在中國，提起魔幻，《哈利·波特》和《魔戒》可以說代表了大部分人心中的印象。
恐怕，這一格局就要被顛覆。
因為與這兩部作品並稱為「世界三大魔幻巨著」的最後一部，憋了足足35年的勁，終於殺入中國。
比《哈利·波特》和《魔戒》加起來還好看的，可能只有它——
《碟形世界》（Discworld）
這話，還真不是吹。
要知道，1983年《碟形世界》第一冊發售起，就馬拉松式刷紀錄。
如果較真，它會有很多個「吉尼斯」——
它是書店被盜率最高的書、囊括奇幻與兒童文學獎項最多的書、繼莎士比亞和王爾德之後被引用金句最多的書……
2005年，英國圖書零售額約15億英鎊，光這一個系列就佔到了3.4%，一年零售5億人民幣！
截止目前，已被翻譯成37種語言，賣出超過8500萬冊。
這麼說吧，《碟形世界》之於奇幻小說的地位，大概類似《飄》之於愛情小說，《三國演義》之於古典文學——
不僅一生必讀，讀完還得買來收藏。
▲書店的一整面牆都是《碟形世界》
果然，中國一上市，直接飆到豆瓣9.1分——
❀ Carnegie Medal Winner（卡內基兒童文學獎）
❀ New YorkPublic Library Books for the Teen Age（紐約公共圖書館最佳青少年圖書）
❀ VOYA Best Science Fiction,Fantasy, and Horror（VOYA最佳科幻、奇幻、驚悚類小說）
❀ ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults（美國圖書館協會最佳青少年小說）
❀ Book Sense Pick（獨立書商協會選書）
你可能不了解這個名字，但多半聽過一個故事：
宇宙的深處漂浮著一隻巨龜，背上立著四頭巨象，巨象們肩扛起了一個由瀑布環繞的世界。
這個故意模仿古人宇宙觀的，正是「碟形世界」。
這個奇幻世界的影響力究竟有多大？
反正，撐起一場全球級流行文化的標配，它都齊了。
改編過系列電影、舞臺劇、電子遊戲——
現實中有它的克隆世界——
▲位於Wincanton的碟形世界商場，克隆了《碟形世界》裡的虛擬城市莫泊克
甚至還有自己的節日，碟形世界大會（Discworld Convention）——
天才般的故事結構，賦予了《碟形世界》令數以億計的讀者為之瘋狂的魔力。
這一系列的每一冊都以獨立故事的閱讀體驗來精確設計，主角從巫師、警衛，到死神、小偷，應有盡有。避免拖沓冗長，又最終統一於同一世界觀。
中小系列的構造，使得從沒有讀過的人，依然可以享受到同樣酣暢淋漓的閱讀體驗。
你從任何一個入口進入，都可以領略到這個完整深邃的迷人世界。
▲ 《碟形世界》共41本，在統一和諧世界觀下，每本可以作為獨立故事閱讀。
創造出碟形世界的作者，究竟什麼來頭？
▼
特裡·普拉切特
Terry Pratchett （1948—2015 ）
大師級奇幻作家、兒童文學作家，1948年出生於英國白金漢郡。被稱為「我們時代的託爾金」。
他牛叉的頭銜和光環，簡直數也數不清。
他是英國整個90年代最暢銷的作家，一度被稱為英國書店業救世主，被盛讚「提高了英國的國民閱讀率」。
BBC全民票選「最受歡迎圖書」入選5本，秒掉J.K.羅琳和託爾金，和狄更斯並列成為歷史冠軍。
作家們夢寐以求的大師獎，老爺子拿到麻木——
世界奇幻終身成就獎
英國年度最佳奇幻科幻作者
英國作家協會終身成就獎
SFX年度最佳奇幻作者獎
美國圖書館協會（ALA）瑪格麗特·A.愛德華終身成就獎
……
領獎領得不耐煩了，以至於入圍雨果獎時，竟然拒絕了！成為歷史上第三位拒絕雨果獎的作家。
才華更是驚動了女王！因文學成就兩次獲大英帝國爵士稱號。
上一個憑藉文學貢獻封爵的，還是推理女王阿加莎。
不幸的是，2008年，普拉切特被診斷出阿爾茲海默症。
只能靠口述寫作，對一個作家來說相當於丟了半條命。
於是他開始思考自主結束生命，採訪了許多選擇過或正準備安樂死的人們。
做成紀錄片《特裡·普拉切特：選擇死亡》（Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die）後，轟動全球，豆瓣評分高達9.0。
即便如此，熱情和憤怒驅使著他患病後還創作了七部小說。
他終此一生，將對社會與人類的種種觀察，全部傾注到《碟形世界》，表現出一個強大的母題
——內心強大。
有一隻原本普通的流浪貓叫莫裡斯（Maurice），每天忙著躲開皮貨匠和試圖給貓穿衣服的小姑娘。
但當他有了「自我」的概念，學會說話後，一切都變得複雜起來。
莫裡斯思考喵生後得出結論，他喜歡的是錢和投食的老奶奶，而不是他的老鼠同伴們追求的理想國。
直到他面對一個前所未見的可怕怪物，他咬牙堅持，不再變回原來那個靠動物本能生存的貓，想都沒有想就用自己的生命換朋友的命。
The Amazing Maurice runs the perfect Pied Piper scam. This streetwise alley cat knows the value of cold, hard cash and can talk his way into and out of anything. But when Maurice and his cohorts decide to con the town of Bad Blinitz, it will take more than fast talking to survive the danger that awaits.
神奇的莫裡斯是「魔笛手」完美騙局的策劃實施者。這隻有著街頭智慧的貓很清楚這些又硬又冰冷的錢的價值，他可以憑藉一張嘴擺平一切。但是，當莫裡斯和他的同伴們決定到小鎮「糟糕的布林茲」行騙，他們將面臨生死險境，那可不是花言巧語就能解決的事了。
▲ 莫裡斯與他的老鼠朋友們
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Excerpt)
碟形世界：貓和少年魔笛手（節選）
By Terry Pratchett
譯/周莉
They said he was amazing. The Amazing Maurice, they said. He』d never meant to be amazing. It had just happened.
人們說他很神奇。「神奇的莫裡斯」，他們都這麼說。可他從沒打算變得神奇，然而事情就那麼發生了。
He』d realized something was odd that day, just after lunch, when he』d looked into a reflection in a puddle and thought that’s me. He』d never been aware of himself before. Of course, it was hard to remember how he』d thought before he became amazing. It seemed to him that his mind had been just a kind of soup.
他就覺得那天有點兒奇怪。就在午飯後，當他看著小泥坑裡的倒影時，他的腦中閃過「那是我」。以前他從沒有過自我的意識。當然，他很難記起神奇的變化發生前他腦中的想法，對他來說那會兒的頭腦就像渾湯。
And then there had been the rats, who lived under the rubbish heap in one corner of his terri-tory. He』d realized there was something educated about the rats when he jumped on one and it』d said, 『Can we talk about this?』, and part of his amazing new brain had told him you couldn’t eat someone who could talk. At least, not until you』d heard what they』d got to say.
後來就是那些老鼠。他們住在他領地一角的垃圾堆下。他意識到那些老鼠有一定的智慧，因為當他撲向其中的一隻時，那隻老鼠說：「我們能談談嗎？」他那神奇的新大腦中有一部分告訴他：不能吃「能開口說話的東西」。至少，得聽完他們要說什麼。
The rat had been Peaches. She wasn’t like other rats. Nor were Dangerous Beans, Donut Enter, Darktan, Hamnpork, Big Savings, Toxie and all the rest of them. But, then, Maurice wasn’t like other cats any more.
那隻老鼠就是桃子。她跟別的老鼠不一樣。毒豆子、甜甜圈、黑皮、火腿、省大錢、劇毒，還有那一群中的所有其他老鼠都和別的老鼠不一樣。不過，他莫裡斯也再不像其他的貓了。
Other cats were, suddenly, stupid. Maurice started to hang around with the rats, instead. They were someone to talk to. He got on fine so long as he remembered not to eat anyone they knew.
其他的貓突然變得又蠢又笨。莫裡斯轉而開始跟老鼠混在一起，他們是可以交談的對象。他和他們相處得很好，只要他留神不吃認識的老鼠就是了。
The rats spent a lot of time worrying about why they were suddenly so clever. Maurice considered that this was a waste of time. Stuff happened. But the rats went on and on about whether it was something on the rubbish heap that they』d eaten, and even Maurice could see that wouldn’t explain how he』d got changed, because he』d never eaten rubbish. And he certainly wouldn’t eat any rubbish off that heap, seeing as where it came from . . .
老鼠們總是花很多時間為他們為什麼會突然變得如此聰明而憂心。莫裡斯覺得那是浪費時間，事情發生了就是發生了。然而老鼠們無休無止地討論那是不是因為他們吃的垃圾裡有什麼東西。連莫裡斯也看得出來那無法解釋他的變化，因為他從來沒有吃過垃圾。他肯定不會吃那堆垃圾裡的東西，瞧那些垃圾是從哪兒出來的……
He considered that the rats were, quite frankly, dumb. Clever, OK, but dumb. Maurice had lived on the streets for four years and barely had any ears left and scars all over his nose, and he was smart. He swaggered so much when he walked that if he didn’t slow down he flipped himself over. When he fluffed out his tail people had to step around it. He reckoned you had to be smart to live for four years on these streets, especially with all the dog gangs and freelance furriers. One wrong move and you were lunch and a pair of gloves. Yes, you had to be smart.
他覺得那些老鼠，坦白點兒說，很迂。他們聰明是聰明，但是很迂。莫裡斯在街上討了四年生活，耳朵已經所剩無幾，鼻子上也滿是傷痕，他可是很精明的。他走起路來大搖大擺，要是不走慢一點兒，就會把自己晃倒。他趾高氣揚地翹起尾巴，別人就得繞道走。要在那些街道上生活四年一定得精明，尤其當街上還有那麼多的惡狗幫和皮貨商，走錯一步你就成了午飯和手套啦。沒錯，一定得精明。
You also had to be rich. This took some explaining to the rats, but Maurice had roamed the city and learned how things worked and money, he said, was the key to everything.
還得有錢。跟老鼠們解釋這一點費了一些口舌，但是莫裡斯在城裡遊蕩的時候，了解到了行事的規則：錢，他說，是一切的關鍵。
And then one day he』d seen the stupid-looking kid playing the flute with his cap in front of him for pennies, and he』d had an idea. An amazing idea. It just turned up, bang, all at once. Rats, flute, stupid-looking kid . . .
然後有一天，他看見了那個一臉傻相的男孩。男孩在吹笛子，面前放著帽子收取零錢，他突然有了一個主意，一個出色的主意，就那麼砰的一聲突然冒了出來：老鼠、笛子、看上去傻乎乎的男孩……
And he』d said, 『Hey, stupid-looking kid! How would you like to make your fortu—nah, kid, I’m down here . . .』
於是他說：「嘿，一臉傻相的兄弟！想不想發財——別，兄弟，我在下面……」
碟形世界的魔法只是一把工具，你需要利用它，去撬動認識自我和世界的門。
莫裡斯就像那些平日裡看來吊兒郎當，但關鍵時刻就變身成英雄的傢伙，小心守護著朋友的夢想。
現實中有太多你無法打敗的、不可戰勝的外界力量，它們就像這本書中的強大魔法一樣，玩兒似的讓你的生活天翻地覆。
太多人因此放棄了理想，而這本書告訴人們，只要你相信自己，即使所謂的魔法很強大，你依然可以戰勝它。
正如封面上的那句話——
魔法很強大，但你自己更強大。
如果你有孩子，推薦他讀讀《碟形世界》，
他會在故事中，收穫一顆不斷思考的頭腦。
如果你沒有孩子，推薦你讀讀《碟形世界》，
你會在閱讀中，找到一顆勇敢面對人生的心。
The Barnes & Noble Review
By Beth Amos
With the debut of his first young-adult novel, science fiction writer Terry Pratchett invites readers ages 12 and up to visit Discworld (碟形世界) — an imaginary land well known to Pratchett's adult following. At the heart of this tale is a slightly twisted take on the old Pied Piper (魔笛手) theme, a talking, thinking cat named Maurice, and a supporting cast of equally talented rats who bear such comical names as Big Savings, Nourishing, and Dangerous Beans.
Maurice and the rats have teamed up with a young lad named Keith to implement a clever moneymaking (賺錢的) scheme. Upon entering a town, the rats make a general nuisance of themselves (令人討厭) — stealing food and widdling ([口]撒尿) on things — until the townsfolk become desperate to get rid of them. Then Maurice and Keith appear on the scene and offer to save the day by ridding the town of its infestation (侵擾) for a small fee. It seems like a surefire (可靠的；必定成功的) plan until the group arrives in the town of Bad Blintz (糟糕的布林茲) and gets hooked up with Malicia, a young girl with a vivid imagination and a knack (本事) for finding trouble. When it's discovered that Bad Blintz already has a rat problem — one that a couple of shifty-eyed (卑鄙的) rat catchers claim to have under control — things turn deadly. For lurking beneath the town's streets is an obstacle course of mangling rattraps and noxious poisons. And beyond that is a monster so powerful and ugly, even Malicia couldn't imagine it.
As Maurice and the rats battle for their very survival, a number of provocative themes surface: life after death, good versus evil, and the sacrifice of the few for the many. But be forewarned — those in search of lighter fare (較輕口味) in these troubled times may not find what they are looking for in Pratchett's vision. Despite plenty of razor-sharp (敏捷的；犀利的) wit and lighthearted moments, this tale has an underbelly (陰暗面) as dark as the tunnels beneath Bad Blintz. Though The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (《碟形世界：貓和少年魔笛手》) is deeply witty and engaging, some readers may find parts of the story — descriptions of how some of the rats die and how others eat their dead — rather intense.
This is an outstanding work of literary excellence — a brilliant twist on the tale of the Pied Piper that is funny and irrevere, but also dark and subversive.
—Karen Usher
這是一本傑出的文學作品——是對魔笛手故事的天才改編，非常幽默，打破常規，同時又直面黑暗和顛覆。
——凱倫·亞瑟（卡內基大獎評審主席）
Pratchett’s work draws teens into a world where humor, perseverance, and hope are the order of the day.
—Robin Brenner
普拉切特的作品把青少年帶入了一個充滿幽默、毅力和希望的世界。
——羅賓·布倫納（瑪格麗特·愛德華獎評委會主席）
Pratchett rethinks a classic story and comes up with a winner. A not–to–be–missed delight.
—School Library Journal
普拉切特解構經典故事，成為一個贏家。不容錯過的悅讀體驗。
——《學校圖書館雜誌》
Excruciatingly funny, ferociously intelligent. —Kirkus Reviews
驚人的幽默，超凡的智慧。
——《柯克斯書評》
Manages to be hilarious, moving, scary, impishly vulgar and wickedly wise, sometimes all at once.
—Locus Magazine
這部作品囊括了幽默、感人、驚險的元素，頑皮又平易近人，狡黠又充滿智慧。讀者有時會同時體驗到這一切。
——《軌跡》雜誌
Terry was one of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest.
—George R. R. Martin
特裡是最偉大的奇幻作家之一，而且毫無疑問是最幽默的。
——喬治·R. R. 馬丁