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Terry Pratchett's acclaimed Discworld novels have been number one bestsellers in England for more than a decade. In fact, this prolific author sold more hardcover books in the United Kingdom during the 1900's than any other living novelist. Critically recognized as one of the most celebrated practitioners of satire and parody -- in the company of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen -- Pratchett, with his unique brand of irreverent humor, is at last being embraced across America. In this, his twenty-fifth Discworld novel, Pratchett turns his pen on, well, the pen. Or, rather, the press, and its power to disseminate and create the truth. The lesser son of one of Ankh most privileged families, William de Worde a struggling scribe, hits on the brilliant idea of producing his upper-crust newsletter with a newfangled printing press. Truer to the family motto, Le Mot juste, than his disapproving father can ever realize, de Worde soon finds that his Ankh-Morpork Times is a success. So big, in fact, that certain nefarious factions would like nothing better than to put him out of business. They begin their own rival Ankh-Morpork Inquirer --full of salacious bits -- to do just that. Soon, though, de Worde has more than just the competition to fret over. Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, is accused of a serious crime in a seemingly airtight case. But William de Worde knows that facts aren't always the truth. Along with a much too prim and proper assistant, a roving photographer vampire with a nasty reaction to his flashgun, and a talking dog who holds the key to the mystery, William de Worde will stop at nothing to get the truth. And that's the truth. A dead-on look at the revered fifth estate, the nature of news, and bareknuckled political intrigue, The Truth shall make you free. From everything else you'd be doing instead of enjoying it, that is.
About the author
Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) is the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.
Summary
"Pratchett's The Truth will set you free—and laughing. . . . If 'Dr. Who' had been conceived, written and performed by Monty Python's Flying Circus, the result might be something like Discworld . . . . [The Truth] sets its sights on an enduring institution, the news media, and skewers it." — CNN
Ankh-Morpork gets its first newspaper, unleashing a war of words and a battle for the truth in this in this funny, wise, and prescient novel in Sir Terry Pratchett’s internationally bestselling Discworld series.
The Discworld has seen just about everything. Then comes the Ankh-Morpork Times, its first paper of record, edited by struggling scribe William de Worde, and staffed by a band of axe-wielding dwarfs and a recovering vampire with a life-threatening passion for flash photography.
Reporting the news is a risky business. An ethical journalist, de Worde has a nasty habit of investigating stories that quickly create powerful enemies eager to stop his presses. And what better way than to start the Inquirer, a titillating tabloid that conveniently interchanges what’s real for what sells.
When de Worde gets a tip on a hot story concerning Ankh-Morpork’s leading patrician, Lord Vetinari, all hell breaks loose, leaving the city without a leader. The facts say Lord Vetinari is guilty. But as William de Worde learns, facts don’t always tell the whole story. There’s that pesky little thing called . . . the truth.
The Discworld novels can be read in any order but The Truth is a standalone.
