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

Outstanding Period Fiction

Clever, humorous in the extreme and insightful about early 1800 living conditions in London. Don't miss this book.

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.

Historical Fiction with a "Twist"

Terry Pratchett's treatment of Victorian England in "Dodger" is a fun journey and a good break from his Xanth series. Although Pratchett doesn't hide from the seamier sides of the era, he doesn't dwell on them. Dodger"s character is well-drawn as a good-hearted young man with an interesting code of ethics. Stephen Briggs does an excellent job of handling the characters and the tone of Pratchett's writing. I recommend this one!

Enjoyable Lark

This cleverly written book is complete fun. Fictional and Historic characters ramble throughout the story line with excellent humor throughout. It made a long road trip zoom by.

great author

It was a little difficult to get into it in the beginning, but I'm very glad I stuck through it.

A delightful book

What a delightful read. Charlie Dickens, Henry Mayhew, Robert Peel, Sweeney Todd and more. Highly recommend.