The Wyrdest Link: A Terry Pratchett Discworld Quizbook

by David Langford, Terry Pratchett

A follow-up to the highly successful DISCWORLD UNSEEN UNIVERSITY QUIZBOOK, THE WYRDEST LINK will present itself as qualifying tests for various levels of mastery in Ankh-Morpork City's Guilds and other organisations - from the dignified Thieves' Guild to illicit outfits like the feared Breccia (the trolls' Mafia) or the wholly reprehensive Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night (see GUARDS! GUARDS!). As before, the straight Discworld general knowledge inquisition - presented with offbeat twists and linking themes - will be varied with trick questions, outrageous bogglers, and the occasional near-impossible poser to suit all levels of Discworld fans.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Trivia, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Comedy, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2002

About the author

British science-fiction author, editor and critic. He publishes the newsletter Ansible.

Reviews

[Sapphirewine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book for Discworld obsessives to use as a way to decide whose turn it is to do the dishes.

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got 62 out of the 348 questions I answered. Part of the problem is this book was compiled in the late 90s when there were fewer Discworld novels and I was guessing answers to questions for books that didn't exist...

Incredibly in-depth and so Fanboy it's almost vomit-inducing. In the end I guessed Windle Poons for every question and got at least one correct.

Fun for any fans, but be advised on which books the questions are about and do a bit of revision on those.

[Stargazer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, barely got into double figures with correct answers but still enjoyed it. i've read all the discworld books, once randomly, once in chronological order. so if you've only read a couple of books, i'd skip this.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wyrdest Link is ostensibly a Discworld quiz book, compiled by David Langford based on the bestselling series of fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett. Unfortunately, I have to give it a relatively low score of six out of ten purely because it’s not exactly thrilling to read it from cover to cover, like I did. I guess it depends what you’re looking for – if you’re running a Discworld-themed pub quiz, for example, then this is perfect, as long as you’re not too bothered about whether later books in the series are included. If you’re simply a fan of the Discworld series, like I am, then it’s a bit of an odd thing to pick up and read from cover to cover, but it’s also pretty interesting.

This is the kind of book that I wouldn’t recommend unless you’ve read and collected the entire Discworld series and are looking to expand your collection. However, that’s exactly the point that I’m at, which is why I own this book in the first place. In the end, I can’t say too many bad things about it, because it is exactly what it claims to be – the second Discworld quiz book, the sequel to Unseen University Challenge. And before you ask, this book bears literally no resemblance to the Anne Robinson quiz show, The Weakest Link.

Tell you what, though – if you and your friends are all into the Discworld, a book like this would make for a good Christmas gift or something similar. It does tax your knowledge of the Discworld, and if anything, the questions are too hard. But is that a bad thing?

[Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This must be my luckiest find ever: in the last bookshop (of many) in Hay-on-Wye, from the corner of my eye on a shelf where I did not expect it (I think it was labelled History), I thought I spotted something worth my while and there it was, an as-good-as-new copy of The Wyrdest Link.
And after that it was just great fun to try to answer some questions, to have many “O, yeah” moments and remember all the great Discworld things. I think it may be time to start re-reading them.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to test my Discworld knowledge, although I must admit, I don't know as much as I think I do!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great quiz book for anyone who is a fan of the discworld series.