Alright, here's another one that made it to my favorite Pratchett novels. Yea, like I said earlier, that is one lengthy list. The Truth was Sir Terry Pratchett's 25th novel based in Discworld. In this novel, he introduces a few more main characters into the weird and wonderful Ankh-Morpork community. And as it turns out, they were all lovable ones in their own right. 

In case you haven't guessed already, The Truth is about Ankh-Morpork getting its very own newspaper. Imagine the chaos, the gossip, the weird little human interest stories. In a quirky city like that, we can expect a generous dose of eccentricity making its way to the papers. And it does. But, as you can expect, it was the bigwigs of the city who became offended by the paper. Which in turned paved way for Pratchett's gentle method of social commentary.

Alright, so basically, the story is about William de Worde, a nobleman who works for a living. He uses his scribing skills and creates a newsletter for a select group of interested folk. Well, after meeting up with a bunch of printers (who are dwarfs), he ends up establishing the city's very own newspaper.

As time goes on, he hires more folks to work with him. Initially, he has just a handful of employers, ones who are colorful nonetheless. One's Sarchissa Crisplock, a snarky female reporter, who has a flair for creating attention grabbing pieces and the other is Otto, a vampire who is a black ribboner. For those not in the know, a black ribbon holder was someone who had given up drinking blood (sounds painfully like vegan vampires, but somehow more suave than what's-his-face). They do this by going to meetings and singing songs. Otto is the photographer for the paper and he ends up in various situations where he nearly relapses into his blood sucking habits.

Well, Worde sets up the paper and it is a grand success. And while finding information for building up the various sections of the paper, the group discovers a plot to overthrow the Patrician. And now, they might be targeted by the very folks who are trying to snuff the light out of the city leader.

What I loved about this novel was, firstly, the references to the publishing world. When checking out the workings of Ankh-Morpork's own newspaper, we get a glimpse of the way real world papers also work. In this way, the author pokes fun at the processes involved as well as making friendly jabs at the type of folks who read the most sensational stories. Given how humorous vegetable pictures are still granted coverage in modern papers, it was hilarious to see how the fictional city paper handled this topic. Thus, whilst the suggestions of eager vegetable cultivators were always welcomed by Worde, a lot of times their products were too weird to make it into the news.

The headline writing process is also worth noting. Worde and his group play around with various types until they hit upon ones that are guaranteed to grab attention. This little process is guaranteed to have you giggling away. In addition to this, the author also throws in little tidbits that laugh at the language ambiguity created by top selling headlines. My favorite so far was “Patrician Attacks Clerk With Knife (he had the knife, not the clerk)”. Come on, that was hilarious!

Finally there are the characters introduced in this novel. As usual, Pratchett fleshes them out as likable, human characters who also have very distinct traits. You know, little mannerisms and habits that make them more well-rounded. And of course, it is no surprise that these characters end up playing important side roles in future Ankh-Morpork stories. Take for example Monstrous Regiment. In this novel, Worde and his journalists play a vital role in highlighting the plight of Polly and her countrymen to Ankh-Morpork and the rest of the (Disc)world. 

So, who's who in the city's publishing world? I've already mentioned Crisplock. I love the fact that she is neither ditzy nor too homely, too traits that are easily found in female characters. Pratchett's female characters always have substance and you can see this in Crisplock. Then there is Worde. He has a less cynical disposition than Vimes but, like him, he longs for a world where folks would get along with each other. That's where the similarities end since Worde's character is an interesting mix of bookish smartness (resulting in a bit of confidence in himself) and low self-esteem resulting from Daddy issues. Then there is Otto, the goofy, eccentric and intense vampire. He is quite like a geek with a gadget obsession. I always look forward to bits about Otto as they make delightful reading.