Forging forwards, the next book on the list of recently read is Moving Pictures, by Terry Pratchett. Can you tell how I’m on a bit of a Discworld binge?

The standard disclaimer for Discworld books applies here. I cannot help but filter my impressions of any one of the books through my impressions of the series as a whole. Your mileage may vary.

Moving Pictures is about the rise and fall of the Discworld film industry. Alchemists discover how to make an illusion of movement through showing several pictures very quickly, and go off to set up an entertainment industry in the remote area known as Holy Wood. Unfortunately, Holy Wood is located in a spot where reality is a bit thin, so the burgeoning industry threatens to breach the barrier and unleash untold horrors upon the world.

This is one of the very few Discworld novels which completely failed to grip me. In fact, I think there are only two I can say that about. I didn’t care much about the characters, and those I did care about, chiefly because they’ve appeared in more interesting books, had only small appearances. The plot is all right, but for some reason, I never bothered all that much about what would happen next, a rarity indeed when the cover bears the name Pratchett. Only towards the very end of the book did I start getting curious, when the Cthulhu-esque elements began to play a bigger part. The only thing I can’t fault is the humour, which as always is fantastic, and was here the only reason I managed to get to the end.

And, of course, you’ve got to like the implication that Hollywood is summoning demons.

There are a lot of references to the real world film industry in this novel, from characters modelled on real people to the many, many quotes from various films. This is fun, of course, when you catch it. Much, much of it I only learned of when reading annotations later. Perhaps I would like the book better if I were more of a film geek.

Like I said, I don’t care about the characters, possibly because I already knew that the main pair were one-shots. As for the major supports, they happen to be some of my least favourite Discworld characters, so I suppose I’ve just struck out on this one.

I cannot very well recommend the book very strongly after this review, but I suspect it might be more enjoyable if read in the right order, not knowing what turns the story will take in later chapters. If you do happen to be a movie buff, his might well be your Grail, but for me, it was more chore than enjoyment.