History Literature / ThiefOfTime

* CallBack: Lu-Tze and the Abbot first appear as minor characters in ''Literature/SmallGods''. Young monks hanging around Mrs. Cosmopilite's dress shop to seek enlightenment was a gag reference in ''Literature/WitchesAbroad''.

* DeathMeansHumanity: [[spoiler: Spending time in a human body makes Lejean / Unity start seeing human life as less of a blight on the perfection of the universe, which is at complete odds with the IndividualityIsIllegal, EnemyToAllLivingThings mindset the Auditors have as [[GodOfOrder Gods of Order]], and she eventually helps to [[RogueDrone stop the invasion]] on humanity from The Auditors. Unfortunately, this [[HumanityIsInsane drives her mad]] and [[DrivenToSuicide she kills herself]] using a vat of chocolate. When she finds herself in the afterlife, apparently having earned herself a soul for her HeelFaceTurn, she is shocked.]]

* EnemyToAllLivingThings: The Auditors are this, par for course really. Interestingly this book goes into detail of how their presence causes an increase in malignity - ordinary objects becoming more hostile to non-objects. Buttered bread become [[SlipperySkid tripping hazards]], ropes and hoses tie themselves [[InstantKnots into knots]], wouldn't be surprised rakes get [[RakeTake under foot]] too.

* HesBack: [[spoiler:Kaos becomes Chaos, which is something the auditors loathe, allowing the horsemen to finally turn the tide. Shortly before that War shakes off the unfocused state the long stretch of relative peace had put him in when it's time to ride out.]]

* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: The [[spoiler: Five.]] horsemen show up as major characters, with the concomitant characterization and expansion.

** An Auditor imparts, what turns out to be fallacious, analogy about the "water in a jug". Where no matter what container the water is placed in it remains unchanged. It's Myria's realization that it is wrong; for a mind in a body, the "water" is truly changed by the jug.

* MuggingTheMonster: A few Auditors escape the final battle, but Unity figures they won't last past falling asleep, the sheer sensory horror of nightmares will do them in. They don't even get that far; a few try mugging Soto and damage his hair...

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Lobsang [[spoiler: barely misses stopping the second clock]] because he slowed down to catch a falling Lu-tze. Susan chastises him for this, calling him "hero" in a derogatory tone.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Lu-Tze is generally easy-going and seems to view the world as a big joke that only he is in on, but when it seems like he and Lobsang are going to be too late to stop time being destroyed (again), he becomes entirely serious and short-tempered. Downplayed at the very end, where he displays frightening keeness and helpfulness in front of the chief acolyte in order to get the ceremony going.

* PaintingTheMedium: Throughout the book, the word ''tick'' is inserted in-between most scenes. [[spoiler: When Lobsang fails to stop the glass clock, and time stops, the ticking stops as well, until the reborn Lobsang manages to turn it off.]]

* ReluctantMadScientist; Jeremy Clockson just wants to make his clocks, he has no idea a truly perfect clock would be a RealityBreakingParadox, which is more than can be said for the first Glass Clock.

** Lu-Tze tells Lobsang he won't [[Series/KungFu1972 call him some insect nickname]].

** Lu-Tze refuses to nickname the apprentice monk after "[[Series/KungFu1972 a damned insect."]] Actually, Lu-Tze bears a lot of resemblance to Master Po, as an example of BewareTheNiceOnes whose badassery is constantly underestimated.
** See also ColourfulThemeNaming above. They even soon start arguing over [[Film/ReservoirDogs who gets to be Mr. Black]].

* SmokyGentlemensClub: Ankh-Morpork has one, of a sort, where men of the city can get away from women. It's not ''that'' kind of gentlemen's club, which is a little down the street and much better decorated. Women aren't even allowed in this club most of the time. No, it's not ''that'' kind of gentlemen's club either. This is just a place where men who've spent their entire life being told what to do by women can sit down, put their feet up and loosen their belts for a bit. Death is allowed in, because of ''course'' he's a gentleman (he owns property in the country, is punctual and impeccably polite). Because women are not allowed in, any woman who does get in obviously doesn't really exist in thier minds and thus can be ignored, as Susan demonstrates when she goes to pay granddad a visit.

* TwistingTheWords: After Lu-Tze gets explicit non-permission from the Abbott to go near Uberwald, he starts packing, telling Lobsang that the Abbott will take a nap and likely forget what he said, at which point all the monks will start "interpreting" what he'd actually said.

* YouCantThwartStageOne: Lobsang has to try and outrun a lightning bolt about to hit the glass clock, which would stop the flow of time. [[spoiler:He fails, time stops and the auditors plan succeeds. The heroes must now work to set things right again.]]

* ExactWords: Igor assures Jeremy's boss that he sees him pour out a spoonful of his medicine regularly. What he ''doesn't'' mention is that Jeremy then pours the spoonful of medicine down the sink instead of down his throat.
** Lu-Tze tells Lobsang that none of the monks know Deja-Fu. This is because Lu-Tze never taught it to them. And ''he's'' (technically) not a monk.

** The theme of Auditors in human form all dressing in monochrome grey -- grey clothes, grey hats, grey shoes -- might be a {{homage}} to the Grey Gentlemen in Creator/MichaelEnde's fantasy novel ''Literature/{{Momo}}'', published in 1973 (alternative titles in English were ''The Grey Gentlemen'' or ''The Men in Grey''). The villanous (and non-human) Grey Gentlemen were also called "time thieves" because they stole time from humans by persuading them to "save" time and deposit it in the Grey Gentlemen's time banks to be paid back with interest at an unspecified date.

*** The clocks ticking in Jeremy's shop - until they all chime at once: to Music/PinkFloyd's ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon''. Or possibly the opening scene of ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Or both.

* NoodleIncident: Whatever Jeremy did to that guy who kept his watch fast. He has medicine now.

* AllGirlsLovePonies: As a demonstration of the one exception everyone has, Susan would gladly give up ''everything'' about being Death's granddaughter in a heartbeat... were it not for the fact this would mean giving up Binky as well.

* AssuranceBackfire: Jeremy's not mad. He even has a piece of paper ''saying'' so. Not many people do. Funnily enough, Igor -- no strange to "eccentric genius" -- doesn't find this reassuring. More the opposite.

* BadBoss: [[spoiler:Mr. White keeps the other human Auditors in line through threats of murder.]]

* CapitalLettersAreMagic: Madame Frout can capitalize any word she believes is Important (or is something she disapproves of).

** Spoofed in Thief of Time:

** Lu-Tze's way, the Way of Mrs. Cosmopolite, is entirely composed of mundane, common-sense sayings such as "There is no time like the present."

"Master, what is the difference between a humanistic, monastic system of belief in which wisdom is sought by means of an apparently nonsensical system of questions and answers, and a lot of mystic gibberish made up on the spur of the moment?"

* DefectorFromDecadence: Lejean decides to stop the other Auditors' plan after experiencing the sensations and thoughts that come with being alive. Though under the circumstances it's more of a defector into decadence.

* FantasticTimeManagement: The title character can make time flow faster or slower for himself relative to the world around him. He regularly uses this ability for mundane everyday schedule management. (And for stealing things.)

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Some of the Auditors end up seeming quite relatable as they navigate and endure the peculiarities of humanity, especially in other incarnated Auditors -- such as Mr. White, who takes to vicious bullying almost as well as some humans.

** The History Monks are supposed to shave their heads. Soto gets away with having an impressive ponytail by saying his hair is a separate entity from himself.

* SmokyGentlemensClub: Ankh-Morpork has one, of a sort, where men of the city can get away from women. It's not ''that'' kind of gentlemen's club, which is a little down the street and much better decorated. Women aren't even allowed in this club most of the time. No, it's not ''that'' kind of gentlemen's club either. This is just a place where men who've spent their entire life being told what to do by women can sit down, put their feet up and loosen their belts for a bit. Death is allowed in, because of ''course'' he's a gentleman (he owns property in the country, is punctual and impeccably polite). Women are not allowed in. Any woman who does get in obviously doesn't really exist and can be ignored, as Susan demonstrates when she goes to pay granddad a visit.

* UnusualEuphemism: One of the Auditors starts spouting absolutely [[Literature/TheTruth ---ing]] ''[[spoiler:organ]]ic'' modifiers and interjections after discovering how unpleasant it is to have a body and failing to express her frustration through normal human expletives.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Angel of the Iron Book seemed pretty indignant (being told the work that contains your only appearance is no longer canon will do that to you), then vanished.

* BadassBaritone: War employs one of these, briefly, [[spoiler: just before the Horsemen ride against the Auditors]].

Meanwhile, another foundling called Lobsang Ludd has been taken away by the History Monks and is taught their disciplines, such as the management and upkeep of history and the running of time, and the time-bending martial art of deja-fu. A difficult but know-it-all student, he is apprenticed to Lu-Tze (from ''Literature/SmallGods''), spoken of with fear yet claiming to be only a simple sweeper, and thus outside the system. Via their Mandala, the monks learn of the attempt to reconstruct the Glass Clock, and know that this time there's no hope of repairing history if it strikes. Merely a birth pang of the coming doom causes the room of Procrastinators (time manipulating machines) to go haywire, yet Lobsang somehow instinctively calms them. Lu-Tze, who failed to stop the first clock, is put on the case by the Abbot, a serial reincarnator currently in the body of a baby. He and Lobsang journey down towards Ankh-Morpork...