Hogfather

Hogfather is the twentieth novel in the Discworld series by the English writer Terry Pratchett. It is a comedic fantasy that follows the story of a group of anthropomorphic Unseen University students as they attempt to save their world from a sinister plot to overthrow Hogfather, who gives gifts to children at Yuletide.

Prologue:

The prologue of Hogfather introduces us to the Auditors of Reality, a mysterious group of entities that monitor the balance in the universe. The Auditors plan to replace Hogfather, a supernatural figure that punishes naughty children and brings gifts to the good ones, because they believe the folklore is making people think for themselves. To do this, they hire an assassin known as “Mr. Teatime” to kill Hogfather and cover up their deed.

Chapter 1:

In Chapter 1, we are introduced to Death, the anthropomorphic personification of death and also a rather absent-minded character. Death is sent to protect the Hogfather from Mr. Teatime, but finds himself sidetracked due to an odd request from a besieging grandchild who wants a new toy. In responding to this, Death learns more about the importance of living life before focusing on death.

Chapter 2:

In Chapter 2, four students from the Unseen University - the Discworld’s premier magical college - hatch a plan to save the Hogfather when they learn of his plight. In order to do so, they enlist the help of Death and his granddaughter Susan Sto-Helit. The five of them set out to rescue the Hogfather in a magical sleigh, but soon find themselves pursued by Mr. Teatime and his goons.

Chapter 3:

In Chapter 3, the group makes it to Hogswatch (also known as Yuletide) where they must battle Mr. Teatime and his goons. The battle culminates in a duel between Death - or rather, his empty-headed grandchild, Auditors and Mr. Teatime. In the end, Mr. Teatime is defeated and the Hogfather is saved, thanks to the students’ quick thinking and ingenious use of magic.

Chapter 4:

In the fourth chapter, Death and Susan journey to the Valley of Bones, one of the places between life and death. Here, they encounter an old crone who tells them of an old promise that had been made to the Hogfather. It turns out that the promise was what was keeping the Hogfather in existence and, in one last act of heroism, Death is able to revive the Hogfather and break the promise, thus restoring the balance in the world.

Epilogue:

The epilogue takes place in Ankh-Morpork, and shows us how the citizens of the city are living their lives as normal now that the crisis with the Hogfather has been resolved. Death spends some time with his grandchild, asking her to explain the human concept of “fun” which he doesn't quite understand. The epilogue then wraps up the story with the reassuring message that life will go on as normal, and that hope will still be alive in the hearts of those living in the Discworld.