Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly, some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings that on Earth are creatures of the imagination, like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods, are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc...

In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to give an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

This is the perfect book for the hardcore Discworld fan. What we have here is an exploration of some of the folklore of the franchise, which is then linked to Earth's own folklore. Here the authors examine some of the inspiration of Pratchett's world which is taken from our very own.

The most notable (and best example to illustrate the point) is the 'Beasties' chapter. This examines the creatures, like Dragons, of Discworld and relates them back to our own view on these mythical creatures - as well as looking at the 'fact' that some creatures are real in one world, while purely mythical creatures in another.

This book is packed with the same humour that has entertained fans throughout the Discworld series, so it doesn't feel like a hard slog to wade through the pages. Nor do you get the urge to skip chapters - this is a book that you'll be compelled to read from start to finish.

For Discworld fans who want to delve a little deeper into Pratchett's universe, this is an entertaining and informative read.

9

Pete Boomer