The Folklore of Discworld

Legends, Myths, and Customs from the Discworld with Helpful Hints from Planet Earth

By: Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson

Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Terry Pratchett joins up with a leading folklorist to reveal the legends, myths and customs of Discworld, together with helpful hints from Planet Earth.

Most of us grew up having always known when 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 beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, and fairy tales: Our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got here. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings, which 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 take 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.

©2014 Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“One of the most interesting and critically underrated novelists we have - The Folklore of Discworld - co-authored with the eminent folklorist Jacqueline Simpson - emphasizes his irreverence and drollery.” ( The Times)

“Pratchett is, like Mark Twain or Jonathan Swift, not just a great writer but also an original thinker - funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious.” ( Guardian)

Safari through Discworld.

It was very entertaining to see how the world and customs of Discworld were weaved around true folklore, people's stories with its typical spice of absurdity and humor. And Terry sings us some tunes at the end too!

Sir Terry Sings

Sir Terry sings (+ writes with usual wit & aplomb) - specifically folk songs, and then Shakespeare.

Interesting romp through Terry Pratchet's mind.

just booked details his interaction with the mythology and folklore of Discworld. It is a fun and interesting look at how he developed it all and what much of it is based on. Final chapter is a audio interview between Terry Pratchett and his folklorist. Lots of fun.

very interesting

Sir Terry and Miss Simpson tells us about the folklore and how it came to be. They also do a wonderful job discussing "urban legends" and how this also becomes folklore. It's truly interesting and displays why history is important. After all if you don't know your origins, how will you know your destination?

Amazing!

This book was amazing it was interesting to hear about our folklore and it's comparative discworld equivalents! I highly recommend it for old fans and newcomers!

Love hearing the backstory of Discworld!

I have been listening to the various Discworld series and they continue to
delight me.

If you've read all the Discworld books

So, if you've reached the point where you've read and/or listened to all the Discworld books and The Long Earth books, but you need more Pratchett, this is a good book.

Actually, my daughter kept commenting that it sounded like Harry Potter. She's right in that the stories that helped build the Discworld are the same ones that support the stories in Rowling's world, and probably others, for that matter.

The book is enjoyable and interesting, though I'm not sure I'd recommend it to someone who hasn't read many Discworld books.

The illusionist entertains you twice...

...once with the trick, and twice with the trickery.

Sir Pterry enlists the aid of folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to explore the Roundworld references and inspirations from "when things were otherwise" drawn into the Discworld series.

Why must there be three witches?
How did the fifth elephant collide with the Disc?
What is a Pictsie?

A great spin on the Science of Discworld series. While I partly wish that it had the same interleaved narrative/explanation structure, it's more the co-narrator Stephen Briggs that I wish would have carried over. Michael Fenton Stevens is a fine narrator, but feels more highbrow than is appropriate for Sir Pterry's folksy exposé.

Entertaining comparisons: Discworld vs Earth

As one who has read virtually all, if not all of the disc world novels and stories, I enjoyed revisiting the characters and stories, in the context of how they relate to folklore on our planet.

Doesn't live up to its introduction

After the engaging introduction I anticipated hearing discussions of the folklore Sir Terry drew from as he wrote the Discworld novels. Instead this book is a rehash of what an observant reader would already know about, say, the elves of Discworld, frequently quoting passages from the novels.

I rarely quit a book, but I stopped listening after Chapter 3, which didn't address *why* the elves and fairies of Discworld are narcissistic sadists. It was a relief, as I'd already been put off by the narrator's mispronunciation of "Lancre," which clearly rhymes with canker, not gantry.