Podcasts about unseen university

Our recording of #Pratchat83 was delayed at the last minute, so our discussion of The Ankh-Morpork Archives and The Discworld Almanak will have to wait until later in the month - hopefully around the 25th February. But subscriber Molokov suggested it might be fun to discuss some of the other, less book-like Discworld merchandise available, so in this shorter bonus episode, Ben does just that! We'd love to hear about your favourite merch, official or fan-made! Drop us a line and/or a photograph using the hashtag #PratchatMerch on social media, via email, or chat to us via our subscriber Discord. The merch Ben mentions this episode from the Discworld Emporium includes the Ankh-Morpork Doodle Map, Terry Pratchett's Hat silver pin badge; Death's Omega cloak pin; the Band with Rocks In tour T-shirt; the plushie Greebo and rat-onna-stick; beermats of pubs and brands; and the dried frog pills box. It's not as easy to link to individual items at Discworld.com, but things Ben mentioned from there include various pins and badges; rare collectible pins; shopper bags; acrylic beanies; and the Great A'Tuin golf umbrella. The Anoia tea towel Ben liked was also from the Emporium, not Discworld.com, though they have tea towels too. He forgot to mention Discworld.com's notebooks - the Unseen University and Assassin's Guild ones are especially good. And their T-shirts aren't as “subtle” as he remembered, though their socks are certainly a bit less subtle than the Emporium's. The episode title is a reference to a specific scene in Mel Brooks' 1987 Star Wars parody Spaceballs. We'll be back in late February with #Pratchat83, discussing The Ankh-Morpork Archives Volume I and Volume II, and The Discworld Almanak. If you're very quick you could still get a question in about those! In March we're commemorating the tenth anniversary of Terry's death by discussing his thoughts on dying from “Shaking Hands with Death”, the Richard Dimbleby lecture he gave (with help from Tony Robinson) in 2010. It's most readily available in A Slip of the Keyboard, but you can also watch the original speech on YouTube. It gets pretty heavy, but we'll approach this discussion with empathy and kindness. Get your questions for that one in using the hashtag #Pratchat84.

Liz and Ben are joined by guest Dr Tansy Rayner Roberts PhD (Classics) to chat about fashion, faith, food...oh, and football. Yes, join us for an episode that goes well into extra time (i.e. it's over 3 hours long) as we discuss Terry Pratchett's 37th Discworld novel, Unseen Academicals. The Wizards of Unseen University are still recovering from the Dean's defection to become Archchancellor of rival Brazeneck College, but they have a bigger problem: if they don't field a foot-the-ball team, they'll lose the bequest that supplies most of their dinners. But the sport has become lawless and violent - a game of the streets in which matches last long into the night and players die. And then there's the fans... But something's in the air. The game's about to change, and at the centre of it are an unlikely quartet of junior University staff: Glenda the sensible baker; beautiful and fashion-conscious Juliet; Trev, son of the game's greatest player; and Mr Nutt, a goblin who's good at everything - except explaining who and what he is... The last of the Discworld books to “star” the wizards, and the longest in the series by a fair margin, Unseen Academicals repeatedly says that it isn't really about football. And, indeed, there's a lot else going on: new ways for both dwarfs and trolls to express their femininity; the internal voices which hold us back from reaching our potential; the struggle between progress and fairness, of power and the people. And at the heart of it, four brand new characters who represent a side of Ankh-Morpork we don't usually see in our protagonists: the regular people, caught up in the Shove. What did you think of Unseen Academicals? Does it have enough football in it, or too much? What are your favourite takes on orcs? What other sports would you like to see come to the Discworld? And do you know where we can get a megapode? Shout out from the Shove using the hashtag #Pratchat83! Guest Dr Tansy Rayner Roberts PhD (Classics) (she/her) is a Tasmanian author of sci-fi, fantasy and cosy crime. Her essay series Pratchett's Women was collected into a book, and her follow up series on Pratchett's men can be found at the online magazine Speculative Insight. Tansy recently reprinted her “Teacup Magic” series of cosy mysteries, and her newest novel is the time travel comedy Time of the Cat. You can find Tansy online at tansyrr.com and as @tansyrr on social media; you'll also find her in our previous live episodes: “A Troll New World” (from Nullus Anxietas 7 in 2019) and “Unalive from Überwald” (from Nullus Anxietas IX in 2024). You can find episode notes and errata on our web site. Next month we're looking at a stack of Discworld ephemera - namely both volumes of the Ankh-Morpork Archives, which collect material from the Discworld diaries, and their sibling publication The Discworld Almanack! If you've read any of those, please send us your questions via email (chat@pratchatpodcast.com), or social media. Use the hashtag #Pratchat84.

Inequality reporter Stephanie Convery returns on a trip with Liz and Ben into the world of banking, high finance and monetary theory in Terry Pratchett's thirty-sixth Discworld novel, 2007's Making Money. The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running very smoothly - which has left Moist von Lipwig, reformed con-man and Postmaster General, at a loose end. But he resists the Patrician's offer of a new job revitalising the Royal Mint and Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork. The bank's current owner is a Mark 1 Feisty Old Lady who knows her rich family are out to get her - and her little dog, too. But despite Moist's best attempts to not get involved, both dog and bank wind up in his care - putting him in the sights of the Lavish family, and especially Vetinari-obsessed Cosmo Lavish. Meanwhile, manager of the Golem Trust (and Moist's fiancée) Adora Belle Dearheart is digging up something ancient out on the desert. And Moist's past is about to catch up with him... Just a few novels after debuting in Going Postal, Moist von Lipwig is back! Making Money is about the nature of money, but also about the thrill of the chase, grappling with one's inner nature, and obsession. Aside from Gladys the Golem, Moist and Adora Belle bring few of their previous supporting cast along for the ride; instead we meet a new cast including Mr Bent, the Lavishes, another Igor, the Post-Mortem Communications Department of Unseen University, and the very good boy Mr Fusspot. Does this live up to the promise of Going Postal? Could Moist be in other Discworld books in disguise - and if so, as who? Did you guess Mr Bent's secret? And if you had a Glooper, what would you use it to change in the world of money? No purchase necessary to join the conversation for this episode; just email us or use the hashtag #Pratchat80 on social media. Stephanie Convery (she/her) is is a writer and author. Previously the Deputy Culture Editor for The Guardian Australia, she's now their dedicated inequality reporter. Stephanie's first book, After the Count: The Death of Davey Browne, was published in March 2020 by Penguin Books. (We suspect it won't be her last.) You can follow Stephanie on Twitter at @gingerandhoney, and find her work at Guardian Australia. Her previous appearances on Pratchat were for #Pratchat2, “Murdering a Curry” (about Mort), and #Pratchat42, “Truth, the Printing Press, and Every -ing” (about The Truth). You'll find full notes and errata for this episode on our website...though not just yet. Watch out for it soon! In the meantime, the newly recovered story in A Stroke of the Pen is “Arnold, the Bominable Snowman” (we've not yet found it online). Also, here's the free Quickstart for the Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork roleplaying game; it's also available via DriveThruRPG. The Kickstarter launches on 15 October. Those three upcoming Discworld plays in Australia are The Fifth Elephant from Brisbane Arts Theatre from 19 October; Maskerade by Sporadic Productions in Adelaide from 30 October; and Guards! Guards! from Roleystone Theatre in Perth from 22 November. Next episode we're continuing our Moist streak (sorry) with the (so far) latest Discworld board game: Clacks! If you have questions about this game recreating the race between Moist and the Grand Trunk company, get them in to us by mid-October 2024 by tagging us or using the hashtag #Pratchat81 on social media, or emailing us at chat@pratchatpodcast.com.

In this episode, we discuss Sourcery, where Rincewind pre-emptively runs from a sourceror bringing reality-bending amounts of power to the Unseen University. Find out why the villain acts as a dark mirror of Rincewind and why we weren't so impressed with his travelling companions.   You can find the Podcast on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/DiningTableDiscworld BlueSky: dtdiscworld.bsky.social Our intro and outro music is Beyond Infinity by user BlenderTimer on Pixabay.

In this very three-quarters-of-a-century episode, Liz, Ben and guest Dr Melissa Rogerson get out the eight-sided dice and roll for initative - or at least cunning - as we play the 2011 board game, Guards! Guards!, designed by Leonard Boyd and David Brashaw, and based on the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. The eight great spells have escaped from Unseen University's library, ready to unleash chaos on Ankh-Morpork! Thankfully Commander Vimes has taken charge. He's assigned members of the Watch (that's you) to liaise with four of the Guilds to round up volunteers and bring those spells back. But Guild rivalries run deep, and surely the Patrician will look kindly on whoever saves the day the most. So if one of the other Guilds' volunteers should go missing or explode or fall into the Ankh, your Guild would only be too willing to shoulder more of the burden of saving the city... Created by two Irish Discworld fans who approached Terry with the idea (see David Brashaw's great interview with The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret), Guards! Guards! A Discworld Board Game sees players roaming about a hexagon-based map of Ankh-Morpork collecting Discworld characters, casting spells from scrolls, equipping magic items and occasionally fighting dragons. Which sounds suspiciously like a very different kind of game... Originally published in 2011 by BackSpindle Games and Z-Man Games, and reprinted with a revised rulebook in 2012, Guards! Guards! was a hit with fans - but board game hobbyists were less enthusiastic. Have you played Guards! Guards! - and if so, how long did it take you? Do you like the kind of game where being mean to the other players is part of the fun? Do you think it captures the essence of the source material, and if so, which books in particular? Is this the best name for the game, or do you have a better suggestion? (Ours was Guilds! Guilds!) And should we play an exhibition match at the Australian Discworld Convention, of this or one of the other games? We'd love to hear what you think: use the hashtag #Pratchat75 to join the conversation. Dr Melissa Rogerson is a Lecturer and Assistant Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems at The University of Melbourne. She was last on for #PratchatPlaysThud, “The Troll's Gambit”, discussing the first Discworld board game in Nivember 2022. Melissa's current research is about hybrid games which use both physical and digital components, as well as the possibility of using games to tell the stories of older people. You can find out more about her work at hybridgameresearch.net, melissarogerson.com, or find her on Twitter and Mastodon as @melissainau, and on BoardGameGeek as melissa. (A mentioned last time, Ben is on there too, as beejay.) As usual you'll be able to find notes and errata for this episode on our website...but not just yet. Watch this space! Next episode we'll be discussing a Discworld novel for the first time in ages - and not just any Discworld novel, but one of the most beloved! Yes, for #Pratchat76 we're finally talking about Monstrous Regiment. Get your questions in before the last week of February to give them a chance of getting on the show! Use the hashtag on social media (Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky), or email us at chat@pratchatpodcast.com.

Hello hello and welcome to Botany Lessons, e27 of our brand new D&D 5e Campaign Return of the Giants! Preparing for their Underdark journey, the team head to the Unseen University to meet with an expert on the the flora and fauna of the deeps.... Return of the Giants is a brand new adventure set in the homebrew world of Nostea, immediately following the events of the Tyranny of Dragons Campaign. Featuring Owen as Dungeon Master, Jared as Threign (Forst Goliath Barbarian), Ally as Lyra (Eladrin Druid), Matt as Niles (Owlin Monk), Dave as Harry (Harengon Rogue) and Simon as Ember (Firbolg Druid). You can read all about the world, lore, characters and so much more at the brand new Lost Archives wiki - come and check it out! https://thelostarchives.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lost_Archives_Wiki   Follow us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelostarchives Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArchivesLost Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7fGuiTm8uw3FmSyNQ2oqZv iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-lost-archives-a-dungeons-and-dragons-podcast/id1523141618   Artwork: All character art is created by Owen Burton and is the sole property of The Lost Archives. Fanart is created by the lovely members of the community and belongs to the artist credited with the image - if you would like to send us some fanart please do at lostarchivescast@gmail.com   Music: Lost Archives - Return of the Giants Theme by Owen Burton Lost Archives Outro by Owen Burton   #thelostarchives #returnofthegiants #dungeonsanddragons Looking for a thrilling and unique Dungeons and Dragons adventure? Look no further than our homebrew dnd campaigns for 5th edition D&D! Join us for a journey through an unforgettable campaign filled with epic battles, mysterious quests, and unforgettable characters. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or a newcomer to the world of DnD and TTRPG, our campaign is sure to challenge and excite you. So gather your party and prepare to embark on a journey like no other in this Dungeons and Dragons homebrew 5e adventure! storm king's thunder stone giant fire giant hill giant frost giant storm giant King hekaton queen neri serissa uthor mirran nym iymrith chief guh thane kayalithica jarl storvald duke zalto countess sansuri dnd 5e dungeons and dragons 5th edition homebrew new campaign dm's guide dungeon masters guide player's handbook monster manual Dungeons and Dragons, critical role, high rollers, wizards of the coast, mark hulmes, campaign, homebrew, 5e, 5th edition, d&d, role playing, tabletop, d&d 5e, dungeons & dragons, thelostarchives, the lost archives, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons gameplay, return of the giants, dnd, storm king's thunder, frost giant, cloud giant, fire giant, storm giant, homebrew campaign, glory of the giants, glory of the giants 5e,d&d campaign, how to play dungeons and dragons

Liz and Ben are blessed by two returning guests, the Rev Dr Avril Hannah-Jones and Dr Charlotte Pezaro, as they go on one last visit to Roundworld - this time as clerics, wizards and librarians clash over who should take ownership. It's Terry Pratchett's fourth and final collaboration with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, 2013's The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day. Ponder Stibbons has just activated Unseen University's latest “Great Big Thing”, the culmination of six years' research (and spending) into the frontiers of magical knowledge. It summons a side effect: improbably-named librarian Marjorie Daw, from the even less probable universe in a bottle, Roundworld. Marjorie decides to stick around when she discovers her entire universe is under threat: the Church of the Latter-Day Omnians, who believe the Disc is round, think Roundworld should be theirs. After surviving elves and Auditors, will it be lawyers and priests who decide Roundworld's fate? This time in the (really short!) fiction chapters, the wizards barely visit Roundworld at all; Ridcully spends most of his time talking to Marjorie, before the last few chapters detail the trial - sorry, hearing - of the century. In the non-fiction chapters, Jack and Ian do talk about science...but mostly about religion. Their big idea this time revolves around Gregory Benford's ideas of human- and universe-centred thinking. As the fiction pits priests against wizards, you can probably see where this is going. We certainly could, and we'll be blunt: we didn't like it. Is this really a book about science? How do the authors' ideas of “religion” gel with yours - or even Pratchett's previous books and writing on the subject? What did you think of Marjorie Daw? Do you want us to do a special episode with Avril about Scott Morrison's book? And were we too harsh on this book? Join in the conversation using the hashtag #Pratchat71 on social media. Guest Rev Dr Avril Hannh-Jones (she/her) is a Minister in the Uniting Church. While she should be known for her tireless activism for marginalised communities, most people know her for the Church of the Latter Day Geek: an occasional service where science fiction and fantasy stories serve as parables, and cosplay is allowed in the pews. Avril previously appeared on Pratchat back in 2019 to discuss Small Gods in #Pratchat16. Avril posts weekly Reflections on her blog, Rev Doc Geek, tweets as @DocAvvers, and would love to see you at a Sunday service at North Balwyn Uniting Church. Guest Dr Charlotte Pezaro (she/her) is an educator with a PhD in pedagogy and years of experience communicating science and technology, and shaping how it is taught in Australian schools. She last joined us in 2021 for #Pratchat41 to discuss Nation, which is both Charlotte's and Pratchett's favourite Pratchett book. You can find out more about Charlotte at charlottepezaro.com, or her education work at dialogic.com.au. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our website. Next episode it's time for another short story: this time a young adult one Pratchett wrote for Diana Wynn Jones in 1989, “Turntables of the Night”. It was originally published in the anthology Hidden Turnings, but you'll most easily find it in Pratchett's short fiction collection A Blink of the Screen. We'll be discussing this tale of record collectors and DJs with superstar DJ and comedian, Andrew McClelland! Have a read and send us your questions using the hashtag #Pratchat72, or via email to chat@pratchatpodcast.com.

Your hosts get back on the Discworld turtle with “The Last Continent” by Terry Pratchett. They discuss Rincewind's character arc, Definitely-Not-Australia, and the wizards of Unseen University dipping their toes into workplace satire. This episode also features a Words are Weird segment around the phrase “eating tea” with a special mention for “throbbing stem.”Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs:- Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris”- Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise”Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

In this final fourth part of our Thud! trilogy, Liz and Ben are rejoined by designer and educator Matt Roden. As we wait for the biscuits to arrive, we turn our attention to this month's agenda items: the 2005 Discworld short story “A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices”, and squeezing in a bit more discussion of Thud! Every Thursday the senior faculty of Unseen University have a committee meeting, during which they do very little except wait for the biscuits and tea to arrive - much to the annoyance of Ponder Stibbons. But this week, Ridcully announces that their latest magical mishap has annoyed the Patrician - and as a result, they have a few questions to answer from one A. E. Pessimal, newly appointed “Inspector of Universities”... Written for the Times Higher Education Supplement and published a few months before Thud!, this very short story draws on Pratchett's own experience on a committee. Does it tally with yours? Are you a Ponder, a Ridcully, or a Pessimal? Do you agree with Matt's characterisations of the other faculty members? Plus we get back into Thud! - are we off the mark with our thoughts about whether it's copaganda? What is Pratchett trying to say about religious extremism, if anything? And what Discworld cocktail would you make? Join the conversation using the hashtag #Pratchat63. Guest Matt Roden was here just two months ago for #Pratchat61 discussing Thud! He is still the Creative Learning Manager for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, as well as an accomplished graphic designer and educator. There are now even more photos of his dog on his Instagram at @matthewrodeo. You'll find notes and errata for this episode on our web site. We're easing into the year slowly with another short story for February, this time one of Pratchett's earliest: “Rincemangle, the Gnome of Even Moor” from his time at the Bucks Free Press in 1974. Its available in both A Blink of the Screen and The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner. Send us your questions about it using the hashtag #Pratchat64, or via email, which you can send to chat@pratchatpodcast.com. Oh, and don't forget to check out the all-new Pratchat Reading Challenge for 2023! All the details are on our website, and you'll also find it on the StoryGraph.

Content warnings for this episode include: discussion of transphobia and queer trauma, being buried alive, parental abuse, racist stereotypes, and misogyny.As we continue Reaper Man, the wizards of Unseen University try their damndest to end their friend's life, but Windle Poons decides he's got a lot of unliving to do. We also meet Mrs. Cake and talk a lot about Mrs. Cake.Also our good friend Bill Door gets a straw hat :)Click here for Billy the BulletClick here for some Come and Take It flagsClick here for the Fresh Start Club print we referenceThis week on The Disc-Course: You Can't Say That., wizard SWAT, Ridcully power rankings, Miss Holly Fakeman, throatcoin, ketchup that makes you explode, two pairs of pants, spiritualist busybody, Undead Anonymous, the grumpy glands, walking stairs, chief butt, one weird trick, how an egg feels, true crime almanac, you must post, Binky's Town, the telltale snake, improved his eyesight, the first floor and just homestuck.For those playing along at home: Read up to page 178 in Reaper Man (depending on your edition of the book), ending on the line: "Besides, I'm paying you sixpence a week. And sixpence is sixpence. "-----You can email us at thedisccoursepod@gmail.com, follow the show @thedisccourse on twitter, or find us in the phonebook under Zlorf!Our theme music is by Maxie Satan; find her on bandcamp at Pastel Hand Grenade. She rules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trousers of Time end up in a knot as writer Nadia Bailey rejoins Liz and Ben and we go back to the Glorious Past in the twenty-ninth Discworld novel, 2002's Night Watch. While pursuing dangerous killer Carcer across the rooftop of Unseen University, a magical bolt of lightning (or something) sends Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch and Duke of Ankh, thirty years into the past - along with his quarry. Carcer kills Vimes' old mentor, Sergeant John Keel, and Vimes steps into Keel's thinly-soled shoes; he'll have to show himself the ropes to keep history intact. But he's not just reliving any old past: it's almost the Glorious 25th of May. The day the people deposed the paranoid Patrician Lord Winder; the day hundreds were killed in violent clashes across the city; and the day John Keel died... Night Watch is beloved by Discworld fans, no least because it gives a double dose of everyone's favourite "honest copper", Sam Vimes. But he leaves Sybil in labour as he's thrust back intp the best and worst days of his early career, forced to grapple with the darkness in his and others' souls with only the technobabble of a few time boffin monks for guidance. It's possibly Pratchett's darkest book, and certainly takes us into one of the darkest corners of the Discworld: Ankh-Morpork before the rise of Vetinari and the Guilds. Does Vimes knows where to draw the line in this book? Is Carcer an intriguing villain, or a cookie cutter evil psychopath? Could you teach your younger self everything you needed to know to become you? And is this book in your top five, or do you fail to see what all the fuss is about? Join the conversation using the hashtag #Pratchat54 on social media. Guest Nadia Bailey is a writer, editor and critic. She's published a number of pop-culture related books about such diverse subjects as Stranger Things, Frida Kahlo and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her latest publication is The Deck of Crystals, a deck of cards which looks into the history, superstition and lore of gemstones. Nadia has just begun a PhD researching (among other things) the lives of queer women during World War I. You can find Nadia on Twitter as @animalorchestra, or visit her website at nadiabailey.com. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our website. Next month we're joining a ragtag crew of misfits on a desperate mission to save the Disc in the second big illustrated Discworld adventure, The Last Hero! And to help us navigate Paul Kidby's astonishing illustrations, we're welcoming back illustrator and comic book creator Georgina Chadderton. Send us your questions via the hashtag #Pratchat55, or via email to chat@pratchatpodcast.com.

Your hosts agree that Michael Crichton is The Worst, although Lilly thinks Sphere could have been great and Sara says she'd never have liked it because the genre isn't for her. They also talk about their latest stop in their Journey to the Center of the Discworld, Moving Pictures, and how it introduces familiar Unseen University characters and have female characters who actually feel like people (unlike Sphere). Also, Lilly issues a public apology for being a huge dingus and assuming identical words would be pronounced the same in a combination Words are Weird and Pet Peeve segment.Real Shit & Book Shit with Dan Fitzgerald: https://www.danfitzwrites.com/blog/fiction-fans Thanks to the following musicians for the use of their songs:- Amarià for the use of “Sérénade à Notre Dame de Paris”- Josh Woodward for the use of “Electric Sunrise”

Science comedian and public health nerd Alanta Colley joins Liz and Ben on their second trip through Discworld into Roundworld, as they join Rincewind and the wizards of Unseen University in Pratchett's second collaboration with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen: 2002's The Science of Discworld II: The Globe. While on a team-building exercise in the woods near Unseen University, Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully and his faculty are accidentally swept along when something makes its way through the Discworld into Roundworld. That something turns out to be elves - nasty, parasitic lifeforms who feast on the imagination and emotions of others. Roundworld - the universe in a bottle created by the wizards' experiments, which somehow runs without any magic - has been altered by their presence. Now the wizards - including Rincewind, the long-suffering Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography - have to find a way to get rid of them without dooming the local human population in the process... Having entirely missed humankind in The Science of Discworld, the wizards are back for another go! And so are science writers Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen - but this time, they don't want to explain cosmology, basic physics and the history of the Earth, but instead sell you on the idea that storytelling is the essential ingredient that makes humans...human. Are we really Pans narrans, the storytelling chimpanzee, rather than Homo sapiens, the "wise man"? Is it wise to write a popular science book with an author who will guarantee the book will be read again twenty years later - and to include some "cutting edge" science, no less? What do a debunked psychological experiment, the term "overcommitment", and filthy explanations of fairytales have to do with it? And who's this shrewd and world-wise street wizard named Rincewind, and can we have some more of his adventures please? Let us know what you think using the hashtag #Pratchat47 on social media, and join in the conversation! Guest Alanta Colley is a comedian, science communicator and storyteller whose solo shows include Parasites Lost (about parasites), Days of Our Hives (about beekeeping) and The Origin of Faeces (you can probably work that one out yourself). She also wrote and performed the "comedy experiment" You Chose Poorly with our own Ben McKenzie. Since 2017 Alanta has also been the host and producer of Sci Fight, a series of comedy science debates; both Ben and Liz have been guest speakers, along with previous Pratchat guests Anna Ahveninen (#Pratchat35) and Nicholas J Johnson (#Pratchat38). You can hear Ben and Anna's last appearance on Sci Fight in this episode of the Climactic podcast, or see the first online debate for Melbourne Science Gallery on YouTube here. Visit scifight.com.au to sign up to the mailing list, and you can find Alanta as @lannyopolis on Twitter and Instagram, via Facebook or at alantacolley.com. You can find out more about what Liz has been writing by following her as @ElizabethFlux on Twitter or Instagram. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our web site. Next episode we read one of the few precious Discworld novels left to us, though luckily we got a little preview this time around; yes, we're joining up with Susan, Death and the history monks for the very timely Thief of Time, which we'll be discussing with journalist Ben Riley! Send us your questions using the hashtag #Pratchat48, or get them in via email: chat@pratchatpodcast.com

*please note* Posting of the previous week's episodes on YouTube will begin on Saturday the 12th (NOT the 5th as stated in this episode). The week's new Pratchips episodes will be available for all supporters of the show starting this Sunday as scheduled. This week I am happy to bring you some news and rumors I heard in the Mended Drum, including the story about what happened when the Bursar tried Extreme Sneezing. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The deadline for the Portal Poetry Contest has been extended to Sunday, September 20th.The Re-name The Portal contest has been closed. I have settled on a new name for the show. We have a new email address: medievalgnome@gmail.com. I'm working on transitioning all our MGP (Medieval Gnome Productions) related email there. Send us an email at the new addy—you never know what might happen!  And, PLEASE send me some new questions for Granny! You can ask her anything.Some places to visit:Our new website: https://www.podpage.com/witches-and-wizards-portal. Our Discord community, “Friends of Medieval Gnome Productions.” https://discord.gg/kdr5SWnUPP. Btw, it costs nothing to join the server, and there's a lot of exclusive content on there.Our Patreon page if you're in the mood to underwrite the efforts of Medieval Gnome Productions (or just want to see some more exclusive content). There's also patron-only content there. Here's the URL. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21210045&fan_landing=trueGNU Terry Pratchett The Turtle MovesMind How You Go

Writer and editor Deanne Sheldon-Collins joins Liz and Ben as they return to the infinite worlds of the Long Earth to discuss Pratchett's second collaboration with Stephen Baxter: 2013's The Long War. It's now ten years since anti-stepping extremists nuked natural stepper and explorer Joshua Valienté's home town of Madison on the original "Datum" Earth. Joshua has since settled down with pioneer Helen Green and become mayor of Hell-Knows-Where, a thriving town established more than a million steps West of the Datum. But Sally Linsay, fellow far stepper, soon arrives to ask Joshua for help. Trouble is brewing in the Long Earth: humanity's relationship with the species they call "trolls" is deteriorating. Tensions are rising between the American government and the far-flung colonies in its "footprint" on other worlds. And on another world barely visited by humans, other species make plans to push the humans back where they came from... The multi-threaded cosy travelogue continues in (probably) Pratchett's second-longest novel. More Earths, more characters, and more non-humans! A sense of potential disaster looms in every other chapter, while the characters and narrative ponder humanity's relationship with Earth, and the ways in which society might respond to twenty-five years of unlimited resources and living room. Does this still feel like Pratchett to you? What did you think of the women in the novel - especially Joshua's "young wife" Helen? Did you enjoy the various side treks to weird worlds with strange creatures, or did they just leave you wanting more time with the trolls, kobolds, elves and weirder denizens of the Long Earth? And, perhaps most importantly: will you stick with the series and see where it's going next? Use the hashtag #Pratchat46 on social media to join the conversation! Guest Deanne Sheldon-Collins is an editor and writer who's been an active part of Australia's speculative fiction scene for a decade or so. Deanne has worked for Aurealis magazine, Writer's Victoria, the National Young Writer's Festival and Speculate, the Victorian Speculative Fiction Writers Festival, where she has been co-director with previous guest Joel Martin since 2019. While Deanne's current work isn't really publicly available, she'd like you to know that you can find out more about Speculate - including the recently announced Speculate Prize - by following the festival on Twitter at @SpecFicVic, or joining their mailing list via specfic.com.au. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our web site. Next episode it's time to restart the experiment as we shake up the globe that is the wizards of Unseen University's Roundworld experiment! Prepare to mix science and magic in The Science of Discworld II: The Globe, which we'll be discussing with science comedian, Alanta Colley! Send us your questions using the hashtag #Pratchat47, or get them in via email: chat@pratchatpodcast.com

First among equals is all well and good, but you have to look at who really has the power at good old UU. Today it's Ponder Stibbons, who would find being named Archchancellor his worst nightmare. In the time of the coming of the Star, a wizard named Ymper Trymon wasn't satisfied with de facto power. He wanted to be Archchancellor as well. Both men advocated the modernization of magic. Their motives, though, were very different. As were their fates.If you have thoughts about Pratchips, please shoot me an email at randy@mindkindle.net. I'd love to hear from you; I will answer you; and if you are a first-time emailer I'll include a recording of the Clacks episode with my reply. That's the only way you can get a copy of the Clacks episode, short of using a second email addy and a fake name! You are also cordially invited to come join our Discord community, Friends of Medieval Gnome Productions! Just go to the main Discord page and search “Friends of Medieval Gnome Productions.” Alternatively, you can use this link: https://discord.gg/45JxBKUYuA. Btw, it costs nothing to join the server, and there's a lot of exclusive content on there, plus the opportunity to interact with other Pratchett fans, and participate in our Discord person, place or thing challenge. Sort of like 20 questions, and lots of fun.You can also pop onto our Patreon page if you're in the mood to underwrite the efforts of Medieval Gnome Productions (or just want to see some more exclusive content). There's also patron-only content there. Here's the URL. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21210045&fan_landing=trueI also ask that you consider sending a one-time PayPal payment to randy@mindkindle.net. Our listenership, alas, is shrinking, as are our Patreon supporters. If you don't want to commit to a monthly subscription, please think seriously about a one-time PayPal donation. Even the price of a latte will help with our expenses.  The Turtle MovesMind How You GoGNU Terry Pratchett 

Episode 5 - to get rid of the sword or not get rid of the sword, that is the question. The team visit the Unseen University and their memories are the hurdle in this episode. Also tune in to listen as we discuss Miami Vice of all things.

We've waited two and a half years for its 35th anniversary, but finally Joel Martin rejoins Liz and Ben to resolve the Discworld's first (and most literal) cliffhanger in The Light Fantastic, the second Discworld novel, first published on the 2nd of June, 1986. When we last saw them, failed wizard Rincewind, Twoflower the tourist and Twoflower's magical Luggage - a living chest on legs - had fallen over the Rim of the Discworld. But instead of tumbling forever through space, they mysteriously find themselves in the Forest of Skund, surrounded by talking trees, gnomes and gingerbread cottages. The senior wizards of Unseen University - including Chancellor Galder Weatherwax, and the second of his Order, Ymper Trymon - soon discover what's happened: the Octavo, the Creator's book of spells, wants to keep Rincewind alive. One of its spells is inside his head, and all eight need to be read to avert an impending apocalypse heralded by an ominous red star... While the usual story is that Pratchett only returned to the Discworld because The Colour of Magic proved popular, he did set himself up for a sequel by dropping his protagonists off the edge of the world. Unlike its predecessor, The Light Fantastic has a pretty straightforward plot about averting the end of the world - but that doesn't stop Pratchett from parodying everything from fairytales to druidic sacrifices and the conventions of fantasy writing. Plus this book introduces some concepts, and especially characters, who will come back later, including a certain no-longer-human Librarian, Death's adopted daughter Ysabell, and octogenarian barbarian Genghiz Cohen. (The rest of the supporting cast are less fortunate...) Does this feel like a "real" Discworld book yet? How do we reconcile these versions of Death and Ysabell with the ones we come to love later? Is it really a bad idea to start with the early books - or is it fun to begin with the early versions of ideas Pratchett would later develop more fully? And what on the Disc happens to Rincewind between this book and Sourcery? Use the hashtag #Pratchat44 on social media to join the conversation! Guest Joel Martin is a podcaster and writer who has joined us twice before: way back in #Pratchat14 to discuss The Colour of Magic, and then again in #Pratchat31 for The Long Earth. While his podcasts are currently on hiatus, there's soon to be exciting news regarding his speculative fiction writers festival, Speculate! You can watch for Speculate news on Twitter at @SpecFicVic, and join the festival's mailing list via specfic.com.au. Find Joel online at thepenofjoel.com or on Twitter at @thepenofjoel. As usual, you can find notes and errata for this episode on our web site. Next episode we go back to another second book of a series, as we take a little break from the Discworld. Yes, it's book two of Pratchett's five novel collaboration with Stephen Baxter, The Long War! Send us your questions using the hashtag #Pratchat45, or get them in via email: chat@pratchatpodcast.com

Welcome to a new tradition: the Pratchat Eeek Club! Each year, on the Glorious 25th of May, we will release a bonus episode discussing topics selected by our Eeek tier subscribers. This year, the topics are: How would Ankh-Morpork deal with COVID-19?What would happen if Granny Weatherwax was head of Unseen University - or if Angua commanded the Watch?Are golems alive? (For that matter, is fire alive?)How has Pratchett and/or the Discworld informed our personal philosophies?If Pratchett had kept writing the Discworld series, would it have evolved into science fiction?

This week we're starting Sourcery, in which a young boy has unimaginable power bestowed upon him to exact his father's revenge on Unseen University. But more importantly, our wizzerd boi Rincewind is back, and he's here to babysit a hat on a globetrotting adventure!Today in the Disc-Course: a Rincewind gaiden, feet, wwizard squared, Cats are nice, a merry chase, filler kids, Super-Archchancellor Chalmers, killer SEO, Ee or ai, Coin Incognito, dick joke speech, RIP Wayzegoose, van wizards, the seagull that stole Julie's breakfast burrito, pussy-ant, Spelter's Warm Milk, Lupin III, kick the soft bits, any Tom, Dick or Zlorf, men are cowards, Submit to the Hat, the new world must be smothered, Rankin/Bass B-sides, Magic! at the University, children are people, and The Favoritos.Click here for the Solstice WizardClick here to be reminded that Cohen fuckedClick here for Kubla Kraus and Here for Robot CarnivalFor those playing along at home: Read up to page 163 in Sourcery (depending on your edition of the book), ending on the line: "'Wooly underwear?'"-----You can email us at thedisccoursepod@gmail.com, follow the show @thedisccourse on twitter, or find us in the phonebook under Zlorf!Our theme music is by Maxie Satan; find her on bandcamp at Pastel Hand Grenade. She rules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we continue The Light Fantastic where Rincewind must enter Death's domain to save his best friend/burden. Meanwhile Trymon stages a hostile takeover of Unseen University.Today in the disccourse: a ceremony to make the computer work, nerd priests, Ooo he thinn, 7 year old barbarian tactics, no lesbians, Caroc cards, gaming chairs, What's a gender?, Terry 'I am looking respectfully' Pratchett, fantasy jocks vs fantasy nerds, Death Valley Girl, dads and their orgies, and teacher dreams.Click here for Dog of WisdomYou can find the Eidolon Playtest (which Julie does the art for) on Audio EntropyFor those playing along at home: Read up to page 137 (depending on your edition of the book), up to the sentence: "No one ever asked its opinion about anything."-----You can email us at thedisccoursepod@gmail.com or follow the show @thedisccourse on twitterOur theme music is by Maxie Satan; find her on bandcamp at Pastel Hand Grenade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz, Ben and science communicator Anna Ahveninen have the weird sensation of being a specimen in a jar as they discuss 1999's The Science of Discworld, co-written by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart. By bribing the Unseen University faculty with the promise of cheap heating, research wizard Ponder Stibbons gets permission to try splitting the thaum, the magical equivalent of the atom. The experiment is a success, but fills the University with dangerous raw magic. To use it up, sentient thinking machine Hex initiates "the Roundworld Project", the creation of a reality devoid of magic. The universe in a bottle that results has no narrative imperative, only one kind of light, and not a single star turtle. What it does have are rocks, flaming balls of gas and rules. This all seems very unnatural to the wizards, so there's only one thing to do: poke it with a stick and see what happens... After reading one too many "Science of Star Trek" books, science writers and Pratchett fans Jack and Ian joined forces with Sir Terry to write a book in which they would use the wizards' exploration of a bottle universe to explore our own, and the science that explains it. The concept was a bit of a gamble, and no-one wanted to publish it at first, but it proved a big hit, spawning three sequels and a major revision to this first volume, three years later. The Science of Discworld concentrates on the beginning and evolution of the universe and the history of life on Earth, with plenty of asides about the nature of science and how it is taught (including the now famous concept of "lies-to-children"). In between these essays, the Unseen University wizards poke our own "Roundworld" with a big stick and try to make sense of a world without magic - in part by forcing Rincewind into the role of virtual astronaut. What did you learn from The Science of Discworld? Do you enjoy the alternating fantasy and science chapters? How does it compare to the other "The Science of" books? And does the science still stand up, eighteen years after the revised edition of 2002? Use the hashtag #Pratchat35 on social media to join the conversation! Guest Anna Ahveninen is a science communicator, writer and (ex) chemist who currently works at the Australian Academy of Science. You can follow her on Twitter at @Lady_Beaker. Anna also wanted to give a shout out to the STEMMinist Book Club (the second M is for Medicine), who you can also find on Twitter at @stemminist, and on Goodreads. Turns out we jumped the gun a little with Collisions - the Liminal magazine fiction anthology won't be published until November! We'll remind you in a couple of episodes. Next month it's back to the Ramtops for our favourite coven's last hurrah, as Lancre is invaded by vampires in Carpe Jugulum! We'll be joined by actor, singer and cabaret star Gillian Cosgriff. Get your questions in via social media using the hashtag #Pratchat36, or send us an email at chat@pratchatpodcast.com. You'll find the full notes and errata for this episode on our web site.

This week brings a new beginning with the same old schmucks as we begin The Light Fantastic. Our lads get lost in the woods and meet a hardware engineer; meanwhile, Unseen University launches a wizzerdhunt to get the spell in Rincewind's head to fulfill a prophecy that will hopefully save the Disc from the big red star A'Tuin is on a collision course with! Phew....Today in the Disc-Course: a wizard book, Hot Local Tortoises in Your Super Cluster, sick vape tricks, TryHard Man, a real fun party, Mt. Get-a-Load-of-this-Guy, the tooth fairy, kids these days, sheet cake, My Goodness My Spells, kicked in the shins eternally, anti-Death box, a chest with a chest, the weather rock, and the Discworld zodiacClick here for a good vintage Guinness advertClick here for Spellbreak, the magic battle royaleYou can find the Eidolon Playtest (which Julie does the art for) on Audio EntropyFor those playing along at home: Read up to page 137 (depending on your edition of the book), up to the sentence: "No one ever asked its opinion about anything."-----You can email us at thedisccoursepod@gmail.com or follow the show @thedisccourse on twitterOur theme music is by Maxie Satan; find her on bandcamp at Pastel Hand Grenade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 29, Liz, Ben and guest Fury join Rincewind on a journey to a strangely familiar land in Pratchett's 1992 loving Discworld parody of Australia, The Last Continent. (A quick content note: this one has more swearing than usual, but we bleeped the c-bombs out.) The Librarian of Unseen University, long ago turned into an orang utan, is suffering from a magical illness. Archchancellor Ridcully and his faculty could help him - if only they knew his original human name. Unfortunately the only person likely to remember is former Assistant Librarian Rincewind, and the wizards sent him to Agatea - and then accidentally propelled him across the Disc. He ended up in XXXX - aka Fourecks, aka the Last Continent, aka “that place far away full of deadly animals” - but he’s managed to survive. The locals out in the desert seem friendly enough, at least until he asks when it will rain. But something isn’t right. The land needs a hero. What it’s got is the Eternal Coward... Pratchett came to Australia many times, and his experience of the country seems to have rubbed off. Fourecks affectionately parodies Australian music, slang, politics and culture, including Mad Max, The Man From Snowy River, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, thongs, corks on hats, the cultural cringe, Vegemite, pie floaters and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. It’s quite the ride for the Australian reader... Rincewind is moulded into the stereotypical “bush hero”, but his touchstones aren’t entirely post-invasion - Pratchett also tries for a nuanced and deep Discworld interpretation of Aboriginal culture and beliefs, even if he doesn’t include any actual Aboriginal characters. Do you think he makes it work? Could you follow all the Australian references? Is there enough of a plot, or is it just an excuse for a bunch of jokes? Use the hashtag #Pratchat29 on social media to join the conversation! Guest Fury is a writer, illustrator and performer who previously appeared on Pratchat in episode 19, discussing Soul Music. They were recently seen in Gender Euphoria, a touring multi-disciplinary show celebrating trans experiences which has played in Melbourne and Sydney. Fury’s book I Don’t Understand How Emotions Work is available online now. You can also find out more about them at their web site furywrites.com, or follow them on Twitter as @fury_writes. Next month's episode was going to cover Pratchett’s 2012 sci-fi collaboration with Stephen Baxter, The Long Earth, but we've had a change of plan! Instead, we'll be taking a month off from book discussion to answer your questions about how to get into Pratchett, about past episodes, and about his work in general. Listen out for a special announcement with more information, and get your questions in via the hashtag #Pratchat30 by April 3rd. You'll find the full notes and errata for this episode on our web site.

Season 3 Episode 11We conclude our look at the wizards, and wizardry, of the Discworld. Our attention centers on the evolution of wizardry during the course of the Discworld novels. We take a look at the hierarchy of wizardry in the early books, and examine the evolution of wizardry at Unseen University. UU comes to embody Discworld wizardry, after the ascension of Mustrum Ridcully to the Archchancellorship. Ridcully is indeed the fulcrum on which the concept of wizardry transforms. No more Dead Men's Shoes; no more reference to or concern with Orders or Levels of wizardry.We also explore the role the younger wizards of UU, especially Ponder Stibbons, are playing in a further evolution of wizardry: a movement away from the octograms and dribbly candles of traditional magic practice, and toward a more scientific view of the vocation. Finally, we end with Rincewind, whose evolution through the books takes him from being a failed student, ejected from UU after his look at the Octavo, to being a professor at UU, holding at least 18 positions (most all of which are meaningless) and even being allowed to sit in on faculty meetings.And as always, you can reach me at randy@mindkindle.net, or go to the Portal's Discworld feedback page, at https://discord.gg/snVHpxMRemember you can also join the Portal's Discord chat channel, Friends of the Discworld Portal, at https://discord.gg/YBD2rzK. There are now 11 listeners who have joined this channel, so with any luck we will be able to start having some actual chats soon. I host a one-hour chat at 7 a.m. and at 3 p.m. (US Pacific Standard Time, or 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. GMT.)Finally, here is this week's lottery question, and your last chance to enter the lottery. Winners will be announced at next week's show, which will be the final episode of season three. To the question: If a “lost Discworld” novel were to be found, what would you like it to be about? And remember to keep committing those random acts of kindness. 

In episode 25, Elizabeth, Ben and Noongar writer and poet Claire G. Coleman go back to the early days of the Discworld to Granny Weatherwax's debut in 1986's Equal Rites. Drum Billet, wizard, travels to the village of Bad Ass high in the Ramtop mountains, where at the moment of his death he hands over his wizard's staff to the newborn eighth son of an eighth son. But Eskarina Smith isn't the eighth son of anyone, and it falls to the witch Granny Weatherwax to watch over her. As Esk comes into her powers, Granny realises she needs training in the ways of wizardry lest she pose a danger to everyone around her. So the pair set off to distant Ankh-Morpork on a quest to enrol Esk as the first ever female student of Unseen University... Equal Rites is a book of contradictions: it doesn't feel quite like the Discworld, but it's vital and beautifully written. It's not full of jokes or footnotes, but is consistently funny. And even after more than thirty years, it feels entirely relevant. Do you recognise Esk's struggle? Did Granny feel like Granny yet? And why do think it took so long for Pratchett to revisit some of these characters? Use the hashtag #Pratchat25 on social media to join the conversation and tell us your thoughts! Guest Claire G. Coleman's novels are the multi-award winning Terra Nullius, and her new work The Old Lie. She also writes short fiction, poetry and non-fiction and has been published in numerous publications. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram as @clairegcoleman, or visit her web site, clairegcoleman.com, for more info. Next month we're joined by the Director of the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, Michael Williams, as we celebrate Hogswatch by discussing - what else? - Hogfather! We’re recording on November 13, so get your questions in by then via social media using the hashtag #Pratchat26. You'll find the full notes and errata for this episode on our web site. And if you enjoy Ben’s work here on Pratchat, please consider the Kickstarter campaign for Night Terrace season three - as endorsed by Neil Gaiman!

Follow Jonathan on twitter: @UU_AcademicsFollow me on twitter: @vivianasimos

Follow Jonathan on twitter: @UU_AcademicsFollow me on twitter: @vivianasimosSupport us on patreon! https://www.patreon.com/god_mode

In The Color of Magic/The Light Fantastic and Sourcery, the life expectancy of the wizards of Unseen University is distressingly short. All eight heads of the Orders of Wizardry meet a stony doom in The Light Fantastic, and of course the new Archchancellor at the time of Sourcery never even gets to officially don the pointy Archchancellor's hat, while once again there is a veritable massacre of the senior wizards at the end of the book.In this week's episode we take a look at why that is, and your Gnomic host asserts that their mortality is as much a hindrance to their becoming engaging characters as their generally unpleasant personalities. Thus, the true “sea change” in wizards and wizardry in the course of the books is not the attenuation of their wizardly powers, but Sir Terry's decision to develop them as a group and as individual characters rather than killing them off. Or something like that. This week's lottery question: “Who is your favorite wizard character, and why?”The feedback I received on the issue of show length came down firmly on the side of remaining with the 20-minute show format. However, I will be producing two 20-minute bonus episodes a month, beginning in November. These will be available to Patreon subscribers only. See the Portal's Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=21210045, or just search Discworld Portal on the Patreon home page)for details.This means that the ability to pick a topic for a show, as well as to access the show's chat server on Discord, are no longer restricted to Patreon subscribers. If you have a topic you would like to hear covered, just send in an email requesting it. First come, first served, and I reserve the right to restrict the topic to fit a 20-minute show.. The Discord server is called “Friends of the Discworld Portal.” There is (of course) a mobile app for it, but you can also get the desktop app at discord.com. I will be hosting chats on the server on Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. GMT. You can also go to the server any time to chat with whoever's around—including, rather frequently, me.  

We're joined by Adam, the latest Bushido Grand Master, to discuss the Kaze Kage Zoku faction. We had some production difficulties with this one, so please bear that in mind. https://gctstudios.com/catalog/kage-kaze-zoku https://robotdiceexplosion.podbean.com/

Twenty-one today! In this episode, Elizabeth and Ben are joined by David Ryding of Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature as we rejoin Rincewind and some of his old friends in the 17th Discworld novel: 1994's Interesting Times. Rincewind, the worst student Unseen University ever had, has been quite literally to hell and back. But when a summons arrives in Ankh-Morpork requesting the presence of "the Great Wizzard", his old faculty bring him home, then send him to the far-flung Agatean Empire. All is not well on the Counterweight Continent: rebels are (gently) questioning centuries of enforced order, inspired by the revolutionary pamphlet "What I Did on My Holidays". The ruthless Lord Hong plots to change the Empire forever. The walls have failed to keep out a horde of barbarian invaders - seven of them, in fact. And it's about to be visited by a very special kind of butterfly... Pratchett revisits characters from his first Discworld novels, as Rincewind is reunited with Cohen the Barbarian in Twoflower's homeland. But in 2019, twenty-five years after it was first published, his depiction of a comic fantasy Asia leaves a bit to be desired. There's plenty going on, and some stirring speeches, but it's also hard to ignore that nearly all the main characters are white folks "saving" a nation inspired by real-world Asian countries from itself. Is there a clear message in the book? How does this sit on the evolution of Pratchett's work from parody to satire? And were you glad to see such old favourite characters return, or could you have done without them? We'd love to hear from you! Use the hashtag #Pratchat21 on social media to join the conversation. We hope you enjoyed our first ever live show, recorded at Nullus Anxietas VII, where we discussed Cohen's previous adventure in the short story Troll Bridge! We hope to record more bonus episodes in future, and you can help us do it by supporting Pratchat. In August we leave the Discworld and indeed fiction to read one of Pratchett's oddest books: The Unadulterated Cat, his 1989 collaboration with cartoonist Gray Joliffe, in which he makes the case that the only "real cat" is one that destroys gardens, eats wildlife and makes a thorough nuisance of itself. If you have questions, send them to us via social media using the hashtag #Pratchat22. Show Notes and Errata: David Ryding has been Director of the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature office since its establishment in 2014 (though Melbourne has been a City of Literature since 2008). Prior to that he was director of the Emerging Writers Festival, then executive director of the NSW Writers Centre (now know as Writing NSW). You can find out more about what he does at the City of Literature office at cityofliterature.com.au, and they're also on Twitter at @MelCityofLit. If you're looking for other great literary podcasts made in Melbourne, you can find some listed on their site here.Men at Arms is the fifteenth Discworld novel, published in 1993. We covered it in episode one, Boots Theory, with Cal Wilson."Inscrutable" is a word long associated with stereotypical depictions of Asian cultures, especially the Chinese. It stems from a lack of effort to understand the differing cultural conventions encountered by Europeans, and seems to have reached a height in Victorian literature.Bill Bryson is an American-British non-fiction author whose work covers language, travel, history and science. His best known works include Notes From a Small Island, The Mother Tongue and A Short History of Nearly Everything. The white saviour is a trope in which non-white characters are unable to save themselves, and are rescued from disaster by a heroic white character. The Wikipedia article lists a large number of examples."Eurogames" are a tradition of modern boardgames with their roots in post-war Germany. Such games often focus on strategic depth and a balance of luck and skill. The Settlers of Catan,

Everyone has family-- even the Death of the Discworld. This time we meet Mort, who will become first Death's apprentice and then his son-in-law, and Death himself. We hear an excerpt from Mort that describes Death's first meeting with Mort, at a hiring fair in the little farming hamlet called Sheepridge. Still to come are our first encounters with Death's adopted daughter, Ysabell, Albert (formerly Alberto Malich and 1st Archchancellor of Unseen University) and now Death's manservant, and that little scamp, the Death of Rats, the result of Death once having been separated into innumerable Deaths, one for each kind of creature, and Death's decision, once he'd got himself back together, to incorporate this one small piece of himself back into himself. Don't tell anyone, but the Death of Rats was allowed a separate existence to be Death's imp, the "little scamp" as Death refers to him, who gets to do all the things that it would be inappropriate for Death himself to do. You can reach me at randy@mindkindle.net. I'd love to hear from you. 

In which the Gnome shares some demographic information, and we hear the Death of the Discworld in his own words, at the beginning of the series, in The Color of Magic. In the fullness of time we will come to see how much this Death does not represent the Death of the Discworld. We also begin to learn about how Death came to have a granddaughter and why the first Archchancellor of Unseen University is now Death's manservant, Some of Death's abilities, those which his granddaughter has inherited, are also revealed, but the explanation of how his granddaughter could inherit anything from him is withheld, for now. Remember you can reach me at randy@mindkindle.net, and that is the email address to use for PayPal donations to the show, should the spirit move you. And as always, thank you for listening. 

Wherein you learn how to contact the Gnome, where to start in the Discworld, and why it is not a good idea to annoy Mrs. Whitlow, the head housekeeper of Unseen University. 

It's all about character this week, as I introduce four of the most memorable characters in the Discworld. Three of them, Mustrum Ridcully, the Bursar, and the Librarian are on the faculty of Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork, and the fourth is Sam Vimes, member of the city watch and probably the most richly-developed of all Terry Pratchett's characters.  You also get to hear a bit about Holly and Ivy, as well as how the name of the show and the on-air name of its host came to be. 

Dash tries to steal the book from the library at Unseen University. How hard could that be? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Our 3 kiddos infiltrate Unseen University, the premier wizarding university on the disc. Ella gets to flex her stealth muscles and Nate meta games trying to decipher what book title Adam made up in the moment. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Granny Weatherwax takes young Esk to Unseen University to do the unthinkable: become a wizard!

For our eleventh episode we welcome Pratchett fan Sarah Pearson to the mic to discuss a Discworld novel of two halves: Reaper Man! The eleventh Discworld novel, published in 1991, Reaper Man is the second book to focus on Death and the newly stable faculty of Unseen University. The faceless bureaucrats of the multiverse have decided Death is sentimental and inefficient, and he's been fired! While he heads off to live among humans for his remaining time - until his replacement comes to claim him - his absence means those who die sort of...don't. That includes Windle Poons, 130-year-old wizard of Unseen University, whose return as a zombie gives him a new lease on life - much to the horror of his fellow faculty members. But Death's absence is having other weird consequences: objects spring to life, non-human species spawn their own Deaths, and strangest of all, a warehouse in Ankh-Morpork mysteriously fills with small glass orbs... Reaper Man's two mostly separate plots - Death's forced retirement, and the wizards' investigation of the alien lifeforms - bring back not only Death but also Windle Poons and the faculty of Unseen University, both introduced in Moving Pictures, alongside cameos by familiar faces like CMOT Dibbler and Fred Colon. Plus we meet a bunch of new and memorable characters: the Death of Rats, the Auditors of Reality, Mrs Cake and her daughter Ludmilla, and undead activist Reg Shoe and his friends from the Fresh Start Club. It's a big cast, but then with two separate plots there's plenty for them to do! We'd love to hear what you thought of Reaper Man; use the hashtag #Pratchat11 on social media to join the conversation.

For our tenth episode it's back to the Discworld - and Ankh-Morpork - as academic, writer and broadcaster Dr Dan Golding joins us for Moving Pictures. The tenth Discworld novel, Moving Pictures was published in Pratchett's most prolific year: Good Omens, Eric and both sequels to Truckers also came out in 1990! Student wizard Victor Tugelbend has been happily failing exams at Unseen University for years...but when alchemists suddenly invent "moving pictures", Victor finds himself drawn to Holy Wood, the mysterious coastal home of this new entertainment industry. He's not the only one: hopeful actors, ambitious producers and even talking animals have all been caught up in the glamour of the "clicks". It's not magic in the wizard sense, but there's definitely something unnatural going on - and it'll take Victor, fellow star Theda "Ginger" Withel, Gaspode the Wonder Dog and the faculty of Unseen University - including new Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully - to solve the mystery of Holy Wood. Bringing modern world concepts to the Disc had always been a feature of the series, but Moving Pictures really kicks off the tradition of "X comes to the Discworld" main plots. Pratchett takes broad aim at Hollywood in a mix of homage and parody, referencing everything from the pre-talkie era to the Golden Age and 1980s blockbusters. It also features first major roles for Detritus and Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler (both introduced in Guards! Guards!), and is the first appearance of Gaspode the Wonder Dog (who returns in Men at Arms) and the stable, ongoing cast of Unseen University wizards. There's so much happening in Moving Pictures, and we'd love to hear what you thought of it! Use the hashtag #Pratchat10 on social media to join the conversation. In our next episode we'll be joined by television captioner and Discworld mega-fan Sarah Pearson as we reunite with Death for the eleventh Discworld novel, Reaper Man! If you have questions you want answered on the podcast, send them in by  via social media using the hashtag #Pratchat11. Show Notes and Errata: Dan Golding is on Twitter at @dangolding. His next book Star Wars After Lucas will be released on May the 4th, 2019, but you can see his ABC series What is Music? with co-host Linda Marigliano right now! Check it out on ABC iView or the triple j YouTube channel. You can find all the info about Dan's excellent podcast Art of the Score with Andrew Pogson and Nicholas Buc at artofthescore.com.au. They also have a Twitter account at @ArtoftheScore. To hear Dan talk about Star Wars music, check out the five Star Wars episodes of Art of the Score (the original film actually gets three episodes!), or watch the video he made for the ABC explaining why the theme is so great. The previous book that kicked off with Death overseeing the passing of a previously unmet character was Sourcery, in which Ipslore the Red dies but tricks Death, passing his soul into his staff. We almost get this sort of beginning in Pyramids, but Pteppic's father only dies after the school days flashback section of the book, and again in Guards! Guards!, though Gaskin dies before the book starts and we instead join Vimes after the funeral. In the real world, cellulose is an organic compound vital to the structure of cells in green plants, while celluloid (eventually a trademark name) was the first kind of thermoplastic, made from cellulose nitrate, used to replace ivory in billiard balls (as discussed in episode one) and widely as a filmstock before the development of safer, cheaper and easier to make acetate film in the 1950s. Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in which multiple (fictional) plots to kill nazi leaders during World War II converge on a Paris cinema at the premiere of a new propaganda film. Liz refers to the 1903 film Electrocuting an Elephant, produced by the Edison Film Company, in which Topsy the circus elephant, who had killed several people,

In episode four, vaudevillian Elly Squires - aka Clara Cupcakes - joins us to discuss one of her first Discworld books, and the start of the witches series proper: Wyrd Sisters! The sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988, it's the second book to feature Granny Weatherwax - but the first to introduce her fellow witches, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. Seasoned witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are adjusting to life in a coven with recently graduated apprentice Magrat Garlick when the king of their tiny country of Lancre is murdered, and his baby son escapes into their arms. The murderer, Duke Felmet, is crowned the new, much crueller king, but with the rightful heir off being raised by a troupe of travelling actors, Granny, Nanny and Magrat must contend with rumour, theatre and their own clashing personalities if they are to change their kingdom's story... The witches are one of Pratchett's most beloved groups of characters, and pre-date both the City Watch and the modern faculty of Unseen University - so it's surprising to see them spring so fully-formed from their first novel! We loved meeting them all over again. We'd love to hear what you think of Wyrd Sisters - if you're joining this episode's discussion on social media, please use the hashtag #Pratchat4 so we can all find each other's thoughts! (Big thanks to listener Jodie for this brilliant idea.) Elly Squires can be found on Twitter as her alter-ego @claracupcakes. She's touring her hit 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, The Worst, to various festivals around Australia and the world, including Fringe World in Perth and the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland. Keep an eye out for her tour dates on Facebook or (if you're not afraid of Russian hackers) at claracupcakes.com. You can read the full show notes and errata for this episode on our web site. Our next book, discussed in our March 8th episode, will be 1989's standalone Discworld novel, Pyramids - and joining us to talk about assassins, gods and a very different tiny kingdom will be comedian Richard McKenzie! We'll be recording on February 19th, so get your questions in before then if you'd like us to answer them on the podcast! You can use the hashtag #Pratchat5 to ask them via social media.

In episode three, comedian Cal Wilson is back to discuss the book that started her passion for Terry Pratchett - Sourcery! The fifth Discworld novel, published in 1989, it features the return of the inept wizard Rincewind. Rincewind is very happy to have left his adventuring days behind him, working as assistant librarian at Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork, the Disc's premiere college for wizards. But just as a new archchancellor is about to be named, the young boy Coin arrives. He is the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son - a Sourcerer, a source of raw magic, something not seen on the Disc since the ancient time of the Mage Wars. As he takes over the university and wizards across the world awaken power they've never known, the end of the world draws nigh...and Rincewind just can't seem to avoid getting involved. Rincewind was Pratchett's first protagonist, and this novel exemplifies all the things that make us love him: genre-awareness, unrepentant cowardice, reluctant heroism, lack of any skill at wizardry and fierce self-identification as a wizard. It also sees the return of the Luggage, a living chest which follows Rincewind wherever he goes. It was a delight for us all to see these characters again, and we have grand plans to go back to their beginnings in the very first Discworld novels... In the meantime, when you've finished listening to this episode, get ready for the next one by reading Wyrd Sisters! We'll be recording on January 14th, so get your questions in ASAP if you'd like us to answer them on the podcast. Show Notes and Errata: Cal is still on Twitter at @calbo. Her new live stand-up show, Hindsight, will be playing in multiple cities at festivals throughout 2018: this page at comedy.com.au lists a bunch of them. (You can also see the poster she mentions; it really is good!)Freddie Mercury was a first son of a son of undetermined order, so his magical powers clearly came from somewhere else.Ben talks a lot about Dungeons & Dragons this episode; if you've no idea what it's all about, his article "What Even Is Dungeons & Dragons?" will get you up to speed.The Age interview with Terry featuring his thoughts on J K Rowling is still online here: "Mystery lord of the Discworld", Peter Fray, November 6, 2004.A person who doesn't realise they're no good at what they do might have a form of cognitive bias known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, named for a 1999 psychological study.Hook turns might not be widely used by cars outside of Melbourne, but they're a common way for bicycles to turn across traffic at cross intersections in many parts of the world.The Annotated Pratchett File (APF for short) is a brilliant source of information on the various references in the novels. We also recommend the Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki, also hosted by the L-Space Web.

Radio Morpork is a podcast that discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Rose and Colm tackle Equal Rites, the book that takes a big step towards a Discworld that would be more familiar to most readers than the madcap fantasy theme park of the first two novels. They also explore the parts of the book that seem might incongruous in retrospect: a Nanny Ogg-esque Granny Weatherwax and a proto-Ridcully era Unseen University. Also, there’s the top 10 One Book Wonder Characters!

Radio Morpork is a podcast that discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Radio Morpork returns! Rose has sadly had to bow out, but Colm is joined by Steve (of our Mort episode fame) to discuss this Discworld oddity. They talk about the limitations of Rincewind as a protagonist, the machinations of Satanic bureaucracy and the continuing taming of Unseen University.

This hour, we’re talking with Philip Ball, author of Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen (University of Chicago Press, April 2015). Ball takes a look back at human fascination with invisibility throughout history, from Plato to the present. And it turns out, science is getting closer to solving the invisibility problem—but if we do…

Eric Idle, then. Member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Rutles and The Unseen University, he's been making people chuckle for years and years, be it on stage, TV screen, cinema, record player or in this instance, podcast recording booth. Here you can find out more about his ongoing Spamalot musical (and the court case it's currently embroiled in), his downloadable stage show What About Dick?, what it was like to shoot The Holy Grail and even his involvement in this year's Olympic Closing Ceremony. So for 40 odd minutes of Idle banter - sorry - click play immediately.

Once again, just to make sure you don’t forget about us, another episode of the podcast ready for your enjoyment. Recently Kickstarter was discussed in the Boardgame Geek website. As most BGG discussion, it was heated and it was intense. This time some people were claiming that Kickstarter is ruining podcasts because we only talk Kickstarter things these days. It transpires that some people don’t like Kickstarter, regardless of podcasts or no podcasts involved. And it seems that those people are placing some weight on us, the podcasters, because it seems that, by giving airtime to Kickstarter projects, we are helping bring on the demise of the board-games industry. So Doctor Reddy, aka the brains of the podcast and I, aka the beauty of the podcast, decided to spend a few minutes discussing our approach and our perceptions of Kickstarter and the influence in the gaming world. This episode’s interview is with David Brashaw, one of the members of Backspindle Games, creators and now also publishers of Guards! Guards! the Discworld based game where you have to join a guild and race around Ank Morpork to deliver spells to the Unseen University. Good luck with that! But they also have released Codinca, an abstract game completely separate and very different from Guards! Guards! In Codinca you have to align some symbols and work around the other player’s moves to finish your combination of symbols before anyone else to win the game. With a feel of ancient style of gaming, it does a really great job and is good fun! And lastly, we discuss the importance of rule book design in games, and I think you’ll be surprised to hear what my beloved Doctor has to say! Oh, and our plans for NaGaDeMon!