Greetings, all Terry Pratchett lovers!
I realize that this has virtually nothing to do with OOTS, except perhaps that he is a fantasy writer, but I have found a surprising number of people on the Forums who really like his books, so I thought that I could make a place for them here to post their comments, questions, or general ravings about the dicworld. I will Probably be able to answer most of your questions, as I am completely obsesed with his work and have read all of his books.
Hope you enjoy! :)
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After the tenth shot, my liver left me a note that said "I'm leaving, and I'm taking the kidneys!"
The only Terry Pratchett I have read is Good Omens, precisely because I have never liked the same elements of pop culture as other Gamers. But my girlfriend (er, ex-, now) loves him, and lent me that book to read.
I found the book alright, and I liked the plot quite well. But the little touches which she (the girlfriend) assured me were pure Pratchett, and some of his best flourishes, I perceived as a failed attempts to be another Douglas Adams.
As such, I was horrified when she said she had never read Adams and went back to raving about Pratchett. I'm fine with her liking him, but she should really be reading the master as well.
And I think I need to read more Neil Gaiman.
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Wow, Discworld is the best group of books by him! However, I must say his books never get everything right. if he nails the satirical humor, then he doesn't get the storyline perfect. If he gets the storyline perfect, then he doesn't get the characterization effectively, and on and on and on... (God, I hope he isn't on this site)
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Pratchett is great. I'd say that his style has very little in common with Douglas Adams though. Where Adams goes amok with the weirdness and truly random stuff, Pratchett has a very consistent univers.
Okay, not from the start, when it was mostly a bad parody on Leiber and Howard, but from "Guards, Guards!" and onward.
I've got all his books, even got a few of them signed :D
I once bought a beer for the real Cohen. Nice guy.
But the little touches which she (the girlfriend) assured me were pure Pratchett, and some of his best flourishes, I perceived as a failed attempts to be another Douglas Adams.
Exactly what I thought the first time I tried to read one of T.P.'s books. Then I met Granny Weatherwax, Death, and Vimes (among others), and it was all over. ;D While there are definitely some similarities in style, I've found that Douglas Adams tends to have harder, more plot-driven characters, while Terry tends towards character-driven plots, with some very deep philosophy thrown in (for those who care to see it). I'd recommend at least trying one of the stand-alone Discworld books before you throw him out entirely; maybe Small Gods? It's one of the best books I've ever read (and I own not one, not two, but three copies of the entire Hitchhiker's "Trillogy," so you know I agree with you about DA being the Master :D).
I also loved Monstrous Regiment; now anything that annoys me is an Abomination Unto Nuggan. ;D It's hard to pick a favorite Discworld book, though; there's so much in all of them that's good. I can't even pick a favorite character!
"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life."
-- (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)
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Adams=awesome exept for book 5 of Hitchhiker's
Pratchett=awesome of a different kind.
To me, Adams tends toward the illogically bizarre, while Pratchetts Bizarrity has more of a logic to it. The best example I can give is the Bugblatter Beast which won't attack if it thinks you can't see it, or being so distracted you forget to hit the ground. For Pratchett a lot of his thinking seems to be looking at things from an adult perspective with the logic of a child. I think DEATH most siginificantly shows this, or in Small Gods at the end when the prophet asks, "Which end?" I can't be clearer on that without spoiling it, and even that may be too much, but anyone who's read it will get it.
Gaiman? I really need to read more of his as well. I
have another book(besides good omens) of his, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.
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"American Gods" and "Anansi Boys" are both good, "Neverwhere" is him struggling towards those tales. It's perhaps easier to get into his 'mystical beings living among men' mindset if you read a couple of his "Sandman" comic collections though. I'd say the short story collections "Fables and Reflections" and "Brief Lives" are perhaps the best points of entry.
I started to read TP when I was about 8. At that time, all the books being offered to me for home reading at school were dull and a bit below my level, and I was starting to go off reading as a result, but then my older brother introduced me to Truckers and I've read as many as I could ever since. Good Omens was awesome, but overall I'm a Discworld girl, especially as my dad would make a perfect Vetinari :D
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...Paladins aren't heralded and celebrated because they follow the rules really well.
They're heralded and celebrated because they SAVE THE SODDING WORLD FROM DARKNESS. A lot.
I really like Pyramids and Theif of Time. I have probally read about ten of his novels and am saving up for Good Omens (I also really like Neil Gaiman).
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Wow, I cannot believe the number of responses that this is getting! what really surprises me is the number of people who like T.P. who also have also read Douglas Adam's books. I myself am midway through re-reading them for about the hundredth time, and to anybody else reading this who has not read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy of Five,I would strongly recomend reading it. however, I cannot understand how some peope here Are comparing D.A. and T.P. so harshly! to me their writing styles seem quite different, D.A. focusing on the amusingly irellevant, while T.P. focuses on the satirical side of human nature. Also, D.A.'s novels are spread throught space and time, making it very difficult to focus on one place, While T.P. has 32 books (36 if you count some of the ones that aren't technically part of the dicworld series but still take place there) in which to enrich and build upon his world (Although, admittedly, some of his earlier novels weren't all that great). I would also like to apologise for my earlier exageration, I have not read all of his books, just all of the discworld series and most of his other books. The Bromiliad sucks. no offence, it's just my opinion.
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ah Terry Pratchet. He is an amazing author. My favorite character is defintantly Death, I love how in a short story he argues with a pilospher about death and the exsistance of heaven and hell.
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ah Terry Pratchet. He is an amazing author. My favorite character is defintantly Death, I love how in a short story he argues with a pilospher about death and the exsistance of heaven and hell.
I totally agree with that person. I would buy you 18 rounds of drinks if i lived anywhere near you. Completely aside i have read the hhgttg and i liked the first four, the last was intersting and i laughed at ford, but them all carping it? And no mention of the Z man? That was a tad bad, but didn't he die before he could finish it, or is this a different book im thinking of.
But back on Terry Prachet i read REAPER MAN and thats it, altho i have read many quotes and my avatar is based on DEATH (well loosely anyway) so yeah.
Go Death and rock on.
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Life is the set up and Death's the punchline line.
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I give you the Master of sarcasm, (and puns).
DEATH.
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Originally Posted by Azrael
Aww, dammit! You know I can't smite you when you're wearing those things!
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Oh, Captain Jack Sparrow, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.
Alright...so perhaps I need to give T.P. another chance (my ass has been chafing...sorry couldn't resist with those initials)
Anyway...maybe I should, can anyone recommend a good book to begin with? Keep in mind the emphasis begin. In previous attempts I couldnt' get into the world, so I gave up...something where it's easy to understand the world...perhaps.
As for Gaiman, I started with Sandman - Doll's House, then read a couple others, before moving up to Neverwhere, then American Gods, and finally Good Omens. Ananasi Boys is on my list when I get a bit of spending cash.
Adams pwns you all! And that's all I'm going to say about that.
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Still think that was an epic prank, *snip* Kudos, gentlemen.
Yes, Indurain, and I'm glad that you asked. In m opinion the best book to start with would be men at arms, the second book in the city watch series. The first book in said series ( which is actually part of the discworld series) is Guards! Guards!, but it is really best to read this one last. don't ask me why, please. The city watch series is good because it ads a mystery solving element to the fantasy, which sounds strange, but is, in fact, very good. after you have read a few of the boks in the city watch series, I would suggest Going Postal, which is just fun to read. :)
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After the tenth shot, my liver left me a note that said "I'm leaving, and I'm taking the kidneys!"
...though the Granny Weatherwax books are a bit of a trial for me to get through.
Equal Rites was kind of blah, but I love the other Granny books because they have Nanny Ogg in them. Is there anything funnier than a dirty old lady? ;D And Granny gets ten times funnier when she has someone to play off of.
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And who doesn't love Death of Rats / Grim Squeeker?
I love that now he rides on a raven named Quoth. :D
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Exactly what I thought the first time I tried to read one of T.P.'s books. Then I met Granny Weatherwax, Death, and Vimes (among others), and it was all over. ;D
Hmmm. Death was one of the things I liked least about Good Omens.
Well, that's a bit misleading. I liked the idea of those Hell's Angels, and I liked a lot of the things that stemmed from having 'Death' as a character (and the jokes about death). But his little one-liners, and his interactions, say, with the bikers... meh. Sort of fell flat for me.
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Ooops! Yeah, I should have been more specific. The truth is, I've never managed to successfully read all of Good Omens, so I always forget about it. :-[ I've started it twice, but I get bored about thirty pages in and put it aside for other things, then never come back to it. It's kind of funny, since I love both The Sandman comics (the few I've managed to find) and Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and every one of the Discworld books I've read, but somehow Good Omens just doesn't do it for me...
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"There is no mistaking a real book when one meets it. It is like falling in love." ~ Christopher Morley
Yes, Indurain, and I'm glad that you asked. In m opinion the best book to start with would be men at arms, the second book in the city watch series. The first book in said series ( which is actually part of the discworld series) is Guards! Guards!, but it is really best to read this one last. don't ask me why, please. The city watch series is good because it ads a mystery solving element to the fantasy, which sounds strange, but is, in fact, very good. after you have read a few of the boks in the city watch series, I would suggest Going Postal, which is just fun to read. :)
Interestingly enough, I haven't been able to get through the Guards series... (Guards, Guards!, Feet of Clay, Jingo). *I will say though, that the books that got me hooked were Interesting Times, though that helped because I'm Asian, and The Colour of Magic. *I think that The Colour of Magic, Book #1 of the series is by far my favorite. *I'm currently in the process of reading the whole series in order of release, though I've violated that a bit recently. *The Truth and Small Gods were terrific, IMO.
My 2 yen,
Read on!
Akio
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Small Gods! I love that book! It's everything you need to know about the history of religion, philosophy and cooking fish (hurrah for poor, confused Fasta-Benj!) in one handy book.
The only Pratchett book that I've read is Good Omens, but I thought it was fantastic! I'd love to read some of his other stuff when if I ever I have the time.
I was once discussing books with someone, and I mentioned Discworld. And they replied.
"Yeah but they're not exactly Harry Potter."
And I think thats what I like about them. They actually make sense, the plots are far from repetitive, and I love the satirical style. Its so far removed from the childish feel of Harry Potter, thats what I like about it. I mean come on. In this day and age, how can an international community of wizards exist without us, with our satellites and advanced technology not be able to find them? And don't you think the wizards would use technology a bit more. I mean, you could just walk up to Voldermort and empty a 9mm clip into him. Problem solved.
Damn my ciniscism.....
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