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

Not Much New Information

What was most disappointing about Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson ’s story?

This is a very good book for those about mid-level familiarity with the series. If you've read it all, you know most of this. There is a lot of interesting information on folklore here, but there's more Discworld summation than new folklore tidbits, and it's a long wait from one to another. Worth it, but not by too much.

Any additional comments?

This is good for the devoted fan or the moderately curious, but know that most of it is review for the well-read Morporkian.

Boring and not like any Discworld book

I couldn't finish this book. It is far too removed from the Discworld books. Instead of an interesting explanation folklaw, it's a strange Discworld/Earth list of folklaw. It doesn't flow well and isn't very engaging or interesting.

The voice performance is fine.

This is not a story

I was expecting expansion of the myths and tall tales that are referred to by the characters of the DiscWorld. Instead, I found a comparative analysis of DiscWorld and Our World myths and legends.

It isn't uninteresting, but it isn't what I expected.

So sad.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I always look forward to a new Pratchett book. This one is much less than a good effort. It is a random collecton of parts of old Pratchett books stitiched together with stories from earth. To say that it has any narrative value at all would be an exaggeration. Of DODGER, this was a terrible disappointment. Would recommend it none.

What could Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

They could have put the book into a narrative stream and at least made stories out of the folklore and myths of the Discworld.

What does Michael Fenton Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nice narration, I would listen to other books he reads.

What character would you cut from The Folklore of Discworld?

All of the except Death.

Any additional comments?

Hope that this book does not indicate a trend in Terry Pratchett's work.