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{{Short description|2001 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett}}
{{for|the Tony Hillerman novel|A Thief of Time}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Thief of Time
| image = Thief-of-time.jpg
| caption= First edition
| author = [[Terry Pratchett]]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist = [[Josh Kirby]]
| language = English
| series = {{ubl|''[[Discworld]]''|26th novel – 5th Death story}}
| subject = {{ubl|{{transliteration|zh|[[Wuxia]]}} and [[martial arts films]], [[apocalypse]], ''[[Momo (novel)|Momo]]'', [[The Matrix|Matrix]]|'''Characters:'''|[[Death (Discworld)|Death]], [[Susan Sto Helit|Susan]], [[Lu-Tze]], Jeremy Clockson, [[History Monks#Lobsang Ludd|Lobsang Ludd]], [[Nanny Ogg]]|'''Locations:'''|[[Ankh-Morpork]], [[Ramtops]]}}
| genre = [[Fantasy]]
| publisher = [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]
| pub_date = 2001
| pages =
| awards = Came 152nd in the [[Big Read]]
| isbn = 0-06-019956-3
| oclc = 45854433
| preceded_by = [[The Truth (novel)|The Truth]]
| followed_by = [[The Last Hero]]
}}
'''''Thief of Time''''' is a [[fantasy novel]] by British writer [[Terry Pratchett]], the 26th book in his ''[[Discworld]]'' series. It was the last Discworld novel with a cover by [[Josh Kirby]].

==Plot summary==
The Auditors hire young clockmaker Jeremy Clockson to build a perfect glass clock, without telling him that this will stop time and thereby eliminate human unpredictability from the universe. [[Death (Discworld)|Death]] discovers their plans, but cannot act against them directly, so he instead sends his granddaughter [[Susan Sto Helit]]. Meanwhile, [[Lu-Tze]] of the [[History Monks]] leads gifted young apprentice Lobsang Ludd in a desperate mission.

==Characters==
; [[Death (Discworld)|Death]]
: The anthropomorphic personification of Death, or Grim Reaper, a recurring and popular character in the Discworld series.
; Jeremy Clockson
: A master clockmaker tasked with creating the perfect clock, whose name is a pun on British broadcaster [[Jeremy Clarkson]].
; [[Susan Sto Helit]]
: Death's granddaughter.
; [[History Monks#Lu-Tze|Lu-Tze]]
: A powerful member of the [[History Monks]] masquerading as a humble sweeper.
; [[History Monks#Lobsang Ludd|Lobsang]]
: Ludd – apprentice of Lu-Tze
; Lady Myria LeJean
: A woman who commissions Jeremy to make an accurate clock.

==Reception==
''Thief of Time'' was shortlisted for the 2002 [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel]].<ref name="WWE-2002">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2002
| title = 2002 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date = 2009-09-28
}}</ref>

At ''[[The Guardian]]'', Sam Jordison called it "as complicated, daft, hilarious and satisfying as vintage [[P. G. Wodehouse]]: part kung fu epic, part philosophical novel, part mind-bending experiment with chaos theory (and a piss-take of those three things)", and categorized it as a book to "give (readers) hope".<ref name=Graun>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/sep/15/books-to-give-you-hope-thief-of-time-by-terry-pratchett Books to give you hope: Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett], by Sam Jordison, at ''[[the Guardian]]''; published September 15, 2016; retrieved July 10, 2017.</ref> At the ''[[SF Site]]'', [[Steven H Silver]] observed that the book's parodying of [[action film]]s is "masterful", and commended Pratchett for how "fresh" the humor was—while conceding that "reader(s) may not laugh out loud ... but there will be plenty of internal chuckling".<ref name=Silver>[https://www.sfsite.com/06b/tt106.htm Thief of Time], reviewed by [[Steven H Silver]], at the ''[[SF Site]]''; published 2001; retrieved July 10, 2017.</ref>

At ''[[Infinity Plus]]'', [[John Grant (author)|John Grant]] noted that it has "fewer moments of uproarious humour than" the majority of Pratchett's oeuvre, and that the "narrative fails to engender any sense of urgency in the places where it should", concluding that although "one could swiftly lay hands on a dozen genre-fantasy novels that are less worthwhile", it was not Pratchett's best work.<ref name=InfPlus>[http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/thiefoftimehtm.htm Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett], reviewed by [[John Grant (author)|John Grant]], at ''Infinity Plus''; published June 2, 2001; retrieved July 10, 2017.</ref>

==Writing process==

During a 2011 interview,<ref>{{cite news|title=A Life In Writing|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/oct/14/terry-pratchett-life-writing|work=The Guardian}}</ref> Pratchett discussed his process for writing, and mentioned a self-invented goddess of writers called Narrativia, whom he believed to be smiling upon him throughout his career. One example of Narrativia's intervention from ''Thief Of Time'' was the naming of a key character, Ronnie Soak, the forgotten fifth horseman of the apocalypse. Pratchett stated that he had picked the name at random, and was later "astonished when he noticed what it sounded like backwards. Suddenly, he knew of what this particular horseman would be a harbinger." In a direct quote Pratchett revealed his satisfaction with this coincidence, "I thought chaos – yes! Chaos, the oldest. Stuff just turns up like that."

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Discworld#Thief of Time (2001)|Thief of Time}}
* {{isfdb title|21054}}
*[http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/thief-of-time.html Annotations for ''Thief of Time'']
*[http://www.lspace.org/books/pqf/thief-of-time.html Quotes from ''Thief of Time'']
*[http://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=692 ''Thief of Time''] at Worlds Without End

{{s-start}}
{{s-other|[[Discworld reading order|Reading order guide]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[The Truth (novel)|The Truth]] | title = 26th [[Discworld#Novels|Discworld Novel]] | years= | after = [[The Last Hero]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Hogfather]] | title = 5th [[Discworld#Death|Death Story]] | years=Published in 2001 | after = [[Death and What Comes Next]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Discworld books}}
{{Terry Pratchett}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thief Of Time}}
[[Category:2001 British novels]]
[[Category:Discworld books]]
[[Category:2001 fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Doubleday (publisher) books]]
[[Category:Fiction about time]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic novels]]
[[Category:Science fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Hive minds in fiction]]
[[Category:British comedy novels]]

[[de:Scheibenwelt-Romane#Der Zeitdieb]]

Thief of Time - Revision history

imported>Baltakatei: Add OCLC number. Format character section.