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A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.
Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl—not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.
From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.
Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a complex and fascinating world.
A 2013 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
“Pratchett weaves fact and fiction seamlessly....Genius.”
Sir Terry Pratchett's many honors include the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Printz Honor, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Britain's Carnegie Medal, the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for lasting contribution to young adult literature, and the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. His books have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide. Knighted for his "services to literature," Sir Terry lives in England with his wife and many cats.
Beloved British writer Pratchett first jump-started his career while working as a journalist for Bucks Free Press during the '60s. As luck would have it, one of his assignments was an interview with Peter Bander van Duren, a representative of a small press called Colin Smythe Limited. Pratchett took advantage of his meeting with Bander van Duren to pitch a weird story about a battle set in the pile of a frayed carpet. Bander van Duren bit, and in 1971 Pratchett's very first novel, The Carpet People, was published, setting the tone for a career characterized by wacky flights of fancy and sly humor.
Pratchett's take on fantasy fiction is quite unlike that of anyone else working in the genre. The kinds of sword-and-dragon tales popularized by fellow Brits like J.R.R. Tolkein and C. S. Lewis have traditionally been characterized by their extreme self-seriousness. However, Pratchett has retooled Middle Earth and Narnia with gleeful goofiness, using his Discworld as a means to poke fun at fantasy. As Pratchett explained to Locus Magazine, "Discworld started as an antidote to bad fantasy, because there was a big explosion of fantasy in the late '70s, an awful lot of it was highly derivative, and people weren't bringing new things to it."
In 1983, Pratchett unveiled Discworld with The Color of Magic. Since then, he has added installments to the absurdly hilarious saga at the average rate of one book per year. Influenced by moderately current affairs, he has often used the series to subtly satirize aspects of the real world; the results have inspired critics to rapturous praise. ("The most breathtaking display of comic invention since PG Wodehouse," raved The Times of London.) He occasionally ventures outside the series with standalone novels like the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, a sci fi adventure sequence for young readers, or Good Omens, his bestselling collaboration with graphic novelist Neil Gaiman.
Sadly, in 2008 fans received the devastating news that Pratchett had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. He has described his own reaction as "fairly philosophical" and says he plans to continue writing so long as he is able.
Discworld is not just the subject of a bestselling series of novels. It has also inspired a series of computer games in which players play the role of the hapless wizard Rincewind.
A few fun outtakes from our interview with Pratchett:
"I became a journalist at 17. A few hours later I saw my first dead body, which was somewhat…colourful. That's when I learned you can go on throwing up after you run out of things to throw up."
"The only superstition I have is that I must start a new book on the same day that I finish the last one, even if it's just a few notes in a file. I dread not having work in progress.
"I grow as many of our vegetables as I can, because my granddad was a professional gardener and it's in the blood. Grew really good chilies this year.
"I'm not really good at fun-to-know, human interest stuff. We're not ‘celebrities', whose life itself is a performance. Good or bad or ugly, we are our words. They're what people meet.
Wordmistress
Posted Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012
While it is different from Sir Terry's other fiction, this book enamored me from the first chapter. It is a most literate, fascinating, and wonderful! historical fantasy story, set in early Victorian London, with Charles Dickens as one of the main characters. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I admit to reading his acknowledgments at the end of the book first, which helped give the narrative much more meaning to me. One ought not let the fact that Dodger is not set in Discworld dissuade you from getting this book immediately. It is Fine Literature of the highest degree. Enjoy! ;-)
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Nov 14 00:00:00 EST 2012
This is another if Terrys works where the leading characters have won me over with their mischevious personalities and sharp wit. Quitr happy to have this in my collection
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Feb 16 00:00:00 EST 2013
Very interesting, conceptually, and executed with the flair that i have come to expect from Sir Terry's work over the years. I have always enjoyed his young adult titles as much as his adult fiction.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2013
Terry Pratchett once again charms and delights - this time with an historical fantasy that weaves Victorian London, Charles Dickens and Sweeney Todd (just to mention a few) all through the eyes of that charming rogue the Artful Dodger. Once again Mr. Pratchett comes through with a treet not to be missed. I know this is one I'll enjoy again and again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2013
The idea about a work on the true Dodger of Dickens fame and the fact this was a period piece drew me to this work. Parts of it were interesting. Parts suspended belief. Parts were predictable. Parts were bizarre. The involvement of various historical characters was okay, added a little to the story, but added to the disbelief on some levels. The elements I liked were the description of Victorian England, the prose, and presentation of the different treatment and attitudes related to class. The parts that were difficult to accept, even knowing this was a work of fiction, involved the developing relationship between a sewer dweller and a "semi-royal", and the constant stream of "fortuitious" circumstances and successful outcomes based in part on the naievete of players.. If Mr. Dodger lived today he would be a consistent lottery winner given the luck described. The prose is quite good. The pace of the book is a little formal, consistent with the pace found in many novels of the era. It isn't high on my recommended list, but it isn't a bottom feeder either.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 2013
Some of the slang gets you, but overall, a wonderfully witty read with smart characters you can care about.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jan 18 00:00:00 EST 2013
I have loved all of T Pratchett's work. This one set in England during the time of Charles Dickens is no exception. It abounds in wit, colorful characters and dialect, twist and turns. The plot is an old one, boy saves girl and finds out he is a better man for it. But it is fresh told with Pratchet's style and humor. Sutiable for all ages. Loved it. Hazar
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Jan 02 00:00:00 EST 2013
Good book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2012
Pratchett is my all-time-ever favorite author and this book did not disappoint. I simply love Dodger and hope to read more of his life in the future.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Dec 28 00:00:00 EST 2012
I am a relative newcomer to Sir Terry's catalogue, having consumed the Discworld ouevre in about six months a couple years ago. I was delighted with the other works later, but I would never have categorized any in the absolute top tier of literary work. Entirely enjoyable, yes - nearly, but not classic.
Dodger, on the other hand, surpasses the rest of his previous output. This novel should be held up as one of the works taught in advanced high school literature classes. It has it all. It is a seminar in novel writing. You MUST read this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Amazing. Terry Pratchet has a gift for writing.
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Posted Thu Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Never read Sir Terry's writings before and was unexpectedly delighted! The characters are very well developed as are motivations. Subtle humor and engaging protaganist made this a wonderful read. Appreciated the "Forrest Gump-esque" history of Victorian England as told through Dodger.
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Posted Tue Dec 25 00:00:00 EST 2012
It took me awhile to get into this book because the start was slow...setting up the characters and explaining to the audience what "toshing" in the old London sewers was all about. The appearances of historical characters was fun, especially "Charlie" Dickens. The footnotes that are part and parcel to Terry Pratchett are present in the book and is his wit and charm.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Dec 22 00:00:00 EST 2012
I love almost all his books and this is no exception. Not set in Disc world but with many of the same themes and kinds of characters. The nod to real history adds to the story. Quite enjoyable.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Dec 14 00:00:00 EST 2012
I got to love the Dodger ... admittedly slowly at first, as I am not usually a historical fiction person ... and was delighted by the way he thought and saw the world around him.
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Posted Mon Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2012
This book was quite a bit different from anything I've read by Terry Pratchett before. I guess it shows that great writers can write anything. I really enjoyed this book. The story & characters were excellent. I believe Terry did a lot of research on the time period in London this story takes place & it gives some real insite into what it was like to live there then. I highly recommend it!
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Posted Fri Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013
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Posted Thu Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2013
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Overview
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.
Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown ...