Dodger

A Printz Honor Winner

By: Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Stephen Briggs

New York Times Bestseller!

Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett's Dodger, a Printz Honor Book, combines high comedy with deep wisdom in a tale of one remarkable boy's rise in a fantasy-infused Victorian London.

Seventeen-year-old Dodger is content as a sewer scavenger. But he enters a new world when he rescues a young girl from a beating, and 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.

Creator of the popular Discworld fantasy series, Sir Terry also received a prestigious Printz Honor from the American Library Association for his novel Nation.

Great listen

What made the experience of listening to Dodger the most enjoyable?

The story! The narrator! The author was able to get your attention from the start. This takes Dickens' story of Great Expectations to another level.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the fact that the author was able to bring other historical fictional characters into this world.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Sweeny Todd scene when Dodger gets cleaned up for the first time is classic.

What a hoot

This was just a fun book to listen to. I liked the twist on the idea and really liked the history of the London sewers thrown in.

great listen

Where does Dodger rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a tremendously enjoyable book. I think it may be one of Prachette's finest. The reader was, of course, excellent, too.

Terry Pratchett. Enough said.

Terry Pratchett's sublime storytelling shines through even without the madcap magic of the Discworld. Stephen Briggs admirable narration brings life to the players in this extra ordinary tale.

A Rollicking Romp through 19th Century London

Dodger is an alternative Oliver Twist tale through the eyes of a young adult of about 17. In a silent movie kind of way, iI provides some of the back story and context for familiar expressions and real people of the era . It was fun to have Charlie Dickens, Ben Disreali and Robert Peel as characters. I was reminded that the first UK Police were called Peelers and only later Bobbies, after Robert Peel .The Hero, Dodger, even interacts with Sweeney Todd, a fictitious character in the Penny Dreadful entertainment of the time. Young adults will enjoy it and learn a bit. The nasty bits about the era are embodied in the Dodger's profession as a "tosher.:" Going through the filthy sewers of the Thames portrays the dirt and squalor of the life of the lower classes.Continuing the silent movie analogy, it is full of versions of stereotypes.like the faithful yet smelly dog Onan, the damsel in distress with golden hair, and a Hollywood ending tied up with a declaration of love and a ruby ring.
The best part may have been laying out Dodger's interpretation of the people and events around him.