Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Thief of Time (Discworld #26)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 24,001 ratings · 515 reviews

Time is a resource. Everyone knows it has to be managed.

And on the Discworld that is the job of the Monks of History, who store it and pump it from the places where it's wasted (like the underwater - how much time does a codfish need?) to places like cities, where there's never enough time.

But the construction of the world's first truly accurate clock starts a race against...more

Paperback, 430 pages

Published May 1st 2002 by Corgi (first published 2001)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

2013: The Over 35s favourite books of 2013

52nd out of 103 books — 24 voters

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

2013: What the Over 35s Have Read So Far

293rd out of 1,121 books — 91 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 13, 2007 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasyscifi

A small disclaimer for this review: I read this book mostly while I had a fever, so I can't be held accountable for accuracy.

This is the second Pratchett book I've read and though I enjoy him, it's hard for me to shake the thought that I'm reading Douglas Adams light, set in a Dungeons and Dragons fantasy land instead of sci-fi outer space. That's not altogether a bad thing though b/c I Adams is one of my very favorite authors and he did not leave this world with too many books.

Thief of Time, a...more

10 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2008 Novac rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my first exposure to the work of Terry Pratchett. As a long-time Douglas Adams fan, I had heard Pratchett's name many times, but never took the time to actually read one of his books. I grabbed this one because the plot sounded interesting, and when I read the jacket at home, I noticed it was part of the "Discworld" series. Curious about how to properly start the series, a lump formed in my throat as I discovered that there are thirty-two Discworld novels, and that's not counting four y...more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 05, 2008 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comedy

I have been reading Pratchett's books in order and have now completed #26... I have to say that reading what has taken him a lifetime to write is actually a very interesting experiment in watching a writer grow at his craft. Early Discworld books are one joke after another, with the plot simply stringing together the insanity of the humor... but as time has passed, his style had become far more plot driven and far less interested in the humor. True this book is still amusing, but one would read...more I have been reading Pratchett's books in order and have now completed #26... I have to say that reading what has taken him a lifetime to write is actually a very interesting experiment in watching a writer grow at his craft. Early Discworld books are one joke after another, with the plot simply stringing together the insanity of the humor... but as time has passed, his style had become far more plot driven and far less interested in the humor. True this book is still amusing, but one would read it for the plot versus the gags. I don't recall laughing out loud a single time while reading, though I did find much of the History Monks bits to be quite entertaining.

Though they claim this is on of the "DEATH" books, Death plays a very small part, taking a backseat to his granddaughter Susan. Susan has moved on from being a nanny and is now a school mistress. Once again the Death of Rats shows up to tell her that her grandfather needs her to save humanity again. Susan has quite a knack for saving humanity.

Then we have Jeremy, the clock maker... he has been employed by a mysterious woman to build a clock entirely out of glass that will tick with the beat of the world. She of course fails to tell him that a clock like this has been made before... and time stopped...

Susan isn't the only one who will be out to stop Jeremy... we have Lu-Tse and his apprentice Lopsang who are sweepers at the dojo of the History Monks. The wisdom passed from Master to Apprentice is where you will find most of the humor in this book.

The five horsemen of the apocalypse show up... yeah, turns out there were five but one quit a long time ago... but now worries... when it's time to ride out they'll all show up right? I mean Famine, War, Pestilence and Death are always ready to ride out right? Are you sure? Perhaps their hobbies have become more interesting to them.

Then we have the bad guys... the Auditors, we all know them and despise them since they tried to take away Christmas, I mean Hogswatch. The auditors audit the Discworld and truly despise humanity because we are not orderly, tidy or easily cataloged. The auditors play a much larger role in this book than in any of Pratchett's previous works.

Though I enjoyed reading this book, it won't go down as one of my favorite Discworld novels. The introduction of the History monks was nice, and I love Susan as a character... but on the whole the humor was more subtle than I would have liked, and the plot really didn't grab me the way some of the other plot driven novels did. Though Death and Susan are among my favorite characters, they always end up in my least favorite books. Amazing how that happens. Still I would suggest reading this book, it has a wonderful take on logic, rules, and time in general.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 15, 2008 Mirna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. All hail Pratchett!! Ini adalah buku Pratchett kesembilan yang saya baca. HURRAH!

Sesuai judulnya Pratchett kali ini memfokuskan kisah pada Waktu yang ternyata bentuk personifikasinya adalah perempuan, yang jatuh cinta pada seorang pendiri aliran kepercayaan bahwa waktu dapat dipahami bernama Wen the Eternally Surprised, yang belakangan pengikutnya disebut Historian Monks. Bukan biksu sejarawan, tapi Biksu Pengatur Sejarah. Orang-orang Ordo Wen ini tinggal di lembah yang waktunya beku pada keada...more All hail Pratchett!! Ini adalah buku Pratchett kesembilan yang saya baca. HURRAH!

Sesuai judulnya Pratchett kali ini memfokuskan kisah pada Waktu yang ternyata bentuk personifikasinya adalah perempuan, yang jatuh cinta pada seorang pendiri aliran kepercayaan bahwa waktu dapat dipahami bernama Wen the Eternally Surprised, yang belakangan pengikutnya disebut Historian Monks. Bukan biksu sejarawan, tapi Biksu Pengatur Sejarah. Orang-orang Ordo Wen ini tinggal di lembah yang waktunya beku pada keadaan selalu sempurna bagaikan musim semi, literally. Dan di kuil mereka yang rahasia itu terdapat alat pengatur waktu raksasa yang mampu mengambil dan membuang waktu sesuka hati, biksu-biksunya belajar mengiris waktu yang artinya mereka bisa bergerak sangat cepat dengan manipulasi waktu, terdapat sebuah taman berisi lima kejutan yang diisi deretan bonsai gunung, dan seorang master rahasia bernama Lu Tze atau dikenal oleh siswanya sebagai The Sweeper yang dalam kesehariannya adalah...seorang tukang sapu.

Waktu punya dua skandal. Yang pertama adalah hubungan cintanya yang menghasilkan anak lelaki. Lalu yang terakhir adalah peristiwa dikurungnya Waktu dalam sebuah jam dari kaca. Yang terakhir inilah isyu utama Thief of Time karena dikurungnya waktu artinya kiamat, dan seseorang atau sesuatu sedang membangun ulang jam kaca itu.

Death tentu saja harus terlibat karena kiamat itu kejadian besar. Kiamat atau Apocalypse membutuhkan 4 penunggang kuda jaman kiamat alias the 4 Apocalypse horse rider. War, Famine, Pestilence, dan Death. Selain Death, ketiga rekannya ini terpengaruh perkembangan jaman modern sehingga mereka menjadi “kurang sakti” lagi. Bagaikan the Beatles ternyata ada anggota ke lima yang keluar sebelum The Riders ini ngetop. Yaitu Kaos. Kaos kurang “menjual” sehingga ia berhenti, lalu berubah profesi menjadi tukang susu yang terpercaya, dan non-chaotic alias sangat teratur. Pada saat “kiamat” akhirnya kelima tokoh antropomorphic ini bergabung dalam pertemuan reuni dan menghancurkan musuh bersama yaitu para Auditors yang dalam bentuk manusia akan langsung tewas begitu kena coklat. Something had to do with the hormonal orgasmic experience. Oh yeaahhh! Now I know why I LOVE chocolate!

Tokoh utama kali ini adalah Jeremy si tukang jam, dan Lobsang Ludd, biksu muda mantan maling yang punya bakat alamiah memanipulasi waktu. Dipandu Lu Tze dengan kitab berisi kata-kata bijak yang didapatnya dari seorang perempuan tua mantan induk semangnya di Ankh-Morpork, Nyonya Kosmopilite, Lobsang Ludd berusaha memecahkan misteri asal-usulnya. Death di lain pihak, karena merasa terganggu dengan kiamat sebelum waktunya ini, mengirimkan bala bantuan berupa Susan Sto Helit, yang sedang kesal pada kakeknya dan the Death of Rats.
Di akhir cerita semua orang bahagia termasuk cucu perempuan Death yang menemukan teman bermain yang akan lebih memahami dunianya, yaitu anak lelaki Time.

Banyak kata-kata bijak yang dapat dicuplik dari buku ini. Pratchett menunjukkan kalau Nenek bilang itu berbahaya, Nenek pasti benar.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 13, 2008 ivan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, to start some trouble:

I couldn't get more than 15, or so, pages into this. I know Pratchett is much loved, but I can't figure out why.

It seemed to me that very little care went into the writing and none to the editing: It's glib, but not at all funny. Like someone nice trying to reproduce in conversation the feel of a funny book (one by Douglas Adams, say) someone once described to them.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in June 2002.

There are some Discworld novels in which it feels as though Terry Pratchett has got into something of a rut; this is not one of them. The ideas behind it have sources in real world popular culture, as is common in the series; in this case, kung fu movies are a major one. The plot is also not particularly surprising; it is a continuation of the conflict between Death, Pratchett's most popular character, and the Auditors, who want the Universe to b...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Maurinejt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a reread because I wanted to read more about Susan after finishing Hogfather and I thought perhaps I was too harsh in my judgement the last time I read it.

No, not really. Kind of a clunker with interesting bits. While I love Susan and appreciate that she has made peace with the side of her that is Death and is confident in her powers, she also is, for the first time, stodgy and stuck up. She knows she can do things others cannot and she looks down on everyone. She is right, the world is...more

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 lancelot schaubert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

original @ http://literating.wordpress.com/2011/...

The wrath of my inner nerd has been appeased.

No one feared my inner nerd’s wrath because he possessed no nerd-smiting powers like DDOS attacks or Tesla coils. However, had my inner nerd such powers at his disposal – or had he even mild irritation – he would have come across Terry Pratchett’s supreme geek satire and laughed instead.

My first introduction to Pratchett – Thief of Time – reminded me just how much scifi-fantasy and video game lore res...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Discworld novel. Susan, schoolteacher and granddaughter of Death, is recruited to help find the son of Time so together they can stop the building of a glass clock that will stop time forever, which the faceless conclave of Auditors wish so they can file and count everything. At the same time, a humble sweeper and a disciple of the History Monks, who can control and shift time, set out to stop the clock as well.

I’ve read the first three Discworld books, but over a decade ago, and this is somet...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 11, 2011 Bardi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now, as it happens, and as may people are aware, I have no sense of humour. And there were times in the book (roughly every two thirds of a page) when I saw a movement out of the corner of my reading that led me to think that I should be chuckling. Or snorting. Or on too frequent occasions guffawing. Thus as well for those around me that I do not have a sense of humour. Although I do not know then why they kept staring at me.

I am told that most of the Discworld series takes place on a world that...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-world-of-their-own, laughter

As always, Pratchett is fantastic. Want good, smart, "you're as smart as I am so hop in" humor? Read Pratchett. It's like being in on the joke even if you've never heard it before; Pratchett knows you'll get it anyway and appreciate it.

Wonderful, as always, to have Susan in the story. I think we should follow her education methods more often. Death is always entertaining to have around, especially thinking about him drinking tea from a mug labeled, "World's Greatest Granddad" and actually havin...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Nicolas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rayon-fantasy-et-sf, cycle-les-annales-du-disque-monde, temps, combat, complot, mort, initiation

Comment fait Terry pratchett ? A chaque tome, je me demande si il pourra encore explorer de nouveaux aspects de son monde à tiroir, et à chaque tome, il le fait spectaculairement. Dans ce tome, il s'attaque, dans le désordre, aux cavaliers de l'apocalypse, aux vieux moines pleins de sagesse, au temps qui passe, en passant par les musées inutiles. Et chacun de ces sujets mérite qu'on en parle, ce qui est malheureusement très difficile sans déflorer l'intrigue, habilement construite comme d'habitu...more Comment fait Terry pratchett ? A chaque tome, je me demande si il pourra encore explorer de nouveaux aspects de son monde à tiroir, et à chaque tome, il le fait spectaculairement. Dans ce tome, il s'attaque, dans le désordre, aux cavaliers de l'apocalypse, aux vieux moines pleins de sagesse, au temps qui passe, en passant par les musées inutiles. Et chacun de ces sujets mérite qu'on en parle, ce qui est malheureusement très difficile sans déflorer l'intrigue, habilement construite comme d'habitude.
Les cavaliers de l'apocalypse, donc, reprennent une cavalcade, ce qui est difficule pour ces représentations anthropomorphiques qui se sont habituées, semble-t-il, à leur humanité. Heureusement pour elles, le dernier n'est pas, je trouve, le moindre (je lui ai même trouvé une classe largement supérieure à la Pestilence, par exemple, ce qui n'a rien d'étonnant vu l'époque).
Suzanne Sto Hellit joue pleinement dans ce roman son rôle de voix de la raison froide, limite cynique, qui va quand même sauver tout le monde. En fait, elle a un rôle que je trouve bien plus marquant que dans Accros du roc ou le Père Porcher, sans doute parce qu'elle y est définitivement plus adulte et consciente de sa place très particulière dans le Disque-Monde.
Il y a évidement un Igor qui se balade dans un coin, et qui ne manque pas de placer des répliques savoureuses dès qu'on lui laisse ouvrir la bouche.
Mais évidement, la gloire de ce roman, ce sont le balayeur et son apprenti. Des personnages qui montrent à quel point un vieux maître boudhisto-truc-bidule peut être, une fois muni de la dose suffisante d'humour et d'auto-dérision, absolument redoutable pour ceux qui l'entourent. Surtout que ce balayeur-ci est muni de la doctrine très particulière d'une demoiselle d'Ankh-Morpock ...
Bon, bien sûr, vous me direz que le Disque-Monde, je suis fan. C'est vrai.
Cela dit, j'ai trouvé à ce roman une saveur particulière. Peut-être à cause de ce moine boudhiste qui m'a légèrement rappelé celui du film avec Eddy Murphy : Gloden Child, l'enfant du Tibet. Parce que c'est pas tous les jours qu'on rencontre un bonze qui ne se prend clairement pas au sérieux, et qui préfère le balai à la baston. Peut-êtyre aussi que ce nouveau cavalier de l'apocalypse, parfaitement en phase avec notre époque, a réveillé un groupe tombant dans la routine. Peut-être enfin parce que les hommes en noir de ce récit sont parfaitement représentatifs de la bureaucratie. En tout cas, une chose est sûre, il rentre dans la liste des tous meilleurs tomes de cette série, longue, excellente, mais parfois plus excellente encore.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 14, 2010 Kurtbg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my favorite discworld novels. Time, time travel, quantum physics are added to the familiar wit, wordplay, and social references Terry Pratchett infuses into his books. Time is saved, redirected, and reused, but sometimes problems arise (how is time saved? by procrastinators, of course.)The time monks are watching and ready to repair rips, distortions, and leeks in time. A young rebel monk is apprenticed to an older monk who seems to enjoy a status outside the monastery hierarchy a...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2010 Apfel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did a project on this book last year. We had to look through the library to find a book to o a project on so, of course, I immediately set off to look for Terry Pratchett books. This was the only one I had not read that the had (other than Nation which my friend was reading) and I had wanted to do a sci-fiction book for the next project. I had a really hard time trying to convince my teacher this was not a sci-fiction book. She asked if this took place on another planet so I said yes so she de...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2010 Lindsey Duncan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: funny-fantasy

In my experience, there are two types of Pratchett novels: those that start with a tight focus on a single character / plotline and explode outwards, and those that start with several characters / plotlines and converge inwards. To me, the former are far superior, the latter never quite coming together. I never feel like the plot totally makes sense, the characters keep you at arm's length ... and it never quite feels as if they've earned the resolution.

Unfortunately, Thief of Time is one of the...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 07, 2009 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 27, 2009 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Despite being put off by "Small Gods," I had a bad cold and was looking for something easy to read so I tried Pratchett again - this time with "Thief of Time" which a friend had recommended. I liked this one much better. The characters are still cartoon-figures but have much more to enjoy about them than the characters in Small Gods.

I enjoyed the way the main philosophical/James Bond character takes common expressions from a landlady (e.g. "I wasn't born yesterday") and transforms them into dee...more

like · see review

May 26, 2012 Theo Logos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

In `Thief of Time' the Assessors, those mysterious, anal retentive entities who are fanatically dedicated to an orderly, clockwork Universe and hate the messiness introduced by living beings, are at it once again with yet another plot to cleanse the world of the contagion of life. This time, their plot involves the building of the ultimate clock; a device made all of crystal and so in tune with the heartbeat of Universe that it can capture and imprison Time herself (yes, on Discworld, Time is a...more In `Thief of Time' the Assessors, those mysterious, anal retentive entities who are fanatically dedicated to an orderly, clockwork Universe and hate the messiness introduced by living beings, are at it once again with yet another plot to cleanse the world of the contagion of life. This time, their plot involves the building of the ultimate clock; a device made all of crystal and so in tune with the heartbeat of Universe that it can capture and imprison Time herself (yes, on Discworld, Time is a she). To accomplish this, they need the help of Jeremy Clockson, a clockmaker whose brilliance at his trade is only rivaled by the unsettling instability of his personality. More remarkably, they find it necessary for some of their number to actually assume human form and risk the horror of personality to accomplish their goal. Opposing their diabolical plan are the History Monks (a super secret order who work behind the scenes to preserve the integrity of history), and Death, who once again marshals his forces and rides to the rescue of life. As with many of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, this plot is of little importance in itself, but serves mostly as the loose framework upon which he can hang his amazing characters and an excuse to display his highly evolved and hilarious sense of satire and parody.

Discworld fans will recognize many old friends in the present cast, led by Death himself, who as usual displays his grim fascination with and sympathy for those living creatures that are his responsibility to terminate. His companions, Death of Rats and Quoath the raven (the Laurel and Hardy of grim reaping), along with his ever resourceful granddaughter, the stern and perpetually ticked off Miss Susan do most of the footwork, while he rides off to marshal the rest of the Four Horsemen to ride as the world's quite Apocalypse approaches. Even Granny Ogg, the most colorful of the three Lancre witches has a significant cameo which adds nicely to her legend. But stealing center stage for much of the book is Lu-Tze, the humble sweeper and mythic hero of the History Monks. He shines as he expounds upon his Way, a body of wisdom learned from an old lady seamstress and consisting entirely of stale clichés treated as deep, sacred wisdom, and as he displays a remarkable grasp of the art which senior Lancre witch Granny Weatherwax calls headology, which he continually demonstrates in his own sly, unassuming style.

Pratchett's satire is sharp as ever, as he tackles everything from the apparent absurdity of mystical philosophy (and the fact that it sometimes works in spite of this) to the wild realm of Chaos Theory. Along the way he interjects priceless parodies - Qu, the History Monk's device expert (a la 007), who creates such items as exploding begging bowls with spring loaded blades; the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, who split with the other four early on because of creative differences and went on to pursue a career in dairy products, and of course, death by chocolate.

`Thief of Time' is not the best place to begin if you have never before read any of Pratchett's Discworld novels. Though it can stand alone, it builds upon themes and characters that have appeared in previous novels, such as `Hogfather', `Reaper Man', `Mort', `Wyrd Sisters', and others. If you are already familiar with some or all of these books, you can appreciate `Thief of Time' to the fullest extent of its brilliance. I recommend this one for experienced Discworld travelers.(less)

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Janna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first Terry Pratchett ever, I found Thief of Time to read very smoothly and still be engaging and interesting. The author has a unique way of mixing deep philosophical and anthropological thought with hilarious humour. Especially the character of Death is simply priceless.
However, I noticed a large decrease in quality during the second half of the novel. Scenes suddenly stretched out too long, jokes got a little lame, some characters (Susan, especially) seemed shallow and annoyingly overdone....more

like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Jacqui Talbot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everybody wants more time, but one man is about to stop it for good by constructing the world’s first truly accurate clock. The Auditors—spirits who, like Accountants from Hell, try to keep the Universe in order—have decided their task would be much easier if time would just stop. Then they could sort everything out and it would stay that way. So, they hatch a plan to commission the Perfect Clock. It falls to History Monk Lu-Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd to find the timepiece and stop it b...more

like · see review

Jan 08, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, comic

Thief of Time involves the � Auditors� who, continually disgusted at the disorganisation that is life, commission the building of a perfect clock, which, once built, will stop time in it� s tracks, and all life will freeze in a single moment. Then the universe will be tidy. However they hadn� t counted on a strange Monk of Time, Lu Tze, his strange apprentice Lobsang Ludd, and of course, Susan& [return][return]This is Terry Pratchett at somewhere near his best. Unlike many people, I don� t a...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2009 Cory rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent book. It's up there in my top 5 Discworld books. Lu-Tze is my second favorite character, after Sam Vimes. I first encountered him in "Night Watch", and I wasn't so sure he wasn't just a stereotypical characterization of a crazyish monk.. I should've known better, having read several of Pratchett's books by then. It's a very interesting plot that makes you laugh, smirk, and think along the way. As usual, the pacing of the story is excellent. There's no real lag, and though there are sev...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2013 Fiona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: enjoyable-fluff, read-in-2013, warning-magic-ahead

In Which Terry Pratchett Takes The Nature Of Time And Does Weird And Unexpected Things With It. Very well indeed, and with his usual dose of off-the-wall humour. If I were a fictional character, I would like to be Susan Sto Helit, and if I could write as cleverly, as interestingly and as consistently as anyone in the world, it would be PTerry. Another blinder. I read this one at a very leisurely pace, and enjoyed it immensely.

Four stars, because there is a stage adaptation, and in the three days...more

like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Death has a problem - the world is due to end next wednesday. Tradition demands that the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse ride out, but War has married a valkryie and is encouraging an ant world war in is spare time, famine and pestilence have also got other things to worry about, so it looks like Death's on his own.

And then there's the 5th horseman, the one who left due to "artistic differences" before they got famous... And he gets tied up in the end of time, as he happens to be right in Ankh Mor...more

like · see review

May 15, 2011 Wade rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once again, the Auditors are at it. This time, they're messing with Time itself.

Even though I've read this several times, it is still an absolute page-turner for me. Terry had mastered the art of multiple story-lines long before and this book shows off his learnings very well. He knows when to shift to another storyline and keep the reader asking "and what happens next!".

This story also shows his recent learnings about some of more esoteric pieces of science. He would have been exposed to these...more

like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Sally Boots rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Three stars or four? Hmmm.....My son and I were introduced to Terry Pratchett's Discworld when we watched The Color of Magic (on Netflix). We were enthralled with this movie, and--being readers--you can imagine our glee when we found out that there were dozens of Discworld books available.Thief of Time was my first of these and it was a blast, reminiscent of Douglas Adams but more "pastistic." (This is a word my son invented; it is the opposite of "futuristic." Think steampunk.) I can't possibly...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: my nerdy friends

I liked this a lot, and I'm glad I've finally experienced Terry Pratchett solo (I had previously read "Good Omens", his collaboration with Neil Gamian, which I also liked quite a bit.) There's really nothing I can say about this book, or my impression of Pratchett in general, that hasn't been said by others of his legion of fans, or appreciative critics- but... Pratchett's stuff is like a mash-up of Douglas Adams and JRR Tolkien, with the imaginative volume turned up to 11. Very funny, in a slap...more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Leanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For 2 years my poor boyfriend tried desperately to sell me on reading this book. For 2 years I refused. So, for 2 years I missed out on one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Terry Pratchett books. From the minute I began reading I was completely hooked particularly with its focus on my favourite characters of Death and Susan (and of course the appearance of the ever lovable Death of Rats). With the usual Pratchett wit and imagery you are taken on a wonderful, mad, completely insane adventure...more

like · see review

Apr 30, 2013 Shankar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'[T]hey're finding out what being human really means.'
'Which is?'
'That you're not as much in control as you think.'

---

Susan had been unusually inexact. To call Wienrich and Boettcher 'chocolate makers' was like calling Leonard of Quirm 'a decent painter who also tinkered with things', or Death 'not someone you'd want to meet every day'. It was accurate, but it didn't tell the whole story.

For one thing, they didn't make, they created. There's an important difference*. And while their select littl...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fun, light, compulsively readable. Too readable. After a three day binge on this one, I'm going to have to not pick up another Pratchett for a month at least. This is the sort of light fiction I like. It contains some interesting ideas and viewpoints to turn over while still keeping the pace up. Though I tore through it, Thief of Time's humor wasn't of the laugh out loud variety. Mostly, the plot kept twisting in odd directions, and I wanted to see what Pratchett was going to think up next.

...Bu...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Lost Book!!	1	36	Aug 11, 2012 12:53pm
Flight reading	2	37	Jan 02, 2012 06:40am

combine
Other Editions (42)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

1,791 users

Humor

298 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

94 users

Humor > Comedy

89 users

Humor > Funny

57 users

Science Fiction

33 users

European Literature > British Literature

27 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

20 users

Novels

17 users

Speculative Fiction

15 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel,...more

More about Terry Pratchett...

Books by Terry Pratchett

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Thief of Time

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Thief of Time

“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.” — 7,056 people liked it

“When in doubt, choose to live.” — 118 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Thief of Time
avg rating	preview: Thief of Time Goodreads rating: 4.17 (24001 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/515619.Thief_of_Time?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327936369l/515619.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/515619.Thief_of_Time?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett[/url]

Thief of Time (Discworld #26)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website