Book Review: Lords and Ladies by Sir Terry Pratchett

I recently read my first-ever Discworld novel, Lords and Ladies. Sir Terry Pratchett was obviously a brilliant man. Lords and Ladies is not the first book in the series, but given what the author himself said about these novels, it is not essential that they be read in order, although going forward, I think I will start at the beginning.

I think many fantasy authors dream of creating a world big enough and interesting enough to write multiple stories within it. For some, you could even say it’s the home they long for but could never find. Like Terry Pratchett, that is what I hope to achieve someday.

What I loved about Discworld is that even though I did not start at the beginning, I had an exceptionally easy time settling into Pratchett’s world and imagining myself in it. Pratchett gives enough detail to allow the reader a solid foundation from which the rest of the world can be built in their imagination.

Despite being imaginary, the characters leaped off the page. With relatable personalities, it was easy to fall in love with them, empathize with them, and feel sympathetic for them.
I initially picked up Lord and Ladies after reading a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) or Instagram…maybe Facebook…by Morgan Daimler (an expert in the realm of the Fair Folk). The post referenced a quote from this book that intrigued me, discussing the way in which time passing tends to dull our perception of history, and often that leads to people forgetting why things are done the way they currently are.

An example would be how in modern times, the Fae are often portrayed like those we see in Disney movies. Tinkerbell, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather types. The issue is, if you spend even a small amount of time studying actual folklore, you realize that the reality of these Beings is a far cry from Disney. The unexplained like the feeling of being followed as you walk through the woods alone, or perhaps those lights you thought you saw in the field have names that were once well known, and perhaps even spoken in hushed tones or not at all for fear of who might answer to them.

I think of my own childhood home that bore an iron horseshoe above the door. I’m sure many would simply say that the horseshoe is for luck, but perhaps somewhere in the recesses of my Irish ancestry, Iron over the door was meant for a bit more than luck.

The biggest thing that stood out for me while reading Lords and Ladies though has little to do with the story itself (which for the record, I thoroughly enjoyed). Sir Terry Pratchett, clever master of the written word, DOES NOT USE CHAPTER BREAKS! This was a challenge I had to overcome. When I read, if I have to put the book down for some reason, I prefer to do so in a tidy place in the story. What better spot than the end of a Chapter?

Chapters are like signals to my obsessive brain that I might need to stop, to eat, to sleep, or care for my children maybe? Without a visual cue, I can easily get caught up in my imagination and read until the end, which isn’t exactly accomplished without issues as a mom of 4 boys. I quickly adapted.

Overall, I love that Pratchett, in his own unique way, stayed true to the folklore and if you haven’t read anything by him yet, I highly recommend picking up a Discworld novel.