Interesting Times: The Play by Stephen Briggs

Interesting Times: The Play Reviews

• 
  Seymour

  As with all of the Discworld books I have been devouring, this is ingenious, fantastic and very funny. Never a dull moment, and never expected, though also very satisfying when completed, I have to rush to the next one for new means of escape. I am ecstatic to be able to borrow these from Mark, and read them on the bus everyday. I will be quite sorrowful when he runs out . . . though there is yet no sign of that.
  
  I would recommend all of his books, especially the later ones, as the best fantasy and humor I've ever came upon. And they even leave you with a good message, though it isn't always easy to admit there is a moral in there.
  
• 
  Deborah Ideiosepius

  Well, for a start, it is nonsense that I read the play. But goodreads in this new and worse edition, refuses to offer any paperback addition that is not 'the play'. Damn in GR why are you wrecking a perfectly good site?
  
  To be fair, GR would not even have my copy; it is a uncorrected book proof, the first one I read.
  
  Interesting times Is a great book, it brings Rincewind back, in a new environment and while I don't think that it was ever the intention to have Rincewind grow as a character, he certainly has a new suite of experiences. It also brings back Cohen the Barbarian (later to be known as Ghenghiz Cohen) , with his 'silver horde' of the remaining, geriatric barbarians, led by a retired teacher, who are planning on invading the Forbidden City, the heart of the Agatean Empire and where the emperor resides.
  
  Now I LOVE what PTerry did with the Agatean Empire, and if you look for wisdom about human society in a book, you can find an awful lot of it here. In high school I did a report of the Chinese Communist Revolution and I wish I had been able to read this book first. It has some great take home rules and I am sure the PRC would hate it and I imagine it is banned in China (most things seem to be).
  
  For example, Rincewind' s point on what the peasants can expect from freedom after the revolution is spot on 'I had this sudden feeling, ' he went on, 'that there won't be all that many water buffalo string holders on the People's Committee. In fact... I get this kind of... voice telling me that a lot of the People's Committee, correct me if I'm wrong, are standing in front of me right now?'
  
  But through the many reflections of reality, which are grim and so true they are funny, and sometimes so SAD they are funny, there is a charming and many faceted story that is just plain fun to read. With the three of four differnt threads of story all coming together in the end.
• 
  Torie

  I'm not a fan of Rincewind stories to begin with, but this was absolute agony to read. The conflation of all the various Asian cultures into one monoculture is I guess supposed to be parody but now just reads as appallingly racist. Awful, awful, awful.
• 
  Ravenskya

  I read this book last year, and just finished listening to the Audiobook (Read by Nigel Planer) with my children. "Interesting Times" is the fifth book in the Rincewind series, in case you want to read them in order here they are:
  [Book: The Color of Magic]
  [Book: The Light Fantastic]
  [Book: Sourcery]
  [Book: Eric]
  [Book: Interesting Times]
  [Book: The Last Continent]
  
  To fully appreciate this book, I would suggest reading at least the first two of the series first since those are the ones that explain the luggage, develop the chaotic relationship between Rincewind and Twoflower, and introduce Cohen the Barbarian.
  
  This particular Pratchett book is a satirizing look at the western view of the Orient (specifically China), revolutions, tourism, barbarism, civility, government in general, and the perception of the elderly. The humor in this book is fairly constant, and hysterical along the same lines as the previous Rincewind books. However as with all of his later books, there is much more of a plot and more substance than his first several books.
  
  Summary of the book: Rincewind the failed wizard is finally where he wants to be - stranded on a deserted island with plenty of food and nothing that wants to eat him... oh and the luggage is there with him just in case. Meanwhile Lord Vetinari receives a message from the "Counterweight Continent" requesting that he send "The Great Wizzard" So he sends for the Wizards and informs them that they are to find this "Great Wizzard" and send him to the Empire. The Wizards bumble through it all but eventually manage to get Rincewind teleported from his island of perfection into the Empire. Meanwhile Cohen the Barbarian has collected five other aging barbarians and they have named themselves "The Silver Hoard." The Silver Hoard has big plans for the Empire... probably the largest theft they have ever done... but in order to be sucessful, they have to act "Civilized." So a teacher they have brought along is helping them to "blend in to society" with hysterical results. Twoflower makes a reappearance and in the end Rincewind manages to accidentally save the day yet again.
  
  Now for the review of the audiobook (courtesy of audible.com) I get these to listen to in the car with my little ones... they think that TwoFlower is the greatest and are huge fans of The Luggage. I let them listen because for the most part there is very little profanity and sex is only eluded too (and in a manner way above their heads) now there was on use of "the S word" and a few "Bastards" but other than that the tale was clean enough for them to listen to. Nigel Planer does a wonderful job of reading the tale however the footnotes are rather distracting and I wish they had been left out to help with the flow.
  
  I have about 7 or so Discworld books left that I have not read and this is officially one of my favorites. Though the middle slows down when going into "Lord Hong" The bits with the Silver Hoard had me in hysterics.
• 
  Edward Johnson

  INTERESTING TIMES by Terry Pratchett has got to be one of the most fun I've had reading since someon gave me the first two books of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TRILOGY in 1980. It is such a welcome wild ride into intelligently written insanity that it was difficult to put it down. This is the first Discworld novel I have actually read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to sit down with a good book and enjoy the fun. INTERESTING TIMES is not my introduction to Discworld. I found the COLOR OF MAGIC two-part miniseries on Netflix a couple of weeks ago (I have since learned that it condenses the first two Discworld novels into a very entertaining and impressive movie). Before that, I avoided the books because of a bad recommendation from a friend way back when. Truthfully, it was abad recommendation and a fed-upness with the fantasy genre in general. All I can say after reading INTERESTING TIMES is that it certainly delivers on its promise and has made me want to read all the other Discworld novels in a way those truly magical authors are wont to do to unsuspecting readers.
  
  I'm not going to go into the plot since the absurd complexity of it is better experienced while reading. I will say that it successfully turns the whole fantasy cliche of an ancient prophecy and of a hero foretold on its ear. I would think that most people fed up with fantasy in general like me will appreciate what Terry Pratchett does in his chapterless tale and want to experience more of such innovation in a field that is fairly entrenched in standard and predictable fair in its stories. Pratchett has a way of skewering nearly everything with a deftness I have not experienced as a reader since first being introduced to Douglas Adams. It is intelligent parody, something I don't feel exists often enough in fantasy (I think it takes itself far too seriously to be taken seriously).
  
  INTERESTING TIMES takes the reader from a tropical island to the middle of fate, chance, opportunity and bewilderment on behalf of its main character, Rincewind (a fairly useless wizard who is more than a little bit cowardly). Believe me, that's a summation anyone can live with that doesn't ruin the story for anyone wanting to give it a chance. Like most well-written literature, the summation hardly scratches the surface of what it truly can offer the reader...and I will leave the discovery of those treasures to those wanting to read it. I rate this novel very highly on my recommendation scale. From 1 - 10, INTERESTING TIMES gets a 12 from me. Very satisfying and very, very fun.
  
• 
  Angela

  Ahhh. Gotta love more Discworld. I had this in audio form, kept going on trips that weren't *quite* long enough, and having to restart. Even so, I liked it so much that once I was finished I went straight back and listened to it all again. I love how that's not really a mistake with a Pratchett book - I kept laughing at jokes I'd missed the first time around.
• 
  Dead Penguin

  The book really hook me up at the second half. The first half was a bit chewy to read but for the second half I would definitely give 4 or 5 stars.
  
  I noticed that quite many people dislike Rincewind as character; he is indeed quite special but I really love his mindset and his encounters with Death (lovely bloke by the way; you should meet him!).
  
  
• 
  Ninke

  Nice reading during the holidays! Very funny and imaginative. It was my first 'Pratchett', more will follow.
• 
  Maggi

  Hilarious, funny and full of action!!! Great great!!
• 
  Justine

  Still finding tales involving Rincewind to be the least enjoyable ones.
• 
  Liana

  I know I've read this book before, but I can't remember when. Still, Terry Pratchett is like reading candy for me. His books are delightful and always such a treat.
  
  Craig was reading this when I went out to Virginia in October, so when I came back and found "Interesting Times" in the book exchange box, I felt it was a good time for a bit of re-reading.
  
  I like that most of Pratchett's books (at least with Discworld) often revolve around a theme. "Interesting Times" revolves a bit around China/Japan/East Asia. Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde + Mr. Saveloy "Teach" are in the Agatean Empire to steal something big. Meanwhile, Grand Vizier Lord Hong is enmeshed in court dynamics and sends a message to Ankh-Morpork for "the Great Wizzard"... which, of course, results in Unseen University sending Rincewind. Rincewind encounters the "Red Army," consisting of mostly children and reunites with Twoflowers. So. Who will end up in charge of the Agatean Empire? Will Rincewind accidentally become the unwitting hero yet again? What's with all these butterflies?
  
  *****
  
  SPOILERS BELOW
  
  *****
  
  
  I hadn't remembered so many instances of "sh*t" in this book. Is it always like that? Did I just forget? Has it been that long since I read a non-YA Pratchett book?
  
  Poor Rincewind. You gotta feel sorry for this guy who always seems to be sucked into the middle of Great and Important events and all he's trying to do is run away and eat potatoes. His desire to call himself a wizard is somewhat sweet, especially because it could hardly be further from the truth. It's been a while since I read the first two Discworld books, so I don't remember exactly what adventures he, Twoflowers, and the Luggage had, but, in the brief recap, it definitely sounds interesting!
  
  I like how he tried to talk the Red Army out of being a revolutionary force. Or how he asked the guy holding the water buffalo string what *he* wanted out of life.
  
  I liked Rincewind's discovery of the terracotta army and the magic armor. How cool is that?
  
  I liked how Mr. Saveloy wanted to teach the Horde how to be "civilized." I like how he *kind* of succeeded (Truckle's word list!), but mostly didn't and, rather, got sort of converted to the barbarian perspective, at least toward the end. I remembered that I felt sadder about his death the first time I read this. Perhaps because I already kind of *knew* what was going to happen (but mostly in kind of a subconscious way), so it wasn't as much of a surprise (you'd expect, after all, that he'd be killed during the battle, but I suppose that was somewhat short-lived).
  
  It's just so obvious, though, that the Horde just aren't cut out for that kind of life. Stationary. Non-raiding. You so *want* them to get some kind of reward because they're so cool (I mean, okay, they *do* go around killing people, but it's almost like the other guys *deserved* it... you know?), but at the same time, having them set up court like that is also just plain unnatural for them.
  
  Butterfly (and I can't remember her full name) is very intelligent and competent. Idealistic, sure, what with wanting to lead a revolt on behalf of the peasants, but it was nice to have someone wanting to keep Rincewind in check. It's also nice that her sister, Lotus Blossom, is so *sincere*. I knew someone like that and I felt a bit envious of how... well, NICE she was. I wished I could be so nice, but I think I'm simply too sarcastic and cynical. Anyway. It was good to see Twoflowers again (although like I said, I don't remember much of his earlier exploits with Rincewind, so to say it was good to see him "again" seems a bit disingenuous).
  
  It was good to see Twoflowers get angry with Lord Hong for the death of his wife (aww), but it's almost a shame that he really didn't get a chance to do much about it (except receive a sword from one of the Horde) before the barking dog took care of Lord Hong once and for all. I mean, it was, of course, fitting that Lord Hong should die, but it would have been *nice* for Twoflowers to get in a couple of swings at least and have it seem like everything is going against him... but that may also be the fact that I'd read this book before, I knew that Lord Hong was going to die and Twoflowers wasn't, so I was subconsciously unworried.
  
  It was also interesting to see the evolution of Hex.
• 
  Cindy

  The Unseen University needs to send a wizard - make that 'wizzard' - to the Counterweight Continent. But they need someone expendable. That someone, of course, is Rincewind. Using Hex, a complicated new machine that seems to think on its own, they first summon Rincewind from his peaceful island hideout and then blast him into the unknown.
  
  Rincewind, as anyone could have predicted, gets into trouble almost immediately. It seems the Counterweight Continent is in the middle of a Somewhat Aggressive Movement Slightly Against the Government. Or more plainly, a revolution. But one with lots of ideals and very little practical experience. All Rincewind has had experience in is in avoiding trouble - and he can tell this movement is heading for A LOT of trouble.
  
  And then there's the Silver Horde, Cohen the Barbarian's elderly group with their own ideas about storming the palace. They have a new member, Teach, who's trying to teach them to be civilized. It's not easy.
  
  I really, really enjoyed this one. Don't read it first - you need to read at least Eric first, but really reading - or even watching - The Colour of Magic is very helpful. Twoflower the tourist is back, and so is the Luggage. DEATH naturally has a part, since this IS a war we're talking about.
  
  I loved Rincewind's efforts at helping the Horde win the war. His campaign to convince everyone that there is certainly NOT a host of 2,300,009 ghosts waiting to devour anyone who gets in their way is absolutely brilliant. And we get to meet the long lost cousin of Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler too. Exactly the antidote I needed to all the serious stuff I've been reading lately. 5 stars
• 
  Gwen

  I confess I'm not the biggest fan of Rincewind. I tend to prefer the books with the Witches or the Night Watch as the primary characters. The friend who introduced me to the Diskworld books about a decade ago was a huge fan of the character, but I just don't really go for his sort of milquetoast, cowardly personality type. The only reason I have any particular fondness for seeing Rincewind is that, wherever he goes, the Luggage generally follows. And the Luggage is pure awesome.
  
  So, between the choice of main character, and the fact that this seemed to be turning out to be a parody of Chinese history (with random bits of Japan thrown in there, because that's how the West depicts Asia, of course), I wasn't sure if I was going to particularly enjoy this one.
  
  However, I think once I got into the jokes about bad translations and the pitfalls of reading and trying to speak a foreign language, I was laughing my head off. I think Pratchett has a better idea of what it's really like to deal with becoming fluent in another language than some other authors, who tend to treat language fluency like an achievement that you unlock. There's definitely a degree to speaking another language where you technically become fluent, but every now and then you will still come across something you don't understand without a dictionary. I personally know over 2,000 Japanese characters, but I still occasionally find characters that baffle me, and I know that even native speakers have the same problem with unfamiliar archaic characters.
  
  Overall, pretty good, although now I need to borrow The Last Continent to read the follow up adventure to this one.
• 
  Cynthia Egbert

  This DiscWorld book plays off of what I see as my favorite "self-help" book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu. It is satire at its very finest...what more can I say! And this book has Rincewind and Luggage and TwoFlower is back! Here are some favorite quotes:
  
  "According to the philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle, chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized."
  
  "His policy was to find one person and make their life difficult until everything happened the way he wanted it to."
  
  "Well we are wizards, we're supposed to meddle with things we don't understand. If we hung around waitin' till we understood things we'd never get anything done."
  
  "That's not magic, that's just engineering!"
  
  "There was probably something in the idea that there were only a few people in the world. There were lots of bodies, but only a few people. That's why you kept running into the same ones. There was probably some mold somewhere."
  
  "Ah Eureka." "That's Ephebian, that is, it means 'Give me a towel'"
  
  And there is chocolate available for whoever can give me the reason why that last quote is so funny to me!
• 
  Lammoth

  Пътищата пратчетови срещат Ринсуинд с Коен Варварина, 90-95 годишния герой (и той вече не помни на колко е), който е тръгнал да покорява Империята с неговата пенсионерска дружина, наречена Сребърната орда. Първото име на Коен Варварина е Чингис, което сякаш е своеобразна алюзия за монголските нахлувания в древен Китай. Пратчет ни е представил закачливо този далекоизточен свят, заедно с историята му, изпълнена с преврати, непрекъсната борба между отделните династии (в случая са пет: Фанг, Танг, Хонг, Сунг и .... Максуини!?) , като привидно е осмял тоталитарните системи на управление. Или както се споменава в романа:
  ...хаосът се намира в най-голямо изобилие там, където някой се стреми да въведе ред. И хаосът винаги надмогва реда, защото е по-добър организатор.
  Ще срещнем много географски и културни препратки - тук е великата китайска стена, за която героите се чудеха дали е построена за да предпазва империята от нашествия, или, за да пречи на жителите да не избягат от нея :) Тук е и "Забраненият град", теракотената армия, както и китайската версия на Дилбър Сам Си Прерязвам Гърлото!
  
  
  http://lammothsblog.blogspot.com/2012...
  
• 
  Ariel

  I find that Pratchett's earlier work (mostly featuring Rincewind) leaves me cold.
  
  His later works are far more sophisticated, with more clever jokes and pointed satire - the ones published at the beginning of his career definitely show his progression from an amateur humorist to a novelist of the highest calibre.
  
  Sadly, Interesting Times is at the lower end of the scale. It feels like he kind of just crammed as much as he could of all the Oriental stereotypes in fantasy literature into the book, not really bothering if it kept up with the plot or not.
  
  Did have the signature Pratchet "moment of awe and wonder", but it wasn't as spine-chilling as in his later works, such as Hogfather or Nightwatch, or even Soul Music. There's something special about a book that can have you in fits of laughter for most of it, and then serious as the grave just near the end, making you think really, really deeply about your preconceptions and the philosophies you hold, and then sending you off with a chuckle at the last.
• 
  Johan

  I just finished rereading this book. It's a good Pratchett.
  Lord Vetinari receives a strange message from the Agatean Empire, "Send Us Instantly The Great Wizzard". If it is not Archchancellor Ridcully of the Unseen University, could it be the Dean (size) or is the misspelling of the word wizard the clue? Could it be ... No! Seriously. You can't be considering to send Rincewind.
  Why does the Agatean Empire need the Great Wizzard? All because someone wrote the revolutionary book "What I did on My Holidays". With revolutionary slogans as "Extra Luck To The People's Endeavour", "Timely Demise To All Enemies", ... the Red Army doesn't stand a chance without the ... Great Wizzard. Right?
  May you live in interesting times" is a translation from an old Chinese curse. Another translation is "May you come to the attention of those in authority". I prefer the first translation.
• 
  Sally

  Following the initial Discworld stories, "Color of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic," this is another one that tells of events in the life of the character, Rincewind. A few other characters which were introduced in the first Discworld books return and are also major players in the story. (I'll not add any spoilers.) I'm not sure this is one of my favorite story lines so far in my reading of Discworld books, but the reputation of Terry Pratchett's skill with humor and satire is upheld. If you plan to read "The Last Continent," you might want to read" Interesting Times" first, although I would not say that is a must.
  
  There are several of the Discworld books which I HAVE read more than once, or WOULD reread, but this is not one of them. Still, I think fans of Terry Pratchett will like it, and I was pleased to keep up with the life of Rincewind.
• 
  Jack

  Okay, I guess I just don't get it. This is the third Pratchett book I've slogged through (others are "Monstrous Regiment" and "Guards! Guards!"). Each time I've picked up one of his books on a "recommedation from a friend, I keep expecting some decent humor in the vein of Goulart or Asprin.
  
  I like British humor. I'm a huge "Python" and "Black Adder" fan. I have a very dry sense of humor myself. But these books barely rate a "tee-hee." I'm sorry, but I do NOT see what makes this guy such a "great" author, other than he has diarrhea of the word processor and produces a multitude of books that some mousy editor gushes over.
  
  He's tedious, he's pendantic, he's confusing and he's boring.
• 
  Cory Hughart

  Rincewind is back... and gone again. Off to the counter-weight continent, a place which resembles our China. It seems there is a peasant uprising, and they need the help of the "Great Wizzard" of legend. Is Rincewind really the wizard they're after? Someone from Rincewind's past seems to think so... Meanwhile, a certain barbarian of legend (he is old enough for it to be legend by now) is learning all about civilization, and is on the counter-weight continent to steal the largest treasure on the landmass.
  
  One of the better books with Rincewind, but I do have one complaint: Rincewind was actually more interesting as a character when there was a reason for his inability at wizarding. Now, since the spell is no longer trapped in his head, he's just a lucky buffoon.
• 
  Sarra

  I can't believe I'm giving a Pratchett book only 2 stars, and wondering if that's not actually one star too many. This book overflows with sour notes. The gentle, sly mocking of an entire nation (something Pratchett is quite good at, usually) veers a little too close to hurtful stereotype at times. And why did he think that the frequent jokes about rape and sexual assault (mostly made by Cohen and his crew - Cohen admonishes their scholar to allow one of the men his "wishful thinking" about raping women, Cohen later hopefully asks if there will be raping in the city, and the scholar praises one of the men for not tearing a woman's clothes off, and on and on) were a good idea? They weren't. In my opinion, they ruin the book; they definitely ruined my reading experience. Sigh.
• 
  Katharine

  Okay, I figured out why I didn't like Terry Pratchett the first time I tried to get into him. It's because the first time, I tried to start reading the Discworld books in order, and the early Rincewind novels BORE ME TO TEARS. This one is not super early, but it's not Pratchett at his best either. I know it's humor, but it seems to me that if you're going to write a full-length novel there should still be some, y'know, actual characterization. Rincewind isn't even a character, he's a one-line joke, and that gets REALLY OLD after about the tenth time you've heard it. And the rest of the side plots lacked any of the sophisticated satire or subtle wit that makes later Pratchetts so much fun.
  
  From now on, NO MORE Rincewind novels.
• 
  Jessica

  I was introduced to Terry Pratchett about a year a go and after reading "The Fifth Elephant" was instantly hooked. In "Interesting Times", Pratchett paints another of his hilariously satirical scenarios in which his endearing characters find themselves in completely absurd political and personal situations. Pratchett is like Fantasy meets Monty Python meets Franz Kafka. He pokes fun at everything, while treating his readers to a gloriously fun (and very, very strange) yet thought-provoking read. Pratchett's Discworld novels are utterly charming, a refreshing retreat into a world zanier than my own.
• 
  Eshusdaughter

  I mixed up the order on this book and The Last Continent, reading the later first. Oops. In Interesting Times Rincewind is back again and this time flung into the Agatean Empire, a thinly veiled parody of ancient China. Add in some aging barbarians (the only highlight of the book for me), the eponymous sapient pearwood trunk and the occasional wizard intervention.
  
  I've said before that the Rincewind books are my least favorite and this book didn't change that attitude. I'd call the entire book a loss if not for the barbarians. They livened up the plot enough to keep things moving. Later books by Pratchett are stronger and better written and this one feels a bit scattered overall.
• 
  Barbara

  Of all the Discworld stories that I have read, I really enjoy the Rincewind (and the Luggage) stories. Poor Rincewind just wants a quiet life, but things just happen to him :-) His most frequest phrase is probably "Ohsh*tsh*tsh*t. I'm going to die!".
  I love the way that Terry Pratchett uses a parallel world/life to set up his stories. This story included the Terracotta army and other chinese-type comparisons. I won't tell you where Rincewind ends up, but a later story in the series carries his adventures forward (The Last Continent)- clue: kangaroos may be involved!
  If you love Discworld, I'm sure you will enjoy this.