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Discworld Monthly Issue 223 December 2015

Table of Contents:

1. Editorial
2. News
3. Events
4. Readers' Letters
5. DiscTrivia
6. Review: Unseen Academicals Live at The Marlow Players
7. Competition Result: The Compleat Atlas and Emporium Care Package
8. Competition: Win a "Small" Death and a Kitten Sweatshirt from Discworld.com
9. Review: The Compleat Discworld Atlas
10. The End


1. Editorial

Welcome to issue 223 and probably the last issue of 2015. It's been a strange year. The world lost one of the most amazing authors of the 20th century. Since Terry's death in March we thought things would slow down a bit but in reality we at Discworld Monthly have been working harder than ever before. It's been an emotional few months and it's time to remember fondly the good times and move on into the future and the year of the Sneezing Panda.

We wish you a very happy end of year celebration - whichever one you take part in.

* * * * *

I've noticed a rumour spreading around the web today that The Colour of Magic was first published on 24th November 1983 and that today is Discworld's 32nd Birthday. It should be noted that The Colour of Magic was first released on or around 21st October 1983 in the USA due to some confusion over release dates. So in fact the Discworld was 32 last month! Happy Birthday for the 21st October Discworld. And of course, we could argue that Discworld's birth date was actually some months before that allowing for publishing times etc.

* * * * *

Both Discworld.com and DiscworldEmporium.com have released a number of new products in time for Christmas... Head over quickly to purchase your loved ones Discworld goodies before you miss the final posting dates.

* * * * *

The wonderful Terry Pratchett mural in Brick lane, London that we reported on a few months ago has now been painted over... Terry's face has been replaced by that of Darth Vader in a new Star Wars display.

Our photo album of the Terry Pratchett mural can be seen at: discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/694

* * * * *

We still have a very small number of I (heart) Discworld mugs available to purchase from our website along with a slightly larger number of pin badges, keyrings, fridge magnets and car stickers. Profits from these sales will be put back into the running costs of the site.

To see our full range of officially approved merchandise visit:

discworldmonthly.co.uk/shop

If you place your orders within the next week you should receive yours in time for Christmas.

* * * * *

The Irish Discworld Convention have released their "Letters To Terry" document where they have collated memories of Terry from fans as well as a few Discworld celebrities. Beware the onion fairy may be lurking nearby.

idwcon.org/media/wysiwyg/LettersToTerry.pdf

* * * * *

If you visit a play or a talk and would like to let the world know about it, please feel free to email your review to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk and we will consider it for publication.

Also if you have written an article that you think we might want to include in the newsletter please feel free to email me at the address below. We will of course give credit for anything we use.


2. News

The executors of Josh Kirby's estate have launched an official Facebook page and to celebrate Hogswatch, one lucky reader of Discworld Monthly will win a copy of the 1997 SFX magazine that contains the original Merry Hogswatch greeting cards!

To enter, simply go to their page, click the 'like' button AND write a post saying that Discworld Monthly sent you.

Josh Kirby Official's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/officialjoshkirby

You can see a photo of the prize at discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/748

* * * * *

Paul Kidby's new signed limited edition print, 'Drawings from the Shepherd's Crown' is now available to buy from his online shop. The exclusive collectors print features twelve iconic images from Terry's final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown.

Each print will be hand signed and numbered and the edition is limited to only 2000 copies worldwide.

The 490mm x 350mm print will be printed on 350gm silk paper and will be despatched rolled in tissue in a postal tube.

http://paulkidby.com/index.php/shop/art-shop

* * * * *

Narrativia have added a small update to their website... While there's not a great deal of new information, it does state "Narrativia are currently in development and pre-production, hand in hand with a number of high-profile production partners and broadcasters across the globe, on a slate of as yet undisclosed film and television projects, with commencement of filming for the first project due to start in 2016."

Click on the new Enter Site button for the full announcement.

www.narrativia.com

* * * * *

The Stanley Howler Journal has a new Update by the esteemed Ian Mitchell Esq. all about how some of the new stamps came into being.

The process alone is fascinating to read about. We love Ian's "Scribbles"!

www.stanleyhowlerjournal.co.uk/

* * * * *

Amazon have announced that the fifth instalment of The Long Earth Series will be called The Long Cosmos.

It is listed on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com sites but has yet be confirmed by Narrativia.

Amazon say it will be released 2nd June 2016 in the UK and 14th June 2016 in the US.

* * * * *

A statue in honour of Sir Terry Pratchett may become a reality. A change.org petition we mentioned a couple of months ago has had over 2,500 signatures and an update on the 3rd November suggests that the organisers have been in talks with Paul Kidby and Sir Terry's management team. Fingers crossed.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/740

* * * * *

Small Gods: A Discworld Graphic Novel (published by Doubleday) is due for release on 14th June 2016. Details are sketchy at best at the moment. For all information visit:

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/741

* * * * *

According to The Bookseller website, Penguin Random House's launch campaign for Terry Pratchett's The Shepherd's Crown and Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman have been honoured at the Book Marketing Society's Best Marketing Awards for the summer season.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/742

* * * * *

Jim Vision, one of the team responsible for the Brick Lane memorial, has been busy painting London resident Faith's canal boat. So far Jim has finished the starboard side. More photos should be coming soon.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/743

* * * * *

Lego Ideas have officially rejected the idea of releasing Great A'Tuin as a set. The project that got over 10,000 fans, and would have got permission from Rob - see last month's issue - was rejected by the Ideas team.

ideas.lego.com/projects/36302/official_comments

* * * * *

An amazing Discworld Witches-themed cake won silver at the Cake International - The Cake Decorating & Baking Show, ExCeL. The wonderful looking cake was beaten to gold by an excellent sloth in the rainforest.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/744

* * * * *

Reading Production seeking a Magrat...

Caversham Park Theatre (Caversham Reading) will be staging Wyrd Sisters in May 2016. Unfortunately they have nobody of the right age/look to play Magrat! If you are a Magrat type aged around 20 and live in or around Reading you may be just the person they need.

If you feel this role may be for you email Bob Sturgess at sturge@cavparktheatre.org.uk

* * * * *

The Discworld Emporium, having decided that after Terry's sad passing they could no longer complete the long awaited Discworld Bestiary, have released some of the highlights on their new tea towel named "Flora and Fauna of Discworld".

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/745

* * * * *

Discworld.com have released a new "Vimes Papercut" T-shirt. The design is based upon Paper Panda's paper cut designs. [Try saying that after a couple of sherries - Ed]

discworld.com/products/bags-clothing/vimes-papercut/

* * * * *

On the 2nd December 2015 Rob Wilkins will accept on Terry's behalf the Eleanor Farjeon Award for outstanding contribution to the world of childrens' books. A limited number of tickets are available from:

www.childrensbookcircle.org.uk/calendar

* * * * *

In an interview with Games Radar Rhianna Pratchett has announced that she has written some of her dad's memories into the diary of Lara Croft's dad in Rise of Tomb Raider.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/746

* * * * *

Dibbler's Charity Ventures have just announced that their Moving Pictures 2016 and 2017 calendars are now ready to order.

Simply head to their Order Now page to make your choices. All calendars are A3 Landscape and priced at 12 GBP for one and 20 GBP for two. For international orders, please email dibblersinfo@gmail.com to arrange for postage fees.

All profits will be going to the charity RICE.

www.facebook.com/DibblersVentures/

https://dibblerscharityventures.wordpress.com/ordernow/

* * * * *

Discworld and Beyond, Paul Kidby's touring exhibition, is going to spend next summer in Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery (Riversley Park, Coton Rd, Nuneaton CV11 5TU).

It will be there from July 23rd through until Sept 18th 2016.

This means that it will only be about 30 minutes drive away from next year's Discworld Convention in Warwick.

www.facebook.com/paulkidby

* * * * *

Boing Boing has a nice spoiler-free review of The Shepherd's Crown.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/747


3. Events

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.

From issue 190 onwards recurring monthly meetings have been moved to their own area at the bottom of the dates section.

* * * * *

[NI] Wyrd Sisters will be performed by The Bart Players on 25th, 26th, 27th & 28th November at 7.30pm each evening.

Tickets are 10GBP for adults (18-65) and 8GBP for concessions (under 18 / over 65 / students). Group rates are negotiable.

The venue is the Canon Lindsay Hall, Stranmillis, Belfast.

Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketsource.co.uk/bartplayers

* * * * *

[UK, Updated] Wyrd Sisters will be performed in Hexham at The Main Theatre by Queen's Hall Theatre Club from Thursday 26th - Saturday 28th November 2015 at 7:30pm

Tickets cost 10 GBP, 9 GBP concessions and 7 GBP under 18s.

Box Office: 01434 652477

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/702

* * * * *

[UK] Sadly there will be no Discworld Emporium-run Hogswatch event this year, but there will be a fan-run, much more low key "Gathering of Loonies - Winter Event" on the same days, November 27th - 29th in Wincanton. More news will be provided as we are given it. The fans organising the event have set up a Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/

* * * * *

[AU, New] AUDITIONS! AUDITIONS! The Unseen Theatre Company are looking for peeps to be in their next Discworld Production (Probably Feet of Clay) the auditions take place on Sunday November 29 at 5pm at Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide.

Performance Dates: April 15th - 30th 2016

Rehearsal Dates:

Rehearsals will be held each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. They will run over three separate blocks with a Christmas break and a break during the Fringe:

December 8 to 20 (Christmas break)

Jan 3 to Feb 11 (Fringe break)

March 15 to April 14 (Production Week commences Sunday April 10)

Roles available: Too wide and varied to mention. Just come along if you are interested.

Directed by: Pamela Munt.

Please contact Pamela to advise of your attendance at auditions.

(No appointment time is necessary because the auditions will be run in a group format. BUT they do need an idea of numbers)

Contact is via email ONLY. pamela@unseen.com.au

* * * * *

[UK] Paul Kidby will be doing a book signing at the New Milton Library, Gore Road, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 6RW on Saturday 5th December from 10am - 12 noon.

Jason and Rachel from Discworld Monthly will also be there so come along and say hello.

www.facebook.com/PaulKidby

* * * * *

[UK, New] Maskerade will be performed by Bawds from 8th - 12th December 2015 at 7:45pm (and Saturday matinee at 2:30pm) at the ADC Theatre, Park Street, Cambridge.

Tickets cost 12GBP (10GBP concessions) - Tuesday and Saturday Matinee 10GBP (8GBP concessions)

discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/739

* * * * *

[UK, New] The Attic Players are performing Wyrd Sisters at the Attic Theatre in Newcastle Emlyn from Fri 11th December until Sat 19th December (12th has a Matinee performance)

For more information www.atticplayers.org.uk/in-production.html

* * * * *

[UK] We Are Theatre are holding auditions in York for their production of Mort in June 2016. The auditions take place on 10th, 17th and 24th January 2016.

To book an audition contact wearetheatre@googlemail.com or call 07521 364107 with the following information: Name, age (if under 18), email address, phone number and preferred audition date.

Rehearsals will be held on Sunday afternoons / evenings from Spring 2016 onwards.

www.wearetheatre.co.uk

* * * * *

[UK] Monstrous Productions will be performing their production of Eric! in February (dates to be confirmed) at the Gate Theatre in Cardiff, South Wales.

www.monstrousptc.com

www.facebook.com/MonstrousProductionsTheatreCompany

* * * * *

[UK] Dereham Theatre Company in Norfolk will be performing Wyrd Sisters from March 10th - 12th 2016 at 7:30pm.

The venue is: Dereham Memorial Hall, 61 Norwich Street, Dereham, NR19 1AD

More details (including audition forms) can be found at: dosoc.co.uk/production2.asp

* * * * *

[UK] Stephens Briggs' new production The Shakespeare Codex (based loosely on The Science of Discworld II) will be performed from 6th - 9th April 2016. Tickets go on sale on January 1st and are, as usual, expected to sell out fast.

www.shakespearecodex.co.uk

* * * * *

[UK] Mort will be performed by "We are Theatre" from 21st - 22nd June 2016 at 7:30pm at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York.

Tickets cost 10GBP (8GBP concessions) and are available from York Theatre Royal Box Office (01904) 623568. Group bookings contact wearetheatre@googlemail.com or call us on 07511 364107

www.wearetheatre.co.uk

* * * * *

[UK] Wadfest 2016, the Science Fiction Camping Event, dates have been announced. The event entitled: "Putting on the Flicks: It came from Planet W" will take place from 12th - 14th August at Wood Green, The Animal Shelter, King's Bush Farm, London Road, Godmachester, Cambs. PE29 2NH

Adult camping tickets cost 20 GBP with junior tickets costing 1p when booked with an adult. Adult visitor tickets cost 10 GBP. Concessions are available for students / people on low income and cost 15 GBP each.

These prices are expected to increase by 5GBP per adult ticket in the new year. So beat the increase and purchase your early bird tickets soon.

www.wadfest.co.uk

* * * * *

[UK] Monstrous Productions will be performing Going Postal from August 17th - 20th at the Gate Theatre in Cardiff, South Wales.

www.monstrousptc.com

www.facebook.com/MonstrousProductionsTheatreCompany

* * * * *

[DE] We invite all the Witches and denizens of the Chalk to the 5th German Discworld Convention which will take place at Castle Ludwigstein from May 18th to 21st in 2017.

More information will be released on our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/ScheibenweltConvention

* * * * *

[AU, New] Announcing The Discworld Grand Tour 2017.

The Ankh-Morpork Tourism Board invites you to a journey of wonder, whimsy, and, er, wossname at *Nullus Anxietas VI - The Discworld Grand Tour - The Australian Discworld Convention.*

The Discworld Grand Tour will be held on 4th-6th August 2017 at the Lakes Resort Hotel, Adelaide, South Australia. This convention will be a way to escape on a luxurious trip to the Discworld to enjoy three (or four) fabulous days of fun and frivolity with your fellow fans of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett.

Our wonderful new website has just launched and can be found at ausdwcon.org

Please visit the site to read all about the upcoming convention and to book your tickets!

Let Rincewind tell you all about it: youtu.be/j80m1JdktQA

Terry Pratchett Folio Special Offer

Thanks to the kind generosity of Rob Wilkins, the first 50 people to purchase tickets to Nullus Anxietas VI will receive a very special gift - a limited edition Terry Pratchett Folio, containing some short writings by our very favourite author. These have only been previously available to attendees at the UK Discworld Convention in 2014, at Nullus Anxietas V in 2015 and for a very short time at Discworld.com. This is your chance to get one of the few remaining copies, simply by buying your ticket to Nullus Anxietas VI!

For more information, see ausdwcon.org/shop/folio-special-offer/

HO! HO! HO! Buy your loved one a Hogswatch present!

Also now available in the Australian Discworld Convention shop are Hogswatch Presents - vouchers you can buy for a friend or loved one which they can use at a later date to buy their Nullus Anxietas VI ticket! This is a special limited-time sale - Hogswatch Presents will only be available until December 20th.

Meet your fellow tourists

You can find out more about Nullus Anxietas VI - The Discworld Grand Tour - The Australian Discworld Convention and chat with other potential tourists at:

Website: ausdwcon.org

Facebook page: facebook.com/Ausdwcon

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/ausdwcon2017

Twitter: twitter.com/ausdwcon

* * * * *

Recurring monthly meetings:

[UK] The Broken Drummers meet at The Monkey Puzzle, Paddington, London, W2 1JQ, England at 7pm. For more information contact Helen Nicholls on helelnicholls@gmail.com

Also please note that due to email problems some addresses have been lost from the mailing list. If you are not getting Drummers emails and want to, please email me.

Unless otherwise stated the Drummers meet on the first Monday of each month.

The Drummers meeting on Monday 7th December is the Christmas dinner. There will be a special meal that has to be ordered in advance. The meal is not compulsory and you can still come along if you don't order one but the regular bar menu might not be available.

To see the menu and place an order or for any other questions contact Helen Nicholls at helelnicholls@gmail.com

The Drummers are always happy to welcome new visitors. You can find out more about the Drummers at www.brokendrummers.org/

* * * * *

[Perth, AU] The Perth Drummers have changed their name. They are now known as the Treacle Mining Corporation in honour of their beloved state. They still meet up to celebrate the works of author Sir Terry Pratchett, and welcome any fans of science fiction and fantasy.

Join them for their monthly discussion of Discworld, Terry Pratchett and all things sci-fi and fantasy. They meet the first Monday of each month, subject to holidays, and all are welcome.

The group meets up at Carpe Cafe, 526 Murray Street, Perth, WA. Meeting at a cafe means they are under-18 friendly!

For details follow them on Twitter @Perth_Drummers, Instagram perth_drummers, and Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/

Otherwise message Alexandra Ware directly at alexandra.ware@gmail.com

Unless otherwise stated the group meets up on the first Monday of each month.

* * * * *

[AU] Sydney Drummers normally meet on the first Monday of every month.

We meet at the NEW venue, 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street, Sydney, 2000 from 6:30pm

For more information contact Sue (AKA Granny Weatherwax) on kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk

* * * * *

[UK] On the first Friday of every month there will be a meeting of WOTS - Omnian Temperance Society - Wincanton branch - to be held at The Bear Inn from 7pm. New members or visitors from other places always welcome.

discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/WOTS182

* * * * *

[Adelaide, AU] The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South Australia. We have regular monthly dinner and games nights, longer games days, plus play outings, craft-y workshops, and fun social activities throughout the year. For more info and to join our mailing list, visit: cityofsmallgods.org.au

* * * * *

[Brisbane, AU] The Pratchett Partisans meet monthly at either Brisbane or Indooroopilly to eat, drink and chat about all things Pratchett. For more info about their next meetup, check out: www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/

* * * * *

[UK] The A 2 Z Science Fiction Group meet from 8pm on the 3rd Thursday in the month in Chelmsford. They are happy to discuss anything from Asimov to Zelazny [passing Pratchett somewhere in the middle - Ed]. They meet at the United Brethren Pub, New Writtle Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0LF

www.facebook.com/groups/1685382495015481


4. 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 edit your letters by prodding them with a cattle stick.

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.

* * * * *

* From: "Mark Fisher" Mark@lytton-consultants.co.uk

Last month Stewart Range wrote:

"I recently received my copy of The Shepherd's Crown but haven't yet faced taking it out of its plastic wrapping yet. Is this normal?"

I cried when I finished The Shepherd's Crown, not because it was a sad story, indeed it was a wonderful story, but because that will be last Terry Pratchett I will ever get to read. Thanks for years of wonderful stories Terry.

* * * * *

* From: "Loretta Litke" llitke@hotmail.com

It's possible that my pesky MS brain lesions have blanked out the story passage or that the high energy magic shield surrounding San Francisco (California) has warbled interference into the texts, but I don't know why Carrot has no beard. I've read each book at least a half dozen times and I have a few theories but none seem important enough to explain the situation. What am I missing? Thank you for any insights.

* * * * *

* From: "Jonathan" imkrikov@yahoo.com

I was sorely disappointed by the fact that I was disappointed by Dragons at Crumbling Castle. I have just finished reading it and I feel like I shouldn't have started.

This has never happened to me before with any of Terry's books in the past, and I have read the vast majority of his published works. Some I enjoyed more, and some less, including his early work, but never have I thought that this was not worthy of publication.

I don't know what the motivation was in collecting these stories and publishing this collection, but I truly hope that perhaps for very young readers this is still entertaining, since I cannot imagine adults find it so.

On an unrelated note, thanks for the effort in keeping the DWM going.

* * * * *

* From: "Carolyn Brooke-Millward" cbrookemillward@dacbeachcroft.com

The Discworld Convention 2016 - and my terror at attending. I have a membership, a badge name, and a costume. I live about 40 mins away so for the first time decided not to stay in the hotel this time round, so that means I don't have to worry about the accommodation side of things. I am as physically prepared as I can be, with lists of things to remember to take with me - bunch of dead flowers, teddy bear, teeth earrings, knitting etc. What I am really struggling with is the emotion of the whole event. I nearly didn't sign up to go this time, thinking this was going to be a really hard event to attend, but two things made me go ahead and book a membership: the idea of meeting up with dearly loved friends whom I only seem to see every 2 years, and my husband, who talked to me gently yet firmly about the Con. He pointed out that if I didn't attend, I would really regret not going, at some point in the future. He reminded me of the fun I always had, watching and taking part in the events, and of the wonderful friends that I so enjoy spending time with there. I have been to all of the Cons except the first one, and the one in 2002 (due to the sad death of a family member). I attended lots of Clarecraft camping weekends, the Jamboree, and several mad weekends in Wincanton - Discworld is a huge part of my life. At one Clarecraft weekend, I nearly caused Sir Terry to crash his Jaguar, and that weekend he asked me to help him judge the Maskerade, alongside Stephen Briggs who lent me his leather jacket to wear as it was a bit cold and I wasn't wearing much else at the time! I also played Cut-Me-Own-Throat-Dibbler in a performance of The Sea & Little Fishes at one Con, which, despite being a very experienced and well-seasoned actor, was the most terrifying experience of my life - Sir Terry was sat in the front row of the tiny meeting room we were using for a theatre, and was very close to the stage. The man who created this character was watching me, a female, bring to life his jack-the-lad dodgy salesman! At the Jamboree, I joined a long queue for a book signing, dressed as Harry Potter - Sir Terry's face was an absolute picture as I stood in front of him, hopefully clutching my copy of "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows". He refused to sign it, but Stephen Briggs did! At last year's Convention, I reverentially carried Sir Terry's hat into the hall, as his representative. Even if this event happens at every Convention in the future, I did this for the first time it was done. I have quite a lot of other stories like this, all of which are such happy memories.

I know attending the Convention next year will be hard, I know there will be tears, but I feel that I owe it to myself and, more importantly, to Sir Terry, to attend this event. His legacy will live on, and the amount of joy and laughter that man brought into my life will never be forgotten. I know I am no-one important, but he made such a difference to my life and I shall never, ever forget that.

Thank you for letting me share my stories.


5. DiscTrivia

We're back with five more challenging trivia questions for you. This month's trivia is all about the footnotes. For each of the following footnotes, state which book they come from. Good luck.

Q1.
* At least, of supervising the loading. Actual physical assistance was a little difficult because he had, the day before, slipped on something and broken his leg.
Q2.
* The ceremonies still carry on, of course. If you left off traditions because you didn't know why they started you'd be no better than a foreigner.
Q3.
* Those, that is, who weren't gathered around the harmonium at the Temperance Mission nervously singing songs about how much they liked cocoa.
Q4.
* In areas more wooded, areas less dominated by the cabbage and general brassica industry, it would of course have been in the sticks.
Q5.
* Separate bathrooms of course being the key to any happy marriage.

The (hopefully correct) answers can be found at the end of this issue.


6. Review: Unseen Academicals at The Marlow Players

Venue: The Shelley Theatre in Marlow, Bucks, England, November 2015

Reviewed by: Kassidy M Kearey (kassidy@gmail.com)

From the appearance of a very Tim Curry-esque Vetinari to announce the upcoming play and introduce Saccharissa as the narrator of events, it was clear that I was not going to be disappointed. I'm happy to say that the Players tackled the task at hand with flying colours through to the final whistle. While sets were minimal and left the work of filling the space to the imagination of the audience, Pratchett fans would be pleased by the attention to detail; a properly laid out Thud board in the Oblong Office, a venue overlooking the river Thames, surely the closest thing to the Ankh available on round-world, and delicious-looking pies. Ridcully's casual mention of his rowing days had a special layer of meaning for an audience only across the river from the town's rowing club, and a scant few feet from a statue of local rowing champion Sir Robert Redgrave.

While more veteran members of the group perfectly personified a booming Ridcully, a most fabulous, in all senses of the word, Pepe the dwarf fashionista, and a Vetinari of suitable gravitas, for a number of the actors this play was their first outing. From their natural delivery, however, you'd be hard-pressed to tell it was their debut. The players for Glenda and the aptly renamed Wilma de Worde being of particular note; Boss of the Night Kitchens' boots are daunting to fill, but I felt that all the aspects and development of her character were handled most convincingly. Wilma de Worde, despite her youth, held the spotlight and drove the narrative of the game with fervour as the players themselves stood frozen on a darkened stage.

When it came to the handling of Trev Likely's prowess with a tin can, I was curious to see how they would pull off the illusion, fearing the presence of a fishing line in true Punch and Judy style, and was both impressed and amused by the use of a strobe light to accentuate the moments of contact as Trev acted out his hacky sack routine in the dark. A stage effect that sadly didn't connect quite as well, however, was the possessed whistle, as the slight harmonic dissonance applied to the voice over the sound system, while adding to the effect nicely, made the lines difficult to understand for anyone not familiar with the lines, and led to the gag being somewhat lost and not obtaining the reaction it deserved.

As for Nutt, played by a veteran actress of 25 years, I envied not her task of remembering such complex lines, but there was not a trace of hesitation or break in her interpretation, and while it was not the Nutt that I had in my head, her version of the character suited the play well, and I cannot fault it for one second.

I must, of course, congratulate the Patrician on his excellent taste in beer, as the foot the ball trophy was filled to the sloshing brim with Rebellion Roasted Nuts, the local brewery's Christmas special brew, giving the play a truly Marlovian touch.

All in all, a very enjoyable night of fun, and I once again take off my hat and extend my congratulations and thanks to the director, cast and crew of the Marlow Players for such a fine rendition. I'm certain Terry himself would have enjoyed it.

Programmes were sold at the event on a donation basis, with all proceeds being split between the Alzheimer's Society and the Orangutan Foundation.


7. Competition Result: The Compleat Atlas and Emporium Care Package

Last month the lovely folks at The Discworld Emporium agreed to give away a copy of their new book, The Compleat Atlas, and an "Emporium Care Package". We'll leave it up to the winner to let everyone know what the care package contains.

We asked you to answer the following question:

Q1.
What are the Discworld Emporium giving away with their copies of The Compleat Atlas?

The answer we were looking for was: An exclusive souvenir poster. We had 148 correct entries in the competition and sadly 82 incorrect ones who all answered An Emporium Care Package... That was the prize, not the correct answer sadly.

The randomly selected winner of the prize is Gordon Queen of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England (we'll package it all up and get it in the post to you).

Don't forget even if you were not the winner you can still purchase The Compleat Discworld Atlas from www.discworldemporium.com and get your exclusive souvenir poster.


8. Competition: Win a "Small" Death and a Kitten Sweatshirt from Discworld.com

This month Sheetal Ramesh Shah (Sheetalkramesh@gmailkcom) accidentally ordered two Death and a Kitten Sweatshirts from www.discworld.com and rather than send one back decided to gift it to us to give away - we'll add a couple of Discworld Monthly goodies to the prize haul as well. As this is a small sweatshirt we have decided to make this competition only available to the under 18s.

In order to win this prize we need you to get creative... We need you to illustrate your favourite Discworld character in whatever medium you prefer and then scan it and email it to competitions@discworldmonthly.co.uk and be sure to include your date of birth. We will contact the winner to confirm postal details. Your email must reach us by 20th December 2015. We will create a public album of the entries on our Facebook page and will select our favourite winner and then announce it next issue. Entries received after the closing date or sent to any other address will be ignored. No more than one entry per person will be accepted. Failure to provide your date of birth will prevent you from being entered into the competition. Multiple entries will be banned. The judges' decision is final.


9. Review: The Compleat Discworld Atlas

Review by Jason Anthony

Once again the team at the Discworld Emporium have been extremely busy with their latest masterpiece. The Compleat Discworld Atlas is about as far removed from Stephen Briggs' legendary Discworld Mapp as The Compleat Ankh-Morpork was from The Streets of Ankh-Morpork. We should add that we loved all of Stephen's maps.

The book comes bound in a cardboard cover that contains the giant two-sided map and, if you purchased your copy direct from the Discworld Emporium, the exclusive The World is Your Mollusc poster from Dibbler Independent Travel.

One side of the poster is a view of the Discworld from above and in front and shows Great A'Tuin flying through space with most of the Disc's details lost in a swell of clouds. The other side, the business side, if you will, contains a top-down map of the Disc. Scattered around the Disc are various infographics showing such information as average rainfall and population density across the Disc. I like the fact that the gridlines all start at the centre and spread out like spokes.

The book itself is full of useful facts and information. If fact it is so full of information that I found it somewhat overwhelming at times. I suspect that if you were to have this as a reference book and dip into pages rather than try to read it as a book you might be a lot better off.

Living, as I do, in South Wales, the first place I looked up was Llamedos and discovered the capital is Pantygirdl, a fact that I had up until then missed / forgotten. I looked it up and it was first mentioned in Raising Steam and then only as the largest town in Llamedos. So The Compleat Discworld Atlas is certainly up to date. While Llamedos gets a couple of pages, other regions such as Klatch get much more attention; even Muntab gets three pages and nobody can be quite certain where it is... as the book states "Muntab is an elusive country and subject to sudden changes. Our last survey placed it in its current position."

The Compleat Discworld Atlas looks beautiful as you might expect from the team at the Discworld Emporium. It's a truly remarkable book and well worth having on your coffee table for the occasional snippet of information. We may base some future trivia questions on the contents of this book.

You can purchase The Compleat Discworld Atlas direct from www.discworldemporium.com and get the exclusive poster or from www.discworld.com and have yours exclusively embossed with Terry's signature and sealed with his coat of arms.

Or you can visit:

/books_thecompleatdiscworldatlas.php and get your copy from one of our affiliate partners.


10. The End

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* DiscTrivia Results *

Q1.
* At least, of supervising the loading. Actual physical assistance was a little difficult because he had, the day before, slipped on something and broken his leg.
A1.
Wyrd Sisters.
Q2.
* The ceremonies still carry on, of course. If you left off traditions because you didn't know why they started you'd be no better than a foreigner.
A2.
Hogfather.
Q3.
* Those, that is, who weren't gathered around the harmonium at the Temperance Mission nervously singing songs about how much they liked cocoa.
A3.
The Truth.
Q4.
* In areas more wooded, areas less dominated by the cabbage and general brassica industry, it would of course have been in the sticks.
A4.
Going Postal.
Q5.
* Separate bathrooms of course being the key to any happy marriage.
A5.
Raising Steam.

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Thanks for reading this issue of 'Discworld Monthly'. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments or suggestions for the future of this newsletter please email: info@discworldmonthly.co.uk

GNU Terry Pratchett...

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