Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, a review.
I've read Pratchett since my teens, and yet it has taken me until now to read Hogfather. How that happened, I have no idea, but thankfully, I finally got around to enjoying this masterpiece of Pratchett's Discworld. Death has always been one of the best characters in this series of books, in fact, I would say it is probably his best-known character overall. Death's outlook on life, his fixation with humanity, and his literal take on many aspects of living are brilliantly done by Pratchett. He took what should be a terrifying character and made him kind and funny with a unique outlook on what occurs around him. In this book, he is very much one of the centralized characters, and it works so well because of the part he plays in the storyline.
Hogfather follows the premise of belief. It focuses on how belief can bring things to life, how the belief of so many can empower something beyond what it began as. The story starts out with the assassin Teatime, pronounced 'Teh-ah-tim-eh,' having been hired to kill someone at the behest of Lord Downey of the Assassin's guild. Teatime is chosen for this task as this kill should be impossible, but Teatime is known for his 'unique' outlook and ability to achieve that which others could not. Pratchett's level of description of his characters has always amazed me. You don't just get what they look like but a deep look into the core of who, and what, they are. The level of insight is staggering, and I haven't read many authors that can replicate this feat with such ease. Pratchett's easy humor and his ability to use absurdism to highlight reflections of the real world makes him an author that can drag the reader into his world and immerses them in it completely. As the story continues we are introduced to Susan, another of the main protagonists, and the normal life she is trying to live. She lives as a governess, chasing away bogeymen and other nasties that only her young charges can see. Susan is not as normal as she would like, and she has to deal with these nasties rather directly, with a poker most often. We learn far more about Susan as the story unfolds and the cause of her unusual nature, something that directly ties her to all that occurs. It is not a spoiler to say that Death is currently masquerading as the Hogfather on Hogswatch eve, though the why is not revealed until later once Susan is thoroughly involved. It is fair to say that the visual is quite amusing, considering the natural slender build of the grim reaper, that and the general lack of flesh. He is going about the business of the Hogfather, giving out presents to children, though his lack of understanding of the particulars of the holiday is amusing. His trusty helper Albert does his best to keep Death steered in the right direction, but the Grim Reaper often does things he probably shouldn't. This leads to several amusing incidents, one that leads to a rather unique use of boots and shooing of a King attempting some late-night Hogswatch charity. As this is all playing out, Teatime has hired some help and is working on completing the contract given to him by Lord Downey. The reader is left somewhat confused about his thinking, but the Assassin has gathered himself a motley crew, and he has a plan. Teatime is a singular character, deadly, focused, and quite possibly insane. If anyone can take out the Fat Man, it is him. As Death's escapades continue and Susan is dragged further into this mystery, events taking stranger and stranger turns. My personal favorite thing in this book is the inclusion of the 'oh god' of Hangovers. He, who suffers the hangovers of the god of Wine.
The book is filled with many of the familiar characters that make up Discworld. The Archchancellor and many of the wizards of the Unseen University feature prominently, along with one or two others that fans of Pratchett will recognize. The Unseen University has a special place in my heart, Rincewind was my introduction into this world, and it featured heavily in the first books I dived into. Not to mention that I spent time there in the Discworld PC game, way back in the nineties. I enjoyed how Susan does her best to hold on to her 'normal' life, and yet she delves back further into the other part of her life, that part that she has inherited, in a fashion. Anyone that has read much of Pratchett's work will find it easy to follow his tangents and strange twists. The way the tale, seemingly, wanders, to me, always added so much more to the narrative. It is only as the book moves on, that you realize how each part plays into the overall story, how each part is important, and nothing is without import, no matter how small and inconsequential it may seem. That is the magic of Pratchett's writing, nothing is wasted, nothing is there for the sake of being there. It has always seemed, to me, that even his side characters are full of life. That they possess a degree of agency that some main characters lack in other works of fiction.
As the story continues, Susan delves deeper into the mystery, eventually solving it. It turns out that things aren't quite as simple as it appears, though dealing with Teatime is not a simple task in itself, and she is forced to deal with the architects of this entire debacle. She does have a little help from her Grandfather, the Death of Rats, and a very talkative Raven throughout. The book does come to a satisfactory conclusion, in my opinion. It is a thorough look at belief and the power it has for good and for ill. Pratchett does a wonderful job of using aspects of comedy to show the absurdity of much of the elements of his work, and so many things ring true of what is said here within this brilliantly written book.
Hogfather is a brilliant representation of Terry Pratchett's work in general. The man was a genius, and I think it will be many years before we see an author who does this kind of fiction so well. I highly recommend that any fan of fantasy gives this book a read. I would recommend any book by Pratchett, but this is a highlight of his library of work. Pratchett's use of comedy in this book is second-to-none, and his characters come to life on every page.
This is an easy 5 out of 5. Rarely do I enjoy a book so much, and I find myself eager to delve back into Discworld at the first opportunity. Let me know what you think of this book, and any work of Pratchett's that you would recommend.
