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L-space
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| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Related tropes/genres | shared universe |
| See also | The Librarian (Discworld) |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
L-space is a concept from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, which posits that large quantities of books distort space and time, causing libraries to phase into a distinct dimension, or version of reality. The connections between different libraries through L-Space can in theory be exploited by canny knowledge seekers, but it's also said to be dangerous and Librarians who are aware of L-Space discourage it. L-space has been compared to the Internet its links from here to there to elsewhere.[1]
The three rules of the Librarians of Time and Space are: (1) Silence; (2) Books must be returned no later than the last date shown, and (3) the nature of causality must not be interfered with.[2]
All libraries everywhere are connected in L-space. All libraries. Everywhere.[3]
Even big collections of ordinary [non-magical] books distort space, as can readily be proved by anyone who has been around a really old-fashioned secondhand bookshop, one of those that look as though they were designed by M. Escher on a bad day and has more staircases than stories and those rows of shelves which end in little doors that are surely too small for a full-sized human to enter. The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.[4]
Origins of Trope
Fandom
The extra-dimensional nature of L-space makes it easy to blend with other stories, and many fanworks featuring L-space are crossovers with other fandoms.
It was the inspiration for the domain name for a prominent Terry Prachett and Discworld Fan Wiki The L-Space Web.[1][5]
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- Just a Wrong Turn by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel (Harry Potter, Doctor Who, & Discworld, 2008) All libraries are one, which is how one late night in the Hogwarts library, Harry Potter finds himself lost in the library on board the TARDIS....
- when in doubt, go to the library by LullabyKnell (Harry Potter, 2015). The Hogwarts Library saves the Wizarding World through the power of reading.
- A meeting of minds, Archived version by caulkhead, a Nirvana in Fire and Discworld crossover fic
Archives & Fannish Links
- L-space tag on AO3
- L-space on the Discworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki
- L-space on the Discworld Wikia
- L-space Web "The L-Space Web is a web site dedicated entirely to providing information on all aspects of Terry Pratchett and his work.'" Maintained by the L-Space Librarians
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b esmi. "What is Lspace?". The L-Space Web. Archived from the original on 2006-04-25.
- ^ Quotation from Discworld Companion.
- ^ Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! (1989), p.214-5.
- ^ Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! (1989), p.3, footnote.
- ^ "The lspace.org FAQ". The L-Space Web. 1997-09-30. Archived from the original on 1998-05-19.