Customer Reviews
Fascinating - By: Mr. Michael Heron, 12 Nov 2008 
While I was never a fan of the Science of Discworld series, I picked this one up since it seemed to approach things from an interesting new angle. I'm certainly not disappointed - there is a whole gamut of folklore covered within, showing the links & relationships between Discworld & the Earth. It's very well written, & flows like fine honey!
However...
There isn't an awful lot of 'meat' to a lot of the content. It's very much a case of 'Here's a thing from Discworld, & here's it's real world equivalent.', & then after a paragraph or so it moved on to the next thing. I would have liked it to be a bit more in-depth, but there is a bibliography provided at the end that helps flesh out the detail.
I wholeheartedly recommend it, though.
worthy of the discworld series - By: Susan Belcher, 05 Nov 2008 
There have been a number of books recently that have tried to be guides to the discworld series, most of which have been truly awful. This & the "unauthorised" Turtle Moves are two of the best I have seen.
As suggested by the title the books looks at the lore & legend which are usedin the discworld stories & their links to earth lore & legend.
I found it gripping from beginning to end, & there were points that I really wished the author had expanded on further. If I have one problem with the book it is that it is far too short. Maybe it should have beenin 2 volumes rather than the one book.
This is a book that has been produced for the growing US market, & it shows. Every chapter has a beautifully drawn interpretation at the beginning. It only goes to show that when something is produced for the US market they put a little more effort & thought into it.
Outstanding book, a must for Discworld fans everywhere.
Nineteen versions?? - By: Stephen A. Haines, 20 Oct 2008 Folklore, ancient or modern, is one of the major foundation stones of the Discworld books. Human nature being another, one assumes. Discworld folklore is a trivia test among Discworld fans who will slyly ask one another [generally over a pint], if they can identify the origins of a certain figure or idea. With some slight discrepancies between UK & North American versions, such exchanges can become, well, spirited. "Elves or elfs?" is always good for starting an evening.
Pratchett & Simpson sort all this out - & much else besides -in this delightful work on matters folklorish. Typically, the prompt for the book was Pratchett chanting as he signed a previous release: "How many versions of the Magpie Song do you know?" A distinguished-looking lady gave the query a moment's thought & responded "about nineteen" Thus began the wonderful collaboration leading to FoD. It's typical also of the theme of the book. Discworld & Roundworld [Earth] are linked by the universal presence of narrativium, which Dimitri Mendeleev inexplicably omitted from the Periodic Table. Pratchett knows all about narrativium, carefully explaining how it drifts between universes, carrying ideas or stimulating new ones. Folklore on the Discworld compared to that of Earth may demonstrate strong similarities, or just vague likenesses that have been severely modified. The process is unhelpful, the authors note,in determining which world is the source of the story, which is sometimes a let-down.
The book's organisation is appropriate for what it must cover - it begins with the entire universe. From there it works its way through Dwarfs & Elves, giving us an interesting account of how the Elves, feared & despised on Discworld for their dark & evil ways, have somehow become transformedin modern times into charming little creatures who make toys for children. Drifting through space, narrativium must form some bizarre isotopes. The two witch types - those from Lancre & the Witches of the Chalk Downs are described. The Nac Mac Feegle are given a full chapter, which might be viewed as insufficient as you read it. Granny Aching truly deserves a book of her own. The chapter on Heroes is extensive, justifiably, when you discover the variety of Heroes Pratchett has introduced to us. Finally, almost as icing on a delicious cake, the authors provide a "Bibliography & Suggestions for Further Reading". Plan your book budget carefully.
For thosein North America who think this book might be too limitedin scope to be worth the investment, think carefully of your own family ancestry. While much of the material is limited to the British Isles, no small part is derived from the rest of Europe & elsewhere. Those tales & legends your ancestors took on board ship to cross the Atlantic didn't go over the rail with breakfast at the first roll of the vessels on the high seas. Those stories survived to take root here & sprout new versions of themselvesin the new environment. Go through this book & see if you can't find a few you recognise. Besides the bloody elves & the obese bloke with the demented laugh. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
A comprehensive overview of the stories and traditions that helped create Discworld - By: Hazel Moloney, 06 Oct 2008 
This is a great well of knowledge of the sources that helped inspire many of the Discworld characters, motifs & situations. It's really wonderful to have so much secondary information on the seriesin one book, an encyclopedia-esque store of the kind of cultural tidbits that are fascinatingin their own right as well asin relation to to Discworld. However the writing style, while clear, is a bit dull & sometimes the line between human mythology & its Discworld counterpart is not exactly clear all the time, at least to me. I was also disappointed by a reference made to the Robin of Sherwood TV seriesin which the author dismisses a great reimagining of the classic folktale with some pedantic complaints about its apparently archaic use of the Herne the Hunted story. Nevertheless Ms Simpson is very knowledgeable & the book is comprehensive & very informative. A great way to dip one's toesin the pools of folklore. I can't wait to read some of the texts she & Terry have listedin the references.
A great read - By: Ms. C. Spreadborough, 05 Oct 2008 Since buying this book I couldn't put it down. Its a great addition to my discworld collection.
I would recommend it to any Terry Pratchett fan. It an easy read that is broken down into different chapters covering the many facets of Discworld, using examples for the books to illustrate the point being made. The book explains why certain things occurin the discworld books like why there has to be 3 witches.
An example of Pratchett at his best.
