caddyman | Pratchett goes dark

I have just finished reading I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, the fourth in the Tiffany Aching/Wee Free Men series. It is the first of Pratchett’s books that I have read that was published after he was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s (Unseen Academicals was published first, but I haven’t read it yet).

I’ve never managed to read the early Discworld novels, although I tried (I may go back and trey again at some point) and my interest took off with the various Night Watch novels after which I started reading other, but not all, novels in the series –still avoiding the earliest ones.

Over the years, Pratchett’s stories have developed from comedy adventure to satire and the Discworld has proven to be an excellent setting for a lot of social commentary that only wears the most rudimentary disguises at times. That is not a criticism, that’s just they way they have developed and the body of work is the better for the growth.

At times some of the topics have been more serious than others and some of the social comment has addressed some very important themes in a gentle, satirical way that nonetheless has bite.

What the books don’t generally have – or at least if they do, I’ve missed it - is darkness. There are times when there is a grey overcast to the tone of an individual story, but by and large there is no real undercurrent of darkness.

I think there is in I Shall Wear Midnight. The entire back story for the young girl, Amber and her parents stands out at the beginning in this respect and though it fades into the background as the novel progresses, the sheer awfulness of The Cunning Man is atypical of Pratchett (or at least atypical of that Pratchett I’ve read). It’s still very good and it’s still very Pratchett, but there is a definite thread of darkness running through it.

It’s all the more interesting, given that the Tiffany Aching series is theoretically, at least, aimed at the Young Adult market (so what the bejasus I’m doing reading it is anybody’s guess).

I think I shall read Unseen Academicals next to compare. It will be interesting to look at the new City Watch story, Snuff when it comes out in October.