Talk:The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch

Could someone verify the spelling of "zinidar"? I recall no such beast in the Barsoom novels; there is, however, a "zitidar."

Well spotted. Fixed. Daibhid C 17:24, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Making Terry Pratchett a Featured Article

This is a call to arms to make the Terry Pratchett article a Featured Article. It will greatly help the cause if all the side articles that link from it are of a reasonable standard. Terry Pratchett has around 40 side articles (ie the ones relating to his work) - I don't think they are all expected to be GA (Good Article) standard for TP to become featured, but certain basic elements will be looked at for sure.

A full list of the sub articles is here on the TP talk page: I'm posting this comment on the talk pages of each article on the list. Editors reading may also like to help with the TP article too?

The main issue, especially with smaller articles, is often a finding reasonable amount of citations, and prose can sometimes be a little POV too. Coverage of the topic is probably less important, but of course it needs to be reasonably good. --Matt Lewis (talk) 15:08, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Notability

@Cunard I've added and summarized one good review. Anything else you see so that we could remove the notability template? ISFDb has nothing. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 04:54, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi Piotrus (talk · contribs). Here are some sources about the book The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch:

1. Baxter, Stephen (2005-04-20). "The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen (2005)". New Scientist. Vol. 186, no. 2496. pp. 56–57. EBSCOhost 17222177. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2023-07-23.

   The review notes: "This story is interleaved with probably the world's mightiest footnotes: chapters by Stewart and Cohen offering a profound and clear explanation of Darwin's theories and their modern updating — including an engaging biographical sketch of Darwin — with an assault on creationist ideas. There are diversions on such subjects as time travel, relativity, infinity, historical inevitability and the sociology of progressive cultures. ... As a biographer of the geologist James Hutton I have to point out that it was he who "discovered Deep Time", rather than Charles Lyell, though it was Lyell's work that Darwin knew. But this is a quibble. Terry Pratchett has galvanised literacy levels among the young, while Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart qualify as two of our finest popular science writers. Their collaboration is an earnest and conscientious educational project, a fun book which deserves to be taken very seriously indeed."

2. B. P. (August–September 2015). "Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III". AudioFile. Vol. 24, no. 2. EBSCOhost 108715288. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2023-07-23.

   The review notes: "British comic actor Michael Fenton Stevens and longtime Discworld expert and narrator Stephen Briggs bring ease and glee to this third installment of Terry Pratchett's "fact/fantasy fusion" series. ... Education mixed with entertainment—what a wonderful concept."

3. Hays, Carl (2015-06-01). "Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III". Booklist. Vol. 111, no. 19–20. EBSCOhost 103268370.

   The review notes: "Unfortunately, Victorian England's support of the work leads to a sudden slowdown in scientific progress that, without wizardly intervention, will result in humanity's destruction in the already forecast Big Freeze. In the alternating discussion thread, Stewart and Cohen recount the true origins and repercussions of Darwin's revolutionary natural selection hypothesis. For Pratchett fans saddened by the author's passing, the book is a must-read swan song, whereas science buffs who don't mind the fanciful story line will find the nonfiction essay chapters fascinating."

4. Nettleton, Paul (2005-04-28). "Peer review. Darwin's Watch: The science of Discworld III Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2023-07-23.

   The review notes: "The giveaway comes on page 289: "Discworld does not have science as such." So, as with all the best science fiction, we are not really dealing with the wizardly denizens of Pratchett's intentionally flat world, but with our own planet, masquerading here as Roundworld. And this time, in the series that weaves scientific commentary around a novelette, the terrific trio are taking on those latterday flat-earthers, the creationists."

5. "Darwin's Watch: The Science of Discworld III". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2023-07-23.

   The review notes: "The late Pratchett, creator of the wildly popular Discworld novels, and his coauthors offer fascinating insight into Darwin, his world, and how Victorian life shaped his theory of evolution. Even technophobic readers will enjoy this cheerful, accessible look at the less-than-linear path of scientific discovery, where the most comfortable answer is usually not the best."

Cunard (talk) 09:04, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

@Cunard Just a ping that I've now added the reviews you've found the the article proper. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 11:43, 7 August 2023 (UTC)