The Hogfather Re-Read

From the ever-fertile imagination of Terry Pratchett comes his Discworld take on Christmas, but with our familiar seasonal traditions seen through a distinctly unusual lens. Now, for those of you who have never come across Discworld, I had better give you an introduction to a world quite like our own, but at the same time very different.

Discworld

Floating through space, supported by four elephants perched on top of the turtle, the great A’Tuin is Discworld, a flat planet with a variety of species co-existing, albeit uneasily. There are wizards, dwarves, trolls, vampires, zombies and, for want of a better word, human beings. As well as all of these there are supernatural beings who keep a not always benevolent eye on the goings on in the world. By far the most benevolent of these beings is Death who has become very fond of people. He and his Granddaughter are central to what happens in this novel.

The Plot

The story starts with a visit from a group of shadowy beings called Auditors. They are much like all managers in that they cannot deal with anything that diverges from their plans. One of the things that diverges from their idea of a smooth-running universe is superstition. They appear in the Assassins Guild one night and ask to have the Hogfather removed from existence. Like Father Christmas, the Hogfather travels to every child in Discworld dispensing presents in a sleigh pulled by four massive hogs. Children write to the Hogfather and leave out pork pies and sherry as well as root vegetables for the pigs. Like Father Christmas, the Hogfather depends on belief, without which he is unable to function. When the Hogfather disappears, it is up to Death to stand in for him to make sure that belief does not vanish. Whilst Death is delivering presents, his granddaughter Susan is given the task of finding the Hogfather. It turns out that his disappearance has something to do with the Tooth Fairy so Susan has to visit the Tooth Fairy’s realm. While all this is happening there is extra belief floating about in the world that leads to the creation of other supernatural beings like Bilius, the Oh God of Hangovers!

A commentary on our own world

In amongst the very strange cast of characters and the even stranger plot, there is a satirical eye cast over the behaviour of human beings here on Earth. Christmas is clearly the main target with its commercialism, excess and mash-up of traditions under fire from the occasionally sharp pen of Pratchett. There are superb set-pieces with the different gods, many of whom seem to be as bemused as the inhabitants of Discworld by their roles and their places in the scheme of things. Death delivering presents is utilised brilliantly as a vehicle for examining the logic, or otherwise, of Christmas. In one particularly funny scene, which riffs on Miracle on 34th Street, Death takes over as a department store Hogfather, and things start getting quite confusing for everyone. You see, Death assumes that the Hogfather will give children the presents they ask for, no matter how dangerous or impractical they are. There is a computer created by one of the wizards run using the power of an anthill leading to an ‘Anthill Inside’ joke that will mean more to those of us who remember early laptops than those who have grown up with the newer versions! In the final pages (no spoilers from me I promise), there is a quite scathing view of the nature of belief outlined by Death that never fails to hit home.

Why should I read The Hogfather?

Even if you are not a fan of fantasy, I really urge you to give this book a try. The use of Christmas as the basis for Pratchett’s humour makes this the most accessible place to start in my opinion. He will make you think, and he may make you question your ideas on a range of topics, especially if you read other Discworld books. Above all, however, he will make you laugh, often out loud and in today’s world who can pass up a chance for laughter?