This is an early Discworld novel, and with most of them it's best read if you have some familiarity with the setting and characters, but it can still be read "cold" with no problem. Indeed, I'm reading the series out of order, so it was kind of fun to see some of the characters in their "early" stages of development.
Terry Pratchett has become one of the most popular authors alive today and his popularity is richly deserved. But not even with his fertile mind could ever have envisaged the heights to which his Discworld series would rise.
Only Terry Pratchett could take the history of movies, bring it to Discworld, infuse it with early movie gags (references to Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and "talkies"), and give you a magic-eating monster in the process. It's not as laugh-out-loud hilarious as some of his other books, but it has one of the most intriguing plots -- it kept me reading until the end.
A Pratchett filled with Hollywood references. Funny but far from my favorite.
Bahahahaha, I loved this one. All of the famous movie references somehow gone awry made the book that much more awesome.
I know it's horrible--giving Pratchett just two stars and on a book that centers around old Hollywood.
I did laugh out loud a few times, probably more than other funny books, but this was just a miss for me.
First I have to confess that I listened to this book, I didn't read it. I know that a few people make a distinction there as a voice can create a different air or bias to the story.
The first of the 'Industrial Revolution' novels, but you can tell he wasn't thinking of it that way at the time. As someone who lives in Los Angeles, I found this one pretty hilarious, but it lacks a bit in terms of emotional hook.
Disability tag for Poons and his wheelchair, characterization of him & other people's opinions thereof. Poons was mocked as roundly as any other character, and in this one, TP sends up just about everyone, so it at least felt fair.
I have always suspected that some dark ooze from the tar pits created Hollywood. Now, I know the truth.
A great book by a fab author!.
3.5
I didn't love this one quite as much as the first time I read it, but it's still a good one and has a special place in my actor's heart.
The only Pratchett I did not finish. I just could not get into it.
It has some funny moments but it's certainly not Pratchett's best. As crazy and sometimes corrupt Hollywood is it's not the sort of industry where Cthulu would be comfortable.
