Discworld

[Jintor]

I notice a fair few of you hear are Pratchett fans, so... which book is your fave? I personally feel that Night Watch was probably one of his best books.

 

[Narvi]

Night Watch is good, yes, but I think Hogfather is my personal favourite. Going Postal is high up on the list though.

 

[knut]

I absolutely love the City/Night Watch/Vimes book. As I said in the other thread, the books Men at Arms and Night Watch are my favorite, but I love 'em all. Yes, even Monstrous Regiment, which is often subject to criticism from a lot of Pratchett lovers. Although that's not technically a City/Night Watch/Vimes book as much as the others.

Vimes is awesome, simple as. I seriously wish they'd make a film or TV adaptation centered around one of his stories. Has anyone seen Cross of Iron? Don't you think James Coburn would of made a perfect Vimes? Heck, there's tones of gritty actors out there that would do a good job. And Tony Robinson, AKA Baldrick from Blackadder, as Nobby. Goddamnit.

But feth, I love 'em all. The Rincewind books are close favorites, but he's such a good writer it's hard not to like any character he does a book about.

 

[Septih]

I liked monstrous regiment too, not sure what people find wrong with it. I'm also a fan of the watch series, some of the witches ones are good too, but generally they're all good reads Need to pick up Making Money at some point.

Hope his alzhiemers isn't too bad

Oh, btw, try and find a copy of the cartoon version of soul music, t'is awesome

 

[Eejit]

Wyrd Sisters is probably one of his best. Though if you don't know Macbeth you'll miss a lot of the jokes.

 

[Jintor]

I never really liked Lancre, in the beginning, but it grew on my after Lords and Ladies. Then I went back and re-read some of the other Witches books, and they made more sense. (And I got a few more of the jokes.)

Pratchett is another of those series where re-reading them later in your life will mean you'll pick up another layer of funny behind the initial layer of funny you found when you first read it.

 

[knut]

I got Faust/Eric today for Christmas. Not delved into the Rincewind books in quite a while although this book looks very short. Ah well, it'll be good.

Also got the graphic/illustrated version of Guards! Guards! !!!!

 

[ríomhaire]

Death books
Watch books
Witches books
Wizards books
Rincewind books

In that order. I love Monsterous Regiment too and Reaper Man, Hogfather and Night Watch are my favourites, although I didn't really like the whole shopping centre idea in the former.

 

[Narvi]

I hate* to be a Grammar Nazi, but it's hard to tell what the expression "the former" refers to when you have more than two articles in a sentence at a time.

For posterity's sake, he's referring to Hogfather with the mall incident.

...Probably.

Wait, Are you referring to the bit where Death played a mall San - Hogfather in, well, Hogfather, or the bit where the horrible Lovecraftian shopping mall invaded Ankh-Morpork in Reaper Man?

You should have added a semi-colon, you bastard. Then none of this would have had to happen. Now look what you did.

* Foul lies.

 

[Warbie]

All of the books are great, but i've a soft spot for Pyramids, Guards Guards, Men At Arms, Sorcery, Reaper man and Mort. Good Omens, writen with Neil Gaiman, is also awesome.

Did anyone here read Truckers, Diggers and Wings?

 

[knut]

****, I love the Nomes books. All great. I have the VHS film of Truckers and it's outstanding, even to this day. It's so spot on with detail.

Anyone like the Johnny and the... books? I forgot how many he did but I quite enjoyed them, too.

 

[Eejit]

3 Johnny books. Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny and the Dead, Johnny and the Bomb.

The Truckers, Diggers, Wings books were good too.

 

[Ennui]

Never read a thing by Pratchett, mostly because someone tried to tell me he was a better writer than Douglas Adams so I've been somewhat prejudiced due to my anger at that statement.

What's a good first book (or couple of books) to read? I need some good, easy fiction to monster through, all I read now is philosophy and classic literature which gets to be a drag.

 

[knut]

I'd say start at the start, really, which would be the first Rincewind book, The Colour of Magic

Not that the books, as a whole, have a specific time line because they're [mostly] split up into individuals characters books, such as the Vimes/City Watch books, the Witches books, etc, but regardless that this is the very first Discworld book, it's a great start nonetheless.

Pratchett is a fantastic writer and I much prefer him to Adams but they both do very different things if you ask me. What you'll find in the Discworld books is a whole fantasy world with satire, parodies and humour crammed into every faulty nook and cranny that holds the world together. Although the world is held together with magic, but you'll see that Pratchett takes a very different approach to the all the usual fantasy cliches, magic especially. It's a very, very rich world full to the brim with detail. It's amazing.

 

[ríomhaire]

I hate* to be a Grammar Nazi, but it's hard to tell what the expression "the former" refers to when you have more than two articles in a sentence at a time.

For posterity's sake, he's referring to Hogfather with the mall incident.

...Probably.

Wait, Are you referring to the bit where Death played a mall San - Hogfather in, well, Hogfather, or the bit where the horrible Lovecraftian shopping mall invaded Ankh-Morpork in Reaper Man?

You should have added a semi-colon, you bastard. Then none of this would have had to happen. Now look what you did.

* Foul lies.

I was refering to the whole shopping centre growing outside the city in Reaper Man. I really liked Windle Poons' story and loved Death's part, but when the purpose of the snow globes and shopping trolleys comes into place it just seems really silly and out of place.

I didn't really like the idea behind Moving Pictures either. That's probably my least favourite Discworld book.

 

[Warbie]

Never read a thing by Pratchett, mostly because someone tried to tell me he was a better writer than Douglas Adams so I've been somewhat prejudiced due to my anger at that statement.

Don't let that put you off, or you'll end up missing out on one of the greatest fantasy/comedy writers there has been! I'd suggest working your way through the books in order, definately starting with the Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. These first two are by no means his best, btw, but they do set up the Discworld nicely - which is such a trippy and wonderful place - while introducing Rincewind, the rubbish Wizard.

As TheAntipop mentioned, the books are split up amoungst various characters, but these are often in some order - you don't want to start reading the 3rd of the Guards books, for example - so it's best just to work your way from first to last. I'm actually quite envious - you have almost 40 awesomely funny books ahead (Terry Pratchett is the only writer to consitently make me laugh out loud) and an entire kaleidoscope's worth of charatcers to meet.

'God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.'

 

[Jintor]

All of the books are great, but i've a soft spot for Pyramids, Guards Guards, Men At Arms, Sorcery, Reaper man and Mort. Good Omens, writen with Neil Gaiman, is also awesome.

Did anyone here read Truckers, Diggers and Wings?

Yes; actually, the only stuff I haven't read by Pratchett is Johnny and the Bomb, because I can't find it.

I generally borrow most of my reading material from libraries, so yeah.

Pratchett's at his best when he's not just doing basic parody, but also weaving a consistent storyline. Although I didn't mind Moving Pictures that much.

 

[Warbie]

I stuggled with Moving Pictures more than any of his other books. The characters were as funny as ever, but something didn't quite click. Soul Music was similar, but Death is such a pimp. The only Johnny book I read was Only You Can Save Mankind, which was alright.

 

[Eejit]

These first two are by no means his best, btw, but they do set up the Discworld nicely - which is such a trippy and wonderful place - while introducing Rincewind, the rubbish Wizzard.

Fixed

 

[Warbie]

Fixed

:cheers:

 

[Jintor]

I stuggled with Moving Pictures more than any of his other books. The characters were as funny as ever, but something didn't quite click. Soul Music was similar, but Death is such a pimp. The only Johnny book I read was Only You Can Save Mankind, which was alright.

I made a mistake with starting with Interesting Times, because when you're 9 you don't understand what the heck is going on with Cohen, a giant parody of Imperial China/Imperial Japan, etc, etc. AND I was expecting a normal fantasy series. Man, I'm so glad I stuck with the Discworld though.

 

[ríomhaire]

I think my first two were Thief of Time and Small Gods. I'm not sure in what order though. I managed to get two books in a row with next to no characters that recur in other books!

 

[Narvi]

My first one was Hogfather. Then I got Mort. It was a weird experience.

Ennui, you should really check him out. They use the same method of humour, though obviously with a different style for each, which isn't bad considering they are both derived from PG Wodehouse.

 

[Steel.Inferno]

Aside from the character series', I am fond of Small Gods, Thief of Time, and Sourcery.

I'd like another Wizards, but not Rincewind, book myself.

Just finished rereading Guards Guards last night. After reading Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell, I needed something lighter, heh.

 

[Sloth]

Thud is my most loved but Night Watch wins for me - the parody of Le Mirs is well done.

My girl had to control me throughout the Hogfather on TV as I was laughing and screaming too much.

I'm going to attempt to buy each Discworld in paperback, alot of money - but I already have CoM and Making Money... Just a few to go.

 

[ríomhaire]

If you're looking to get into the Discworld bookds it isn't nessisary to read them in any particular order, because they all have self-contained stories that are rapped up by the end, but I would recommend reading the ones about certain characters in order. For instance, don't read Night Watch or Thud before having read Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms because you won't understand Vimes and the other watchmen as well.

The books can, for the most part be divided into a few groups:
Rincewind books
They deal with Rincewind, the coward of a Wizzard who is utterly useless at magic. They mostly parody classic fantasy stories and fantasy conventions.

Death books
The Grim Reaper is in every single Discworld book, bar one, but only a few books have him as a main character. They usually deal with the concepts of belief, justice and humanity.

Witch books
this can pretty much be divided in two again. The Granny Weatherwax/Nanny Ogg books generally deal with huge events or specific threats that the witches have to deal with and feature huge feats of magic. There is also some talk of the witches' day-to-day lives.

The Tiffany Aching books deal with a young girl who's learning to be a witch, and feature much more of the day-to-day part of being a witch, but obviously has the major events too.

In both cases the witch books generally deal with stories or fairytales (one being a shameless parody of McBeth).

Watch books
Deal with the Anhk Morpork Night Watch/City Watch and are generally a bit more down-to-earth than the others and show the workings and politics of the city and sometimes the wider world. Of course there are still fantasy elements, but they're made normal. For instance, the city is lousy with dwarfs and trolls, but they're just portrayed as minorities that are very short and made of stone respectively.

Moist von Lipwig books
Only two of these so far. Perhaps even more down to earth than the watch books. The first sees him being put in charge of running the post office, the second, the mint. Like the watch books it shows the city life and politics.

 

[Warbie]

Good post. The Rincewind, Death and Guards books are my faves. I don't get on with the Witches that much, but have enjoyed their stories.

 

[Narvi]

That's an awesome and succint summary. Check out the Annotated Pratchett File if you don't get the jokes in his early books, btw, it's an excellent reference.

Moist Von Lipwip books
Only two of these so far. Perhaps even more down to earth than the watch books. The first sees him being put in charge of running the post office, the second, the mint. Like the watch books it shows the city life and politics.

Who is Moist Von Lipwip, rim-fire?

You can't spell parody either. Paradoy? Parady?

Oh, damn, I've posted twice in this thread to correct riomhaire's English. I look like a pissant.

Well.

BOOKS ARE DUMB. You hear me? You are all DUMB for reading books. :x

 

[ríomhaire]

Oops. Fixed anyway. I've always sucked at spelling.

 

[Godron]

Truckers, Diggers and Wings are the first ones I read, and still my favourites, probably because my simple brain can understand them easily. With Discworld I always have a huge feeling that there's something I'm not getting, especially with the Tiffany Aching books. Not that I don't like them, I'm on to The Fith Elephant ATM, but I'm probably missing quite a few of the jokes and parodies. The Wizzards books are my favourites, especially Reaper Man, or whichever one it was with the wizards vs walking compost heaps. Small Gods, Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Sourcery, Pyramids and a few others I can't remember the names of are also at the top of my list. Then there's The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents which is excellent, and Thud!, one of the best Watch books.

@ Enuii: I always thought Pratchett's style was very similar to Douglas Adams's actually, if you liked Adams then chances are you'll like Pratchett too.

EDIT: The Science of Discworld is also well worth a read, to anyone interested in the random science of pretty much everything.

 

[Polaris]

I would like to read The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch, sounds very interesting, evolution and time travel in the Discworld.

 

[ríomhaire]

The science bits of the Science of the Discworld books are interesting, but the stories aren't great.

 

[Narvi]

Truckers, Diggers and Wings are the first ones I read, and still my favourites, probably because my simple brain can understand them easily. With Discworld I always have a huge feeling that there's something I'm not getting, especially with the Tiffany Aching books. Not that I don't like them, I'm on to The Fith Elephant ATM, but I'm probably missing quite a few of the jokes and parodies. The Wizzards books are my favourites, especially Reaper Man, or whichever one it was with the wizards vs walking compost heaps. Small Gods, Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Sourcery, Pyramids and a few others I can't remember the names of are also at the top of my list. Then there's The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents which is excellent, and Thud!, one of the best Watch books.

@ Enuii: I always thought Pratchett's style was very similar to Douglas Adams's actually, if you liked Adams then chances are you'll like Pratchett too.

EDIT: The Science of Discworld is also well worth a read, to anyone interested in the random science of pretty much everything.

As I said, Google the Annotated Pratchett File. It makes you understand those little references.

The science bits of the Science of the Discworld books are interesting, but the stories aren't great.

Oh, I disagree. I miss the wizards of UU in the latest books, and it's nice to see their compressed idiocy now and then. The science bits seemed pointless in my mind, if I needed to know that I'd read my textbooks.

I suppose it's good for drumming up interest in science, but let's be honest, only geeks read Discworld.

 

[Jintor]

I also disagree. While they mainly do serve only as framing material for the science, it's good to see the Wizards of UU attempt desperately to be Big Damn Heroes - simply because they can.

The science is also good. Much more interesting than textbooks.

 

[knut]

The Art of Discworld is a very good read, too, but the depth some characters are described in throughout the books deems it somewhat pointless because it's all very spot on and accurate. But even so, it's a really nice book of illustrations and well worth a gander.

 

[Jintor]

So i recently borrowed Thud again (generally I read Pratchett sitting in Borders, which means I kind of skim-read it) and reading it again at my leisure made me recognize a whole bunch more humour. Like the Mine-sign for the Dwarven underground seems to resemble the symbol used for British Rail.

Man, I love Terry Pratchett. Monsterous Regiment got even better than I'd remembered on my, um, fourth readthrough.

 

[Warbie]

Going Postal and Making Money are genius

I'm now on his newest book, Nation (not a Discworld story), and plowing through it. It's unusal for Terry Pratchett - it's still written in his effortless style and the pages fly by, but it's sombre, touching, and almost bitter in it's humour. There's smething very lonely about the story, which deals with faith and loss, and I can't help suspect that his current condition has been a significant influence.

 

[Direwolf]

I just reread The Truth and Making Money (I reread Going Postal a while ago). I'm always more than a little amazed how I get as much out of his stuff as many of the highfalutin' books I read. His stuff is breezy, interesting, and fun, and then Pratchett sneaks up behind you and hits you on the head with some incredibly profound ideas.