First Review : The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

To start a confession, I started reading this book in mid December, and due to a frustrating work schedule finished it in January. So technically this is a book I finished this year, but not one that was started. That little aside out of the way on with the review.

 The Hogfather for those that are unaware is part of a fantasy series called Discworld created by Terry Pratchett. It is a comical take on the fantasy genre and I recommended it to anyone that enjoys comedy or fantasy. The Hogfather is not this first in the series and you may get more enjoyment if you familiarize yourself with the other books. Do not let that dissuade you from reading this however, the book is thoroughly enjoyable to the lay man and the Discworld fan alike. The Hogfather is the Discworld holiday novel, it takes place during winter, and centers around a holiday called Hogswatch. Within a few pages it becomes apparent that Hogswatch is Christmas for all intents and purposes. The traditions are all well represented; gifts, stockings, a large man in a red suit with a sleigh pulled by wild boars.....wait what? Yes there are some twists involved and they are all amazing, especially when the jolly man losses a bit of weight. The story takes a journey from the current iteration of Hogswatch to the very beginnings and it will be hard to not draw conclusions about our own celebrations by the time you reach the end of the book. The book is frankly fantastic. I plan to reread it around the holiday time next year, its not too terribly long, it tells a great tale about traditions and asks why we celebrate them. The book , like all Discworld novels it presents everything with a comedic element, it has some serious and philosophic moments throughout that keep it from being a complete comedy. It is like what separates Jingle All The Way from A Muppet Christmas Carol, both are largely comedic but one at least engages emotions other than humor.

 All and all the book is great for all ages and I encourage it to be read around the holiday season. It hits all the points, the holiday shopping rush, gifts, childhood beliefs, the whole season from the end of November to January is represented with a nod to the comedy of it all and throwing in some fantasy and magic. As I said I plan on reading it once a year, and while I don't make that demand of you the reader, I recommend at least one reading if you like the season, fantasy, or comedy. The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett is as much a Christmas classic as A Christmas Story or A Christmas Carol and should be read by all ages.

The Hogfather on Amazon