#93 The Truth

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is pure genius. In it the author creates a world of comedic fantasy which he uses not only to tell interesting stories but to also lampoon fictional tropes and human society as a whole. Many of the books focus a specific theme and explore how it functions in Discworld and thus shading light on its existence in reality, while maintaining a whimsical and creative perspective and utilizing tons of footnotes. Small Gods tackles religion, Going Postal deals with the postal service, and The Truth handles printing in general and specifically newspapers. For my money the Truth is the best of these "theme" books because it does a wonderful job of presenting an alternate way that printing could have been introduced and the troubles that small newspapers must face. It also does a great job of pointing out the power of media and the fact it can be used for good or ill. All of this is balanced with outlandish subplots and entertaining character including one of my favorite Discworld denizens Otto von Chriek. Otto is a vampire photographer meaning he constantly causes himself to crumble into dust due to the flash, he is also a member of a vampire temperance league struggling to live without human blood. But even Otto has hidden depth which is what I love about Discworld it makes you think and feel while still being approachable. Come for the laughs, stay for the thoughts.