strange and random happenstance

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Published by: HarperTorch
Publication Date: 1990
Format: Paperback, 412 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Crowley and Aziraphale have quite literally been there since the beginning. Man, woman, garden, snake. Crowley was the snake, Aziraphale was wielding the flaming sword while guarding the gates of Eden, but please don't ask about where the sword is now. But nowadays Crowley has the car and the suave clothes that befit his side while Aziraphale collects books. What else is there to do when you're waiting for the world to end? The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch predicted it all back in 1655. And that's not the nice that indicates the end of the world next Saturday is a good thing, it's the other, more "precise" kind. It's going to happen. Everything has been put in place, the "horsemen" are assembling, the time has come for the uprising of evil to herald the end of days. If only there hadn't been that little mix up with the son of Satan a few years back. Because if things had gone to plan it would have been a nice and smooth end to the world, instead it's complicated. Of course some of that was on purpose. Crowley and Aziraphale aren't sure whose side they're on because they rather like the world as it is, even if any tape left overly long in a car will start blaring Freddie Mercury and Queen. So they formed a plan. Crowley was meant to switch the son of an American diplomat with the Antichrist. Which he did. He and Aziraphale then posed as benevolent beings in this boy's life so that good and evil had an equal chance when the end days came. But not even their plan has gone to plan because the baby was switched again. Because the real Antichrist is a boy named Adam Young who has grown up in the perfect idyll of Lower Tadfield, Oxfordshire. Which means now that the Apocalypse is nigh the race is on to find the real Antichrist. But Crowley and Aziraphale aren't the only ones looking for Adam. There's Anathema Device, the descendant of Agnes Nutter, and Newton Pulsifer, a descendant of the Witchfinder who burned Agnes at the stake and the only current recruit to the Witchfinder Army. With time against them they all end up working together in ways they never would have thought. But can you go up against a witch who always knew what was going to happen? Or can you thwart the omens?

I first picked up Good Omens when it was rumored that Neil Gaiman would be stopping by the 2011 North American Discworld Convention here in Madison, Wisconsin. I found it kind of lacking. Too many characters, too many dated jokes, an ending that was more whimper than bang. I love Gaiman and Pratchett but I was not sure I loved them together. Then Neil made his magnificent appearance with Pratchett and their stories, their friendship, breathed new life into the story for me. I could see what they were trying to do which didn't really happen for me when reading the book. I was too busy figuring out who was who and who wrote which section. After that talk I decided that I should, in the near future, reread it with this newfound appreciation. Of course given my reading habits the near future turned into eight years. But at least it wasn't a whole decade! The main reason I picked it up again is because the book had been adapted by Amazon and David Tennant and Michael Sheen were starring as Crowley and Aziraphale, a more perfect casting I could never imagine. So I reread the book and I enjoyed it doubly as much as I previously did. I still had issues, I still think there are too many characters and sometimes the little vignettes staged to get a certain joke across instead of adding to the narrative take away from the overall structure of the book. Because this book doesn't flow. It's setup after setup and some work and some don't. Which leads me to inevitably talk about the adaptation, which did a good job of fixing some problems while adding in new ones. Who hired Frances McDormand to narrate? She was horrible. But ignoring Frances McDormand, which I admit is hard to do, the adaptation was the opportunity to fix the book and, for the most part, fix it they did. In particular the third episode "Hard Times" which chronicles the friendship of Crowley and Aziraphale through the ages is one of the best hours of television you will ever watch. It is two people who are genuinely friends playing two characters who, despite being on opposite sides of the celestial war, are genuinely friends. It ALL comes down to friendship, and that is a good thing.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, Antichrist, Aziraphale, Crowley, David Tennant, For the Love of Book Clubs, Good Omens, Michael Sheen, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter

Bookstore: DreamHaven Books and Comics

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Official Patter: "DreamHaven has been an open shop since 1977. We are leading purveyors of new, used, and rare science fiction, fantasy, horror, film and media books, comics, and graphic novels.

“The Tooth Fairy left the name DreamHaven Books
under my pillow. Usually it’s a 25-cent piece;
but given the current value of the U.S. dollar,
the value of this tip was far more glorious.
DreamHaven is a book-seeker’s cave of miracles.” – Harlan Ellison"

Why I Love Them: Years ago I was searching for the perfect birthday present for my mom. She had recently told me how she thought Neil Gaiman's Coraline was one of her favorite books so I set out to find her a signed copy. Neil had a link on his site to DreamHaven Books and Comics saying that he often popped across the Mississippi River from his secluded Northern Wisconsin home to the Minnesota store and signed books for them and if you were willing to wait a bit he could personalize them. I placed an order long in advance of my mother's birthday and waited. She loved the present when it arrived, Neil had even done a little drawing of a rat in the book! So DreamHaven Books became my go to store for anything Neil Gaiman, from my hardcover editions of Neverwhere and American Gods, to Neil's rather rare guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I ordered them all from DreamHaven Books!  

Best Buy: About six months after I placed my first order with them I went to my first WisCon. In the dealers' room who should I find but DreamHaven Books! They had by far the biggest display, and what I loved most was it was a mix of new and used. There were books I had been longing to see in person and books I never thought I'd find. My second year at WisCon, knowing that DreamHaven Books would be there I budgeted accordingly and in fact found a wonderful out of print copy of Caroline Stevermer's The Alchemist: Death of a Borgia which I was then able to get signed by her! But my best buy was purchased at what I will always view as my best convention experience ever, the 2011 North American Discworld Convention. The dealers' room was a wonderful mishmash of the unknown, The Cunning Artificer and The Discworld Emporium, and the familiar, DreamHaven Books. On my third day I went to this lovely and intimate event with one of the other guests, Patrick Rothfuss. He passed out copies of his book The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed for us to read as a group. It was a raucous time and so much fun, in fact if you want to read more about it, you can! After this reading I was waiting for my friend by perusing the wares of DreamHaven Books and Pat came by to give them a stack of copies of The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle. In fact the stack we had just been reading. Now, I already owned a signed first edition of this book, but then Pat said that these were his own personal copies he got when the book came out, as evidenced by the fact he signed and dated them "Pat Rothfuss 7-21-10." How could I pass up an opportunity to own such a unique copy of this wonderful book? The answer is I obviously couldn't because it is my best buy ever from DreamHaven Books, and let me tell you it had some stiff competition.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Caroline Stevermer, Coraline, DreamHaven Books and Comics, Minnesota, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Support Your Brick and Mortar, The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle, WisCon

I love to think back to the North American Discworld Convention in 2011 as the short time I physically lived in Discworld. Terry Pratchett's books have transported me there many times, but to have a physical passport and walk among people who were living the same immersion experience I was, well, that was truly unique. As an added bonus a few of my other favorite authors were along for the journey. There was Esther Friesner, Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen Baxter, and the rumors of Neil Gaiman. Since day one of the con the rumors had been spreading that the reason the Good Omens panel had been moved from it's scheduled time on Saturday to Sunday was because Neil himself would be coming. To have Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in the same room together would be ecstasy. This seemed like it was literally too good to be true yet the whispers continued. I started to get swept up in the anticipation of possibly FINALLY seeing Neil Gaiman. My mind was making pro/con lists and I kept hoping that the pro of Neil actually living in Wisconsin would tip the scales. I couldn't concentrate on making my Sock Mac Feegle, I couldn't keep my lunch down. I was like an overexcited small child who was destined for a tantrum and in need of a nap.

That afternoon the crush to get into the main hall was epic. I wasn't the only one who was willing to believe in rumors and hearsay. But as it happens, sometimes there are glittering moments in your life when everything aligns and rumors are true. The cheers, which must have been heard blocks away, started before I could even see them. People were soon on their feet as Neil and Terry came into view. Then just hearing Neil speak. That voice! It was just enough to hear his voice. The panel was oddly voyeuristic. I felt like I was sitting watching Neil and Terry just chatting in their living room. They recounted many stories about how Good Omens was written, many of the anecdotes I'd read about before, but it was different seeing them reminisce. They also upheld the belief that at one point the book started writing itself because there is one line they both love but they swear neither of them wrote. They also discussed taking the picture for the back cover of the book. Terry remembers thinking how cool the "black and white" look would be, only Neil laid claim to the black so he was nice and warm in this cemetery, in winter, in England. While Terry was wearing a pair of very lightweight cricket pants and all the cricket accoutrement, being the only white clothes they could find at that time of year. Therefore you have the cool laid back Gaiman who spent the day climbing on tombstones, and a cold Pratchett huddling in the meager warmth of the mausoleum.

At one point they sang a bit of a They Might be Giants song and at another point, while recounting meeting a crazy person who wanted to buy the rights to the book demonstrated their "escape plan." They where to employ the code word "Biggles." But this lady was so beyond Biggles levels they both started to pretend to fly, in a move the fictional pilot would heartily approve. When Neil, near the end of the wondrous hour, got up and stood at the podium near me, he realized just how big the room was. Literally everyone from the convention came... well, they kept telling us not to miss it? And have I said... rumors? Here was Neil going, "Wow, there's people over here." It was nice to finally see his face and not just his dulcet tones. The podium had a purpose, of which Terry was suspicious. Turns out Neil was there to present the 2010 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy to Terry for I Shall Wear Midnight, a serious contender for my favorite Terry Pratchett book ever. Terry was very humble with his short speech: "About Bloody Time." I don't know if any author event or panel could ever live up to this. Since then Terry is sadly gone and Neil doesn't do as many events. But at least I can say I was there. Also, it wasn't the only time I was destined to see Neil.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Biggles, Esther Friesner, Gaiman Gala, Gaiman Reminiscence, Good Omens, I Shall Wear Midnight, Nac Mac Feegles, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Rumors, Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett, They Might Be Giants

Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: October 11th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Samuel Vimes has finally been made to go on vacation. Sybil insists, as does Lord Ventinari. They have this lovely estate they never go to and young Sam needs country air, and apparently lots of poo to look at. The country is good for poo... but then again, so are the streets of Ankh Morpork... it's just different. Of course, you can take the copper away from the watch house, but Sam will always be a copper. Always asking the uncomfortable question, pushing on people and never willing to let things be. His fellow noblemen, how Sam hates being in the same titled category as the likes of Rust, soon realize that Sam is going to be a problem. A problem that they will solve.

After the local blacksmith disappears after a confrontation with Sam and copious amounts of blood are found on his estate, Sam is "arrested" by the local copper Feeney. It only takes a few minutes to get Feeney over to his side and then the hunt is on for the body that used to contain all that blood. The body is that of a young Goblin girl. Goblins are a tricky subject. They are technically classified as vermin, not creatures capable of love and feeling like Dwarves, Trolls and the like. Sam doesn't care though. I body is a body and if the law has to catch up to him, then so be it. Soon Sam has a plethora of suspects, but they are all lower level henchmen. Sam wants to know all the secrets in this sleepy shire and wants to get all the skeletons out of the closets. He wants who is behind the Goblin problem, and if he has to turn to his darker half, if he has to take on Old Treachery, the dangerous river known for damn slams, then he will. Sam Vimes is a copper to the core!

I felt that this started out so strongly. Snuff was like Terry Pratchett doing a little cosy country mystery with balls and tea promised but with coppers, a la Hot Fuzz. The Pride and Prejudice spoof was one of the best written parodies in all Austen parodies, yes I'm looking at you vampires and zombies. Why didn't I ever think how funny the juxtaposition of a lumberjack would be against Mrs. Bennet? But did we get one ball, one gala? NO! Instead we got a treatise on Goblin rights. About how to categorize sentience from plain vermin. Sam Vimes would not approve of a bait and switch! Unless of course it was to catch a criminal, but he'd have a lot of inner monologues, and I am no criminal.

Snuff is well plotted, which is a rarity in Discworld, where there's usually lots of threads running every which way and then somehow tangling all together at the end, in some sort of knot, if I'm to stick with the thread analogy. Yet, it just didn't work. Maybe Sam Vimes needs his watchmen by his side to maintain the humor. Because Sam has successfully functioned outside Ankh Morpork before, yet not here. If the plot had stuck with the country house and the ingrained superiority of the landed gentry versus the peasants and not brought in the Goblin slaves, then this could have been the best book yet. Instead he retreads familiar ground and eventually ends up making this some sort of sea faring tale with a battle against Old Treachery. Sigh... what could have been... Hot Fuzz meets Jane Austen.

Another disappointment was that I've been reading the Discworld books in order so that I don't miss out on something. They can stand alone, but their cumulative history is so wonderful, knowing the first time Wee Mad Arthur appeared, or getting a joke that would only be gotten had you read the first Witches book. But here I skipped ahead because of my excitement hearing passages at the North American Discworld Convention, I shouldn't have done that... what really happened in Koom Valley!?! I think Thud! has to be required reading to get half of what's going on with Sam's internal monologues. So maybe after I finally get to Thud! (I'm still like nine books behind) and then get back up to Snuff (five books later), I might appreciate this book for what it is and not bemoan what it isn't.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ankh Morpork, Discworld, Goblins, Hot Fuzz, Jane Austen, Koom Valley, Mrs. Bennet, NADWCon, Pride and Prejudice, Sam Vimes, Snuff, Terry Pratchett, Thud

Now my days in Discworld are coming to a close... at least in the sense of the convention. Never have I done so much at a convention and made sure I was there for everything I wanted to do... if there's a regret... maybe the auction, maybe not telling Terry how awesome he is. But I think everyone being their kind of indicates extreme levels of awesomeness. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I look back on it so fondly, not least of which getting to share it with my BFF Jess.

The final day started with a craft class and a book signing. The plan was for me to rush to the book signing and then Jess would hold my place in the class. Turns out Esther Friesner was earlier, seeing as I was going to get my "Nobody's..." books signed by her. So far I'd seen her at the opening ceremonies, she would come and rap at the closing ceremonies too as Foul Ole Ron... but I got my books signed, learned that Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi anthology books pay really well and that her newest "Nobody's..." book takes place in Japan and will make all little girls cry. She's a funny one that Esther. But this meant that I was on time for Discworld Hearaldry! We where there to make our own personal Discworld Crest. What was interesting though was this craft class took a more, history vs. activity approach. We where told what certain things meant, like how a knight's helm meant there actually was a knight in the family, the wrong way diagonal meant you where a bastard, in the bedroom not the battlefield sense. I'm a person who is constantly thinking and doodling while people talk. When I'm at school, if a project is being talked about I start jotting down ideas in the margins. By the time the talk was over and the session coming to a close, I already had my crest done, while Jess said she had to think a lot more.

My crest, seen above, is probably bad Latin (I used google translate) for Read, Eat, Sleep, which are the most important things to me besides my art, which is represented by the Mac mouse in the center. The moon for sleep, the cupcake for eat and the book I think are pretty self explanatory. Now I just have to get these suckers on some business cards....

Lunch was a laid back affair followed by some bubble tea and a drive to the airport. Because of the timing I was actually able to go to the Rob Wilkins Kaffee Klatch. They had given up the pretense of having people signed up, though if they had checked I was on the list... after the 15 limit, but still there. Rob was shocked by the number of people who showed up. He was sure the packed little conference room couldn't possibly be his, but it was. It seems that Rob was able to woo everyone at the con and make them all just that little bit in love with Terry's assistant. He has the coolest job in the world after all! He talked a little about how he got where he is, via U2 oddly enough, also about how sad it will be once Terry's Alzheimer's really starts to take hold. The best bit though? When he read a little more from Snuff. This time it was basically the scene in Pride and Prejudice with Mrs. Bennet and all the girls talking about their prospects only with Sam Vimes thrown in asking them why they just don't all go out and get a job. Beyond awesome.

After the glories of Rob I ran to my Shambles making class. If you don't know what a Shamble is, it's a way to focus magical energy and ward off evil. It's made from stuff usually found in your pockets or near by and has to contain something alive, like an egg or a bug. They are used frequently in the books of Tiffany Aching and I have always wanted one. Bending twigs and tying string, using safety pins and the like was so much fun. Mine is technically not done... but then again, I made it in the time I had so Granny Weatherwax would say it's done I'm sure. Or, at least she'd stiffly and begrudgingly nod... a millimeter.

The closing ceremonies was a very loose affair, with Terry saying his goodbyes and saying that he hoped we'd be at the next North American Discworld Convention and that he hoped he would be as well.

Then, to make it into the record books, there was the largest public reading of Where's My Cow? the Pratchett children's book in which Sam Vimes reads a more Ankh-Morpork approved version of a bedtime story. Bugrit!

Following which Bernard Pearson, the cunning artificer himself told us to "piss off." A goodbye of true warmth in Ankh-Morpork.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bernard Pearson, Bugrit, Discworld, Esther Friesner, Foul Ole Ron, Granny Weatherwax, Hearaldry, NADWCon, Pride and Prejudice, Rob Wilkins, Sam Vimes, Terry Pratchett, U2, Where's My Cow

Since day one rumors had been spreading that the reason the Good Omens panel had been moved from Saturday to Sunday was because Neil himself would be coming. To have Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in the same room together would be ecstasy. This was literally too good to be true. Yet the rumors continued. To bide our time, in a totally fun and not at all arduous manner, Jess and I went to the Patrick Rothfuss reading. This was a rare occasion to be in a small venue with the great author, seeing as his booksingings now have upwards of 600 people showing up. We where such a small group that he handed out copies of his book, The Princess and Mr. Whiffle, which we read as a group. I have never had a more fun experience. Having the book read aloud while we turned page by page, but never before Patrick's command. It gave a whole new level to the work, I was sad to hand back my book, even if I had one at home, it would have been a memento forever. He also read an Edda (aka old Norse poetry) that he wrote for an anthology starring Will Wheaton. It was beyond funny and everyone should go get it now! Though, I will share the best line: "While beneath the bass of a murderous mewing, Came the thunderous thrum of Proud Petrifax purring." So, you're by now going, ok, Rothfuss isn't Pratchett, no matter how awesome he is... so back to the con...

I stepped into the auction for a few minutes, where items from/about/loosely connected to Discworld where being auctioned off, some for insane amounts of money. I did not win what I wanted because I don't know if I missed it or not... a few people had sheets about the auction lots, but it was the least organized of the events and left me slightly miffed. Auction, grumble, grumble... and after lunch my stomach was doing the grumble, grumble. Lunch, it did not agree with me... so the making of the Sock Mac Feegles was not so much, making, as harvesting the supplies for a later assembly. Also it was total chaos with no instruction and people who hadn't paid wandering in. Best to hit the bathroom... and then get in line to see if rumors can be true.

As it happens, rumors where true! The cheers for Neil and Terry walking in together must have been heard blocks away! Our seats where close, but not the best, all front row seats being "reserved"... we couldn't really see their faces, but just to hear Neil's voice was enough! It was a very odd voyeuristic Q&A where you felt like you where sitting watching Neil and Terry just chatting in their living room. They recounted many stories about how Good Omens was written, many of the anecdotes in the back of the newest paperback edition. They also upheld the belief that at one point the book started writing itself because there is one line they both love but they swear neither of them wrote it. They also discussed taking the picture for the back of the book (see above). Terry remembers thinking how cool the "black and white" look would be, only Neil laid claim to the black so he was nice and warm in this cemetery, in winter, in England. While Terry was wearing a pair of very lightweight cricket pants and all the cricket accoutrement, being the only white clothes they could find at that time of year. Therefore you have the cool laid back Gaiman who spent the day climbing on tombstones, and a cold Pratchett huddling in the meager warmth of the mausoleum.

At one point they sang a bit of a They Might be Giants song and at another point, while recounting meeting a crazy person who wanted to buy the rights to the book demonstrated their "escape plan." They where to employ the code word "Biggles." But this lady was so beyond Biggles levels, they both started to pretend to fly.

When Neil, near the end of the wondrous hour, got up and stood at the podium near us, he realized just how big the room was. Literally everyone from the convention came... well, they kept telling us not to miss it? And have I said... rumors? Here is Neil going, "Wow, there's people over here." It was nice to finally see his face and not just his dulcet tones.

The podium had a purpose, of which Terry was suspicious. Turns out, Neil was there to present the 2010 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy to Terry for I Shall Wear Midnight (which is one of my favorite books.)

Terry was very humble, with his short speech: "About Bloody Time."

After the glory of the Good Omens panel, the rest of the night could never compare. We went to the Gala Banquet hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Quirm. Appropriate because Wisconsin knows it's cheeses like Quirm does (note Terry's "Native Attire.") Of course, having a Vegan with you to a cheese extravaganza meant she ate much mushrooms and leafy greens. The food was decent, nothing to rave about, but nothing to complain about like the other people at our table did. At least they wheren't dressed up, because if we had been at some of the other tables... we would have felt very out of place. Terry was very genuine in his toast and seemed to be warming up to Wisconsin... but that couldn't keep us past the bizarre and appallingly bad comedy sports team that was there for "our entertainment." Going home, putting on PJs and watching Big Bang Theory was more our line of entertainment.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Biggles, Discworld, Good Omens, I Shall Wear Midnight, Nac Mac Feegles, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Quirm, Terry Pratchett, The Princess and Mr. Whiffle, They Might Be Giants

Morning came all too soon and I thought, was I crazy signing up to do crafts first thing in the morning? Again, yes to the crazy, no to the wrong. It was actually quite relaxing and calm. At first my friend Jess and I where thinking, oh, this looks lame, just pieces of paper to color. But no! It was vinyl! So cool and colored really well. My Igor (seen above) is a very dandy Igor. A fop if you would. The gentleman's gentleman of the undead. After our Igor session, which being our first craft session made us realize that the sessions needed to be far longer to get anything done. I didn't even finish my Igor! But Jess and I had a lot of fun switching and trading body parts.

After this I went to a book signing with Stephen Player. Stephen Player is the artist who did the art for the Discworld and Ankh-Morpork maps as well as all the art for the illustrated Wee Free Men. Stephen was incredibly nice and I got to share a little story with him, because his poster he did for the con had the Wisconsin State Capital on it, I said that he probably doesn't know that it's the second largest in the US, it was the first, but it had to be rebuilt because there can not be a capital building taller than the one in Washington D.C. Take that history classes! Make me tour that Capital repeatedly, I will retain something.

After a long lunch and a little shopping we got there nice and early for Terry's panel on his new book series, The Long Earth, being written with Stephen Baxter. Some of the book is even set in Madison! The basic idea is that there are any number of earths, but say you want to go to earth 50, you have to go through earth 1-49 to get to it. In essence, chain parallel worlds. Could be an interesting concept. Stephen works with the sciencey bits and Terry works with the storytelling bits. Should be out in 2012, and I'll be sure to pick up a copy.

After this we had an hour till the "Talk with Terry." Aka, Rob and Terry just chatting. In that time Jess bravely kept the seats, which where multiply attacked by invading forces, including a cameraman! I went to see Patrick Rothfuss, which was something that caused a bit of a to-do. The problem was, the website stated all "Kaffee Klatches" (of which this was one) where going to be lottery to determine the 15 people to attend. This was not the case, it was first come first serve. I, being older, wiser, and more willing to make people stick to what they say, raised a bit of a kerfuffle. I was going and that was that. In the end I won. I thank the people at the con for working with me and admitting there was a mistake and letting me participate and not giving me something to look back on and be pissed about. The Klatch ran long so I was a few minutes late to the talk... oops.

Rob and Terry just sat and talked about their normal kind of day while Rob fought to keep Terry talking into the microphone. They reminisced about this little town they found in New Zealand that was straight out of another time, which ironically was on the same day they went to visit Hobbiton, which is out of a different world. Rob said that he never wanted to leave Hobbiton and he was sad he couldn't post or share any of the pictures he took, but he said it was still worth it. They also discussed that Terry has never let Rob be employee of the month, that honor always being bestowed on the cat, because she never talks about her grandma. For picture of said employee click here. It was also rumored that Terry is planing on writing his autobiography and that most days he feels like a cat with a really long tail in a room full of rocking chairs.

Instead of staying for the Masque, we went out for Chinese food, some book browsing and a game of skittles, which is a wicked awesome British pub game that everyone should play and which I shouldn't have taught to Matt because he got way too good too fast.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Discworld, Hobbiton, Igor, Kaffee Klatch, Madison, NADWCon, Patrick Rothfuss, Rob Wilkins, Stephen Baxter, Stephen Player, Terry Pratchett, The Long Earth

For a short while, all too short, Discworld came to Madison, Wisconsin. From July 8th to the 11th I was a traveller in a very familiar land. Everywhere I went I'd run into favorite characters, from Sergeant Angua to a plethora of Twoflowers. I had a little passport that would be stamped whenever I ventured in this hotel cum fantastical land. I think they might have even placed four giant elephants and a space turtle under it, but I can't prove this... But the highlight was the very center of the con, the man in black... Terry Pratchett. The man who must look around and wonder, what have I done.

Because I live in town, I ventured down the night before to get all my registration taken care of, as well as to sign up for the multitude of crafting sessions my friend Jess and I where determined to participate in (they delayed craft registration till the next morning). Our goals? See everything with Terry Pratchett then craft the hell out of Discworld. Do to my early registration the first thing I would be doing on Friday was meeting Terry Pratchett. Now, this was a bit intimidating. I thought I'd have the whole weekend to prepare, but no. I got up bright and early and headed to the con to succeed in my craftacular registration, of which I succeeded fully! Over the next three days we would be making Igors, crafting our own Nac Mac Feegles, designing our own personal crest and making shambles, of which I was very excited. There where tons more I would have loved to have done, but there's only so much time in a day!

So, to the Terry signing I went, where there was almost a riot. The source? They strictly forbade autographs, based on Terry's Alzheimer's, opting for Terry handing out a special bookplate and stamping our passports. What happened next led to hew and outcry. They said Terry would stamp a book if we had it. HEW CRY WAIL! Me, I got on the phone, located someone in my house, told them to located the turquoise book on the top shelf near the window in my library, the limited edition of I Shall Wear Midnight and deliver it to me outside the Concourse... it was done, it was achieved. I now have the one book I love more than any other stamped, sticker and fingerprinted by the man. The fingerprinting surprised me, it's a far more intimate thing that a signature. I will treasure it always.

Sadly, I didn't really get to say anything to the man himself, because the lady in front of me was sweet but didn't really understand signing line etiquette and I ended up getting bitched at by the guy who kept the flow going... sigh. Felt like a little bit of a wasted opportunity, but then again, these things happen. Also, it's not like I wasn't going to be seeing him every chance I could all weekend!

The opening ceremonies where interesting. They kicked off with a song and dance number to the might Om. Here you can see Om singing with the help of one of his disciples. They where quickly eshewed away and the Seamstresses Guild took over. They where the ones who initiated this con back in 2009... but even for founders, I started to get sick of all the double entendres rather quickly.  As a woman, I don't think I'd like to be making aspersions against my character for four days straight.


Terry was then brought forth and the Gods of Discworld paid tribute to him. One of the gods took a bit of a tumble and had to get stitches, but it didn't slow down the ceremony, and the paramedics attended to her backstage. Apparently she was in her 80s! Back to the ceremony. Two amusing things, Terry very much liked Bastet, the cat God, even pulling her tail, and the God with the bubbles was fun two. One thing learned from this. Terry is very bad at remembering to speak into the microphone, no matter how many times people try to fix it. Therefore, I was glad I was used to arriving at events early. For the ceremonies I was in the second or third row... barring one incident, I was in the front row for every other talk he did.

After the opening ceremonies, there was to be a reading. AKA "Reading with Rob." Rob Wilkins is Terry's assistant. So while Terry sat back and relaxed (yes, that does involve removing the ever present hat!) Rob read. Now, I should mention, I'm not the best at listening to people talk for long periods of time. As Patrick Rothfuss has said, he starts to see peoples interest waning after the first 15 minutes. Hence he likes to do small little bits to keep people awake. I agree with Pat. I am horrible after about 5 minutes. I remember I went to a reading of Dante's Inferno at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York for Maundy Thursday... so dull... so long... in fact, the person who signed their section was the most interesting part. Anyway, here I was, front row for an hour long reading. Was I crazy? Well, yes, that's been long since established. But rumors where that he was going to be reading from Snuff, the upcoming Discworld novel. This made me excited. This reading also made me fall a little bit in love with Rob Wilkins.

Rob takes such joy in what he reads, sometimes having to pause the regain his composure. I don't know if I will ever be able to read a Discworld book again without hearing him in my head. I hadn't read much up on Snuff, so imagine my surprise when it's Samuel Vimes going to his wife's estate in the country. It's Discworld does period miniseries. Sam Vimes does Pride and Prejudice. It was so funny and wonderful that I didn't want it to end. Knowing that I'd have to wait till this month, three whole months after hearing Rob read was a harsh blow. I want to know more about the apples that go up versus down. I just need it now!

While listening to Rob I also started to devise a theory, I'm very good at multitasking. Rob seems to combine all the best of British actors I like. I saw a bit of Adrian Lukis, aka that naughty Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. But then Rob smiled and, dear lord, if it wasn't the smile of Richard Armitage I would be struck down. At this point I was kind of a goner in my Rob crush. My friend Jess said that there was a little bit of Martin Freeman she could see peaking through. So here is the Rob Wilkins mathematical formulae:

After the reading I went forth and retrived my Jess from the airport and had some dinner with my Matt and Jess (ironically at a restaurant besieged by Discworld people). After dinner we had a production by The Cromulent Shakespeare Company doing a play of The Wyrd Sisters. It had luckily been long enough since I read it so that it wasn't predictable. Magrat was a little too masculine and hippy dippy for me, but Granny Weatherwax, though being portrayed by a young woman, so had the posture and just all out presence of Granny Weatherwax it was amazingly well done. I was very happy and surprised by how fun and good it was, even if a little embarrassed that when there was this audience participation part and we had to jump in a circle and I found out that Terry Pratchett was standing behind me, seeing me in all my wacko glory. After a quick trip to the Seamstress Guild's party, to bed to bed, for there where to be Igors bright and early in the morning.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Angua, Bastet, Dante's Inferno, I Shall Wear Midnight, Martin Freeman, NADWCon, Om, Pride and Prejudice, Richard Armitage, Rob Wilkins, Snuff, Terry Pratchett, The Wyrd Sisters, Twoflower

In lieu of Oktoberfest, I have decided to have a fest of truly festive proportions that I would go to any day, ie, Pratchett (P)fest! Ok, so I usually devote the month of his new release to him anyway... but I got to make a (P)fest... doesn't that could for something? Plus October is Halloween, and there's just scads of zombies and vampires and werewolves in his books (of course most of them work for the Night Watch...) But back on track, this month Snuff is released. This will be the 39th Discworld book as well as a return to those wondrous of Night Watchmen and of course, Samuel Vimes! I'm sure you all have been anxiously awaiting this book, as well as all the tales I have to tell about this years North American Discworld Convention that a) I was bragging about in July and b) led to July not having many blog posts. I was saving them dear readers! Saving them and reliving them and dwelling on them... I got to meet Terry Pratchett!?! Still doesn't seem real. But if it wasn't real then how do I know that Snuff will be the best book yet? Because at the convention there was a plethora of readings from it! It's like someone took Sam Vimes and dumped him in a Jane Austen novel. It's such an awesome collision of all the things I love and I will therefore probably be boring you silly over the coming weeks. But you have a chance to win something at least!

Besides what's a (P)fest without (p)resents?


Prize: Snuff, the 39th Discworld book plus the Jane Austen book of your choice

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE, just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter, you just get more entries if you prove you love me by following.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Monday, October 31st at 11:59PM CST (Yes, that's Halloween y'all)
4. How to enter:

Answer me this: Which character would you like to be in Discworld? Note, that's it's not your favorite. Because Rincewind might be your favorite, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to be him, what with all the dangerous situations that he's thrust into... but then again, maybe your what The Luggage as you sidekick...

5. And for those addicted to getting extra entries:

• +1 for answering the question above
• +2 for becoming a follower
• +10 if you are already a follower
• +10 for each time you advertise this contest - blog post, sidebar, twitter (please @MzLizard), etc. (but you only get credit for the first post, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!
• +25 if you comment on any of the posts this month, with something other than "I hope I win" or a variation thereof.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Discworld, Giveaway, NADWCon, Pratchett (P)fest, Rincewind, Sam Vimes, Snuff, Terry Pratchett, The Night Watch

So, I have yet to recover from the North American Discworld Convention, there's only so many hours in a day, and most of them where devoted to sleep, so I have yet to write some lovely new posts for you to enjoy. In the interum, gaze apon this picture I took. Yes, that's Terry Pratchett. Yes, that's Neil Gaiman. Hate me if you want, I was five feet away and loving every second of it (horrid ass pinching chairs and all).

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

As every book junky knows, the final Harry Potter film comes out next week. As not everyone knows, unless the voices in my head are talking to other people I don't know about, I had been planing on doing a few odes to Harry this month. I had planed to start on Wednesday, but Terry Pratchett got in the way. To which I saw, Terry, do what you want. This weekend is the North American Discworld Convention and my friend Jess and I are to be in attendance. So there was much cleaning of the house, to make it presentable, Jess is an out of town guest, and I must do my best to have her not buried alive under a towering stack of books. So, Wednesday's post ended up Friday's post. So while I will be thinking of Harry all month, the next few days will be only Discworld. Ah, Discworld... I do love they an inordinate amount. As you read this, I might be in the same room with Terry Pratchett, do not to be jealous overly much.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Discworld, Harry Potter, NADWCon, Terry Pratchett