“The Compleat Ankh-Morpork”, by Terry Pratchett

 

128 pages, Doubleday, ISBN-13: 978-0385538237

So, Terry Pratchett – or should I call him Sir Terence David John Pratchett, OBE – was (he died in 2015) an English humorist, satirist and author of fantasy novels who is, perhaps, best known for his Discworld series which consists of – get this – 41 novels, beginning with 1983’s The Colour of Magic and ending with 2015’s Shepherd’s Crown. What is Discworld, you ask? Why, it’s a flat planet that balances on the backs of four elephants, which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. With 41 books over 32 years and more than 85 million books sold worldwide in 37 languages, Pratchett was also Britain’s best-selling author of the 1990s.

And I haven’t read a one of them.

But that didn’t stop me from picking up this little gem from the Barnes & Noble overstock shelves, The Compleat Ankh-Morpork. Now I hear you asking what in the HELL is Ankh-Morpork. Okay: in addition to being the biggest city-state of Discworld, it also serves as the corrupt mercantile capital of the same, making it the perfect setting for all of those crazy books the man wrote. This book, then, serves as a comprehensive gazetteer which allows any fan of Discworld to at last see this teeming metropolis in all of its glory. And shit. If you are a fan of Discworld, then I think this book is obviously a must-have.

However, if you know nothing about the place, well, it’s still a cool addition to your library, especially if you are a fantasy and/or roll playing geek. It consists of an encyclopedia that provides descriptions of the city wards and all of the businesses to be found therein. But the real value is the map that accompanies the book, and buddy, if you love maps as much as I do, this is a real treat. It would not be overstating things to say that it was suitable for framing, for the care and detail that went into making it is second to none (it is even two-sided, with the reverse showing detailed roads and systems).

I would even go so far as to say that it would not look out of place in any Dungeon Master’s repertoire as a suitable campaign setting, so long as you PCs are unfamiliar with  Discworld, or just don’t care. So geeks of the world, listen up: buy The Compleat Ankh-Morpork today and add it to your library of Nerdish literature, for it will go a long way towards making your (no doubt) extensive collection that much more complete. And who knows: if you have not read so much as a syllable of the Discworld series – as I have not – it just might inspire you to go out and start your own deferred collection.