Terry Pratchett - Moving Pictures (Audio)

Title: Moving Pictures
Author: Terry Pratchett
Narrator: Nigel Planer
Publisher: Isis Audio Books
First Published: 1990
Format: Audio Book
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
‘Holy Wood is a different sort of place. People act differently here. Everywhere else the most important things are gods or money or cattle. Here, the most important thing is to be important.’ People might say that reality is a quality that things possess in the same way that they possess weight. Sadly alchemists never really held with such a quaint notion. They think that they can change reality, shape it to their own purpose. Imagine then the damage that could be wrought if they get their hands on the ultimate alchemy: the invention of motion pictures, the greatest making of illusions. It may be a triumph of universe-shaking proportions. It’s either that or they’re about to unlock the dark terrible secret of the Holy Wood hills – by mistake…

Review:
Moving Pictures is one of those stand-alone Discworld novels that are a riotous joy to read, even if you’ve never read any of the books that have gone before. Here we are presented with a satirical look at the Hollywood Bigwigs that run the American film industry and pump themselves up so much that the rest of the world sees them almost as Gods, and along the way gives as many laughs per page as there are kernels of popcorn in a cinema mega-bucket.

Personally, I think Nigel Planer isn’t the best narrator, having a very nasal and somewhat whiny voice, and not having a brilliant range when it comes to differentiating between character voices, but even that cannot detract too much from the plot which is nothing sort of block-buster material.

This is a bright star in the galaxy of Pratchett novels.