Dodger

A Printz Honor Winner

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Best Teens Category, 2013

A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's...Dodger.

Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl - not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.

From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.

Beloved and best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a complex and fascinating world.

©2012 Terry and Lyn Pratchett (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

FUN

Needed a breather btwn Jane Austen and Dicken’s classics. This was great fun. Highly recommend for a light jaunt back in Dicken’s time. Learned I need to read Mayhew. Enriching and delightful twists.

Best read ever

I can’t say enough about Dodger and it’s dearly missed author. Mr Briggs gets top praise as well. I’m going to read more and enjoy more lovely hours with these folks. God bless them.

Classic Terry Pratchett

While this novel is set in the "real" world of London, in the late 1800s, the characters feel like many of the characters from Terry Pratchett's Disc World Series. In some ways, it is a rehash of Mr. Pratchett's more successful novels. Often I would, in my mind's eye substitute Dodger for - say his Moist Von Lipwig character, or his Lord Robert Peel for his Watch Commander Sam Vines. The most original character was that of Dodger's erstwhile jewish roommate and mentor, Solomon Coen.
So what made this story so enjoyable was a good story, well told. The narration was masterfully done by Mr. Stephen Briggs, which adds a life of its own to the characters in this story. The pacing was nice, keeping the story moving along lively while showing the truly harsh life of the lower classes in London at the beginning of the industrial age.

Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs do it again

Would you listen to Dodger again? Why?

Yes. Well plotted. Interesting characters. Love the narration.

What did you like best about this story?

Shh... the good guys win and the bad guys get it and there is grace and compassion along the way.

Have you listened to any of Stephen Briggs’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I love his narration of Nation. This was quite reminiscent of that.

Great melting pot of British literature

Would you consider the audio edition of Dodger to be better than the print version?

Yes, I would have Stephen Briggs read anything!!

What did you like best about this story?

The melding of so many literary references made the story almost a "where's the character" adventure at the same time.

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

Yes, Dodger was definitely one that was not purposed for my daily drive, I found myself happy of traffic!!

An unexpected read

Beside the Discworld novels, this is my favorite of Terry's novels. I did not expect this to be as good as it was and I wish there had been more. We miss you Terry. #Inspiring #Magical #Satire #Funny #Heartfelt #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Absolutely delightful , by Vickie McCoy

Would you consider the audio edition of Dodger to be better than the print version?

Yes, the reader had an authentic but understandable British accent.. actual several of them which is the delight of this novel.

What did you like best about this story?

The setting... England in the late 1800's, the sewers, and the main character!

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene in the sewer when Simplicity was pretending to be a boy as they were trying to affect her disapearance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really..

Any additional comments?

The writing technique was absolutely wonderful. Even during serious parts the similes and metaphores would take me off guard and make me smile or chuckle. Many times I would go back 30 seconds and listen again just to savor the language and technique.

Sir Terry

Earned his knighthood on this one. He has always put grins on my face and elicited everything from chuckles to guffaws...

Perfection

Terry Pratchett writes as though he were always going to read the story out loud to you. He is/was a consummate story teller whose work translates to audio books perfectly.

Would've been great if written by anybody else

I'll be brief. This book works. It's quite good. It would've been great if written by anybody but Pratchett.
For the Grandmaster of Words and Humor it's... OK, I guess.
It lacks one element which, for me, is what Pratchett is all about. It doesn't have any over-the-top satire, word-play, refined humor.
Otherwise it's a good book.
Just don't expect "Discworld in real world", is what I'm saying.