Why Didn't I Enjoy...?

[jacey]

I just read Terry Pratchett's 'Last Continent' after many years of putting it off because a) it's Rincewind and b) it's Australia. Sadly I was right to put it off. I LOVE all things Pratchett... usually... but this one just never seemed to get going. It was a collection of Rincewindly sketches shambling in no particular direction, coupled with a collection of Wizardly sketches shambling round in circles and disappearing up their own fundamentals. Very disappointing, especially when you look at the dramatic tension and narrative drive of (say) 'Lords and Ladies' or 'Night Watch'.

I feared it might be a collection of obvious Aussie jokes and... it was, from Roo Beer to a place called Didjabringabeeralong.

Having once played at a folk festival in Nannup (Western Australia) and discovered that the -up ending to town names in the local Aboriginal dialect means 'a place of...' we'd already done those jokes in the car. Nannup means 'place of rest' so:

Feetup = also - like Nannup - place of rest
Bellyup = place of eternal rest
Pissup = place of big parties
Fukup = place of mistakes ditto Mixup (and yes we got Buggerup, too)
Stickup = place of robberies
Fixup = place of repair shops
Throwup = place of unhygenic restaurants
Coughup = place where you pay your debts
Fessup = place of lawcourts

OK that's enough of that. I still haven't read Making Money - that's on my to read pile and I'm looking forward to it - though ideally I want another Sam Vimes book, and soon please.

I'm making a real effor to read more, but finding time is difficult.