Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
First published 1996.
I remember Hogfather being one of my favourite Discworld novels when I was younger, mostly because of one scene in particular. The wizards of Unseen University become aware that there is an 'excess of belief' in the world (because, unbeknown to them, the 'Hogfather' - who is Discworld's equivalent of Santa - has been 'killed'). This excess of belief, coupled with the wizards being in a fairly magical location, means that as they discuss hypothetical beings who could conceivably exist - such as a 'hair-loss fairy' or the 'god of hangovers' - these beings begin to spring into existence. The wizards joke about this, positing the existence of an "odd-sock monster" who eats one sock from pairs put into the laundry. Then, when the odd-sock monster inevitably springs into existence, the wizards discuss going into the laundry area to look for it, while also admitting some apprehension about facing the terrifying laundrywoman, whom they are more nervous about than the monster itself.
If all of this seems a bit random, welcome to Discworld novels! This sprawling series of satirical fantasy novels take place in a flat disc-shaped world that sits on the back of four giant elephants that in turn stand on the back of a giant space-swimming turtle. It is a world where every classic fantasy creature imaginable exists, living together in a Victorian-era inspired society. It is both incredibly clever and, at times, incredible silly writing.
In this particular story, our main protagonist is Susan Sto-Helit, who is the grand-daughter of Death - the classic robes and skeleton version. When the Hogfather is 'killed', Death - hoping to sustain belief in the festive figure - steps in to replace him, dressing up in the robe and a fake beard and practicing his HO HO HO. Though, as Death's servant, Alfred observes: "Just "Ho. Ho. Ho," will do. Don't say, "Cower, brief mortals" unless you want them to grow up to be money-lenders or some such." (page 132). Susan, meanwhile (along with Death of Rats and Quoth, the Raven) must try and figure out why the Hogfather has been killed and what can be done about it.
This is where Terry Pratchett's genius comes into play. By giving himself such a ludicrous premise to work with, he can get away with making some very cutting and insightful remarks on the ways of the world. So in this particular installment, Pratchett has a lot to say about the origins of belief itself, the excesses of consumerism, and how modern society tends to gloss over 'inconvenient truths' from the past.
Is it still one of my favourite Discworld stories? Well, probably not. I still enjoy Pratchett a lot, but as I've grown older I've come to notice his cynicism a bit more than I used to. In the case of Hogfather, a lot of this cynicism is directed towards religion, which - although it can be deserved at times - is a bit lopsided here. The message of Hogfather seems to be that 'some lies are worth believing in even if they are indeed lies', and I cannot agree with him on that conclusion.
Still, a lot of clever, thoughtful satire, as well as a lot of silly, almost juvenile Discworldian humour.
Completed 5 December 2022.
Comments
Post a Comment