Terry Pratchett, Author Extrordinaire

[Jesus]

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! :)

[Indurain]

I found Pratchett hard to read, however I LOVED Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.

[HempRope]

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.

[churchofbanjo]

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)

[Morden]

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.

[kendrama]

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)

[Midnight Son]

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.

[Morden]

...have read all of his books.
Even "The Unadulterated Cat"?
;D

[bosssmiley]

And I think I need to read more Neil Gaiman.

Yes Hemprope, yes you do. :)

"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.

A Neil Gaiman Bibliography (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/neil-gaiman/) for your convenience.

edit:On-topic I'm such a Pratchett geek it's not even funny (yes I have a copy of "The Unadulterated Cat").

[The_Librarian]

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

[TheHawk]

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).

[Leyonius]

I've got three words that shall solve all your problems


H.P. Lovecraft

[Midnight Son]

I've got three words that shall solve all your problems


H.P. LovecraftTechnically, that's two initials and a word. ;D

[Jesus]

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.

[Jesus]

Just out of curiosity, How many people here have read The Last Hero?

[bosssmiley]

Just out of curiosity, How many people here have read The Last Hero?

*raises paw* Loved it, Paul Kidby's art is fantastic.

[Gralamin]

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.

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

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.

[Indurain]

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.

[Jesus]

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. :)

[Fourdoor]

I would say stick with the night watch books, which start with Guards, Guards! Its a good read all the way through.

I absolutely love Terry Pratchett, though the Granny Weatherwax books are a bit of a trial for me to get through.

And who doesn't love Death of Rats / Grim Squeeker?

[kendrama]

...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.


And who doesn't love Death of Rats / Grim Squeeker?
I love that now he rides on a raven named Quoth. :D

[HempRope]

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.

[Dhavaer]

Discworld Death and Azrael are different, if somewhat similar characters. Kendra meant Discworld Death.

[kendrama]

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...

[Akiosama]

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

[Orrmundur]

I'd start with either Pyramids or Small Gods. Those will infect you with Pratchett fever.

[bosssmiley]

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 turtle moves." ;)

[Holy_Knight]

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.

[Were-Sandwich]

My favourite is thief of 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.....

[Iroll20s]

Stercus Stercus Morteus Sum <--- as an ex-latin student this got me laughing ;D

just some really trivial references to the real world through Discworld:

Twurp's Peerage (An Amalgamation of all the Dukes, Lords etc in Discworld History) - Burke's Peerage (An Amalgamation of all the Dukes, Lords etc in English History)

Lancre Morris Men (Band of local performers in lancre) - Larry's Morris Men (Relic band from (i think) England, stemmed from Larry and the Rebels) im not sure whether that was intentional but its a bloody good coincidence if it isnt

there are a multitude of others but they are less trivial imo, if anyone has anymore post 'em please nothing like reading a book again in a new light.

[bosssmiley]

My favourite is thief of time.

I was once discussing books with someone, and I mentioned Discworld. And they replied.

"Yeah but they're not exactly Harry Potter."

Hurt this person, badly! It's for their own good. If you can make it look like an accident, if not claim exemption under the terms of the Harry Potter Brainless Fan-Boy Eradication Defence.

Nothing wrong with the books, but people *got* to learn that fantasy literature does not begin and end with Rowling. ;)


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.

A wizard did it. ;)

[Mr Croup]

I've only made a limited foray into Pratchett's novels, but I really do enjoy his style. Has anyone ever read/seen/heard any of the dramatic adaptations, such as Wyrd Sisters? Definitely worth while. There's an excellent recording of Wyrd Sisters out there.

As far as Good Omens goes, I'm actually rereading it right now, for probably the 7th or 8th time. It was my introduction to Pratchett, as I'm a huge Gaiman fan. It's interesting seeing their writing styles paired in one text.

[Don Beegles]

Personally, I've never read Good Omens or anything by Gaiman, but I'll have to look into it.

Personally, I like the newer Pratchett's the best (Going postal, Monstrous Regiment, Thud!) They're less random humor based and have plots that I think would work well in a non-humor setting. In fact, that's something I love about jsut about all of Pratchett's books: the plot, and even mayn of the characters could remain very similar even if the books weren't funny books. On the other hand there is Adams, who I also greatly enjoy, but the very plot of whose books is comedic, and so not as good story wise. In my opinion, of course, but I"m no philologist, just a guy who likes to read.

[Shadow_of_Light]

I love Pratchett. :)

My favourite character is Vimes (sorry Death!). I haven't read all the books yet, but I'm working on my collection... I have read The Last Hero and Good Omens. Loved the art in the former, and was amused by the latter (especially the author bios at the start ;D).

I must admit I was initially turned off Pratchett's books by the strange cover art. It made me think, "Hmph, this can't be *serious* fantasy..."

And now, 10 some odd years later, he's one of my favourite fantasy authors. :)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Pratchett is in my top 3 favorite authors most definetely. Discworld is one of the best series of books I've ever read. I read the entire Hitchhiker collection before I even knew of Pratchett and he is definetely in the same vein. Kind of a fantasy version, but their are also huge difference. One glaring one is Pratchett's books tend to be less focused on sex, drugs, and rock & roll... even Soul Music which is supposedly all about the aforementioned... well, at least rock. Well.. music with rocks in at least ;)

However, though I was a fanatic of Hitchhiker's for a time, I have to say I much prefer Discworld.


I've read about a dozen of the series, plan on getting them all sometime, and my favorite is definetely Night Watch. Those of you who say Discworld rarely has much of a story are on something if they can say that with a straight face.


Not really certain what my favorite character would be, though it'd be either Death, Susan or Vimes.

[Jibar]

I could never limit down my top 3 authors. 5, maybe, pushing it soooo much.

But I'm currently working my way through the Discworld series. Just finished Reaper Man (as in, a few minutes ago) and will start on Witches Abroad soon.
Terry is hilarious. Te part where he started talking about Kingon (or Queenons) had me in histerics. What's brilliant is that a lot of what he writes makes sense. You can actually believe it would happen.

By the way, Rincewind is definetly my favorite, because I am him. You give me the robe, beard and pointy hat, you'd be looking at him.

[Wizzardman]

Major Terry Pratchett Fan here, in case you couldn't tell. As is obvious, Rincewind is my favorite character, even to the point of me including unhappy heroes and angry, voracious boxes in my D&D games.

Liked Good Omens a lot, but, personally, found that Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman should do their own stuff, rather than together. They're both awesome, but... awesome in different ways.

Reaper Man is one of my favorites. I love Discworld's Death--he's such an awesome character. He's always desperately trying to understand humanity, and yet is always just slightly too much of an outside observer to really get it.

And for those of us Pratchett fans who live in the US:

MidSouthCon 25 is going to have Terry Pratchett as one of its guests of honor. A certain webcomic writer may also be there.

[Em]

Here are some general ravings.
He is an amazing author. I read every Discworld then published during August 1999 (oddly specific, I know), and a new Pratchett book is a wonderful thing.
1) Very, very few other authors have a sense of humour that actually makes me laugh out loud.
2) It's obvious that he used to be an accomplished (and evil) GM (he admits the "evil" part). He knows exactly how to manipulate stock characters and situations to make them amusing, without losing real drama and real adventure.
3) He is observant. You meet his characters every day, even if you have definitely decided that they are too silly to exist. The frightening thing is when you realise that you are a character.
4) Poignant moments that never become nauseating, owing to their humour. Vimes reading Where's My Cow? VERY LOUDLY! :'(
I have lots more, but I'm sure everyone knows them.
Pratchett quotes are an integral part of my idiolect.
"You're using your "henpecked" voice, LR33. You know that's not fair."
"...and my father is the Emperor of Klatch and my mother is a small tray of raspberry puddings."
Ravings end here.

[Krulla]

A friend loaned me "The Colour of Magic" and "The light fantastic" a month or two ago, and I loved them. I'm currently reading "The Wyrd sisters" with "Guards! Guards!" being next in line.

The Luggage and Rincewind are quite possibly my two favorite fantasy characters, ever.

[RyleneCaleah]

I have to say it is so nice to see so many Pratchett fans. I've been reading his stuff for about 17 years now. (It might be longer but I'm not going to admit it out loud!!!!) Can't say I've been disapointed in any of his books or characters. Also can't say that I'd compare him to Adams except that they both write funny books. Apples and oranges..... both are fruit but you can't make apple pie with oranges.......

No-one yet has mentioned Casanunder..... or even Greebo, Nanny Ogg's admirer and cat respectively, both provide interesting moments.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to post here later!

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

Reaper Man is one of my favorites. I love Discworld's Death--he's such an awesome character.

^Buy the man a drink.

....Who exactly is Vimes? (showing my ironic ignorence here) I have actually only read one book, i started reading two others but that had to be returned or i lost them.

V ahh thanks

[RyleneCaleah]

[quote

....Who exactly is Vimes? (showing my ironic ignorence here) I have actually only read one book, i started reading two others but that had to be returned or i lost them. [/quote]


Sam Vimes, aka Captain Vimes, Commander Vimes (Ankh-Morepork City Watch) And His Grace, Samuel Vimes, Duke of Ankh-Morepork! Basically he's a copper..... (policeman for those of you not up on English Slang!)

[Wizzardman]

Vimes is kinda Pratchett's semi-serious equivalent of a noir detective, with a bit less sanity and a lot more magic than the old detective stories usually depict. Unlike most of his noir predecessors, Vimes actually manages to get places in life--and most of the time realizes that he never really fits in with the rich and successful. This is one of the reasons why Vimes is a great character; he's a copper, through and through, and no riches or power or society or change of scenery will ever change him.

Vimes is cool. 8)

I'm actually basing a character in a campaign after him, scarily enough.

...Wow. I really am geeky, aren't I?

[aegron]

If owning every book in the serie is counted as fan, I must be one ;)

I liked the truth and nightwatch best I think. Overall the more recent books are a bit more gritty and more cynical, which is a very nice improvement.

Favourite characters are: William de Worde, Death, Vimes, the Librarian, Vetinari, etc.

[Don Beegles]

I don't know what it is about Rincewind, I've never been able to get into him myself. He sort of bores me, though that could be that almost all of his books are older ones, and I'm not a fan of his first few books, mostly because they don't include teh Wizards or the Watch.

Of the general categories the books cover, my favorites would be:
Rincewind
The Wizards Yes
The Watch Yes
The Witches
Death/Susan Yes
Misc.

Granted, there are other categories that are included but those are the major ones, as far as I can see. All of them are good, but I just can never get over the inane arguing of the Wizards, the social Satire that is mostly present in the Watch, and the innocence of Death.

[RyleneCaleah]

One of the differences between the new and old books is that Pratchett has expanded the humour base. In the early books, much of the humour that wasn't a direct parody was very English. He has become much more global (or would that be discal?) in later books. As a Brit myself, I found the early Rincewind books hilarious, although my American hubby found them hard to get into. He liked "Reaper Man" but hasn't really tried anything since.

[Midnight Son]

One of the differences between the new and old books is that Pratchett has expanded the humour base. In the early books, much of the humour that wasn't a direct parody was very English. He has become much more global (or would that be discal?) in later books. As a Brit myself, I found the early Rincewind books hilarious, although my American hubby found them hard to get into. He liked "Reaper Man" but hasn't really tried anything since.Totally American here, but I love me some British humour. I've enjoyed every Pratchett book I've read so far.

[RyleneCaleah]

Glad to hear it. I have known other Americans who "get it" too, as well as fellow Brits who didn't have a clue, merely offering a hypotesis as to why many people have difficulty truly appreciating some of Terry's works!!!!!! I, personally, have yet to be disappointed by anything he's written! Another theory is that there are people out there, without regard for national boundaries, who take the whole fantasy genre far too seriously and believe that it must be a truly epic saga in the style of Tolkien to be included in the genre. Fo myself...... Bring on the satire, irony and even foray into the realms of sarcasm!!!!!!

[Hoseki]

LOVE Discworld. I hated the Bromeliad Trilogy, personally- it kept me of Pratchett for a long time. Then I found The Wee Free Men, and my obsession began. My favorite characters are, in order:

The Luggage. Gotta love that homicidal suitcase.
The Librarian. Oook. Ook. Oook! Oook oook ook! Eek!
Death. Love it when he falls in love with a human woman and starts going by Bill or something... I really wish I could remember what book that was in. :-[
Carrot. Vimes just dosen't do it for me... and I have a thing for people who never have a clue what's going on.
Granny Weatherwax. I like the 'tough witch' Granny, but take mid-Carpe Jugulum- weak old lady pops up and pretends to be Granny. The wole point of Granny Weatherwax is that she's cool and infallible.

...

*Glomps the Luggage*

*Gets eaten*

[RyleneCaleah]

Death becomes Bill Door in Reaper Man after his is sacked as death by the Auditors......

Just a chance to show off my Discworld history knowledge!!!!!!

[Hoseki]

Thank you! :)

[bosssmiley]

LOVE Discworld. I hated the Bromeliad Trilogy, personally- it kept me of Pratchett for a long time. Then I found The Wee Free Men, and my obsession began. My favorite characters are, in order:

The Luggage. Gotta love that homicidal suitcase.
The Librarian. Oook. Ook. Oook! Oook oook ook! Eek!
Ook. Ook ook ook, ook ook.

*hands Hoseki a banana, knuckles off into the stacks*


Death. Love it when he falls in love with a human woman and starts going by Bill or something... I really wish I could remember what book that was in. :-[
Carrot. Vimes just dosen't do it for me... and I have a thing for people who never have a clue what's going on.

Carrot, clueless? Maybe in "Guards, Guards". In the recent books it seems that Vimes is more clueless than Carrot, but that could just be the 'married, so no longer fanciable' thing...


Granny Weatherwax. I like the 'tough witch' Granny, but take mid-Carpe Jugulum- weak old lady pops up and pretends to be Granny. The whole point of Granny Weatherwax is that she's cool and infallible.

Yeah, Terry's taken Granny about as far as he can from where she started in "Equal Rites" though. The old baggage had a Superman shirt stowed under her hat in the most recent witches books (Carpe J especially). ::)


*Glomps the Luggage*

*Gets eaten*

Huh? Where's the Patrician love? And hath you no rethpect for the Igorth? :o

[RyleneCaleah]

Conina, the barbarian hairdresser....
Nijel the destroyer, sone of Harebut the greengrocer...
Henarra the henna haired harridan.....
Pteppic......
Colon and Nobby Nobbs......
Magrat......
Verence......
Shaun Oggs........
Angua........
The list goes on.......

[NinjaFish]

Pratchett and Gaiman are connected by the British Dry Random Humor (BDRH) element of their work, except they have different concentrations; Gaiman's BDRH comes in tiny little spurts that shine out from the darkness he writes in his stories, while Pratchett's work is more rife with BDRH and is held together by a remarkably complex plotline....usually.

As for Adams, I always got upset with him. Many of his stories ended too quickly or poorly...look at the 5th book of Hitchhiker, for example. (fun fact: Adams was a terrible procrastinator. Many of his books were finished 9-ish weeks after the printing date. He was placed under house arrest by his editors, who would sit in his living room and wait as he typed frantically and brought down the completed chapters)

My fav. Pratchet is and remains Jingo...'Nother fun fact, the aforementioned quote ("Give a man fire...set a man on fire..." turned up as an inspirational message in Mcgill Univeristy's student handbook...how awesome?

[Forderz]

Meh. Don't like him, Don't hate him. But i like him better than Adams... and anything is better than Family Circus, if that matters at all to anyone.

[Crutsveldt_Jakob_D]

I mostly like Pratchett, but his first discworld novel? :o It had bad humor, loose plot, and horrible characters! Also, he elaborated too much on death and the gods. His other books are great, though (especially "going postal")!!!

[Hoseki]

Maybe this is just me, but I really prefered the first few books to the last few. I just love random sillyness! Random things crack me up.

[NinjaFish]

"The color of Magic" was very much about old eighties gamin. y'know, chainmail bikinis and bare chested, rippling barbarians and the like. It wasn't perfect, but it was still fun. I prefer the latter ones, myself.

The Luggae is a pretty cute idea though: a sentient bag of holding with legs!

[Hoseki]

More like a Bag of Devouring. ;D

[Akiosama]

With Immortality Class levels... (Greater than Divine, as Gods can be killed! ;D)

My 2 pennies,

Sausage-inna-bun, FTW!

Akio

[bosssmiley]

With Immortality Class levels... (Greater than Divine, as Gods can be killed! ;D)

Killed? Heck, the Discworld gods lurk on Dunmanifestin coz they can take a kicking from an irate worshipper. You read the bit in "Last Hero" where Nuggen gets his comeuppence? Genius! ;D

[Tadakimacun]

I always loved Susan Sto Helit. The granddaughter of Death...is a teacher.




"You risked your life to help him? You...you...hero!"
....Lobsang realized she didn't say it as she would say you star; the way she said it sounded more like you idiot.


Also second the nods of appreciation to The Watch Series. (It deserves the capitalization.) For a long time at a different message board, my nickname was LadySybil, after Vimes's large, kind, dragon-obsessed wife.

Monstrous Regiment I didn't appreciate as much as some of Pratchett's other works. I don't know how to do spoiler boxes, so I won't be specific. However, some bits of it just seemed....overly metaphysical. Even in books like Thud!, which I thoroughly enjoyed, there is a somewhat more grounded (if you'll pardon the pun) aspect to the magic of the world. It shouldn't make sense, but it still does. MR just seemed overdone to me.

[McDeath]

I really like Corporal Carrot, but beyond even him, ym favorite character is Lord Vetinari. He's just so good at what he does, which is terrorise.

Moist von Lipwig is also rather good, and I'm loogink for ward to his next book.

Don't like Tiffany Aching so much.

[RyleneCaleah]

Didn't like Our Tiff?????? Well, each to their own..... You've gotta love the Nac Mac Feegle's though bigjob.

[Thrune]

Speaking as a rabid pratchett fan, he is one of the best authors I've read. I prefer the later books to the earlier ones; but Eric is the only one i'd never want to read again. My favorite is Night Watch, second is Thief of Time and third is probobly Thud!. I only read Good Omens recently, but I really liked that one. Death was worse, though. Incidently, until I updated my signature to have a D&D incident, it had a random pratchett quote in it.
"Yes, but I've had years of experiance and cynanism. You're just gifted." -Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time.

[King_of_Oz]

Love Pratchett specifically:

DEATH
Lord Vetinari
Vimes
Moist Von Lipwig

[Caillach]

Pratchett is one of the coolest people alive. He is a great author, with great books. I am not worthy to wash his socks.

[Midnight Son]

Pratchett is one of the coolest people alive. He is a great author, with great books. I am not worthy to wash his socks.

I'm not nearly as great as Pratchett. You're welcome to wash my socks.

[Caillach]

I guess I was just asking for that one ::)

[bingo_bob]

Vetinari: Like Spock, but with less emotions.

Yeah, I've read several of the books. He is my number 1 favorite author.

[Midnight Son]

I guess I was just asking for that one ::)Honey, you were practically on your knees beggin' for that one.

Pratchett is definitely my go to guy for when I need a good crazy escape for an afternoon. Nothing like Weatherwax logic to really put the world in perspective.

[Gentlemaniac]

I'm an absolute Pratchettophile (is that a word?), having read just about, but not quite, everything he's written, most notably every Discworld book up to and including Going Postal, chronologically. What makes Pratchett unique is that he's written a series of 30+ books that starts out strong and improves all the way. Having read them chronologically, I can honestly say that I can hardly remember putting one down without thinking "Wow. That's the best one yet." which is just about the biggest compliment I can give to a series that started with The Colour of Magic. Granted, some are slightly less successful than others, but they're all great

There are too many fabulous characters for me to pick any definitive favorites, but I do adore Vetinary, Magrat, Rincewind and The Luggage, Dibbler, Mustrum Ridcully, Death, Susan, The Grim Squeeker, Moist von Lipwig, the Nac Mac Feegle (Wae Hae!) and just about all the Watchmen.

As for the books, I tend to prefer the recent ones, but Jingo set an absurdly high standard for later books to meet. The amazing thing is that many of them, like Going Postal, did meet, and exceed, that standard. For sheer referential delight, you can't beat Moving Pictures, except maybe with Soul Music. Those books highlight Pratchett's hilarious ability to use the Discworld as a mirror of our world and satirize things that shouldn't fit into a fantasy world (like the internet). Pure, undiluted genius.

[Siobhan]

I just love the Discworld books, though I haven't read them all yet. I'm reading them all in a some what random order in both my school and town library. This is progressing rather slowly, however, since they don't have all the books and someone keeps borrowing the ones that they do have. (Odd thing to do in a library, I know.)
At the moment I'm reading, um, lessee...The Truth and The Fifth Elephant.
I'm also part of the way through The Last Continent, though I broke off at one point to concentrate on reading Night Watch, which so far is my favourite book seeing as its protagonist is my favourite character, Vimes.
I also quite like Monstrous Regiment (thinking with your socks, heh) and Thief of Time.
BTW, note my sig

[Jarl]

I love Pratchett's work. Thief of Time's number one for me, followed by Hogfather, Night Watch, Interesting Times, Carpe Jugulum, and Fifth Elephant. I love Vimes and Esme, and can't get enough of Rincewind.
Anyone else bugged by the fact that Esk and her buddy just dissapeared after Equal Rites? I still find myself thinking about that every now and then.
With that in mind, I saw this on 4Chan the other night...
{Mild Language Warning, and this may offend Pratchett fans}

HI, I'M TERRY PRATCHETT, CREATOR AND AUTHOR OF THE DISCWORLD SERIES. IN MY NEXT BOOK, I'LL BE LAMPOONING THE VISITORS, OWNERS, AND CONTENT OF SUCH WEBSITES AS SOMETHING AWFUL, YOU'RE THE MAN NOW DOG, EBAUMS WORLD, AND 4CHAN. I'LL SPIKE THESE LITTLE F**KERS WITH MY PAHLLIC PEN OF WHIMISCAL JUSTICE, DOING TO THEM WHAT MY CAT DID TO MY KEYBOARD. BY THE WAY, DON'T YOU LIKE MY FONT? IT'S HOW DEATH SPEAKS. ANYWAYS, IN THE BOOK, RINCEWIND IS GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING HEROIC BUT THEN HE'LL DO SOMETHING REALLY STUPID AND PATHETIC INSTEAD AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAVE THE DAY IN A WAY ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING HE UNINTENTIONALLY DID, AND IT WILL REALLY BE IRONIC AND HUMOUROUS, AND THEN THERES GOING TO BE A REFERENCE TO AN OLD POEM WRITTIN IN 800 BC BY SOME OBSCURE BRITISH SHAMAN THAT IRONICALLY IS THE BASIS FOR AN ALT-ROCK SONG THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY LISTENED TO ONCE OR TWICE*. I'LL ALSO MAKE FUNNY REFERENCES TO MEMES SUCH AS C**KMONGLER, BUT IN ROUND-ABOUT WAYS SO THAT ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK 50 TIMES CAN UNDERSTAND IT. A THE END, VIMES OR GRANNY WILL SAY SOMETHING DEEP ABOUT HUMAN NATURE, THEN QUOTE A CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIE. AND THEN IT WON'T BE RELEASED IN AMERICA FOR 18 MONTHS. I GUARANTEE IT.


*PROBABLY "THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS".

-I cried, then giggled a little. So did you, admit it.

[Caillach]

Nope, can't say I did. Really, there are Authors out there who deserve this a lot more than Pratchett :P

[Steward]

It's funny because it's true, especially the last bit. I love Terry Pratchett.

[Livia]

It didn't offend me, it IS true..

But OMG I love the Discworld series. Unfortunately I've gotten a bit lost and have no idea how many books I've read. Oh well, all of them can take being read more than once.

My favorite character is definetly Death, I sometimes find myself wishing he's really like that.
Besides him I really like Granny Weatherwax, the Nac Mac Feegle, Vimes, Rincewind and many others.. Oh yeah

*Heads for a book with a big orange elephant on it*

..But I dont get wy people compares Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett so much.. I think there styles are very different

[Don Beegles]

They certainly are. Adams is a bit sillier; or at least his silliness is open where is you generally have to look for PRatchett to be silly. Adams also tends to make his plots funnier than Pratchett, who relies on realistic characters for his jokes, with the result that most of Pratchett's books could be rewritten tnot to be funny with very little actual change in action or even dialogue at some points.

[Robanybody]

I am not a huge Pratchett fan but my favorites are the wee free men and truckers diggers and wings. Also he is a really nice guy. Trust me I know Ive had dinner with him at a TGI fridays in MN.


Im not kidding...

plz don't kill me

[Robanybody]

I also know Gaimon. Been to his house for a Guy fawks party


still plz don't kill me

[Tengu_temp]

Holy thread necromancy, Batman!

Also, the writer's name is Gaiman. Gaimon is a character from One Piece.

[TheLogman]

Although I love the man and his amazing work to death, he is sadly afflicted with early onset Alzheimer's. He is seeking treatment, but as of right now, we have no real treatment for Alzheimer's, let alone the truly brutal early onset version.

Also I like him cause he likes Half Life 2.

[Robanybody]

whoops sry. Im not very good with speling.

[Lord Iames Osari]

We've noticed. :smalltongue: Just remember, this isn't a chatroom. You have the time to doublecheck your spelling and grammar before you click the "submit" button. And good spelling is a skill like any other; practice doing it properly and it will get much much easier to continue doing so.

[PanNarrans]

What do people think of Strata? I think it's my favourite book of Pratchett's, despite being much earlier, less funny, SF instead of fantasy, etc.
With regards to Discworld: Vimes all the way. It's been brilliant watching his character growth since he was first introduced, even though he hasn't changed at all. I don't know how that works...
I suppose it's the exploration of his character in the context of the changing city.
On that note, what did people think of Vetinari in Making Money? Suddenly he has a Grand Scheme with his Undertaking, the seeds of which were sewn in The Fifth Elephant and Thud, and might take a few books to play out... I just find it hard to think of him as more than a purely reactionary character in terms of plot, sitting in his office and playing people against each other.

[Tengu_temp]

What do people think of Strata? I think it's my favourite book of Pratchett's, despite being much earlier, less funny, SF instead of fantasy, etc.


Better than early Discworld. Worse than late Discworld.

[Irenaeus]

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)I second this. Furthermore, because he repeats himself a lot, I need to be careful not to read his books back to back, or I will get very tired of him.

Also, I rarely like any attempt of seriousness in his books, this will often be close to the ending. He doesn't do that very often, however, so I am in general very happy with him.

P.S. Also, some of his more vocal fans have at times scared me slightly.

[Spiryt]

I second this. Furthermore, because he repeats himself a lot, I need to be careful not to read his books back to back, or I will get very tired of him.

Also, I rarely like any attempt of seriousness in his books, this will often be close to the ending. He doesn't do that very often, however, so I am in general very happy with him.

P.S. Also, some of his more vocal fans have at times scared me slightly.

I agree. He also doesn't have idea about melee weapons, and when he tries serious fight scenes, they're often awful, when he tries to be serious and philosophical, he usually ends with making everything really messy and weird.
That's why I prefer early, absurd and not so needlesly elaborated Discworlds.

I could go on with such accusations, but nothing will change the fact that his books, and especially his sense of humour, is amazing.

It's a shame that he has Alzheimer :smallfrown:

[Evil DM Mark3]

I have all the Discworld books, a few of them are signed. I love PTerry and his works. For those entering Discworld I often recoment The Truth of all things. worked so far. As for characters most of the big names have been mentioned but there are some background characters who need more love.

Reg Shoe. Cool as ice and twice as dead. A brilliant character.
LuTze. One dangerous monk. The Abbot also amuses.
Harry King. A man to be admired upwind.

I also really quite like Agnes but perhaps my favourite character ever is Mightily Oats, because the development he gets is amazing.

[Irenaeus]

I could go on with such accusations, but nothing will change the fact that his books, and especially his sense of humour, is amazing.

It's a shame that he has Alzheimer :smallfrown:Absolutely!

[SmartAlec]

when he tries to be serious and philosophical, he usually ends with making everything really messy and weird.
That's why I prefer early, absurd and not so needlesly elaborated Discworlds.

Not always - I might argue that Small Gods, one of the most directly philosophical books of the Discworld canon, comes together very well.

[Spiryt]

Not always - I might argue that Small Gods, one of the most directly philosophical books of the Discworld canon, comes together very well.

Battle between Om and got seemed to be a bit too literal too me.

But generally I agree - The Small Gods is awesome book in 100%. Very deep and very funny at the same time.

Maybe I was unclear. Pratchett's philosophical themes are great, the thing is that often, especially in recent books, he can't really end it well.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I randomly picked up Eric/Faust many years ago, I think I was 8.
I've now read every single Discworld book, excepting Masquerade, which for some reason I just can't read, as well as most of the Bromeliad Trilogy, and Carpet People.

[CurlyKitGirl]

The only Pratchett books I haven't read are Strata, The Carpet People and The Unadulterated Cat.
I love his work and two of my favourite books by him are Reaper Man, Small Gods, The Truth and - well, three of my favourites.
In truth it's far easier to say the books I don't like or like the least: Equal Rites and Monstrous Regiment.
All his characters are easy to connect to or just simply perfectly characterised. You can see the people grow up and change - especially with Vimes and Death. I bet there's very few Discworld fans who did not cheer or feel really happy for Death when he made his case for a little time to pay back what was owed. WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?
But more than that. They are realistic. You can picture people similar to these characters (except possibly Nobby Nobbs) easily and they all have failry serious flaws that can affect the plot.
His books (especially the later ones) are more plot driven, but still contain so much humour, whether it be obvious, word play, references other Discworld events or something subtle. And you end up rediscovering more on each re-read.

[Tengu_temp]

The only Pratchett books I haven't read are Strata, The Carpet People and The Unadulterated Cat.


But you have a cat in your avatar! This book is a mandatory read for everyone who likes cats.

[Spiryt]

But you have a cat in your avatar! This book is a mandatory read for everyone who likes cats.

Yes, this book rocks.

I wish I could have a cat. :smallfrown:

[Tengu_temp]

I do, and let me tell you - not only is this book very amusing, but also 100% accurate.

[Spiryt]

I do, and let me tell you - not only is this book very amusing, but also 100% accurate.

It seems so. Unfortunately even longer observation of furry bastards in the same room makes my eyes suitable only for recycling.