and mythologies of Earth.

The book is broken down into Discworld locations, Lancre, The Chalk, Ankh-Morpork, etc... The places are then further broken down into the creatures and folklore of that location and where the elements of those stories came from. A strange aspect of the Folklore of Discworld is that It never says that the real world counterparts were influences on Terry Pratchett, but instead treats Discworld as it it were a real place and chalks up the similarities it has to our world to Narrativium. The fictional Element on the Disc that causes it to resonate with other worlds and evolve similar folklore.

The reader does as best as he can with the material since there is no story to speak of. He does get a few character voices wrong (For example he at first reads Magrat's quotes like an old woman, but later realizes that she is a younger character), but overall does a great job.

for the pratchett addict.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, but only to someone who has already read all the disc world books.

What other book might you compare The Folklore of Discworld to and why?

This book could easily be compared to any book on mythology or folkloric that gives an overall look into myth and mythology without giving large depths for the whole story..

What about Michael Fenton Stevens’s performance did you like?

A strong masculine voice, that you could fall asleep too.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As a Pratchett addict this book helped me look into the mind of the author.

Any additional comments?

I don't know if I will listen to this book twice, but the once was an intellectual look into my favorite book series.

Amazing!

What did you love best about The Folklore of Discworld?

This was an amazing study of folklore and of all os us in a comically Pratcehettesque manner. The study of the isms of Diskworld in juxtaposition of our own human beliefs of the things we all know but don't understand.