Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Dodger, or perhaps the Inspiration of Charlie Dickens, is an interesting book from Pratchett. I've never really be much of a fan of his non-discworld novels - Pratchett has always shone brightest when able to weave his stories into the weft of his wonderful fantastical flying turtle.

He has a habit, seen throughout his works, of 'borrowing with love' from authors, ideas and themes that have survived time and culture to become permanent fixtures of British society. Whether it's Fairy Tales, Football as a substitute for war, the Bard, the invention of paper money, newspapers or rock and roll - Pratchett captures these tropes with thoughtful ease and delivers something quite Dickensian in its own right. That is he presents satire and commentary on the world around him through comedy and fantastical characters.

I wasn't sure about Dodger, the opening few pages made me pine for something involving Vimes. Yet as I got drawn into it I found myself oddly moved by Dodger's story. In short it's a rags to riches tale of a bright scally with a heart of gold and thoroughly modern morals. In some ways it's so cliched as to leap off the page and criticise you for enjoying your probiotic yoghurt while other people are starving. Yet Dodger is drawn with warm affection and, perhaps this says more about me than you, I found myself identifying strongly with Dodger's status as Outside making good.

Being liminal is a strong part of my own identification - even if you'd look at my position in society now and think 'um, no' if I was to tell you, but when I read Dodger I see myself at the end of his story - having come good in a world in which I don't feel I naturally fit. So I was surprising emotional at the end of this and think it's a cracking little book. I'm more and more convinced that Pratchett is the Dickens of our day and this is a fitting theme for his latest novel.