Dodger

by Terry Pratchett

Laura Ellen Andresen (Designer)

Dodger is a tosher - a sewer scavenger living in the squalor of Dickensian London. Everyone who is nobody knows Dodger. Anyone who is anybody doesn't. But when he rescues a young girl from a beating, suddenly everybody wants to know him. And Dodger's tale of skulduggery, dark plans and even darker deeds begins ...

• ISBN10: 0385619278
• ISBN13: 9780385619271
• Publish Date: 13 September 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 May 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
• Imprint: Doubleday Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

I generally avoid YA books these days thanks to a certain vamp who shall remain nameless, but this definitely now one of my favorite Pratchett books. Terry does such a wonderful job at historical fiction, I could almost smell the sewers & feel the grime of Victorian London's streets.

[jeannamichel]

I went into this thinking it was an Oliver Twist retelling in Dodger’s point of view. It may have been about Dodger but it turned out to be a little ridiculous. Sweeny Todd was present and even Charles Dickens himself. I was a bit confused at the point of it all.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Dodger isn't a hero, but sometimes a young man finds himself in a circumstance where he must act heroically.  This is case when he comes across a young woman being beaten in the streets of London.  Chasing off the villains with a trusty crowbar, Dodger not only saves the young lady's life, but becomes entangled in a rescue and plot to protect this nameless noblewoman from her evil husband and avoid starting a war.  He is joined by a cast of characters (both historical and fiction), including Charles Dickens, or "Charlie".


To be honest?  I was a bit bored with this book.  Dodger takes everything easily, with a grain of salt, and thus nothing seems very exciting.  He's the sort of person you'd really like in a tough situation, but as a protagonist, things seemed to dawdle on.  I think his strongest moment was near the end of the book in the sewers while he was preparing the cover-up.

As for the supporting characters, they're hit-or-miss.  I find Charlie and Simplicity boring as well, but Solomon was an interesting character.  I do believe it is worth mentioning that Solomon is Jewish, but not the best practitioner.  He is a kind person, and a strict negotiator... which is not an insult, but it is a stereotype.  I was a bit disappointed that Pratchett decided to use this character trait for him.

Terry Pratchett is known for his Discworld novels (which are loads of fun) and his stand-alones don't get a lot of attention.  Dodger is historical fiction, and as such, is not as funny, remarkable, or magical as some of her other books.  I found that this particular novel was reminiscent of the Night's Watch line of his Discworld novels.

The beginning of the book is written in a similar way to a collection of related short stories as we follow Dodger around the city.  There is a scene with Sweeney Todd in the middle of the book, which I thought was a really good interpretation of the character.  Pratchett takes a good twist on the character's murderous instincts, one which has nothing to do with meat pies.  I won't spoil it!  It ends up being a turning point in the story and in Dodger as a character, not to mention a fun tidbit.

While I will still read Pratchett's books, Dodger wasn't for me, even though I like historical fiction.  I felt like it was very flat.  His writing style can feel a bit flat in the Discworld novels as well, except there is a lot more humor in those and I remember them more fondly.  That said, I do think that most fans of Pratchett would really enjoy this book, because it is another piece of his work, and he was extremely well-loved.

I also have to confess I've read very little of Dickens, but the storytelling style was reminiscent of The Chimes or A Christmas Carol.  That, I'm sure, was intentional, and should be commended.

Pratchett does a very good job of tying up a story.  He leaves questions, but not anxiety, and I like it.

Find this review and others at The Literary Phoenix.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I’ll admit I was skeptical of Dodger from the point I downloaded it last year via SYNC. It was paired with Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I loathe Great Expectations. I’ve been forced to read it twice; once in high school and once in college. And like a fool, I attempted to listen to it after downloading it via the SYNC program last year thinking that perhaps in my older wiser adulthood I would finally understand why Great Expectations was a classic.

Dodger was a delightful listen. I will admit that I did struggle with Stephen Briggs’ narration as it was a bit too British for me at times and I had to re-listen to sections of the book to understand what was going on. I do believe that would not have occurred if a) I could listen to books while NOT doing something else and b) I was reading a physical copy of the book.

Dodger is full of twists and turns. And in the fashion of any good historical fiction novel, the reader encounters a variety of known historical characters. I had always imagined Dickens to be this curmudgeonly old man, but Prachett brings him to life as a curious reporter with keen observation skills and a sense of humor. Whether Dickens was truly like this in real life, I don’t know, but this caricature of him endeared him to me.

The story shines through the main character, Dodger, who has all the skills of a street rat and the ambition to match. There’s a curious mystery that is threaded through the story that develops into a shy romance. I enjoyed how Dodger made the use of the world he knew to solve the mystery, improve his conditions and make the best of what he had.

If Dickens’ stories of Victorian London are a bit heavy for you, I would definitely recommend giving Dodger a shot. As it takes the best aspects of Oliver and Great Expectations puts a bit of shine on them with a twist of humor and mystery and presents them in a new light.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews