Book review
Written by Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson
Doubleday hardback
Release date Out now

Opening a new Discworld story, whether it’s an Ankh-Morpokh based crime drama, or one of the explorations of the outer lands, you can be pretty certain that there will be elements drawn from real life, which are moulded in Pratchett’s capable hands into something quite different. This applies most firmly to the various myths and legends which come to life…

Twenty-five years and 40 odd stories later, Pratchett has teamed up with folklore expert Jacqueline Simpson to examine both real world folklore and its Discworld equivalents. This leads to some odd moments, where perhaps the origins were better left obscured, and the authorial voice does a print equivalent of Francis Urquhart’s famous line “You may think that but I couldn’t possibly comment,” when a comparison with something less than complimentary arises.

Previous tomes examining the “reality” of Discworld have combined new fiction by Pratchett, usually involving the Unseen University, with a factual explanation of what’s befuddling the characters. This time round, it’s all factual, although the amount of quoting from previous Discworld volumes means that it’s never dry – and there are some nicely acerbic footnotes to enjoy. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
A fascinating insight into the true origins of Discworld.

Click here to buy Folklore of Discworld at Forbidden Planet (forbiddenplanet.com)