Thief of Time
by Terry Pratchett

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Book Reviews of Thief of Time

Book Review: Where has all the Time gone?
Summary: 5 Stars

This is yet another winner by Pratchett. It's nowhere near as good as The Truth, the last Discworld book I read. However, it is really good. Pratchett deals with a lot of large issues, such as the nature of time and space. He's never really been this metaphysical before. Even Small Gods was a bit minor compared to this. It can get a bit confusing at times, which is one strike against the book. If you're not that interested in these kinds of issues, then the book can drag a little. It's still worth it, though, for the many riffs on other, less "grand" things. There's a James Bond riff, a comment on the state of the educational system, even a parody of martial arts movies. You will find yourself laughing despite yourself.

I think Pratchett does a nice job of balancing everything in this one. If you've read my review of Small Gods, you'll know that I thought that it was missing the humour that is Pratchett's trademark, and it suffered a bit. This time, though, he's got the mix right. There is plenty to laugh at, but there is plenty of subtext as well for the serious reader. I really enjoyed reading about Lu-Tze and the sacred text that he follows which is based on the words of a boarding house manager ("Ah, but is it not said, `There is a time and place for everything?'"). This isn't just funny, but turns a series of cliches on its head.

Pratchett doesn't forget the characters in this book, either. In fact, it's so full of characters that sometimes they start stepping on each other. All of them have their funny hook. The Abbott of the monastery, who is immortal only through serial reincarnation (and right now he's just been born again so he's got a baby's urges), is probably the funniest. There's also Susan, who has come to terms with the fact that being the granddaughter of an anthropomorphic projection isn't all it's cracked up to be. She wants to lead a simple life as a teacher, but she finds out that sometimes you have to get involved in things in order to make the world go right.

There are really too many characters to mention all of them, but suffice it to say you'll be entertained by them all. They are all unique characters with wonderful character hooks that get you to care about them. There's a nice mix of characters we've seen before and new characters as well. Don't worry, though. All of the returning characters are explained enough that you will be able to follow along. There is a tiny reference to Small Gods as pertains to Lu-Tze, but it's not that important if you don't get it.

The plot of this book is very large. At 427 pages, it's very long for a Discworld book, as Pratchett has a lot to say on the subject. There are times that it drags, and unfortunately one of those times is when everybody's in the thick of the problem. There are some funny moments in that sequence, but for some reason the book seems to come to a screeching halt occasionally and it takes a while to get going again. There are one or two other sequences where this happens as well (such as when Lobsang stops a timestorm from getting out of hand). In retrospect, I can see the value of these scenes, so I don't think of this as padding. The writing just lets it down so that it feels like padding as you're reading it.

The concepts in this book, though, are marvelous. I love the idea of taking time from somewhere it's not needed and putting it where it is needed (have you ever wondered, "where has the time gone?" It probably got used somewhere else while you were doing something boring). I loved most of the metaphysical and philosophical issues that Pratchett addressed. If this isn't your thing, then I think you'll still be entertained by the book. Perhaps you can just skim through the philosophy. If you do, though, you will miss a lot of the meat of the book.

I highly recommend this book with the above caveat. However, while everything is explained within the book, I would certainly not recommend that you start reading the series with this one. It's not necessarily typical of the Discworld books, and there's a lot of stuff that you won't get the nuances for if you haven't read at least some of the other books. The rest of the series is worth it, though, so I definitely suggest you do that.

Summary of Thief of Time

Everybody wants more time, which is why on Discworld only the experts can manage it -- the venerable Monks of History who store it and pump it from where it's wasted, like underwater (how much time does a codfish really need?), to places like cities, where busy denizens lament, "Oh where does the time go?"

While everyone always talks about slowing down, one young horologist is about to do the unthinkable. He's going to stop. Well, stop time that is, by building the world's first truly accurate clock. Which means esteemed History Monk Lu-Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd have to put on some speed to stop the timepiece before it starts. For if the Perfect Clock starts ticking, Time -- as we know it -- will end. And then the trouble will really begin...

The Monks of History live in a Tibetan sort of area known as "enlightenment country." Their job: "to see that tomorrow happens at all." A mysterious Lady wants time-obsessed Jeremy Clockson to build a totally accurate glass clock. It will trap time and stop it, eliminating humanity's irritating unpredictability. This would make the Auditors, who observe the universe and enforce the rules governing it, very happy. It would also put Death out of a job, which the Grim Reaper isn't happy about. Fortunately, the History Monks have encountered this situation before; in fact, Lu Tze, the Sweeper, has personally dealt with it before. Even better, he has a new, gifted apprentice, Lobsang Ludd, the "thief of time." This time, they'll stop trouble before it can start! To add chaos to the mix, there's the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse--the one who quit before they became famous.

Although there are 25 other Discworld novels and many of the characters appeared first in previous books, you don't need to have read even one to enjoy The Thief of Time. (If you're the sort of reader who hates to miss any references, you might want to track down a copy of The Discworld Companion.) As a bonus, this book is a painless introduction to what quantum physics says about the nature of time. --Nona Vero

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