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The Last Continent
(Discworld #22)
by
'Anything you do in the past changes the future. The tiniest little actions have huge consequences. You might tread on an ant now and it might entirely prevent someone from being born in the future.'
There's nothing like the issue of evolution to get under the skin of academics. Especially when those same academics are by chance or bad judgement deposited at a critical evol ...more
There's nothing like the issue of evolution to get under the skin of academics. Especially when those same academics are by chance or bad judgement deposited at a critical evol ...more
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Paperback, 416 pages
Published
February 1st 2006
by Corgi
(first published May 1998)
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Start your review of The Last Continent (Discworld, #22; Rincewind #6)

Rincewind´s troubles and inner perspectives in the red, dry desert are hilarious, he just doesn´t get what is happening around him, while an alternative evolutionary explanation circles around some time travel fun.
I am no Aussie, but I am at least part of a culture, Austria, that is not just often confused with Australia, but has a very special mentality that makes it the target of stereotypical assumptions that are more often true than not. Pratchett didn´t often enter the cheap nation joke le ...more
I am no Aussie, but I am at least part of a culture, Austria, that is not just often confused with Australia, but has a very special mentality that makes it the target of stereotypical assumptions that are more often true than not. Pratchett didn´t often enter the cheap nation joke le ...more

Apr 25, 2013
Manny
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People in search of bad jokes about Australia
Recommended to Manny by:
The Wikipedia article on drop bears
"Are we all here?" said Archancellor Ridcully as he surveyed the assembled wizards. "Good. Now let's get our brainstorming session started."
"Ook?" said the Librarian in an uncertain tone. The Archancellor glared at him. "Come on, come on, shouldn't be difficult! We need to reset parameters. Push the envelope. Think out of the box."
"What box?" asked the Dean timidly. The Archancellor gave him a withering look.
"For those who somehow missed yesterday's briefing session," he continued, enunciating e ...more
"Ook?" said the Librarian in an uncertain tone. The Archancellor glared at him. "Come on, come on, shouldn't be difficult! We need to reset parameters. Push the envelope. Think out of the box."
"What box?" asked the Dean timidly. The Archancellor gave him a withering look.
"For those who somehow missed yesterday's briefing session," he continued, enunciating e ...more

Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee, Tasmanian Devil, and Olivia Newton John sit enjoying Vegemite sandwiches and discussing Terry Pratchett’s 22nd Discworld novel, The Last Continent.
Steve: Crikey! What a great book, did you all enjoy it as much as I did?
Dundee: Indeed, I did, mate. I spent the arvo tending the barbie and rollin’ on me backside laughing at good ole Pratchett.
Devil: Raararragh!
Olivia: Right you are Taz, who knew the Discworld was chockers of good few, heh? Get away from Anhk-Morpork a ...more
Steve: Crikey! What a great book, did you all enjoy it as much as I did?
Dundee: Indeed, I did, mate. I spent the arvo tending the barbie and rollin’ on me backside laughing at good ole Pratchett.
Devil: Raararragh!
Olivia: Right you are Taz, who knew the Discworld was chockers of good few, heh? Get away from Anhk-Morpork a ...more

Oct 22, 2015
David Sarkies
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Australians
Recommended to David by:
Stewart Wymer
Shelves:
comedy
Pratchett Goes to Australia
28 October 2015
I have to say that when I have read books, or seen TV episodes, by people from foreign parts where they try to satirise Australia I have generally been either unimpressed, or downright insulted (as was the case with the Simpsons Episode where the Simpsons come to Australia, act like a bunch of jerks, proceed to insult everybody, leave an infestation of cane toads, and then go home). As such I was approaching Pratchett's book with some trepidation due to ...more
28 October 2015
I have to say that when I have read books, or seen TV episodes, by people from foreign parts where they try to satirise Australia I have generally been either unimpressed, or downright insulted (as was the case with the Simpsons Episode where the Simpsons come to Australia, act like a bunch of jerks, proceed to insult everybody, leave an infestation of cane toads, and then go home). As such I was approaching Pratchett's book with some trepidation due to ...more

Dec 18, 2013
Melki
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
humorous-fiction
"You call that a knife?" The giant unsheathed one that would be called a sword if it had been held in a normal-sized hand. "This is what I call a knife!"
Mad looked at it. Then he reached his hand around behind his back, and it came back holding something.
"Really? No worries. This," he said, "is what I call a crossbow."
I cringed when I saw that this entry in the series was about the wizards. Normally their haughty behavior (which reminds me SO MUCH of my mother-in-law's most annoying trait), mak ...more
Mad looked at it. Then he reached his hand around behind his back, and it came back holding something.
"Really? No worries. This," he said, "is what I call a crossbow."
I cringed when I saw that this entry in the series was about the wizards. Normally their haughty behavior (which reminds me SO MUCH of my mother-in-law's most annoying trait), mak ...more


This installment in the Discworld series focuses on Rincewind and the senior faculty of Unseen University.
As is known by now, I'm not the biggest Rincewind fan and I was very happy to see that he wasn't center stage here - not alone at least. The Senior Wrangler for example or Ponder Stibbons and the God of Evolution were a hilarious counter-balance.
After his last adventure, Rincewind is in a very dry and hot place, stumbling from waterhole to waterhole. A long distance away, at Unseen Univers ...more

Despite the author's protestations that this isn't Australia in a thin disguise, I am back to confirm that this Last Continent is, indeed, Australia.
Even the God of Evolution basically came right out and said it. :)
Rincewind on another adventure, and this time it's in the outback, putting all his mad survival skills to the ultimate test, mate.
On a side note, the head staff of Unseen University seems to have misplaced themselves.
I can't quite tell whether I enjoyed Rincewind's ongoing adventures ...more
Even the God of Evolution basically came right out and said it. :)
Rincewind on another adventure, and this time it's in the outback, putting all his mad survival skills to the ultimate test, mate.
On a side note, the head staff of Unseen University seems to have misplaced themselves.
I can't quite tell whether I enjoyed Rincewind's ongoing adventures ...more

I enjoyed this book. Am I coming up the raw prawn? Nah, mate. I enjoyed it. 'Strewth. Grab your woolly jumpers and a bowl of pie in pea soup and enjoy it.
Last Continent is a fun, Australian-reference fueled Pratchett classic. Recommended for all fans of Rincewind.
No worries.
...more
Last Continent is a fun, Australian-reference fueled Pratchett classic. Recommended for all fans of Rincewind.
No worries.
...more

The Last Continent is the sixth book in the Rincewind subseries of Discworld. For me, this was one of the more average Discworld books. I don’t normally fall asleep while reading, but the cat and I took a few short naps while reading this book. :)
Rincewind has accidentally become stranded in a remote area of Austral… I mean, in Ecksecksecksecks. While Rincewind is innocently going about his business of trying not to die of starvation or get poisoned by giant spiders, a talking kangaroo tries to ...more
Rincewind has accidentally become stranded in a remote area of Austral… I mean, in Ecksecksecksecks. While Rincewind is innocently going about his business of trying not to die of starvation or get poisoned by giant spiders, a talking kangaroo tries to ...more

Discworld is a world and a mirror of worlds. This is not a book about Australia. No, it’s about somewhere entirely different which happens to be, here and there, a bit…Australian. Still…no worries, right?
Keeping the boss away from your work...
Ponder knew he should never have let Ridcully look at the invisible writings. Wasn’t it a basic principle never to let your employer know what it is you actually do all day?
But no matter what precautions you took, sooner or later the boss was bound to come ...more
Keeping the boss away from your work...
Ponder knew he should never have let Ridcully look at the invisible writings. Wasn’t it a basic principle never to let your employer know what it is you actually do all day?
But no matter what precautions you took, sooner or later the boss was bound to come ...more

In which Rincewind gets sent to my adopted country and encounters every pop culture reference you could think of. Is this how Egyptians react when they read about Djellibeybi in Pyramids?
I remember when I first moved here, middle of Summer, endless days of 40c heat, not even remotely a hint of potential rainfall and then one morning it just hammered down with rain for a few minutes and the roads turned to rivers and everybody seemed to panic a bit. Pratchett nailed it.
The absurdly misplaced affe ...more
I remember when I first moved here, middle of Summer, endless days of 40c heat, not even remotely a hint of potential rainfall and then one morning it just hammered down with rain for a few minutes and the roads turned to rivers and everybody seemed to panic a bit. Pratchett nailed it.
The absurdly misplaced affe ...more

Quick - what do you know about Australia?
I reckon if you live in Australia, you probably know quite a lot. If you've known someone from Australia or perhaps have visited there, you might know a few things. If your experience is limited to a few "Crocodile Dundee" movies and the Crocodile Hunter, then you could probably stand to know a little more. No matter what your level of Australiana is, though, you probably know at least enough to get a lot of enjoyment out of this book, Terry Pratchett's h ...more
I reckon if you live in Australia, you probably know quite a lot. If you've known someone from Australia or perhaps have visited there, you might know a few things. If your experience is limited to a few "Crocodile Dundee" movies and the Crocodile Hunter, then you could probably stand to know a little more. No matter what your level of Australiana is, though, you probably know at least enough to get a lot of enjoyment out of this book, Terry Pratchett's h ...more

Complete Discworld Reread
*Ring*
Hello, Terry?
Ya, it is me, Nathan.
Nathan!
You know, the guy doing the full reread of your Discworld series?
No? Haven’t read one review? Not even…
Really? Wow, really thought some of those would have made it your way. But hey I got a few questions for you.
Huh? Well, it is surprisingly easy to get someone’s home number these days, the internet is a wonderful place. Anyway, I just finished The Last Continent and I am a bit confused.
Yes, I figured out that it was set in ...more
*Ring*
Hello, Terry?
Ya, it is me, Nathan.
Nathan!
You know, the guy doing the full reread of your Discworld series?
No? Haven’t read one review? Not even…
Really? Wow, really thought some of those would have made it your way. But hey I got a few questions for you.
Huh? Well, it is surprisingly easy to get someone’s home number these days, the internet is a wonderful place. Anyway, I just finished The Last Continent and I am a bit confused.
Yes, I figured out that it was set in ...more

This was the first Terry Pratchett book I ever read. Formerly, as I have described in my review of Good Omens, I believed that Gaiman was the funny one and all of the good bits in Good Omens came from him. Then I stopped in Fred Meyer one day to buy a few things before flying home for Thanksgiving, and I saw The Last Continent. What the hell, I figured. I picked it up, expecting to confirm my belief that all of the good bits in Good Omens came from Gaiman. And how wrong I was!
I read this the nex ...more
I read this the nex ...more

I like the Wizards books, I do. The scenes involving them are always a good time in making fun of bureaucracy and tradition and old white men. They are also usually very silly. But I have yet to love one of the Wizard books. It's just so hard for them to have an emotional through line like so many of Pratchett's other books do.
Like, this book wasn't really about anything. Sure, on the surface it's the Wizards flouncing off accidentally to Not Australia (aka XXXX aka the titular last continent) i ...more
Like, this book wasn't really about anything. Sure, on the surface it's the Wizards flouncing off accidentally to Not Australia (aka XXXX aka the titular last continent) i ...more

Apr 18, 2019
Ric
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2019-reading-challenge
Discworld is one of my favorite series of all time, but if there’s one weakness at all it’s Rincewind as a main character. I feel like this was one of his better stories, but with that being said it’s closer to 3.5 stars for me and I’m rounding up from that.
The Last Continent took place on the Disc’s version of Australia, and having never been there I can’t say whether it was an accurate representation. However, it did have a bunch of stereotypes that you’d expect, like kangaroos (talking ones ...more
The Last Continent took place on the Disc’s version of Australia, and having never been there I can’t say whether it was an accurate representation. However, it did have a bunch of stereotypes that you’d expect, like kangaroos (talking ones ...more

While there is no such thing as a bad Discworld novel, some are definitely much better than others... and falling somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for me, this witty parody of the Disc's equivalent of Australia mostly falls in the latter category.
Mind you, there are some awesome and unexpected references that go beyond the obvious and sort of tired old jokes about weird and/or venomous animals not found anywhere else and vegemite, with Pratchett also covering more obscure Australian oddities such ...more
Mind you, there are some awesome and unexpected references that go beyond the obvious and sort of tired old jokes about weird and/or venomous animals not found anywhere else and vegemite, with Pratchett also covering more obscure Australian oddities such ...more

This is one of the few Discworld books I hadn't read. It wasn't a favorite, but even okay Pratchett is like 10x better than most authors.
...more

The Last Continent is the 22nd Discworld novel and the 6th in the Rincewind sub-series. As with other Rincewind books, the story is told as a string of parodies without much of a plot. Apparently Pratchett wanted to pay a homage to Australia, Discworld style.
The story is broken into two narratives. Rincewind doing what he does best - running away from danger and accidentally saving the day in the process - on the continent of Four Ecks. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Unseen University accidentally fi ...more
The story is broken into two narratives. Rincewind doing what he does best - running away from danger and accidentally saving the day in the process - on the continent of Four Ecks. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Unseen University accidentally fi ...more

Oh gosh, this Discworld has lots of academia jokes, which I love.[return][return]"I shall endeavor to make study of any primitive grass-skirted peoples hereabouts," added the Dean, with a lawnmower look in his eyes.[return][return]I've decided that Rincewind, the missing wizard, is another favorite character. He reminds me so much of Bill Bryson, author of In a Sunburned Country and many other wonderful books.[return][return]Ponder Stibbons, another of my favorite Discworld characters because he
...more

I'm a Pratchett fan and have been for years. In general I love his writing and humour. I find it remarkable that his writing varied SO much between two books about the same character. Having read Colour of Magic not long after it was published I have a soft spot for Rincewind. Not long ago I read Interesting Times and frankly it was pretty poor. This one is vastly different.
EcksEcksEcksEcks - the Last Continent - is loosely about Australia plus all the usual wizard folk and Rincewind. It is very ...more
EcksEcksEcksEcks - the Last Continent - is loosely about Australia plus all the usual wizard folk and Rincewind. It is very ...more

I've kept reading this book but still, things didn't go better. The story is a mess, maybe I should have started from book one...
...more

Dec 13, 2014
Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own
Published: 01/03/1999
Author: Terry Pratchett
Recommended for: fans of fantasy novels
This is another great book in the famous Discworld series, in this book we are transported to the magical, mystical world that Terry Pratchett has created. We meet characters such as: Rincewind, Luggage, The Libarian, DEATH and Mustrum Ridcully.
In the book we go on another great adventure with Rincewind (the wizard who can't quite spell wizard) and his faithful companion Luggage, this book can be read as a stand ...more
Author: Terry Pratchett
Recommended for: fans of fantasy novels
This is another great book in the famous Discworld series, in this book we are transported to the magical, mystical world that Terry Pratchett has created. We meet characters such as: Rincewind, Luggage, The Libarian, DEATH and Mustrum Ridcully.
In the book we go on another great adventure with Rincewind (the wizard who can't quite spell wizard) and his faithful companion Luggage, this book can be read as a stand ...more

I think it is no surprise to everyone I loved this, after all Rincewind is my favorite character and he really shines in this one.
I have to say though it is a bad book to go in without any prior knowledge of the world and characters. Usually it's possible to pick up any book and follow things, but with this I would say you wouldn't enjoy it unless you are familiar with the characters and world more.
So better start at the beginning of the Wizard storyline - never wrong in my opinon as that are bo ...more
I have to say though it is a bad book to go in without any prior knowledge of the world and characters. Usually it's possible to pick up any book and follow things, but with this I would say you wouldn't enjoy it unless you are familiar with the characters and world more.
So better start at the beginning of the Wizard storyline - never wrong in my opinon as that are bo ...more

Aug 01, 2007
Kay
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
fantasy_sci-fi
My Washington Post "Book World" review from May 1999
You Call That a Knife?
British author Terry Pratchett is sometimes referred to as "prolific," a term used almost reproachfully. Not only is he prolific, but he also writes books which for lack of a better description are classed as fantasy. "Surely," the Serious Reader sniffs, "you're joking."
No, mate, I'm not. Welcome to the 22nd novel in Pratchett's Discworld series, The Last Continent. A disclaimer on the book's jacket says that the continent ...more
You Call That a Knife?
British author Terry Pratchett is sometimes referred to as "prolific," a term used almost reproachfully. Not only is he prolific, but he also writes books which for lack of a better description are classed as fantasy. "Surely," the Serious Reader sniffs, "you're joking."
No, mate, I'm not. Welcome to the 22nd novel in Pratchett's Discworld series, The Last Continent. A disclaimer on the book's jacket says that the continent ...more

Archchancellor Ridcully, the Dean, Burser, Senior Wrangler, Lecturer in Recent Runes, Chair of Indefinite Studies, Ponder Stibbins and the Librarian, along with Head Housekeeper, Mrs. Whitlow, who ends up with them by mistake, all find a secret room in Unseen University and are all transported back to the beginning of time and the birth of a new continent, where they meet a couple of gods. It’s not easy for the Librarian, who’s caught a bug and every time he sneezes turns into something with red
...more

Reread 2020: I'm reading this after taking a brief career break from Australia to help during the pandemic in the UK so this is full of memories of Oz for me while in my home country. I love the research Terry has put into the Indigenous Australian art and history for this book, that I clearly missed the first time reading this book as an ignorant, untravelled teenager. The in jokes about drop bears and Crocodile Dundee are also hilarious. I have definitely enjoyed this book more after living in
...more
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2015 Reading Chal...: The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett | 4 | 20 | Mar 15, 2015 05:33PM |
Born Terence David John 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, i ...more
Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, i ...more
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