The first ever FromRimToHub book review: The Turtle Moves!

14 September 2008 (20:23) Merchandise News News Archives

Thanks to BenBella Books, who sent FromRimToHub a review copy of The Turtle Moves: Discworld’s Story Unauthorized, we can tell you if it’s worth buying.  (Psst, here’s the short version: it is!)

The Turtle Moves! is, as Lawrence Watt-Evans admits, literary criticism, but “it’s light and fluffy literary criticism, not deep and scholarly”–and that’s a perfect description. Part plot summaries, part commentary, and part ode to Pratchett, The Turtle Moves! is a breezy, casual introduction to Discworld’s literary aspects.

The first part (which contains chapter titles like Why You Should Read This Book If You Haven’t Already Read A Bunch Of Discworld Stuff, And Maybe Even If You’ve Never Heard Of Discworld, which should give you an idea of the style of this book)–anyway, the first part of the book explains why Watt-Evans chose to write it, why fans should read it, and, indeed, why people should read it even if they aren’t. Following Part One are general comments about the Disc and its stories, a short chapter for each of the three dozen Discworld novels (and even short stories), notes on the series as a whole, a chapter for nearly every sub-series, a brief look at the minor characters and places, and finishes up with a chapter called The Secret Of Discworld’s Success. The book also includes an extensive references section, which inexplicably neglects to mention FromRimToHub. (I’m looking at you, Mr. Lawrence Watt-Evans.)

But aside from that egregious omission, The Turtle Moves! has its fine points. Watt-Evans comments impartially on the media-generated “feud” between Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling, provides insights into the science-fiction aspects of Discworld (yes, they’re there!), explains particularly obscure references (for example, who knew Carrot is named after an actual carrot who becomes king in a comic opera?), and analyzes Discworld’s evolution from The Colour Of Magic to Making Money. The book is well cross-referenced, and allusions to to interviews, other Discworld-related publications, and film adaptations belie either very good research or obsessive fannishness. Watt-Evans’s analysis of the series is grounded in the concept of narrativium, the power of story, and his analysis of Small Gods is particularly good.

The organization of The Turtle Moves!, however, isn’t very thought-out (do we really need three different parts titled Comments, More Comments, and Yet More Comments?), and Watt-Evans’s conversational style is off-putting at first.

All told (and it is all told in this book), The Turtlle Moves! is a great book for the literary-minded but casual Discworld reader. The insight of another fantasy writer into Terry Pratchett’s creation is a good addition to any fan’s library, and it’s all written with a humor fans are sure to appreciate.*

* And yes, there are footnotes.