{"id":4928,"date":"2019-04-15T05:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4928"},"modified":"2019-04-14T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T03:04:11","slug":"mark-reads-the-science-of-discworld-iii-chapter-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2019\/04\/mark-reads-the-science-of-discworld-iii-chapter-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Science of Discworld III’: Chapter 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first chapter of Darwin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Watch<\/i>, the wizards realize something is wrong again. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read The Science of Discworld III<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello again, Discworld<\/i> friends! Today, I start reading my third Science of Discworld<\/i> book, and lord, this already ruined me BEFORE THE FIRST CHAPTER. I am not entirely sure what the intent is with the six quotes in the epigraph; clearly, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re real ones, then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 evolved ones? Or ones from glimpses of other worlds? Given that the Roundworld can deviate in these books (and always does), perhaps there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a world where Dawkins is a reverend and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not an asshole? Also, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so MAD at that Watches Abroad<\/i> pun. UGH!!! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so good and it was just sitting there, waiting for me to discover it!!!<\/p>\n

Anyway, after the epigraph, I loved that I got to be gently led back into the world of the Science of Discworld<\/i> books with the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Concerning Roundworld\u00e2\u20ac\u009d introduction. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reminded of bits of the past two books, from the creation of the Roundworld to the nightmare with the elves in The Science of Discworld II<\/i>. But I feel like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also an acknowledgment that this book in particular is more or less going to follow the same structure. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just mean the alternating chapters, but the framing device. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that the wizards are going to do something fucked up to Roundworld and have to get everything back on track by the end of the novel. See, as the authors point out, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The wizards think they have sorted it all out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And once that has happened, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is going to turn into a disaster. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s narrativium for you.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is a perfect set-up for the start of this book. We get a brief glimpse at Charles Darwin, who is just minding his business while a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153glowing cloud\u00e2\u20ac\u009d grows into an unspecified shape in the room he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in. From there, we move to\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 the wizards bickering. I commented on video that it was inevitable that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d start doing it and THEY TOTALLY DO. Because they start arguing about whether or not Braseneck has a Quite Big Thing or Very Big Thing or if an Even Bigger Thing is even\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 a thing. (Wow, that sentence is a lot, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also very true.) The wizards are the wizards, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. They never really change. Well, at least now Rincewind is professor<\/i> Rincewind! And he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s learned to adapt to a life at the University. Look at his heating method! Which is absurd, yes, but it seems like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had more time \u00e2\u20ac\u0153off\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from some disastrous adventure than usual. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an improvement, right? Good for Rincewind!<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also the wizard who notices that something is wrong with the Roundworld, and it is practically inevitable at this point that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be asked to be the wizard who fixes it. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re gonna send him into it, right? POOR RINCEWIND. Please give him a long, long vacation that is actually<\/i> a vacation!!!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/dPkWIcwn5u4<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"