Stephen Briggs

A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novels There's been a murder. Allegedly. William de Worde is the Discworld's first investigative journalist. He didn't mean to be - it was just an accident. But, as William fills his pages with reports of local club meetings and pictures of humorously shaped vegetables, dark forces high up in Ankh-Morpork's society are plotting to overthrow the city's ruler, Lord Vetinari.

Stage Adaptation

The Truth

Terry Pratchett

The denizens of Ankh-Morpork fancy they've seen just about everything. But then comes the Ankh-Morpork Times, struggling scribe William de Worde's upper-crust, newsletter turned Discworld's first paper of record. An ethical joulnalist, de Worde has a proclivity for investigating stories -- a nasty habit that soon creates powerful enemies eager to stop his presses. And what better way than to start the Inquirer, a titillating (well, what else would it be?) tabloid that conveniently interchanges what's real for what sells. But de Worde's got an inside line on the hot story concerning Ankh-Morpork's leading patrician Lord Vetinari. The facts say Vetinari is guilty. But as William de Worde learns, facts don't always tell the whole story. There's that pesky little thing called the truth ...

Sarah Sammis

The Truth like the other two books I've recently read, takes place in Ankh-Moorpork. The Watch are present but only on the sidelines. They are trying to hold the city together while the Patrician stands accused of murdering a member of his staff.

The main focus of the story though, is on a local wordsmith, William de Worde who is Ankh-Moorpork's local bard turned newspaper reporter. He and some industrious Dwarves and an overly enthusiastic vampire photographer have found a way of turning lead into gold: the hard way. They have invented the printing press and they are going head-to-head with Commander Vimes to get to the truth behind the Patrician's alleged crime.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the newspaper and the trouble they had gaining legitimacy. I found the mystery part of the book took too long to get off the ground compared to the fast-pacing of Men at Arms.

Gavin

The Disc grew modern, gaining a media (The Truth), sanitation (also The Truth), soft-power politics (Jingo!, Thud!), and institutionalised sport (Unseen Academicals), to add to its latter-day civilian police (Men at Arms), telecoms (Fifth Elephant, and steam power (Raising Steam). 

The most literary thing about the Discworld books is this modernisation, from magic to steampunk. This happens comically rapidly – Colour of Magic, the first book, is standard non-chronistic High Fantasy, so, set circa circa 1200CE. Snuff takes place not twenty-five discursive years later – yet the central city is clearly Victorian. And that’s not including the burgeoning intercontinental fax network. 

Technology is given its due, but not to the neglect of the institutional side. Disc modernity began with the despot Vetinari’s marketisation of crime, moves through ethnic diversity reforms and open-door immigration, and marches on and on. UA, the sport one, is solid, poignant. He doesn’t often let his wizards get earnest and truly develop – by this stage, magic is comic relief, no longer the determining power or symbol of the Disc. 

Snuff is dark and politically worthy, but not his best. He’s been reusing jokes in recent books, and I refuse to speculate on the cause.

William de Worde is the accidental editor of the Discworld s first newspaper. Now he must cope with the traditional perils of a journalist s life people who want him dead, a recovering vampire with a suicidal fascination for flash photography, some more

Scordatura

What a wonderful book. It's great to see the Watch through other eyes and William de Worde has a wonderful perspective as Discworld's first (?) journalist. Pratchett must have had lots of fun introducing more technology (and breathing even more life into his world) and satirising newspapers and the consumption of news. Clever and funny (as Pratchett's books usually are). One of my favourite Discworld novels.

Danny Engström

Marsh Wu

A story about what happens when dwarves make a printing press in Ank-Morpork. Very amusing.

bluepython508

A beautiful hardback edition of the classic Discworld novel William de Worde is the accidental editor of the Discworld's first newspaper. New printing technology means that words just won't obediently stay nailed down like usual. There's a very real threat of news getting out there. Now he must cope with the traditional perils of a journalist's life - people who want him dead, a recovering vampire with a suicidal fascination for flash photography, some more people who want him dead in a different way and, worst of all, the man who keeps begging him to publish pictures of his humorously shaped potatoes. William just wants to get at THE TRUTH. Unfortunately, everyone else wants to get at William. And it's only the third edition...

(Discworld Novel 25)

NordicShivers

Patrick Book

Darren Olivier

Denaiir

Wilde

Scott Robertson

Modith D.

Boothby

Matt Murphy

Liam Harper

Tobias Løfgren

Jeff James

Connie

"The truth will out. or at least it's going to try to, any minute. New printing technologv means that words just won't obediently stay nailed down like usual. They can now be taken apart and used to make other words. Which is downright dangerous. There's a very real threat of news getting out there. Of people finding out what's really going on. And the power that be aren't happy - they want that to be far from the truth. If they are to call a halt to this madness of free speech, they may have to succumb to their despontictendencies. But will they, in this brave new world, still be able to have the last word?"--Back cover.

The Truth Stage Adaptation

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