The Truth: (Discworld Novel 25) (Discworld Novels)

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It was this fear that drove him to put up on the wall of his office a large picture of WH Smith’s book-pulping machine. It was there, he said, to remind him to write a better book. In caps, size to fit, 'Who Runs Ankh-Morpork?'" said William. "Now into body type, upper and lowercase, across two columns: 'Who is governing the city while Lord Vetinari is imprisoned? Asked for an opinion today, a leading legal figure said he did not know and it was no concern of his. Mr. Slant of the Lawyers' Guild went on to say—'"

Before long, he's got some competition in the form of THE INQUIRER, a tabloid that features headlines like Elves Stole My Husband. This inexplicably popular, lying fish-wrapper may even put HIS little paper out of business. The line "We are a bodyguard of lies, gentlemen." is a paraphrase of Winston Churchill's line "In war-time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies", an appropriate quote given the title of the book. Yet we had no clear idea how long we had. One year? Two years? We had more time than we knew, in fact; it would be seven years before Terry’s last day at work. Yet, when it came down to it, the priority was always the novels – first Nation, the book Terry was working on at the time of the diagnosis, and then Unseen Academicals, I Shall Wear Midnight, Snuff, Dodger, Raising Steam, The Shepherd’s Crown … All through this period he was chasing to get those stories down. Plot, Many Big Spoilers Ahoy!! The New Firm comes to Ankh-Morpork, entering the city through the Water Gate (setting up multiple allusions to the Nixon Watergate Scandal, Deep Throat (Deep Bone / Wuffles the dog) and taped recordings (the Dis-Organizer files). The New Firm is comprised of Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip, a duo of criminals hired by the 'Committee to Unelect the Patrician'. Pin and Tulip kidnap a Vetinari-doppelgänger named Charlie, planning to use him to frame Vetinari. However, their original plan goes awry and they are forced to improvise. Soon, Vetinari is arrested, an investigation opens, and new revelations are revealed through the talking dog Wuffles /Deep Bone (we first met Wuffle's translator, Gaspode, in Men at Arms). With the City Watch, Gaspode, and The Times following the leads, the New Firm and The Committee is found out out eventually (especially by the heroic efforts of William the editor and Otto the vampire with "dark light" iconography). Death says "WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MEN?" with its reply, "T he Shadow Knows!" is a direct quote from the old radio show "The Shadow". Pratchett is likely juxtaposing Death's use of this line and its source in the radio show with Psalm 23 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil." The Shadow of Death is also a painting by the 19th century artist William Holman Hunt, foreshadowing Christ's death on the cross.

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Unfortunately, all his new-fangled fame comes with several perils: the envy of his competitors, people's preference of reading about "olds" rather than "news", the ire of the City Watch, as well as the occasional assassination attempt. Nevertheless, our young hero is determined to publish The Truth regardless of obstacles. Pin is a short, fast talking foxy character while Tulip is a brawny monster who kills. This pairing of little guy / big guy toughs is a frequent device in literature and it was fun to see how Pratchett employs the concept. William de Worde has somehow found himself editor of Ankh-Morpork's first newspaper. Well, with a name like that…

his father was right about one thing, at least, when he’d said that lies could run around the world before the truth could get its boots on. And it was amazing how people wanted to believe them.

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Reread 2020: So much of Pratchett's satire has hit home in this read. Pratchett was a journalist at the beginning of his writing career so it's fun to see him compare investigative journalism (broadsheets) vs people pleasers (tabloids) in this novel about the first Discworld printing press. It’s a big news week: the most powerful man in the city has been arrested, leaving Ankh-Morpork without a leader. And a dangerous criminal organisation will do anything to control the story…