The Last Continent Discussion **Spoilers**

[poohcarrot]

And Pooh.. the book ISN'T ALL about evolution.. thats the island story... the continent story is about Terry having fun with Australia and what he knew about it.

I didn't say it wasn't about Australia. You'll find that was Terry Pratchett and Tony who said it wasn't about Australia.

Tortoises play a big part in Small Gods, Oz plays a big part in LC. But there are also evolution comments in the Oz bits though, aren't there?

[poohcarrot]

Did you get the one about Rolf Harris?.... that could have gone over an aussies head as Rolf wasn't as cult-like here as he was in England.

"Can you tell what it is yet?"

There were at least two references to Rolf. Which one are you on about?

[deldaisy]

I was thinking about that one. I don't mark passages and stuff. What was the other one?

[Tonyblack]

About tying his kangaroo up.

And I didn't say it wasn't a book about Australia. I just quoted what Terry says at the start of the book. I think he's telling porkys.

[deldaisy]

Oh yeah I WAS referring to what TP wrote at the beginning of the book... 'I was saying to Pooh I didn't think it was ALL about evolution...

NOW I remember the kangaroo one. Thank you.

It was heavy on the Man from Snowy River (horses going vertically down and up slopes etc) and lots of lines from Clancy of the Overflow.

The boat races was funny. We have a yearly regatta in Alice Springs called the Henley On Todd but we also had them in a town I used to live in.... and YES we had to cancel it one year because of rain Me and my mates actually had a bottomless boat in it... I should scan the pics and put them up.

The descriptions of the land being scoured by a wall of water and changing the riverbed down to rock during flash floods was particularly poignant here as while I was reading it they had updates on the Lockyer Valley "inland tsunami" on TV that brought back all the horror of that day.

[Quatermass]

I have to admit that the bit with Rinso on the horse was far funnier after I saw the movie of The Man From Snowy River. But these references are a bit hit or miss. When we discussed this book on the Cunning Artificer's board, I was amazed at how many people (including some Aussies) had never heard of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. Some hadn't heard of Priscilla Queen of the Desert either. These jokes, along with the Mad Max and Crocodile Dundee references, don't really work unless you know what they are referring to.

I got most of the references (despite never watching Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, or Skippy, and only watching some of Priscilla), but I didn't get the Rolf Harris reference. I did get the bullroarer reference.

[deldaisy]

Have you seen one Q? Heard one? Amazing huh.

[Quatermass]

Have you seen one Q? Heard one? Amazing huh.

I think I've seen and heard one on TV years ago. And having just watched a YouTube video of one being used, I was pretty close in my reminiscence to what was reality, although I thought it was a louder and lower noise, like Christopher Lee turned into a train.

[deldaisy]

Good comparison. When you are standing under it the sound waves go right through your body.

[poohcarrot]

So why the cockroach, then?

[deldaisy]

I thought Ponder thought he was in on the beginning of creation... Adam and Eve at least..... you know the buzz... Earth begins.... we evolve, we rule the earth, nuclear winter and the only thing that survives are the cockroaches.

Two minds about this though with me.... I think Ponder is an evolutionist... if its done "properly"... out of the stagnant slime sort of thing... so is he shocked that the God is starting at the end for the beginning.... or is he horrified that the God ISN'T starting at the beginning?

Or does he just HATE cockroaches? And the thought of a world populated by them?

It had me a bit confused. Any opinions?

[LilMaibe]

So why the cockroach, then?

Because it is 'the big project' I'd say.
The one creature that would always be there, On the disc and on here...gotta hate those buggers

(and I type awfully slow that del beat me to it Xx )

[Cool Middle Name]

So, this is the sequel to Interesting Times? ^^
I've only read IT as a Rincewing/Twoflower story, not COM or this or the other RW books.

(One day I'll have my own complete collection of these books... grumblegrumble...)

[LilMaibe]

So, this is the sequel to Interesting Times? ^^
I've only read IT as a Rincewing/Twoflower story, not COM or this or the other RW books.

(One day I'll have my own complete collection of these books... grumblegrumble...)

Basically every story is a sequel to the story before, pragmatically speaking.

[Cool Middle Name]

So, this is the sequel to Interesting Times? ^^
I've only read IT as a Rincewing/Twoflower story, not COM or this or the other RW books.

(One day I'll have my own complete collection of these books... grumblegrumble...)

Basically every story is a sequel to the story before, pragmatically speaking.

When it comes to Pratchett though, you can't tell.