Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III

Excellent reading for anyone with an interest in science — how it works, why it works and the current state of various fields, from evolution to astrophysics to quantum mechanics and beyond. If you occasionally find yourself debating creationists, flat-earthers and the like, you'll like these. You may also find that some things you thought were true aren't quite and your own knowledge in need of the provided updating. That said, a caveat as to what you'll be getting into:

The titles and front covers are slightly deceptive marketing ploys. The publisher is well aware that there's a huge market demographic that will buy anything with Terry Pratchett's name on it, doubly so if accompanied by "Discworld." Thus Pratchett's name is prominently displayed, as is the title, while the two _main_ authors (Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen) are a fine print afterthought. In fact, Pratchett's contribution amounts to four related short stories spread in alternate chapters throughout the books. The bulk of the volumes are a discussion of our Earth's ("Roundworld") science, occasionally taking cues from the antics of Pratchett's Discworld characters.

That's not to say you won't be getting your money's worth. Stewart and Cohen are excellent authors in their own right with numerous popular science and science fiction books to their credit. With Pratchett's help they make the history and philosophy of science and its methods entertaining as well as educational. For me, at least, their chapters were every bit as much "page turners" as Pratchett's contribution.

(Note: The "some violence" rating is because, over the long haul, the Earth is a violent place, with earthquakes, meteor strikes, ice ages, etc., and these and their effects are described. There is practically no person-on-person violence.)

It's astonishing the silly things some people will believe. For instance, some people deny the existence of the Great World Turtle A'tuin, instead arguing for something called "gravity" (a theoretical force which they readily admit they do not understand) as being the force that holds our world together. These same people would likely be dismissive of the real sciences, as studied at the Disc-famous Unseen University, instead preferring the "hard" sciences, which are presumably so-called because they only appeal to the hard-headed.

Nevertheless, there are those times when it pays to be conversant with the superstitions of the less-educated. For those times, Darwin's Watch - and the other three volumes in the "Science of Discworld" series are useful, if not necessarily light, reading. Those accustomed to the whimsical style of the late historian Sir Terry Pratchett may be disappointed to find that this weighty tome does not represent Sir Terry's style or ease of reading. Darwin's Watch does not deal with serious topics like Sir Terry's witches, tourists, and felines. Instead, it deals with frivolous ones like evolutionary theory and quantum mechanics.

If the reader goes into the book knowing that they will encounter these topics, and that their presentation encumbered sometimes with complex and even strained prose, then they are unlikely to be disappointed. The book uses its (thin) narrative device to help unpack the scientific significance of evolutionary theory in a way that an attentive reader is likely to find helpful, if not necessarily overtly funny or light-hearted. As such, it stands as an interesting addition to any library on roundworld "science," even if it does not contribute significantly to the history and character of the Discworld.

This book was given to me for my review.
Well, this one was different. Darwin's Watch The Science of Discworld III is only the second Terry Pratchett book I have read (although, I am assuming it is co-written or ghost written by Stewart and Cohen). I don't think one necessarily needs to read the other two Science of Discworld books first, but I could be wrong. I did feel that Pratchett was making his point clearly in this point, without the need of other sources. Unfortunately for me, many of his points were ones my college Victorian literature professor already made, as well as some of my other college professors. The book does have a way of making science, philosophy, and life in general amusing with a sly wit that pokes fun at those institutions we hold dear, sometimes with great accuracy. I did laugh several times, and I do like this sort of humor. However, it was a tough slog through some of the science for me, and I was a good student in college. I guess I was wanting more of the humor and less of the classroom in a book. It drug, at times, and I found it easy to put down. The wizards and their foibles were amusing, even recognizable if you have ever been to college.....or in any institutional setting that suggests learning. For someone who has not had half of this information already, it might be new, but I had a very good college professor, so those parts were redundant. For the parts that were not, I found that I had a tough time following where the writers were leading. Not my particular cup of tea, but definitely appreciated the wit. Maybe I should check out Wee Free Men or something more my speed.

I could actually have done with less input from the scientists & more of Pratchett's wonderful wizards, but I love all the Discworld books & this is still very good.

this is another collaboration with another author, it is a textbook not a novel. It was confusing. I bought it because I love Pratchett and miss him greatly. Unless you are collecting every thing he put his name on, skip this one as well as the long earth books

As many, if not most of you know, Sir Terry Pratchett, creator of the Discworld series of books and co-author of this one, passed away in March of this year, so we may not see any new offerings from Sir Terry (pending any final works that haven’t been released). I own a majority of the author’s works, so it was a somewhat bittersweet moment to be given the opportunity to review this book, “Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III, by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen. Although this work was originally released in 2005, I had only ever read the first Science of Discworld book, so this third (of four) Science of Discworld tomes is new to me.

The book is basically two books. Every other chapter alternates between the Unseen University’s attempts to save “Roundworld” … that is to say our earth … while the other discusses the religious progression of the world versus Darwin’s evolutionism. The chapters are somewhat linked between the story of the Discworld portions and the science of the alternating chapters.

Although occasionally this book shows flashes of the trademark Pratchett wit and silliness, overall the book was not a fun or interesting read. The scientific discussions are sound and well-reasoned, but dry. In the overall discussions between religion and evolution in “science” half of the book … well, let’s just say that you’re more likely to agree with the book if you’re an atheist or a strong agnostic. I’m not saying that the authors have an axe to grind against religion, but the discussions are primarily framed from a scientific point of view.

Overall, if you’re a “completist” and want to own all of Sir Terry’s works, get the book. If you can mentally separate your enjoyment of a work of science from your religious beliefs, get the book. If you just want to read a Discworld story (by skipping the scientific chapters), get the book. Otherwise, you may or may not want to get this book … but there isn’t anything fundamentally (heh) wrong with it. I believe this book was a bestseller when originally released, but I only found it “just ok”. Three stars.

I know some people will down-vote this review since it's not a five star review and the book has Sir Terry's name on it. Let me start off with the fact that I'm a huge Terry Pratchett fan. Not only do I have every Discworld book ever written, I have all of the Discworld Diaries, several of the comics, quiz books, anthologies and a cookbook. I even purchased a booklet on falconry by the man who was the inspiration for Hodgesaargh because Sir Terry wrote a brief introduction. Now that I've established that I'm a huge, geeky Pratchett fan, I did not enjoy this book. It was heavy-handed and clunky. In itself, it's not awful, but if you've purchased this expecting the signature Terry Pratchett humor, you will be sadly disappointed. The premise of this book is didactic, using Pratchett;s characters to frame the other authors' discussion of Roundworld (i.e., Earth) science.

As a stand-alone book, this is a decent, if ponderous effort to explain evolution to neophytes. I took off an additional star because of my disappointment over the lack of the true Pratchett style, despite Sir Terry's name as a marquee audience-grabber. There are die-hards out there who enjoyed the execrable Long Earth series to which Sir Terry was marginally attached (which I found to be devoid of Pratchettian humor)., so for that demographic, this will definitely appeal and won't disappoint. As to those who are looking for an introduction to Pratchett, this would be highly deceptive Go read Men At Arms or Feet of Clay (my personal favorite) to get a true flavor of Pratchett. If you're looking for an unusual textbook like explanation of science with a dash of humor, this is the book for you. If you're looking for Sir Terry's voice in this, you will be sadly disappointed.

Thank you.

Makes my brain happy, along with my funny bone.

Must have for any Discworld fan especially if you also are into Science