Discworld Monthly - Issue 102: October 2005

1. Editorial

Welcome to issue 102. Do you happen to have a spare 15 million USD? It appears that American investors won't raise that amount to make Good Omens. Terry Gilliam has been offered 45 million USD from the international community but it appears that American investors don't have the confidence to back Gilliam due to his shaky track record. For all his brilliance some of Gilliam's films never got finished or went horrendously over budget - Quixote and Baron Munchausen for example. Gilliam wants to cast Johnny Depp to play Crowley and Robin Williams to play Aziraphale.

Our exclusive special offer on the three Portrait Heads has been updated: From now one when you purchase a set of all three heads for only 29.85 GBP including delivery, they will all have the same limited edition number. Stocks are getting very limited so be sure to visit www.ebay.co.uk and search for "Discworld Monthly Offer" soon.

Ottakars apparently have a limited edition run of 1000 copies of Thud (signed and numbered) for sale as of 27th September for 30GBP. Alternatively purchase your copy for the normal price and get Terry to sign for it on his UK tour. Details of the tour were included in last month's issue which is available to view at Issue #101

--
Jason Anthony (Editor) info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
William Barnett (Deputy Editor)
Richard Massey (Master of Ceremonies)

2. News

Mongoose Publishing www.mongoosepublishing.com/ will be putting out a new edition of Thud to coincide with the publication of the novel. Trevor has created a new variant of Thud, called Koom Valley Thud, which plays much faster and in a totally different manner to original Thud. Both games can be played with the same set of pieces, so you will not have to buy a new set to play the new game if you already own a Thud set. If you don't already own a Thud set, when you buy one you now get two games for the price of one! The new edition of Thud will be available in games shops throughout the UK (and likely also in the US) from about the middle of October.

News from Colin Smythe:

Terry is presently on tour in the States so it's great to learn that while he's there THUD has reached no.4 in the New York Times Bestseller list for the week ending 17 September (though this fact won't be published till their issue of 2 October, for some reason). It's the first time that any of his novels have been in their top 15 - those that the Times actually list in each issue.

Emily Whitten writes: A few weeks ago I went to a Terry Pratchett booksigning, and Terry did a Q&A, and I happened to ask the question, "So, if we did a Discworld Convention here in the US, would you come?" And Terry said, "Absolutely." And, well, I am now heading up plans for the first North American Discworld Convention, with Terry's ok.

At this point in time, along with Terry's avowals of participation, Neil Gaiman (who I met a couple of days ago) has also said that he would be interested in attending if his schedule will allow. I will also be contacting the likes of Paul Kidby, Stephen Briggs, and others to speak and be guests.

Currently, the date is not set for the Con b/c Terry has to get back to me, but it will (we hope/assume) take place in either 2007 or 2008. When we know the date, we will let everyone know. The Con will almost definitely be in Washington, DC over a weekend.

Already I have had many offers to help and lots and LOTS of ideas have come pouring in. More ideas, offers of help, etc. etc. are very welcome, especially if people have convention-organizing experience.

Within the next few weeks a website for the convention will go up. Until that time, information about the convention can be found at: www.livejournal.com/community/disc_con_usa/ which can be read and commented on by anyone.

I can be reached by that community or by email (emilyesse@gmail.com is the one I will be using for that).

Discworld Dates...

This section will contain events that you need to keep in your diary. Entries will remain until they go out of date. New entries will include the word [New] next to them. If this section gets too large we will start pruning entries.

[UK] Old Town Theatre Company in Swindon will be performing Wyrd Sisters between 6th and 8th October 2005. Full details can be found at www.swindonweb.com/ottc/prod/wyrd/wyrd0.htm

Tickets cost 6 GBP or 4 GBP concessions. Buy 8 at 6 GBP and get 2 FREE! Box Office: 01793 614837

[UK] Threadbare Theatre are performing Wyrd Sisters at the Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre, in Highgate Village, London N6 4BD from 11 - 29 October 2005 (Tues - Sat 8pm, Sun 4pm).

Tickets:

Tuesday - Friday 10 GBP (8 GBP concessions)
Saturday 12 GBP (10 GBP concessions)
Sunday Matinees 10 GBP (5 GBP concessions)

More details at: www.threadbaretheatre.com

[UK] Terry will be speaking at this year's Cheltenham Literature Festival, on Saturday 15th October at the Everyman Theatre (4-5pm). Details can be found at www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/

[UK] Maskerade will be performed by St.Julians School, Newport, Gwent on 8th, 9th and 10th November 2005. Tickets 5 GBP or 3 GBP concession. Tickets from 01633 224490

[UK] Alton Operatic & Dramatic Society (AODS) are performing Guards, Guards on 10th - 12th November at the Alton Assembly Rooms, High Street, Alton, Hampshire. Tickets cost 7.00 GBP & 6.00 GBP (with concessions). The Box Office is Newbury Building Society, High Street, Alton. Tel: 01420 84275. The Box Office is open from 10th October. or phone Tony Samuel on 01420 88038. See the AODS web page, www.aods.org for further details.

[UK] RoCo Dramatic Society will be performing Wyrd Sisters on the 24th, 25th and 26th November at The Church Hall, St Andrews Church, Shaftesbury Ave, Roundhay, Leeds, times to be announced.

More information on the RoCo Dramatic Society can be found at ~~www.rocodrama.org.uk~~

[UK] Behind The Mask - Discworld Convention 2006. A glorious four-day weekend where fans of Terry Pratchett can get together, relax, enjoy each other's company, meet Terry and the other guests, attend some (or many) of the scores of programme events, and generally Have A Good Time...

Location: Hinckley Island Hotel, Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK

Guest of Honour: Terry Pratchett

Other Guests: Stephen Briggs, Bernard Pearson, Trevor Truran, Colin Smythe, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, David Langford, Lionel Fanthorpe

Membership: Full attending 50GBP
Concessions: 35GBP, Supporting: 20GBP, Child Free

Contact: Discworld Convention 2006, P.O. Box 102, Royston, Herts, SG8 7ZJ, UK

Accommodation: Hinckley Island Hotel, Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK

Email: info@dwcon.org
Webpage: www.dwcon.org

[AU] Nullus Anxietas: The Australian Discworld Convention, Melbourne 2007 - There's only a few months left before prices for Convention memberships rise at the end of the year, so head on over to the site www.ausdwcon.org and sign up. Also, T-shirts are available both through us and Bursar Vixen www.bursarvixen.com

Small Ads...

Please note, DWM has no way of checking the veracity or validity of any of the items in our small ads section. As always, exercise caution when giving out your details over the Internet. We *strongly* recommend parental supervision for younger readers who
follow up any of these contacts.

Janice Heard msweatherwax@hotmail.co.uk writes: I am a Pratchett fan living in the Colchester area in Essex and would like to try to start up a Pratchett Book Group. The basic idea is we meet in a pub in central Colchester, read new publications as they are produced and discuss them and take it in turns to re-read each person's favourite Pratchett book and make a social evening of it once a month. If anyone is interested, male or female, any age, please email me.

Mitchell Chapman mitchell.chapman@btinternet.com writes: I have the figurine "Death on a motorcycle" available for sale. It has been in my possession for some time, am now moving into a bus, in order to tour the country, and am clearing out all my gubbins. It cost 200 GBP new but will accept any sensible offers. Feel free to email me or call on 07891945677.

Rob Campbell dwm@ivory.be writes: I have the original Discworld PC game for sale. Boxed with instruction manual. This is the Argentum Collection re-release, which has all the original artwork on the box, shrunk to fit the Argentum logos & branding around it. The box is showing a few signs of age, but it's generally in good condition. I also have both the original and a re-release version of Discworld Noir and may be willing to part with one of them. Offers?

Phil Kinsey P.Kinsey@SSTL.co.uk writes: I found your details of the recent Clarecraft events interesting reading and what surprised me most was that the very 1st was 10 years ago. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise as I was actually there!

I was wondering whether there is anyone who may have pictures from that event. My two friends and I went dressed as members from the Guild of Alchemists but we never managed to get any photos. We were dressed in burnt labcoats with blackened faces with the Guild Coat of Arms printed on our backs.

It's a shame to hear that Clarecraft is closing down as well, the models made in the days of Bernard, Isobel and Leigh were fantastically done.

3. Readers' Letters

If you have any letters or comments, please email them to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We assume any correspondence is eligible for use in the newsletter unless otherwise stated, including the sender's email address. We may also edit your letters, or on the other hand we might not.

It is vitally important that you don't pass off other people's work as your own. If you use information from other resources please let us know so we can give proper credit.

The best letter of the month will receive a Kiss the Cook print supplied by Bonsai Trading. Bonsai Trading is the Discworld store that brings you Clarecraft figurines, diaries & calendars, Thud and much more. ~~bonsai.discworldmonthly.org~~

*
* From: "Caroline Cox" callie@talktalk.net
*
Just some info regarding Terry's signing at Peak Bookshop in Chesterfield on 13th Oct. I called in to the shop recently & admission to the signing is by ticket only. Tickets are free, but only with an order for a copy of either 'Thud' and/or 'Where's my Cow?'. My ticket says: "He will sign your copy of 'Thud' and 'Where's my Cow?' but regrets he is unable to sign any of his other books. Only books with a valid Peak Bookshop receipt will be signed."

Thought this info may be useful for anyone planning to travel to this.

*
* From: "Dave Nicholson" davew@windsorsoup.co.uk
*
Those of us unfortunate enough to be travelling down the wrong trouser leg of time and therefore living on roundworld may regret missing many treats. But by pure chance this summer I visited a great place. Run by dedicated amateurs and totally non-rip off, it is called the Tortoise Garden. Near St Austell Cornwall England it is home, and in some cases holiday home, to scores of tortoises. No entrance fee, just a donation. Fiver a time is acceptable.

I was immediately given the feeling I was meeting Om in his guise as a tortoise from Small Gods, except that they can turn over when on their backs unlike Om, and the enthusiasm of the people who started it gave me the feeling of meeting Dame Sybil at her home for abandoned dragons in Guards Guards. In fact there seem to be as many types of tortoise as there are dragons. Some are quite big.

I asked how come the chap and his wife started. He explained she went out to get a kitten, came home with a tortoise and they both got hooked.

"There is good eating on one of those" in some cultures. They can feel through the shell and love being picked up held to your chest and stroked. Unfortunately they often wee while there.

To see a tortoise walking behind someone and butting the person on the back of the foot ever time they stop to make them walk on again, pure joy. They aim, head pops into shell, forward lunge and "clunk". And when one turns to look at you and comes to be tickled on the neck you get a weird feeling of ancient wisdom looking back at you through those eyes.
For more information visit: www.thetortoisegarden.co.uk

*
* From: "Bob Shingler" Bob.Shingler@atkinsglobal.com
*
I visited Egypt in August (wonderful place wish I hadn't come home, but there you go), whilst there and doing the tour of various Temples, my family and I visited the temple at Kom Ombo dedicated (partially) to Sobek, the Crocodile God. Just before we were due to visit I happened to mention to my daughter Holly (also a fan of Pterry) that I struggled to remember the God's name due to confusing him with Offler, she just laughed and shook her head.

Later on, we were walking away from the Temple with a couple of girls also on the cruise (Lisa and Kim from Liverpool) and Lisa happened to mention her interest in the Discworld series and the confusion of Sobek/Offler, I looked at Holly who burst out laughing so I had to explain my comments from earlier, this time it was my wife Julie who just shook her head sadly.

Nice to know I wasn't alone on that one.

DWM replies: Bob gets this month's Letter of the Month.

*
* From: "Robert Henthorn" robert.henthorn@ntlworld.com
*
Last month, Alexander Shapiro compared the description of the Octavo's lectern from The Light Fantastic:

"A lectern of dark wood, carved into the shape of a bird - well, to be frank, into the shape of a winged thing it is probably best not to examine too closely."

To the Mad Hatter's comment from Alice in Wonderland:

"Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"

Please, I would like it to be realised that this is not the clever and obscure reference to another text - a lectern is a raised platform for reading a book from, traditionally a bible.

Furthermore, if you go into a large church, or any cathedral in the country, you will find the platform is held by a model bird, usually either an eagle (tradition embodiment of a god) or a pelican (which pecks feathers from its own chest to make its nest, representing Christ).

I believe that Terry was not making a witty reference to the favourite classic, Alice in Wonderland as he has in many other situations, but simply taking a normal object, and twisting its description to fit the amazing world he writes. Sorry if this sounds overly pedantic, but though I enjoy finding links like this to other stories, I also find it extremely annoying when people go scrabbling around for a link which clearly isn't there.

*
* From: "Jonathan Sutton" j.b.sutton@t-online.de
*
I would be very grateful for advice, particularly from lady Discworld fans, on the following question: I should like to introduce the daughter of a friend to the Discworld. Which book would you recommend as an introduction for a teenager? Wyrd Sisters - for the witches? Mort - to Introduce the character of Death and because it is a romance (of sorts!)? Moving Pictures - because it deals with cinema and can stand alone reasonably well? My mother got hooked through the Watch, but there is a two-generation difference I think I should take into account. As I said, all advice will be greatly welcomed, thanks in advance.

*
* From: y k imkrikov@yahoo.com
*
I just read the three Discworld novels for children and I have some remarks I would like to make.

1. If maurice is a cat then why can't he see death all the time like other cats and can only remember meeting him when he loses a soul? (sorry for being so petty but it bothers me).

2. Although I really don't like saying it, "a hat full of sky" really reminds me of harry potter at a lot of points throughout the plot and it sort of ruins the fun of the story.

But all in all, these three novels are just a part of the Discworld series as any other novel. I enjoyed reading them and would recommend 'em to any child or Discworld fan or a child Discorld fan or a childish fan of Discworld or, actually, to just about (rob)anybody who would listen to me.

4. DiscTrivia

This month Edgewood Smith has come up with some trivia questions about Merchants and workmen of Ankh-Morpork.

Name the person in question and what species they are.

Q1.

Who runs the famous delicatessen on Cable Street?

Q2.

Who runs the pottery shop that also exports 'slab'?

Q3.

Who runs The Bucket?

Q4.

Who is Unseen University's gardener?

Q5.

Who's' diner features such things as smitten steak with cream sauce and slumpie (with butter), black death meringue, and honey ice cream? And makes Sgt. Colon look skinny by comparison.

The results, as always, appear at the end of this issue.

5. Review: Thud!

Reviewed by William Barnett

Thud!, the new Discworld novel, was apparently inspired by Thud! the boardgame. If you haven't played Thud! yourself, it's a strategic game based on the historical battle between the trolls and the dwarves at Koom Valley. One player takes the trolls, the other the dwarfs. The troll player has a few, very strong but slow trolls, the dwarf player has many more, faster-moving but less effective dwarves.

In Thud! the book, we get to find out the truth behind the events at Koom Valley. Two key facts: it's a Commander Vimes book and it's bloody good. I personally enjoyed Going Postal more, but not much more - and I thought Going Postal was brilliant!

At the start of the story, the situation in Ankh-Morpork is tense because the anniversary of Koom Valley is approaching. Koom Valley has been used as a justification for trolls' and dwarves' antipathy for as long as anyone can remember: each side claims they were ambushed by the other and beaten without a fair fight. This creates a problem for Commander Vimes because in Ankh-Morpork, of course, there are numerous members of each faction packed pretty closely together.

Funnily enough, what I remember about the start of the book is Vimes's mad dash to get home for 6 o'clock in order to read to Young Sam. Turns out this isn't until page 113 in our edition, which might show what an impression it makes. Terry makes an excellent job of conveying just how critical it is for Vimes to be home in time - it's a brilliant sequence, so I won't spoil it by saying any more about it.

Young Sam is one of the elements in the story, others include the new vampire recruit to the Watch and A.E. Pessimal, the newly appointed auditor for the Watch. As you might expect, Terry makes an utterly fantastic job of bringing auditing to the Discworld. Yes, we had the 'auditors of reality' before, but in Thud! he really captures the stupidity, the frustration, the intrusiveness, the needless waste of effort, the - the - well, you know what I mean if (like me) you work in a job that's audited (October 12th, in my case).

Another fascinating example of the Discworld mirroring our world is in the conflict between trolls and dwarves. In particular, the rigid, sometimes fanatical levels of commitment demonstrated by some of the dwarves seem to strongly echo aspects of the world's political makeup at the moment, a parallel which I suspect was entirely intentional when Terry was writing Thud!

Interestingly, about two-thirds of the way through the book Sergeant Colon makes a reference to John Keel, the character Vimes ended up replacing in Night Watch. When this crops up, you suddenly realise that, in terms of the action, the two books do have a lot in common - and then the narrative suddenly leaves Ankh-Morpork entirely and Vimes travels to Koom Valley itself.

You know that thing where, in a book or a film, the whole story's hung on some great revelation and then you get to the end and it turns out to be rubbish? Thud! doesn't have that. Perhaps other readers will see the denouement coming, but for me the truth about what really happened at Koom Valley was unexpected, inventive and satisfying. I felt that, 'yes, this is a fitting end to this story.'

I can identify perhaps one element that didn't work for me. Throughout the book Terry makes reference to a mysterious force that's influencing events. After I'd finished Thud!, it was still a mystery. I can sort of see what it might be about, but it still doesn't seem to sit well with the rest of the book and I don't see that it was actually needed. But this might be down to my shortcomings as a reader: there's a lot of great stuff in Thud!, and I can guarantee this review doesn't do it justice!

6. Bonsai Trading Competition Results

Last month we asked what appeared to be a very simple question. Unfortunately nearly 40% of the entrants to the competition got it wrong so it just goes to show.

We asked: What is the name of the Terry Pratchett book that started the 'Discworld Stamps' phenomenon?

To which the correct answer is Going Postal.

The randomly selected winner of the Stanley Howler Tube Pendant and a LBE is Melissa Hards of Poole, England.

For more information about the Stanley Howler Jewellery and many other Discworld products visit Bonsai Trading (~~bonsai.discworldmonthly.org/~~)

New Competition

This month we have two DVD box sets to give away as supplied by New Media Maze Ltd. The box set includes the Cosgrove Hall productions of Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music and also the paperback of a recent Discworld Novel.

In order to win one of these box sets all you need to do is tell us which paperback novel is included in the box set. See discworldmonthly.co.uk/dvdboxset.php for a clue.

Send your answers to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk by the 21st October 2005.

The randomly selected winner will be announced next month.

7. Review: Where's My Cow?

Review by Jason Anthony

Every night at 6pm (without exception) Commander Sam Vimes reads to his baby son. The book in question is rather tatty, slightly soggy and definitely chewed. The book is called Where's My Cow? It is one of those stories where the parent is responsible for making a number of strange farmyard noises much to the amusement of the child.

After a while Vimes decides it would be more educational if the book included some of the characters you might meet in Ankh Morpork. So one night, the story mutates into Is That My Dad? and we get to meet various Ankh Morpork characters such as Foul 'Ole Ron, Coffin Henry, CMOT Dibbler and the Patrician.

The roundworld version of Where's My Cow includes Melvyn Grant's wonderfully illustrated pictures of Vimes making the various farmyard noises to young Sam's obvious enjoyment. Melvyn has moved away from basing Vimes' look on Clint Eastwood and has instead gone for a more Pete Postlethwaite [British actor - Ed] look which works much better for me. The book also includes the much more simple drawings of animals that any parent would recognise from books they read to very young children.

Bizarrely when the book Where's My Cow is first mentioned within the story a picture of the round world book is shown, complete with the name Terry Pratchett written on it. This is slightly weird, as we haven't yet met an author on the Discworld called Terry Pratchett - but maybe one day, we will.

Another great feature is in the inside cover. The book was apparently originally published in the Year of Three Horses by Rouster & Sideways, 33b Gleam Street, Ankh Morpork (please use staircase; closed on Fridays). So even if you rush out to purchase a copy it will be a second edition.

Where's My Cow makes a wonderful addition to the excellent Thud! Its RRP is 10.99 GBP but Amazon currently has it for sale at 30% off. To purchase your own copy of Where's my Cow visit 038560937X/87

8. Review: The Truth Live

Review by Jason Anthony

In August I went to see The Truth performed by the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society (KATS) in Thatcham, Berkshire.

Upon arrival I purchased a programme which features an excellent Mark Ayling illustration featuring Otto and William de Worde I later discovered that the same image featured on the official t-shirt so I procured one of them too.

The last time I visited KATS was for their production of Carpe Jugulum. I thoroughly enjoyed that production apart from the really uncomfortable seating. This time, however, the seating was completely different. The hall was filled with square tables set in diamond patterns with eight chairs at each. The effect was more like walking into the tea rooms at Blackpool Tower than into a theatre. This original seating plan was much more comfortable and worked really well.

John Hicks the show's director must have spent a lot of time sorting out the cast as all the performances were excellent. David Richardson's Vimes was perfect, he looked the part and played it with real cynicism (I later learnt that David is a big Discworld fan) and Dave Vince's Otto was great - how he managed to keep the accent and persona going throughout the show is beyond me. Without wanting to name each and every member of the cast I must mention the real stars of the show Andy Pocock and Kevin Miller for their masterly portrayal of Pin and Tulip. There was real chemistry between the two actors which led us to believe they had been together for ___ing ages.

One of the things I remember from Carpe is that KATS are not afraid to set of a few pyrotechnics during their performances and The Truth was no different. During the fire in the Times' office a loud explosion was set off and shortly after an even louder one was fired. The timing on this was great because the second explosion happened just after you got over the shock of the first.

The disorganiser plays an important role in the Truth and KATS solved the problem of how to show this on stage by having Tasmin Witt stand at the side of the stage and play the imp. Whenever the disorganiser's box was opened a spotlight would train on Tasmin so she could deliver her lines. The timing between the actors on the stage hitting the buttons on the disorganiser and Tasmin delivering her lines was impeccable.

During the intermission I met up with John Hicks and asked him how he felt after winning the charity auction for a place in a future Discworld novel. He said it was something he had meant to do for a long time and was looking forward to seeing what Terry was going to do with him.

I always wonder what non Discworld fans make of these productions, because I am sometimes concerned how much of the story has been removed to fit into a reasonable time. I am sure I mentally fill in the gaps in the story that the plays miss. My wife came to the play with me and said that she found the story easy to follow so my concerns seem unfounded.

It was great bumping into Ian, Mandy and Kate Oldroyd at the show. We compared notes and agreed that this was a very good production. I would personally go as far as say that this is the best Discworld production I have seen.

If KATS decide to put on any Discworld plays in the future be sure to get some tickets and tell them I sent you... www.kats.org.uk

9. Review: Wadfest 2005

Review by Jason Anthony

Wadfest 2005 took place over the weekend of the 2nd - 4th September at the Trentfield Farm campsite near Retford in Nottinghamshire.

This year Terry visited Wadfest for the first time and to everyone's enjoyment attended all three days of the event. Terry appeared to really enjoy himself and got totally involved in the murder mystery. I understand that he went back to many of the suspects for cross examining purposes. Although even with all his literary and journalistic skills he wasn't able to discover the real murderer.

It took us a while to locate the campsite, mainly because we were looking in the wrong place, but when we did we discovered just how busy the campsite was - it is great to see how much more popular this event is becoming. We checked in at reception and managed to find a spot to pitch our tent and then took a trip to the local supermarket to stock up with essential supplies [Read alcohol - WB].

A communal bar-b-que had been setup in the corner of the site, so after cremating our dinner we set about finding our friends and downing a few beers before heading off to bed.

I was awoken very early on Saturday morning by my daughter requesting a visit to the ladies; however, even at this time there were still people up drinking and talking in that very loud whisper of the insanely drunk - much to the annoyance of people in nearby tents. Suitable revenge was taken and various photographs have appeared online.

Saturday is the main day of the event and therefore most of the events take place. This year in addition to Live Thud! and Live Pingu, Live Watchout was trialled (thanks to the ever resourceful Dave Hodges). The children spent quite a lot of the afternoon painting the Luggages in preparation for the races on Sunday. Some of the enterprising youths even managed to persuade Terry to sign one of the Luggages.

During the day there was a dealer's tent in a marquee next to reception. This is quite a low key affair, with the likes of Hodges, Catskind (the artist), Bonsai Trading, Barrie Wakefield with his Stanley Howler jewelry and for a short while Bernard Pearson (until all his stock sold out). The marquee also doubled as the location for Terry to sign things which he did with his usual aplomb.

One of the main functions of the Wadfest event, other than fun and relaxation, has always been to try to raise money for charity. Last year the event managed to raise over 3,000 GBP for Cancer Relief and the auction organizers this year set their target at 4,000 GBP. Just before the auction started Terry was drafted in to draw the prizes for the raffle. The auction, which was excellently organized, went smoothly and in the end managed to raise just over 4400 GBP for Cancer Relief.

After the auction, the dealers' room became the stage for Lupine's magic show. Lupine's shows get better each time I see them and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. Even the poor victim that lost her soul - I am sure Lupine will look after it for you.

After the magic show it was time to eat and drink and being Discworld fans plenty of both took place. Copious amounts of alcohol were consumed and we finally headed back to bed. Apparently drinking carried on for several more hours into the morning.

Sunday morning started misty and quiet with most of us strangely nursing headaches for some unknown reason. It's always fun hearing about other people's drunken exploits and there were plenty of these types of stories being told.

A new game of Live Thud! was set up on Sunday because Terry was busy singing books while the game was played on Saturday. Terry took part in the game and decided to try his hand at being a troll. In Live Thud! a blue plastic tub is worn on the head of all trolls to make identification easier for the players. Terry was a great sport by wearing his blue tub on top of his hat. Pictures of which can again be found on various websites.

After the Thud game we got prepared for Luggage Wars which has become one of the signature events at Wadfest (the Wadfest logo is made up of two Luggages). First up were the children's races which went really well with only one or two minor collisions - the children's Luggages were being guided by supposedly sensible adults.

Due to the number of adults that wanted to have a race the competition was split into two heats and a final. After winning the first heat Alan and I were ready to win back the cup but unfortunately due to a combination of trying too hard, a hung-over guide and a knock from the opposition we took a nasty spill. This resulted in a very damaged Luggage and the pair of us suffering some minor injuries. We decided to hand the race to the opposition as neither of us wanted to get back into another Luggage. We have both since retired from Luggage Wars. Unfortunately the Luggage that we crashed was the one that Terry signed but I understand the signed part of the Luggage will appear in next year's auction!

We spent the next couple of hours taking down our tent and making our farewells. We left tired, and in my case sore from my injuries, but happy and looking forward to next year's event.

The Wadfest website has recently been updated to include links to many of the photographs that were taken during the event. www.wadfest.co.uk

10. The End

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Discworld paperback: Going Postal 0552149438/87
Discworld hardback: Thud! 0385608675/87
Discworld hardback Companion: Where's My Cow? 038560937X/87
Discworld Young Adult paperback: A Hat Full of Sky 0552551449/87

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* Disc Trivia Results *

Q1.: Who runs the famous delicatessen on Cable Street?
A1.: Gimlet (Dwarf)
Q2.: Who runs the pottery shop that also exports 'slab'?
A2.: Igneous (Troll)
Q3.: Who runs The Bucket?
A3.: Mr. Cheese (Human)
Q4.: Who is Unseen University's gardener?
A4.: Modo (Dwarf)
Q5.: Who's' diner features such things as smitten steak with cream sauce and slumpie (with butter), black death meringue, and honey ice cream? And makes Sgt. Colon look skinny by comparison.
A5.: All Jolson (Human)

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Discworld Monthly - Issue 102: October 2005

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