“A lie can run around the world
before the truth has got its boots on
- Terry Pratchett, The Truth
How
do we know what is true?
I think this is a most important
question, and we should ask it all the time. Our world is full of
people who want to sell you their ideas and beliefs by marketing them
as the truth. The problem is, it is not uncommon for people's beliefs
to differ from the truth. If you keep an open mind, then it is only a
matter of time before someone comes along and try to put something in
it. We are constantly bombarded by truth claims that ask us to commit
with our minds, time and money. Buying into non-truth, then, can lead
to dire consequences.
Some people say their belief is the
truth because it is written down in a book or in some documents.
However, is something true just because it is written down? Our
culture places a lot of confidence in things that are written down.
The news, for example, is a hub for truth claims that are being
written down, constantly, and people pay to read it and refer to it
all the time. But how do we know if the news is reporting the truth?
Furthermore, should the news be reporting matters of public interest or
individual interest?
In The Truth, the 25th
novel in the much beloved, satirical fantasy series, Discworld,
Sir Terry Pratchett turned his mighty pen on the news/press, and
exploring its power to distribute and create truth. This novel
belongs to “Industrial Revolution” sub-series in Discworld,
and it is also much, much more than just an examination of the press.
Synopsis:
A rumor is gliding over the cobblestone
streets of Ankh Morpork. Darwfs, apparently, have found a way to turn
lead into gold!
What on Disc? Have the dwarfs put the
Alchemist Guild to shame? How can one turn lead into gold?
William de Worde, who earns a scanty
living as a writer of things, discovered the metaphorical truth
behind this rumor. Initially, William was contracted to write down
the story about the dwarfs. In the process, however, he uncovered the
dwarfs have in fact, invented the technology of movable type. An
ingenious idea struck William, he utilized the movable type and
started Ankh Morpork's first newspaper company - The Ankh Morpork
Times.
Not only is William's start-up company
the first of its kind, his choice of staff member is equally as
ground breaking. William's company (unintentionally) promoted
diversity and equal opportunity. He hired a troll, a team of dwarf
printers, an editor, and a reformed vampire who is obsessed about
photography.
William's business soared as the sales
of his newspaper skyrocketed. Unfortunately, very soon competition
challenged William as the wealthy Engravers' Guild found a rival
newspaper called The Inquirer, and they intended to force William out
of business. William, on the other hand, focused his energy on
unraveling the clues to a conspiracy where Lord Ventinari, the
patrician of the city, was framed for an attempted murder.
Little did William know his
investigation was about to unveil a most unsettling truth. Because
the truth, you see, will make you fret...
My thoughts on this book:
I find it difficult to write reviews
for Discworld novels. This is because these books are complex,
social commentaries and they often go deep and explore burning issues
in our society. But I love writing reviews for Discworld
novels. I think these book are worth reading and I want to introduce
them to my fellow readers. In this instance, I think The Truth
represents Terry Pratchett at his best and it is a must read for
new comers and veterans to the Disc.
Terry Pratchett often hit the nail on
the head when he made observations and critiques about our society. Every Discworld novel focuses on a specific theme,
but themes such as inequality, the nature of belief, and the problem
of racism, are prevalent in almost all Discworld novels. This
is certainly the case for The Truth. At its core, this book is
about journalism, but Terry Pratchett also invested a large portion
of the story at exploring issues related to inequality, and the nature of beliefs.
Terry Pratchett has a gift for finding
fantastic ways of putting words together and turning his observations
into sharp, and humorous satires to criticize the absurdities in our
society. For example, in The Truth, Terry Pratchett was spot
on when he pointed the wrongs of media sensationalism and the harms
it can cause to the public. Sir Terry presented his critiques in
parodies that I would describe as "tear-jerkingly funny". Indeed, some parts of this book can exert such comedic effects on its readers that can only result in tears, from laughing too hard. So read at your own caution, you have been warned!
The best thing about Terry Pratchett's
writings, however, lies in his big hearted approach to the things he
wished to criticize. Having said this, in this book, I could sense a
passion that was fueling Terry Pratchett's writings. Behind the jokes, and the
wicked humor, I think Terry Pratchett was really furious about all
the wrongness and injustice in our society and he expressed them in
satires. A good satire carries real power. I agree with Terry
Pratchett's assessments, and I appreciate the fact that he was such an extraordinary satirist, who spoke out against the wrongness in our
society with his excellent stories, on behalf of little folks such as myself. In other words, Terry Pratchett
is my spokesperson.
The Truth differs greatly from
other Discworld
novels. It engaged in several debates related to the
political-ethical front of the news business, but the book left the
debates unresolved. This signified a change in Terry Pratchett's
style because he usually approached a topic with a clear solution in
mind. In this book, through the eyes of William de Worde, the story
explored a question - should news be reporting matters of public interest
or individual interest? In this book, Terry Pratchett presented both
sides of the argument and he left the debate hanging in the air.
On the other hand, the fans' favorite,
Commander Samuel Vimes, returned in this book to play an important
role in the story. In some ways, Samuel Vimes played the role of
antagonist in this book. The story set up a premise where William
clashed against Vimes. These two main characters represent two
ideologies, debating the amount of freedom journalism should possess
and whether if it is ethical for news to be reporting everything. Once
again, Terry Pratchett presented both sides of the argument and left
the debate unresolved.
On top of the debates about the news
business, the story also explored problems of inequality, such as
class and racial discrimination, and its relation to (unfair)
allocation of capital and greed. For me, the golden moment of this
book arrived when Terry Pratchett narrated an analogy, about people
getting drinks in a bar, to illustrate the point that greed is not
without consequences, that one's greed always comes at the cost of
other people's expenses. This was a moment where Terry Pratchett
wonderfully captured, in words, the wrongness of greed, in a dark and
humorous way that has his signature all over it. And you know what
the best thing is about this book? Terry Pratchett packed all these
thought-provoking topics in a satirical fantasy story that is
entertaining and fun to read.
Despite the many praises I have given
to this book, I do not think this book is flawless. When I was
reading this novel, some parts of the storytelling came across as
being disjointed and overly random, to the effect that it disrupted
the story's flow. But this is a minor problem and it is not a show
stopper. On the whole, the storytelling in The Truth is
coherent and a reader can easily follow the story.
Brilliantly funny and thought
provoking, The Truth is a solid entry in Discworld.
Through an entertaining, fantasy story, Terry Pratchett made sharp
observations about the world of journalism, and also tackling the
problem of inequality. But make no mistake, this book is not a bitter expression against the injustices in the world. It is not all doom and despair. As a
veteran reader of Discworld series, I came to appreciate more
and more of the hopefulness that's present in these books. A lot of times when I
closed a Discworld novel, I walked away with the feeling that
despite all the problems, the world is actually not such a bad place.
That oasis do exist somewhere in the desert, sometimes all it takes
is witnessing a small act of kindness. Just like in Sir Terry's
Discworld stories, it is always the small folks, not the big
and mighty heroes, who braved the storms in life and showed that it is
worth living.
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