Pratchett Terry 03

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett

Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld by Terry Pratchett. It is sometimes difficult to review books in a series like the Discworld, without erring towards repetition. Fortunately, there is no risk of that on this occasion. Yet again, Terry has taken a throw away sentence in an earlier novel, concerning the History Monks, and turned it into an absorbing description of the workings of a previously unknown portion of the Discworld. To be precise, how waste / under-used time such as from under the seas (after all, as TP says "how much time does a codfish need?"), is pumped to places like cities where it is obviously needed more. Of course, things go badly awry when The Auditors commission the construction of the Discworld's most accurate clock which threatens to put a spanner in the works and stop time.
Trying to prevent time being stopped by the clockmaker Jeremy Clockson aided by an Igor, is the History Monk Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd, together with Miss Susan and the Death of Rats. Ronnie the fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse also appears. You must remember him, he left before the other four became famous. Thief of Time is a very readable and genuinely funny novel. There are some wonderful descriptions of the complex machinery - the spinning Procrastinators that control time. And finally, after nearly 20 books, Susan sto Helit's life is 'progressed'.
It was very sad to hear that Josh Kirby died recently. I have enjoyed his artwork for many years, particularly his marvellous covers on the Discworld novels. He will be a hard act to follow.

Publisher: Transworld
Date: 2001
Price: £16.99
Format: Hardback
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Date Reviewed: November 2001