Take a fantastical journey to Ankh-Morpork

Escapism is at the heart of all our recreational pursuits. Some choose to hike the countryside in order to escape the monotony of city life, while others choose video games to rebel against the limitations of human capability. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld was the theme of choice for escapists on Saturday, 9 November.

Discworld is a literary favourite of the fantasy genre with the series spanning over 40 novels. Set on a flat planet balancing on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle, the characters are as complex and magical as that setting suggests they would be. The characters may be of a supernatural nature but the eternal human themes of life, death and morality are all fully explored in this cult classic series.

Ruled by Lord Vetinari, the city-state of Ankh-Morpork consists of witches, wizards, dragons, centaurs and everything in between. All were represented as revellers were able to compete in role-play fights, best-dressed competitions, folk dancing and various other unique delights explored in Discworld. The full scale of the parallel universe that mirrors our own is too broad to showcase on a single day, but each attendee brought his or her version of the story to tell.

The books are filled with more adventure than a march to Mordor and more magic than disembarking from Platform Nine and Three Quarters. What distinguishes Discworld from its contemporaries though is the humour and that was summed up beautifully by Pratchett when he said, “The trouble with having an open mind is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it”.