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Discworld Companion Books
Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion... so far
This is the one and only official guide to all things Discworld including, but not limited to:
What to do when approached by a hermit elephant
Where to get a beer in Ankh-Morpork*
How to play Cripple Mr Onion
The Discworld is a global publishing phenomenon with sales of over 75 million copies worldwide encompassing 39 books. That's a lot to keep track of with just the one head! But help is at hand! If you're looking for the ultimate authority on probably the most heavily populated - certainly the most hilarious - setting in fantasy literature...
If you want help telling Achmed the Mad from Jack Zweiblumen...
If your life depends on being able to distinguish the Agatean Empire from the Zoons...
...look no further than Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion... so far - now fully updated and completely up to Snuff!
* and live to tell about it.
What to do when approached by a hermit elephant
Where to get a beer in Ankh-Morpork*
How to play Cripple Mr Onion
The Discworld is a global publishing phenomenon with sales of over 75 million copies worldwide encompassing 39 books. That's a lot to keep track of with just the one head! But help is at hand! If you're looking for the ultimate authority on probably the most heavily populated - certainly the most hilarious - setting in fantasy literature...
If you want help telling Achmed the Mad from Jack Zweiblumen...
If your life depends on being able to distinguish the Agatean Empire from the Zoons...
...look no further than Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion... so far - now fully updated and completely up to Snuff!
* and live to tell about it.
451 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
194 people are currently reading
2312 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
684 books46k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 27, 2024
Sometimes what you need - what you didn’t even realize you needed - is an encyclopedia of all things Discworld, up until the last few books. And yes, probably only a rabid Discworld fan would spend a whole day lounging in the sun and reading every entry, cover to cover, sometimes laughing and sometimes just fondly remembering all the good times with this amazing creation of Pratchett’s brilliant mind.
So of course I did.
And Pratchett made it a perfect day.
Naturally.
Ooooooook.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
So of course I did.
And Pratchett made it a perfect day.
Naturally.
“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.”
Ooooooook.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
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May 3, 2023
There's a pun right there in the title; I think that's sufficient reason to read this book.
The third installment, or rather, the third revised edition of the Discworld Companion. This one features all the entries from the previous two, plus more entries up to Raising Steam. The only novel it does not feature is The Shepherd's Crown, so this edition is pretty much the definitive companion.
It is alphabetised for your convenience and offers information on anything from main characters to sidemen only there to enable a joke; from large, bustling metropolises to small, insignificant villages only there to enable a joke.
Handy if you want a quick revision of Discworld shenanigans without fully re-reading the books or if you're compiling a lovely quiz for Christmas to make your family hate you even more so they don't visit next year.
The third installment, or rather, the third revised edition of the Discworld Companion. This one features all the entries from the previous two, plus more entries up to Raising Steam. The only novel it does not feature is The Shepherd's Crown, so this edition is pretty much the definitive companion.
It is alphabetised for your convenience and offers information on anything from main characters to sidemen only there to enable a joke; from large, bustling metropolises to small, insignificant villages only there to enable a joke.
Handy if you want a quick revision of Discworld shenanigans without fully re-reading the books or if you're compiling a lovely quiz for Christmas to make your family hate you even more so they don't visit next year.
July 17, 2014
I didn't read this. I'm sure someone out there did. I didn't. I read the beginning. I also read the end. I highly recommend both of those parts. Then put the book on the shelf to use as a reference tool the next time you pick up a Discworld novel and you feel like you should know more about a character than you do. From the entries I did read (picking it up several times over several weeks) this is a fun and informative reference book, but you would have to be real dedicated to read it straight through. A book worth owning for someone who really loves Discworld.
March 15, 2019
Not as spoilery as I thought. Useful encyclopedia, but only if you plan to read most of Discworld books. Funny interview at the end.
And it took me a while to realize that the title is a pun. D'oh!
And it took me a while to realize that the title is a pun. D'oh!
July 3, 2013
This is the fourth copy (and third edition) of the Discworld Companion that I own, and this latest update is somewhat of a disappointment. There is a whole raft of typography errors, missing references, a fair few instances where the text has repeated phrases in different paragraph - as if an earlier entry was updated with haste rather than completely rewritten - and some info that is inaccurate or just plain wrong (by quick comparison with the original novel referred to). This edition appears to have been a rush job by Briggs - I know he has a day job, but maybe this update could have been done by someone else?
Despite all this, there is a raft of new entries about the novels published since the last edition of the Companion, but there are still certainly some major missing pieces. I suspect that it would be better for all if the Discworld Wiki would be allowed to reproduce all the info from this book, and then allow users to update everything as required (under the guidance of a handful of editors, perhaps including Briggs or other superfans) (no not me)
The backmatter contains some material from the first edition, which is a great historical footnote, but something new (plus maybe a collection of /all/ the material from previous editions) would have been nicer.
Cover artwork (by Marc Simonetti) is brilliant, though.
Despite all this, there is a raft of new entries about the novels published since the last edition of the Companion, but there are still certainly some major missing pieces. I suspect that it would be better for all if the Discworld Wiki would be allowed to reproduce all the info from this book, and then allow users to update everything as required (under the guidance of a handful of editors, perhaps including Briggs or other superfans) (no not me)
The backmatter contains some material from the first edition, which is a great historical footnote, but something new (plus maybe a collection of /all/ the material from previous editions) would have been nicer.
Cover artwork (by Marc Simonetti) is brilliant, though.
March 29, 2016
I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. There are quite a few books in the Discworld series and this book is a must have for any fan. It can be hard to remember who showed up in which book, and who's related to who. This book helps you keep characters straight, and can help you remember what when on in prior books if you, don't want to re-read the series before the next one comes out. I really recommend it, especially to Pratchett fans.
August 4, 2023
A tough one
This was a rough book to get through, but worth it in the end. I have not read any of the previous editions but this one is just so packed with information. I've read all the regular Discworld books but not the peripheral books mentioned at the beginning. I now understand so many things from the series even better than before. All the knowledge imparted here can be hard to digest but if you are a fan of the books then take the time to read this one. Plus the interview and more at the end is amazing. Cripple Mr Onion will never be the same for me just knowing that someone made a complete deck and laid out an almost understandable set of rules. Playing it should be fun. The book is alphabetical if you are looking for some particular reference from the books.
This was a rough book to get through, but worth it in the end. I have not read any of the previous editions but this one is just so packed with information. I've read all the regular Discworld books but not the peripheral books mentioned at the beginning. I now understand so many things from the series even better than before. All the knowledge imparted here can be hard to digest but if you are a fan of the books then take the time to read this one. Plus the interview and more at the end is amazing. Cripple Mr Onion will never be the same for me just knowing that someone made a complete deck and laid out an almost understandable set of rules. Playing it should be fun. The book is alphabetical if you are looking for some particular reference from the books.
November 9, 2013
This book has taken me months to finish but that is only because of the nature of the book. As an encyclopedia of the discworld, I have just enjoyed picking it up every now and then and reading a few entries. What it has mainly done is made me want to re-read every single discworld book. Every entry reminded me of a character, event or just bizarre creation of Terry Pratchett. Even snippets of the books or condensed versions of plots or descriptions at times made me laugh out loud. To summarise this book made me realise how much a part of my growing up the disc world series has been. I read my first disc world book (Mort) aged 11 and have been hooked ever since. The majority of books I buy now are e books but discworld books are one of the few exceptions that are still bought in hard back to add to my collection. The discworld books have a very special place in my heart and as far as I'm concerned Terry Pratchett is a genius able to combine fantasy, comedy, parody and all round exceptional story telling in a way that few can match. Now just looking forward to getting my hands on the new discworld novel.
January 10, 2015
I'm not what one would call a rabid Discworld fan. I've read several of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and have enjoyed them very much. I like picking one up now and then and visiting this universe. I'm in no hurry to read them all because, well, then what? He's not going to write more faster than I can read them.
The books I've read haven't necessarily been in order and frequently have been read quite far apart. So I'm quite likely to encounter a character or location and think "I've read about this before but where? And what happened?" "Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion . . . So Far" is just what I need - a dictionary of places, people, and . . . um . . . things in Discworld. It helps bridge the (usually fairly wide) gaps in my memory and provides the background I need to fully enjoy the story.
The book also has some rather random back of the book material. I was particularly fascinated by the article on the difficulties of translating such a language-intensive fantasy. Others might be interested in the more-or-less rules on playing Cripple Mr. Onion.
The books I've read haven't necessarily been in order and frequently have been read quite far apart. So I'm quite likely to encounter a character or location and think "I've read about this before but where? And what happened?" "Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion . . . So Far" is just what I need - a dictionary of places, people, and . . . um . . . things in Discworld. It helps bridge the (usually fairly wide) gaps in my memory and provides the background I need to fully enjoy the story.
The book also has some rather random back of the book material. I was particularly fascinated by the article on the difficulties of translating such a language-intensive fantasy. Others might be interested in the more-or-less rules on playing Cripple Mr. Onion.
October 21, 2014
Hilarious and informative. This hilarious compendium is the index and encyclopedia to Pratchett's long series of Discworld books. It gives a description of every major character, location, and event, and quite a few minor ones, with annotations for which books the item came from. Any fan of the Discworld will enjoy this. If you've ever read the Annotated Pratchett files online, this is an addition.
After the final encyclopedic listing ("Zweiblumen, Jack") is a reprint of an interview Sir Terry gave with the first edition of the companion, comments of his about fan mail, and the rules for the card game "Cripple Mr. Onion" as played by many characters in the various books. If you like complicated card games, this is for you.
I really enjoyed this book. I giggled all the way through, starting with the two puns in the title: Total Recall (also a Schwarzenegger movie), and "up to snuff/Snuff", which is the latest title in the Discworld series at the time the Companion was published.
After the final encyclopedic listing ("Zweiblumen, Jack") is a reprint of an interview Sir Terry gave with the first edition of the companion, comments of his about fan mail, and the rules for the card game "Cripple Mr. Onion" as played by many characters in the various books. If you like complicated card games, this is for you.
I really enjoyed this book. I giggled all the way through, starting with the two puns in the title: Total Recall (also a Schwarzenegger movie), and "up to snuff/Snuff", which is the latest title in the Discworld series at the time the Companion was published.
August 28, 2014
Like any encyclopedia, it's rather less useful to anyone who's good at googling, but let's ignore that. If you're the sort of person who likes to look things up in books and you're reading anything in the Discworld universe, this is a very handy tome to keep close. All the named characters, details of geography, names of operas, food, the educational history of the witches...there is a LOT of stuff here, culled from the books and with references to the texts if you want to see exactly which books someone appears in.
This would make an excellent gift for any Discworld fan, just in case you're wondering what to give someone during the upcoming holiday season. Hypothetically.
Library copy.
This would make an excellent gift for any Discworld fan, just in case you're wondering what to give someone during the upcoming holiday season. Hypothetically.
Library copy.
April 30, 2014
A fun read, as always, but very little new information. Still, it's nice to have a lot of Discworld's details in one place. There are a few entries with new or more detailed info, but most are very brief and cryptic, albeit very witty, as Mr. Pratchett always is. My biggest quibble with my edition is the terrible editing or possibly formatting problems with the Kindle version. It was very distracting to have random hyphens on every page and a surprising number of spelling or punctuation errors. I hope the print version didn't have those problems because none of my other Pratchett novels have.
September 7, 2018
This is an atlas of people, places, and things related to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Rules for the game Cripple Mr. Onion are included at the end as well as an interview of Pratchett by Stephen Briggs.
April 19, 2013
Awesome. Every Disc World fan should have a copy.
June 22, 2021
Useful books for fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. A lot of things are coordinated in entries that connect stuff you mostly get in bits and pieces in the books. Several entries on the Guilds and the Unseen University go on for pages. Even very minor characters are mentioned.
This would be much better as a reference book than as a read from beginning to end as I did. It's useful to know which books characters occur in, though this is left off of some entries, Greebo's entry for instance doesn't say where he appears.
Recommended for fans of the Discworld books.
Another reviewer said there are numerous mistakes so probably one should not take this as gospel. This is often true of books that try to do too much.
This book covers events through Snuff, but only two more books appeared after that, so it's nearly complete.
This would be much better as a reference book than as a read from beginning to end as I did. It's useful to know which books characters occur in, though this is left off of some entries, Greebo's entry for instance doesn't say where he appears.
Recommended for fans of the Discworld books.
Another reviewer said there are numerous mistakes so probably one should not take this as gospel. This is often true of books that try to do too much.
This book covers events through Snuff, but only two more books appeared after that, so it's nearly complete.
December 17, 2020
This is a reference book not a novel.
I'm buying the paperback because I miss my Discworld books that I had to give up when I downsized. I had bought all but one through my local library's book sales. 50 cents for hard cover books! The one I bought came from The Strand Bookstore in Manhattan.
Typically I "read" audiobooks and love the format.
Maybe because I love Discworld so much I really miss the books. So I am buying this one again to savor between rereading the series in eBook format.
I'm buying the paperback because I miss my Discworld books that I had to give up when I downsized. I had bought all but one through my local library's book sales. 50 cents for hard cover books! The one I bought came from The Strand Bookstore in Manhattan.
Typically I "read" audiobooks and love the format.
Maybe because I love Discworld so much I really miss the books. So I am buying this one again to savor between rereading the series in eBook format.
January 1, 2020
If you are a Pratchett fan, this is the book to have. Every character, place, Guild, food, god, plant & whatever else makes up the Disc World is explained. Some of the explanations are hilarious. Trying to remember a character? Want to know a particular dish or brew? Need to refresh your memory about a country on the Rimward side? It's all in here & more. Love Pratchett, love the book.
June 11, 2023
A very, very complete companion to the DW series, containing absolutely everything you need to know about this amazing world.
Very helpful and detailed, it also contains an interview with Sir Pratchett, and a very interesting take on the process of translators of the DW series.
Very helpful and detailed, it also contains an interview with Sir Pratchett, and a very interesting take on the process of translators of the DW series.
July 27, 2024
Sorry anything Pratchett is a 4 star to start with. Turtle recall is the essential companion for the fan. Just read an entry everyday and snigger. Fun to see everyone and trigger the memories of happy reading.
March 6, 2019
Amazing compilation of Discworld characters and places.
July 15, 2020
467 - 2020
November 27, 2021
Reading this, makes me want to read the series all over
September 15, 2023
A rollicking fun guide to all things Discworld.
December 25, 2024
It's basically a encyclopedia of Discworld, with a short interview section.
March 17, 2017
Even though it is a long read and without a story line to keep you captivated it is fun read for the Discworld enthusiast and adds some depth to the understanding and sometimes underlying jokes in Discworld.
April 10, 2014
Marking this as "read" is a bit of a mis-shelving, since one does not simply read, cover to cover, a book like this. It is an encyclopedia of the Discworld and its residents, up through the events of Snuff. Unfortunately, it straddles an uncomfortable middle between being an in-world encyclopedia and being an authoritative source, and it ends up with some rough edges.
Some of the entries have detailed notes about which particular books a given person/event/etc appears in, in order. Others do not. Some entries go into lots of specific details, others read like a blurb on the back of the book [complete with jokes and teasers about what is inside]. There seems to be a bit of a lean towards the more recent books, with [say] Adora Bell Dearheart having a more specific entry than Susan Sto Helit despite the latter having (up through Snuff, anyhow) a more relatively prominent place in the Discworld canon. And some of the entries would be a bit of a bear to find, such as those dealing with the animals of the Disc.
Still, it's a fair read and not a bad way to refresh the memory about the various entities and namesakes of the Disc, you'll just have to work to get a complete picture.
Some of the entries have detailed notes about which particular books a given person/event/etc appears in, in order. Others do not. Some entries go into lots of specific details, others read like a blurb on the back of the book [complete with jokes and teasers about what is inside]. There seems to be a bit of a lean towards the more recent books, with [say] Adora Bell Dearheart having a more specific entry than Susan Sto Helit despite the latter having (up through Snuff, anyhow) a more relatively prominent place in the Discworld canon. And some of the entries would be a bit of a bear to find, such as those dealing with the animals of the Disc.
Still, it's a fair read and not a bad way to refresh the memory about the various entities and namesakes of the Disc, you'll just have to work to get a complete picture.
April 8, 2014
Turtle Recall is the definitive encyclopedia of Pratchett's Discworld. It has an entry for what I must assume is anything and everything that has ever made an appearance in the books.
I have read all the novels and while it has been a while for some of them, still a fair portion of the entries look to be of people or events I honestly don't recall. The entries themselves are nice and detailed and the illustrations are excellent, though there could be a bit more of them.
My main gripe with this companion is that it is nothing more than an encyclopedia. I started off reading entries one by one, thinking that each one would be a mildly amusing in itself, rather like the footnotes littered throughout the novels. Unfortunately rather many of the entries read extremely drily. Not all - some of them have excellent wit and humor, but all too few. Personally, I ended up just looking up my favorite characters, places and events and reading those.
For the true fan this is a wonderful addition to the collection. For others, the idea of is nicer than what it actually is. Reviewed from an ARC of the April 8th Edition.
I have read all the novels and while it has been a while for some of them, still a fair portion of the entries look to be of people or events I honestly don't recall. The entries themselves are nice and detailed and the illustrations are excellent, though there could be a bit more of them.
My main gripe with this companion is that it is nothing more than an encyclopedia. I started off reading entries one by one, thinking that each one would be a mildly amusing in itself, rather like the footnotes littered throughout the novels. Unfortunately rather many of the entries read extremely drily. Not all - some of them have excellent wit and humor, but all too few. Personally, I ended up just looking up my favorite characters, places and events and reading those.
For the true fan this is a wonderful addition to the collection. For others, the idea of is nicer than what it actually is. Reviewed from an ARC of the April 8th Edition.
December 8, 2015
Hey, to the people who are like, 'Who would read this cover to cover in one sitting?', let me tell you, I DID. It wasn't hard! These are characters as close to my heart as my family are here!
I'm just kidding. I was looking forward to learning new things about my old friends from the Disc in this book. Not much luck in that area. If you've read every Discworld book, this one is more like the cliff notes you read before you go into your literature exam. A bit disappointing, but it is certainly the Companion it proclaims itself to be. If you're one of those weirdos who read Discworld for the first time at a pace healthier than four books in a day, this would probably be useful in refreshing your memory as to who the characters are during your read-throughs.
As pointed out by other people though, this book does have some erroneous information in it. For example, it states that Drumknott 'has no discernible personality'. Anyone who has read half a line of dialogue from this memorable secretary will know that that is more of a fiction than Santa Claus is.
Just saying.
I'm just kidding. I was looking forward to learning new things about my old friends from the Disc in this book. Not much luck in that area. If you've read every Discworld book, this one is more like the cliff notes you read before you go into your literature exam. A bit disappointing, but it is certainly the Companion it proclaims itself to be. If you're one of those weirdos who read Discworld for the first time at a pace healthier than four books in a day, this would probably be useful in refreshing your memory as to who the characters are during your read-throughs.
As pointed out by other people though, this book does have some erroneous information in it. For example, it states that Drumknott 'has no discernible personality'. Anyone who has read half a line of dialogue from this memorable secretary will know that that is more of a fiction than Santa Claus is.
Just saying.
March 4, 2014
Encyklopedia dla każdego miłośnika Świata Dysku. Briggs nie oszczędza w środkach, opracowane przez niego hasła wyczerpują temat najważniejszych postaci, organizacji, ras i wydarzeń Świata Dysku. Nieprzeciętną zaletą książki jest to, że każde hasło opracowane jest zgodnie z duchem twóczości Pratchetta, dlatego ten skorowidz czyta się bardziej niż przyjemnie. Raczej jak interesującą książkę niż suchy zbiór faktów i liczb. Zresztą, jak można mówić o liczbach w przypadku uniwersum, które umyka wszelkim ludzkim, rzeczywistym metodom klasyfikacji? Pozycja obowiązkowa dla każdego fana twórczości Terry'ego Pratchetta. Przyznać jednak muszę, że nie jest to książka dla kogoś kto nie wkręcił się jeszcze w historię dysku. Wiele haseł to gigantyczne źródło wszelkiej maści spoilerów, zdradzających aż nadto z fabuły każdego woluminu z cyklu Świata Dysku. Czytajcie z rozwagą!
August 22, 2015
I'm not going to pretend I've read it cover to cover.
It's very useful for looking up characters that you've forgotten or who get mentioned in passing. And Pratchett's writing, even in character descriptions, is wonderful.
There's also an interview at the end. I get the distinct impression Pratchett was having fun confusing the interviewer. I like that. I don't know why. I should feel sorry for the poor guy asking the questions, but I think perhaps he was enjoying it as well.
In addition to the interview, which is okay, there's a section on the difficulties of translating Discworld books into other languages, and a section on how to play "Cripple Mr. Onion".
It's very useful for looking up characters that you've forgotten or who get mentioned in passing. And Pratchett's writing, even in character descriptions, is wonderful.
There's also an interview at the end. I get the distinct impression Pratchett was having fun confusing the interviewer. I like that. I don't know why. I should feel sorry for the poor guy asking the questions, but I think perhaps he was enjoying it as well.
In addition to the interview, which is okay, there's a section on the difficulties of translating Discworld books into other languages, and a section on how to play "Cripple Mr. Onion".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews