Tales from the Drum

We continue our exploration of belief and metaphor, the life force, and narrative causality as the drivers of the Discworld’s physics. Don’t worry though, that’s not as dreadful as it might sound. 

In which we hear of Om, former small god desperate not to return to that status (and currently manifested in the form of a one-eyed tortoise) and of the relationship between belief and a god’s power. We also encounter Vorbis, a most unpleasant deacon of the Church of Om, and a man with who the protagonist of Small Gods, the novice Brutha (oh, brutha!) will have much to do over the course of the book.

This week’s trivia question: “A famous Ankh-Morpork tavern has a different name in The Color Of Magic than in later books. Give either name.” The first three correct listeners to answer correctly will get their names into the drawing for the Season Two grand prize, which my producer assures me will be quite grand indeed. 

As always, [email protected] is the way to reach me. 

Belief on the Discworld is a funny thing. Since the Disc is way out there on the probability curve, reality is thinner, and belief has a much greater potential to shape reality. This happens in all kinds of ways over the course of the books, and not surprisingly some of the results are pretty amusing. This week we look primarily at belief as it applies to the Discworld's elves-- which are about as diametrically opposite of Tolkien's elves as they could be-- and to Dwarfish traditions and royal politics. Stone of Scone, anyone? 

This week also marks the debut of the Discworld Portal trivia contest. The first three correct answers received this week will go into a pool from which the season 2 winner will be selected at random.  Our first question is as follows: The very first time we meet Granny Weatherwax in the Discworld novels, what is she doing? And the hint is that it’s something we would be much more likely to associate with Nanny Ogg. Send your answers to me at [email protected]. 

In which the show is hijacked by a mysterious force (probably Holly and Ivy) which brings to us the knowing of the Discworld's geology and natural history, as well as the knowing of octiron, the power of metaphor and belief, narrative causality and bloody quantum. No Nac Mac Feegle, though.

This indeed be the beginning of season 2 of the Discworld Portal, and it was right and fitting that it begin with a reading of the excerpt from Turtle Recall, The Discworld Companion... So Far by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. Makes a nice way to start a new season, don't you think? Besides, it was a neat way of overcoming the engineering mishap which resulted in the first take of season 2 episode 1 to join the ranks of the mythical lost episodes. 

Oh and in which we hear of serendipity, silver linings, and hear the result of the making of lemonade from lemons-- the latter of which gets our ears wet. All of which is also by way of apologizing to those of you who eagerly await a new episode (and you know who you are) for Season 2, Episode 1 being a day late. 

As always questions, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. You also have the chance now to toss me show ideas and suggestions for season 2. I will incorporate them, and we'll have a better season 2 as a result.

You can reach me at [email protected]. PayPal donations sent to that address will support the production of the show, at least by providing kibble for my engineer/editor and my producer, also known as Holly and Ivy. 

The Death of Rats must be imaginary, decides Susan Sto Helit. Tiny rat skeletons wearing robes and carrying tiny scythes do not exist. She must be imagining this one because of the cheese on toast she had at supper the night before. Thus begins the acquaintance of Susan, duchess of Sto Helit (it's complicated) and adopted granddaughter of the Death of the Discworld, and the Death of Rats, a tiny piece of Death which the Grim Reaper allowed to maintain an independent existence when he was "reconstituted." (Even more complicated-- there's a whole book about it.) 

This week we begin to come to know both Susan and the little skeletal rat she initially insists must be imaginary. We find out about Susan's personality, and about the steps her parents took to stop her remembering about being Death's granddaughter, including giving her an education. To paraphrase Sir Terry, though, "Education is easy. Learning things is harder." 

This week we have a special bonus edition of the Portal. In it you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the Discworld Portal, with an exposition of some of the Gnome's checkered career as an educator as well. You'll also be treated to a short explanation of the difference between learning and education (to be elaborated on in episode 10 as we get to know Susan Sto Helit). So this episode is about the Portal, and not really the Discworld. This is probably because of quantum.

If you have comments, suggestions or questions about the show, or just like to correspond with a person from another dimension, send me an email at [email protected]. Just kidding about the other dimension (although I do wonder sometimes.) I'm actually originally from Colorado. 

Mort and Ysabel meet, and instantly dislike each other. And as Mort makes a hash of things as Death's apprentice, he finds himself in peril. Ysabel steps up as Mort's unlikely champion, and persuades Death to let Mort live, which he does by turning over Mort's hourglass. After we witness this confrontation, we also learn that Mort and Ysabel were married, and lived happily ever after (until they died in a fiery coach crash, that is. Hey, you can't have everything. 

We also begin to make the acquaintance of Death's manservant, Albert, this week. Albert has been 79 for over 2,000 years, so of course he can be tetchy. Unlike Mort and Ysabel, both of whom are shuffled off the Discworld stage at the end of Mort, Albert emerges more and more in later books, especially Soul Music and Hogfather. He and Susan and the Death of Rats constitute Death's household and family through the rest of the books. Susan and the Death of Rats, by the way are.... entities that we will meet next week. 

You can reach me at [email protected] if you have any thoughts you feel like sharing, and you can also use that email address if you decide you'd like to give the Portal a bit of financial support (via PayPal.) . 

Everyone has family-- even the Death of the Discworld. This time we meet Mort, who will become first Death's apprentice and then his son-in-law, and Death himself. We hear an excerpt from Mort that describes Death's first meeting with Mort, at a hiring fair in the little farming hamlet called Sheepridge. Still to come are our first encounters with Death's adopted daughter, Ysabell, Albert (formerly Alberto Malich and 1st Archchancellor of Unseen University) and now Death's manservant, and that little scamp, the Death of Rats, the result of Death once having been separated into innumerable Deaths, one for each kind of creature, and Death's decision, once he'd got himself back together, to incorporate this one small piece of himself back into himself. Don't tell anyone, but the Death of Rats was allowed a separate existence to be Death's imp, the "little scamp" as Death refers to him, who gets to do all the things that it would be inappropriate for Death himself to do. 

You can reach me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. 

In which the Gnome shares some demographic information, and we hear the Death of the Discworld in his own words, at the beginning of the series, in The Color of Magic. In the fullness of time we will come to see how much this Death does not represent the Death of the Discworld. We also begin to learn about how Death came to have a granddaughter and why the first Archchancellor of Unseen University is now Death's manservant, Some of Death's abilities, those which his granddaughter has inherited, are also revealed, but the explanation of how his granddaughter could inherit anything from him is withheld, for now. 

Remember you can reach me at [email protected], and that is the email address to use for PayPal donations to the show, should the spirit move you. And as always, thank you for listening. 

Wherein we learn of the breadth of Sir Terry's genius and of one way of approaching the reading of Discworld novels. We also hear a bit about Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax, the novels featuring the Ankh Morkpork city watch, as well as those featuring Death, his adopted granddaughter, a consummate conman, and Rincewind, failed wizard and champion survivor. Although not all at once, of course. That is, not all those entities are featured in all the books-- and of course they're not all featured at once in this, the sixth episode of The Discworld Portal. Remember you can contact your host and guide at [email protected], and make a paypal donation to the same address if you would like to support the show, or at least pay the producer's salary. Oh, and we learn that it is never advisable to address Granny Weatherwax as Granny (she prefers Mistress Weatherwax) unless you know her very well, and probably not even then. We also find out about headology. Oh and Death's adopted granddaughter is not an accomplished conman. Moist von Lipwig is. A conman that is, and not death's adopted granddaughter. Don't worry, it will all come right in the end. 

This time we look at the big picture of the Discworld, through the lens of Sir Terry's foreword and prologue to The Color of Magic.We also learn of Ankh-Morpork's attitude toward fires in the city, and of its response upon first hearing of the concept of fire insurance. The episode also makes brief reference to the inspiring example of the Igors' use of thunderstorms, and explains why the show's producer and engineer are badly paid.