Guards! Guards! - Discworld Reading Challenge

Published: 1989

Plot Summery: The story follows a plot by a secret brotherhood, the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night, to overthrow the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet king, under the control of the Supreme Grand Master. Using a stolen magic book, they summon a dragon to strike fear into the people of Ankh-Morpork.

Once a suitable state of terror and panic has been created, the Supreme Grand Master proposes to put forth an "heir" to the throne, who will slay the dragon and rid the city of tyranny. It is the task of the Night Watch – Captain Vimes, Sergeant Colon, Corporal Nobbs, and new volunteer Carrot Ironfoundersson – to stop them, with some help from the Librarian of the Unseen University, an orangutan trying to get the stolen book back.

The Patriarch ends up in Prison, the Watch gets a dragon of its own and a Dragon becomes king. So just another day on the Disc then.

 

Adaptations: This book has to be one of the most adapted of all the Discworld novels. It has been a 6-episode serial on BBC Radio 4 ; a stage play for the amateur stage scripted by Stephen Briggs (the script later published in book form 1997); a professional stage play scripted by Geoffrey Cush, a Graphic novel drawn by Graham Higgins and based on Briggs' script; an audio play presented live at Dragon*Con in 2001; a video game loosely based on the plot of the book, with Rincewind substituted for Sam Vimes and a Board Game - including 90 Discworld character illustrations drawn by Stephen Player and respective text quotes from over twenty Discworld novels.

  

Favourite Quotes: A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.

All dwarfs have beards and wear up to twelve layers of clothing. Gender is more or less optional.

Thunder rolled. ... It rolled a six.

A number of religions in Ankh-Morpork still practiced human sacrifice, except that they didn't really need to practice any more because they had got so good at it.

Reading Time: Started Saturday 18th April - Finished Tuesday 21st April 2015

Sourcery, Wyrd Sisters and Pyramids - Discworld Reading Challenge

A triple bill as I didn't manage to type up Sourcery before I went on holiday and I finished two more on the ship

 

 

Published: 1988

Plot Summery: Iplsore the Red is a wizard who is about to die, he has broken the guilds rules and married, having eight children, himself an eighth son, his final child - Coin - is a sorcerer. Trouble had been born onto the Disc. In his final act of defiance, Ipslore makes a deal with Death and he transfers his essence into his wizards staff meaning that Death cannot cut Ipslore loose. Years pass and enter in the child Coin to the Unseen University, where he is to make dangerous changes to the magic of wizards and the lives of those on the disc.

The story follows Rincewind, Luggage and Conina, a professional thief and a daughter of Discworld legend Cohen the Barbarian, as they battle against Coin and try to return the Disc to its old self. The book ends with Rincewind being trapped in an alternate dimension and Coin leaving the Disc for a reality of his own making.

 

Adaptations: Terry Pratchett had stated that Sourcery would be the fifth Discworld novel to be adapted for Sky One, although he initially wanted to adapt Making Money. Whether it will be made is now a question which remains unanswered. 
 

Favourite Quotes: There were a few seconds of total silence as everyone waited to see what would happen next. And then Nijel uttered the battle cry that Rincewind would never quite forget to the end of his life. "Erm," he said, "excuse me..."

"It's going to look pretty good, then, isn't it," said War testily, "the One Horseman and Three Pedestrians of the Apocralypse."
 

Reading Time: Started Friday 3rd April 2015 - Finished Tuesday 7th April 2015

 

Published: 1988

Plot Summery: Wyrd Sisters features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tribe of Oggs and owner of the most evil cat in the world; and Magrat Garlick, the junior witch, who firmly believes in occult jewelry, covens, and bubbling cauldrons, much to the annoyance of the other two.

King Verence I of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, Duke Felmet, after his ambitious wife persuades him to do so. The King's crown and child are given by an escaping servant to the three witches. The witches hand the child to a troupe of travelling actors, and hide the crown in the props-box. They acknowledge that destiny will eventually take its course and that the child, Tomjon, will grow up to defeat Duke Felmet and take his rightful place as king.

However, the kingdom is angry about the way the new King is mistreating the land and his subjects. The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years until Tomjon is able to return and save the kingdom, but by then irreparable damage will have been done. Granny Weatherwax, with help from the other two witches, manages to cast a spell over the entire kingdom to freeze it in time for 15 years.

The story ends with the truth being revelled in a play and a Fool being crowned king.

 

Adaptations: There has been an animated version and a 4-part BBC Radio 4 dramatisation first aired in 1995 (starring Sheila Hancock as Granny Weatherwax), as well as a play adaptation by Stephen Briggs, who wrote a new adaptation to mark Discworld's 25th Anniversary.
 

Favourite Quotes: The duke had a mind that ticked like a clock and, like a clock, it regularly went cuckoo.

"Actors," said Granny, witheringly. "As if the world weren't full of enough history without inventing more."

"Yes, bugger all that." said Nanny. "Let's curse somebody."
Reading Time: Started Wednesday 8th April 2015 - Tuesday 14th April 2015

Published: 1989

Plot Summery:
The main character of Pyramids is Teppic, prince of the tiny kingdom of Djelibeybi. Djelibeybi is the Discworld counterpart to Ancient Egypt. Young Teppic has been in training at the Assassins Guild in Ankh-Morpork for several years. The day after passing his final exam he mystically senses that his father has died and that he must return home.

Being the first Djelibeybian king raised outside the kingdom leads to some interesting problems, based on the fact that Dios, the high priest, is a stickler for tradition, and does not, in fact, allow the pharaohs to rule the country. After numerous adventures and misunderstandings, Teppic is forced to escape from the palace, along with a handmaiden named Ptraci. Meanwhile, the massive pyramid being built for Teppic's father warps space-time so much that it "rotates" Djelebeybi out of alignment with the space/time of the rest of the disc by 90 degrees. Teppic and Ptraci travel to Ephebe to consult with the philosophers there as to how to get back inside the Kingdom. Meanwhile, pandemonium takes hold in Djelibeybi, as the kingdom's multifarious gods descend upon the populace, and all of Djelibeybi's dead rulers come back to life.

Eventually, Teppic re-enters the Kingdom and attempts to destroy the Great Pyramid, with the help of all of his newly resurrected ancestors. They are confronted by Dios, who, it turns out, is as old as the kingdom itself, and has advised every pharaoh in the history of the Kingdom. Dios hates change and thinks Djelibeybi should stay the same. Teppic succeeds in destroying the Pyramid, returning Djelibeybi to the real world and sending Dios back through time (where he meets the original founder of the Kingdom, thereby restarting the cycle). Teppic then abdicates, allowing Ptraci (who turns out to be his half-sister) to rule. Ptraci immediately institutes much-needed changes.
 

Adaptations: None known
 

Favourite Quotes: All assassins had a full-length mirror in their rooms, because it would be a terrible insult to anyone to kill them when you were badly dressed.

What our ancestors would really be thinking, if they were alive today, is: "Why is it so dark in here?"

There was not a lot that could be done to make Morpork a worse place. A direct hit by a meteorite, for example, would count as gentrification.


Reading Time: Started Wednesday 15th April 2015 - Friday 17th April 2015

Crafty Catz DT - It's a Girl Thing

Morning all,

Well this is another scheduled post - I'll be back in the UK later today but until then, here's a new challenge at Crafty Catz. This week theme is It's a Girl Thing and we are sponsored by Sami Stamps who are offering our winner a $12 gift voucher

For this weeks card I tried to colour outside my comfort zone, so it was all about unnatural hair colouring - I'm not sure I nailed it but it could be worse:

The image is coloured with promarkers in the following: Apricot, Oatmeal, Lavender, Amethyst, Aubergine, Plum, Mulberry, Maroon, Honeycomb, Terracotta, Cornflower, Sky Blue, Moss and Pear Green.

 

I used versamagic inks in Turquoise Gem and Perfect Plumeria; papers from scraps, gems from stash and free feathers I found on pinterest.

 

Hope you like it and don't forget to join us in the challenge this week. Until next time, happy crafting!

Crafty Catz DT - 2 or more Pattern Papers

Morning all,

 

Hope you're all well, I'm coming to you from an aeroplane - well sort of. This is a scheduled post as I will be flying off to my holiday as you read this.

 

Our new challenge is set by Cindy who wants to see you use 2 or more Pattern Papers in your creations this week. We are sponsored this by Bugaboo who are offering our lucky winners 7 images of their choice.

 

This weeks card was a great excuse to use up some paper offcuts

The papers are from various pads, inked on the edges with versamagic - perfect plumeria, turquoise gem, sahara sands, pixie dust and tim holtz - shabby shutters.

The image is coloured with promarkers in pastel pink, moss, warm grey 1 and 2, honeycomb, canary, apricot, lavender and amethyst.

The letters are from echo park's playground range.

Hope you like it. Have fun with this weeks challenge. I'll be back next weekend - until then, happy crafting!

Happy Easter

He is Risen!  Alleluia!

 

Wishing you all a blessed and pleasant Easter Sunday. Whether you have faith or not, may you have a wonderful day and for those of you so inclined - one with much chocolate also!

 

Just a quick card to share today, which was my Easter card for close friends. I've been so busy that actually it's been hard getting anything made en mass but I did manage to knock out 4 of these just in time:

The cross is a Marianne D die, circle is die cut, background shape is hand cut, flowers and leaves are all punches of varying makes.

 

I was rather pleased with them in the end. Hope they've gone down well with the recipients.

 

Whatever you're up to today, hope you have a good one.

 

Until next time. Happy crafting!

 

Mort - Discworld Reading Challenge

Published: 1987

Plot Summery: Mort is not exactly cut out for the family business and his father has encouraged him to become apprenticed to a trade. Death is looking for an apprentice. As Mort begins to take over Death's duties things start to go wrong, a reality (or perceived reality as it is on the disc) is dramatically altered. Despite all the problems, Death is -for the first time- learning what it is to be human.

 

By the time Death learns of Mort's error (with a little help from wizards and his manservant) Mort has taken on so many traits of Death that he is, in effect, Death.point.2

 

The book concludes with Mort duelling Death from his freedom (and life) and his marriage to Death's adoptive daughter.

 

Adaptations: Mort has been adapted into a graphic novel (1994), for Radio 4, two musicals - one in Germany and one by a Youth Theatre in the UK and also a stage play by Stephen Briggs
  

Favourite Quotes: "He'd been wrong, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it was a flamethrower."
　
"I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, he said, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY."
　
"Goodbye," Mort said, and was surprised to find a lump in his throat. "It’s such an unpleasant word, isn’t it?" QUITE SO. Death grinned because, as has so often been remarked, he didn’t have much option. But possibly he meant it, this time. I PREFER AU REVOIR, he said."

 

Reading Time: Started Wednesday 1st April 2015 - Finished Friday 3rd April 2015

Equal Rites - Discworld Reading Challenge

 

Published: 1987
 

Plot Summery: Knowing that he is shortly to die, the Wizard Drum Billet travels the disc to find the 8th son of the 8th son who is about to be born to pass on his magical skills. Only, this is the Disc, so nothing goes quite to plan and the Disc suddenly gains its first ever female wizard. General bizarreness occurs and it's the first appearance of Granny Weatherwax in any of the books.

 

Adaptations: None known
 

Favourite Quotes:

"She was already learning that if you ignore the rules people will, half the time, quietly rewrite them so that they don't apply to you."
　
"There would be a price... But if you were worried about the price, then why were you in the shop?"
　
"She told me that if magic gives people what they want, then not using magic can give them what they need."

 

Reading Time: Started Saturday 28th 2015 - Finished Tuesday 31st March 2015