Terry Pratchett - No, HE ATEN'T DEAD!

[Nameless]

I’m very surprised that there isn’t a thread him anywhere on this board. I’m sure that the Playground must have its fair share of Pratchett fans! :smallbiggrin:

A friend of mine recently gave me a copy of the beautifully illustrated The Last Hero. I haven't got round to reading it yet as I have three other books to get through first, including Mort, but I've had a little look through it and (aesthetically at least) it looks amazing. (Although, knowing Pratchett, I'm sure the story itself is also amazing. :smalltongue:)

[Eldan]

Last Hero is amazing, yes. Though for maximum impact, I really recommend reading the other Rincewind/Conan books first. Interesting Times, especially.

[Sanguine]

Last Hero is amazing, yes. Though for maximum impact, I really recommend reading the other Rincewind/Conan books first. Interesting Times, especially.

I believe you mean Cohen, and yes I agree that would be best.

I personally can't wait until Snuff is released. Does anyone know if that will be a world-wide release or if the UK will have it before other countries?

[dehro]

there have been plenty of discworld threads, and yes, last hero is brilliant, as are it's illustrations, and yes again, you'd appreciate it even more if you read the others first.

[Eakin]

Oh man, when I opened this thread I was terrified that I was going to find out he'd died. Been waiting for that particular shoe to drop for some time now.

Fantastic author. As good as douglas Adams at least. I love the discworld series

[Talya]

Oh man, when I opened this thread I was terrified that I was going to find out he'd died. Been waiting for that particular shoe to drop for some time now.


Same.

My favorite Pratchett book is actually a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman called Good Omens.

[Sanguine]

Same.

My favorite Pratchett book is actually a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman called Good Omens.

Great, now you guys have me considering Pratchett's mortality. Thanks for that. I agree though, Good Omens is definitely his best work, Neil Gaiman's too.

[turkishvan2]

The only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens. I loved it, so I guess I should check out his other stuff too.

[dehro]

Oh man, when I opened this thread I was terrified that I was going to find out he'd died. Been waiting for that particular shoe to drop for some time now.



yeah..didn't want to say, but that thought crossed my mind too..though I understand that's not going to happen for quite some time, barring other causes of death.

[An Enemy Spy]

Oh man, when I opened this thread I was terrified that I was going to find out he'd died. Been waiting for that particular shoe to drop for some time now.

Fantastic author. As good as douglas Adams at least. I love the discworld series

Never! Terry Pratchett can't die before I do! I've forgotten how to read anything else!

[Eakin]

Great, now you guys have me considering Pratchett's mortality. Thanks for that. I agree though, Good Omens is definitely his best work, Neil Gaiman's too.

Sorry, didn't mean to buzzkill the thread straight off the bat like that.

Good Omens was my gateway novel too. I've always seen way more pratchett influence than Gaiman influence in there, although I'll admit I'm less familiar with Gaiman

[pendell]

I see on Amazon that there appears to be a new book of his: Snuff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FFW46S/ref=s9_newr_gw_g351_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1X5HTBFR145HDNBSN0ZF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), another Vimes novel.

Is this new since "I shall wear midnight" and "Unseen Academicals" or has it been around and I've just missed it?

I note there are no customer reviews and it appears to be marked down to half-price. So probably not his best work. Anyone read it?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Thufir]

I see on Amazon that there appears to be a new book of his: Snuff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FFW46S/ref=s9_newr_gw_g351_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1X5HTBFR145HDNBSN0ZF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), another Vimes novel.

Is this new since "I shall wear midnight" and "Unseen Academicals" or has it been around and I've just missed it?

I note there are no customer reviews and it appears to be marked down to half-price. So probably not his best work. Anyone read it?

It... hasn't been released yet.

Edit: "It will be published on 13 October 2011 in the United Kingdom." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuff_%28Pratchett_novel%29)

[Sanguine]

I see on Amazon that there appears to be a new book of his: Snuff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FFW46S/ref=s9_newr_gw_g351_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1X5HTBFR145HDNBSN0ZF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), another Vimes novel.

Is this new since "I shall wear midnight" and "Unseen Academicals" or has it been around and I've just missed it?

I note there are no customer reviews and it appears to be marked down to half-price. So probably not his best work. Anyone read it?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

It doesn't actually come out until October. It was announced back in July 2010.

[Aidan305]

I see on Amazon that there appears to be a new book of his: Snuff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FFW46S/ref=s9_newr_gw_g351_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1X5HTBFR145HDNBSN0ZF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846), another Vimes novel.

Is this new since "I shall wear midnight" and "Unseen Academicals" or has it been around and I've just missed it?

I note there are no customer reviews and it appears to be marked down to half-price. So probably not his best work. Anyone read it?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

It's not out for another month, though I've heard that it's supposed to be rather good (Sorry, can't give sources).

[dehro]

I somehow managed to start right at the beginning, with the colour of magic in italian. surprised at the rather decent quality of the translation which made me think the original would necessarily have to be even better, I tried looking for it , and found out I was right, but not by much.
luckily, I travel for work, so I managed to go to holland on a business trip and come back with a trolleybag full of discworld paperbacks.
ever since I've kept buying and devouring Pratchett
my dream purchase would be "once more with footnotes**" which is a collectors item on sale for sums like 500$.. which is more than I have decided to spend on a single book..
so...anybody know when the next one is due for release?..also..anybody traveling through Milan, Italy, the day after the release :smalltongue:?
got ninja'd

[Nameless]

Last Hero is amazing, yes. Though for maximum impact, I really recommend reading the other Rincewind/Conan books first. Interesting Times, especially.

*makes note of*

The last book I actually read was Reaper Man. I really enjoyed Death's story but found the one involving the trolleys very confusing. I'm still not sure I understand it.


Oh man, when I opened this thread I was terrified that I was going to find out he'd died. Been waiting for that particular shoe to drop for some time now.


Don't be silly. Everyone knows that Terry Pratchett is immortal! :smallwink:

[Weimann]

I was also afraid there'd be news of his passing. I've been dreading it for a while, now. Luckily, there's are still plenty of signs which say "I aten't dead".

I have read all his books, and he is definitely my favourite comedic author, bar none. I am supremely pleased that he brought the Tiffany Aching series to such a wonderful conclusion (not to mention, the name I Shall Wear Midnight is evocative beyond belief).

I was less impressed by Unseen Academicals; it was well written, and as a commentary on the hooliganism and gang fights that surrounds football overshadowing the beauty of the game itself, it worked alright. I just thought the half that focused on the actual main characters were kind of weak (although, of course, still entirely okay).

As much as I love Vimes, I wonder if it's not time to let him be now? Pratchett discontinued Granny Weatherwax as a main character since she approached Mary Sue power levels. It kind of feels like Vimes has served his purpose as well; he's gone from disillusioned drunkard to an icon of gritty determination, duke of Ankh and happy family father. I fail to see just where the character can be taken now. If Pratchett wants a detective or police story, surely there must be other characters to look to?

[Das Platyvark]

As much as I love Vimes, I wonder if it's not time to let him be now? Pratchett discontinued Granny Weatherwax as a main character since she approached Mary Sue power levels. It kind of feels like Vimes has served his purpose as well; he's gone from disillusioned drunkard to an icon of gritty determination, duke of Ankh and happy family father. I fail to see just where the character can be taken now. If Pratchett wants a detective or police story, surely there must be other characters to look to?

So long as it's someone entirely new.
I'm sorry, I just don't see anyone else working.
(Who do we have to choose from? Carrot, Nobby, Colon, Angua? No way.)

[Starscream]

1) Sir Terry Pratchett is my favorite author.

2) Neil Gaiman is my second favorite author.

3) They once wrote a novel together, called Good Omens.

4) This is proof that the entire universe exists solely for my personal benefit, and you are all merely part of my hallucination.

5) Discuss.:smallwink:


So long as it's someone entirely new.
I'm sorry, I just don't see anyone else working.
(Who do we have to choose from? Carrot, Nobby, Colon, Angua? No way.)

I dunno, I kinda think it would be cool to see Nobby and Colon get a moment of glory by actually solving a mystery. It would be comedic, of course, more like a buddy cop story than a serious drama.

[Thufir]

1) Sir Terry Pratchett is my favorite author.

2) Neil Gaiman is my second favorite author.

3) They once wrote a novel together, called Good Omens.

4) This is proof that the entire universe exists solely for my personal benefit, and you are all merely part of my hallucination.

5) Discuss.:smallwink:

Swap "Neil Gaiman" and "Sir Terry Pratchett" and this applies exactly to me.
I think we are hardly unique in our author preferences.

[Sanguine]

1) Sir Terry Pratchett is my favorite author.

2) Neil Gaiman is my second favorite author.

3) They once wrote a novel together, called Good Omens.

4) This is proof that the entire universe exists solely for my personal benefit, and you are all merely part of my hallucination.

5) Discuss.:smallwink:

I'm not entirely certain that Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are my two favorite writers. However they are certainly in the top four.

[Kurgan]

So yeah, when I saw this thread, I too thought it was a death thread, and heaved a heavy sigh of relief when I saw otherwise.

Pratchett is one of those writers who holds a special place in my heart. Always entertaining, interesting, funny, and often enough sad. Every time I read it, Nightwatch pulls on a string in my heart. Still haven't read all of them yet though, only 15 or 20 I think.

[dehro]

I move for a variation to the title...something like "I ATEN'T DEAD" would suffice

[Fri]

We used to have discworld thread that reaches almost ten pages before it petered out.

anyway, yeah I love him. Though, neil gaiman is my favourite author, unlike starscream :p.

What can I say? I'm actually a rather new reader of him (about two or three years) but I ordered his books like crazy back then. Now I'm resting myself from his books for a bit.

As with most people, my favourite is the watches book, though yes, I agree that vimes had became too powerful. My favourite watches book was actually men of arms and feet of clay (I always put them back to back) because the watch are big enough to be a threat for evildoers but small enough for sense of cameraderie and for them to be cajoled around.

My favourite book is The Truth though, since I have a passion for journalism. I even drawn a fanart of it.

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/096/0/c/ankh_morphok_times_by_fri_freeman-d3dcbia.jpg

What else to say I wonder? That's the gist of it. Maybe I'll have more to say when we're discussing something more specific.

[Dexam]

*Idly wanders by to "second" just about everything said in this thread... and drop this off*

http://pics.livejournal.com/dexam/pic/0000ea79/s640x640.jpg

Yours truly, cosplaying as human!Greebo, with the great author himself at Nullus Anxietas, the first Australian Discworld convention.

U jelly? :smallbiggrin:

[Shadow of the Sun]

On the Vimes issue...

I think that keeping Vimes going is okay. Sir Terry seems to have a knack for putting Vimes into new situations which are always interesting.

While I'm not sure Sir Terry will keep writing this long, Young Sam is a goldmine for Vimes plots. Can you imagine a story where Vimes has to deal with the fact that his son has joined, say, a criminal gang, or has started taking drugs blah blah blah? While that could be done badly, I have no doubts that Sir Terry could do it well.

Also: even if Sir Terry passes away (god forbid), there is someone who would be able to keep up the mantle of Discworld- Stephen Briggs, who writes the stage adaptations. I would love to see him continue forward, if Sir Terry cannot.

[dehro]

*Idly wanders by to "second" just about everything said in this thread... and drop this off*

http://pics.livejournal.com/dexam/pic/0000ea79/s640x640.jpg

Yours truly, cosplaying as human!Greebo, with the great author himself at Nullus Anxietas, the first Australian Discworld convention.

U jelly? :smallbiggrin:


awesome piccy and great idea...but methinks you've got one ear too many to pull off a convincing greebo, lol.. kudos though



Also: even if Sir Terry passes away (god forbid), there is someone who would be able to keep up the mantle of Discworld- Stephen Briggs, who writes the stage adaptations. I would love to see him continue forward, if Sir Terry cannot.
you mean pulling a Van Lustbader? (he's the guy who's writing the "posthumous instalments of the Bourne saga)
meh..I'm a bit of a puritan on these things... not sure I'd like the idea, no matter how much I'd miss the discworld.

[Nameless]

I move for a variation to the title...something like "I ATEN'T DEAD" would suffice

I was thinking the very same tyhing actually. :smalltongue:

Although, I thought using the name he uses on his books (without "Sir") and the fact that this is in the media section of the forum would be enough. Perhaps I was too subtle.


*Idly wanders by to "second" just about everything said in this thread... and drop this off*

http://pics.livejournal.com/dexam/pic/0000ea79/s640x640.jpg

Yours truly, cosplaying as human!Greebo, with the great author himself at Nullus Anxietas, the first Australian Discworld convention.

U jelly? :smallbiggrin:



Oh, the hatred I feel for you right now...

[The Glyphstone]

A Holmesian/Perot-style detective mystery is one of the few things Pratchett hasn't spoofed yet, and that's what it sounds like Snuff will be. And really, Vimes is the perfect character to throw into that situation.

The Nobby/Colon buddy-cop adventure would be hilarious, though.

[Eldan]

He did a bit of that in...
Feet of Clay? Jingo? I'm not sure which one. But Vimes makes a lot of comments about how silly he thinks the entire concepts of "evidence" and "clues" are.

[Kjata]

A Holmesian/Perot-style

I didn't know what that meant, so I googled it...

Result #1 was this thread :smallsigh: I'm still confused.

[The Glyphstone]

I didn't know what that meant, so I googled it...

Result #1 was this thread :smallsigh: I'm still confused.

Reference to Holmes, as in Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot, two famous fictional detectives. I spelled the second guy wrong.

[Venom3053000]

this is it http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SherlockScan

and it has vimes saying he does not like it as a example

[The Glyphstone]

this is it http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SherlockScan

and it has vimes saying he does not like it as a example

Well, that's one thing Holmes is famous for, yeah. But detective fiction in general, which as you said Vimes doesn't like, is an untapped gold mine for (Again) throwing Vimes out of his comfort zone.

[CoffeeIncluded]

So who here cannot wait for Snuff? And nah, I want to see more of Vimes.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Personally, I'd like to see more DEATH. That guy can make me cry or laugh at a moment's notice.

Also, why no love for "Small Gods"?

[Sanguine]

So who here cannot wait for Snuff? And nah, I want to see more of Vimes.

I believe I said in my first post in the thread that I can't wait for it.


Personally, I'd like to see more DEATH. That guy can make me cry or laugh at a moment's notice.

Also, why no love for "Small Gods"?

Yeah, Death is probably my second favorite Discworld character, right after Vetinari, and I would love to see more of him.

As for Small Gods. I quite enjoyed it, not the best Discworld book by far, but still a highly enjoyable read.

[An Enemy Spy]

Am I the only one who wants to see another Rincewind adventure? So many books have been taking place in Ankh-Morpork, it would nice for our hapless hero to go discover more far away lands.

[Weimann]

I was never a Rincewind fan, myself. Just didn't resonate with me. He never quite managed to make himself stand out enough for me to consider him a proper main character. Also, I didn't like Twoflowers.

[dehro]

there's an outline for a fanfic plot in the back of my head which has most of the ankh-morpork regular cast in it, including Rincewind..
I'll spoiler it, because, let's be honest..who cares about other people's fanfiction ideas especially when they haven't even been put on paper? :smallbiggrin:
suffice to say that yes, I'd like Rincewind to make another apparition
It has the Librarian cross the continent on a desperate search for his pointy hat which has been stolen, assisted by Rincewind and CMOT Dibbler.. with obvious shenanigans following them as they run away from places..
all this while Vimes has to face the facts that Vetinari seems to have gone senile* and to have found himself a woman who dotes on him
of course the temptation of seizing power rather than leaving it to the likes of Rust looms over his head...
of course both of these story-arches are part of a bigger plot that involves the UU, the patrician, a plot for power, 3 cousins and a bakery.
*the idea formed long before Pratchett came out with his health problems, in case you're wondering..however his illness kinda makes it more poignant, somehow

[Lord Raziere]

Meh.

Thats my only reaction to any Pratchett book. I've read the books and......meh. They didn't seem that good, or really bad either.....they were just in that boring area that didn't elicit any real reaction from me. maybe chuckle here and there....but overall not that good in my opinion.

[Sanguine]

Meh.

Thats my only reaction to any Pratchett book. I've read the books and......meh. They didn't seem that good, or really bad either.....they were just in that boring area that didn't elicit any real reaction from me. maybe chuckle here and there....but overall not that good in my opinion.

Now before I prepare my pitchfork and torch, exactly which books did you try?

[Das Platyvark]

I'm not entirely certain that Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are my two favorite writers. However they are certainly in the top four.

As far as pure fun goes, I'm wit you, but there are ot er books I find to be deeper, so t e preference is somew at subjective.

[Das Platyvark]

Meh.

Thats my only reaction to any Pratchett book. I've read the books and......meh. They didn't seem that good, or really bad either.....they were just in that boring area that didn't elicit any real reaction from me. maybe chuckle here and there....but overall not that good in my opinion.
HERESY! *BLAM

[Das Platyvark]

Meh.

Thats my only reaction to any Pratchett book. I've read the books and......meh. They didn't seem that good, or really bad either.....they were just in that boring area that didn't elicit any real reaction from me. maybe chuckle here and there....but overall not that good in my opinion.
HERESY! *BLAM

[MoonCat]

I have officially read every single published Discworld novel.WOOHOO. I can't wait for Snuff, although I'm wondering if someone big, possibly Vimes is going to die. The name, and the cover image aren't entirely promising. :smallfrown:

[Lord Raziere]

Now before I prepare my pitchfork and torch, exactly which books did you try?

Thief of Time. Guards Guards. Jingo. Hogswatch. Light Fantastic. The Color of Magic. The Last Continent. Interesting Times. Small Gods. Going Postal.

Not necessarily in that order.

[Sanguine]

Thief of Time. Guards Guards. Jingo. Hogswatch. Light Fantastic. The Color of Magic. The Last Continent. Interesting Times. Small Gods. Going Postal.

Not necessarily in that order.

Hmm, no Nightwatch or Reaperman and a lot of my other favorites are missing as well. However I'm afraid I must still go through with this. *Prepares pitchfork and torch*

[Nameless]

Yeah, Death is probably my second favorite Discworld character, right after Vetinari, and I would love to see more of him.


Death is actually my favourite character.
...
Nah, I tell porkies, he's also my second favorite right after the Death of Rats. :smallbiggrin:
Or perhaps not, I think it's a close one between the Death of Rats and the Death of Fleas.


Thief of Time. Guards Guards. Jingo. Hogswatch. Light Fantastic. The Color of Magic. The Last Continent. Interesting Times. Small Gods. Going Postal.

Not necessarily in that order.

Don't you mean "Hogfather"?
That's one I really want to read. The two part mini-series was surprisingly good.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Nah, I tell porkies,

First time I've ever seen anyone actually use cockney rhyming slang. Bravo, Sansnom, bravo.

[dehro]

First time I've ever seen anyone actually use cockney rhyming slang. Bravo, Sansnom, bravo.

oooh... I've been using "porkies" a lot...no idea it was cockney slang..
live and learn, I guess..

[Nameless]

First time I've ever seen anyone actually use cockney rhyming slang. Bravo, Sansnom, bravo.

I may very well be from North London, but damn it, I know my cockney slang. Incidentally, I also know some late 18th to 19th century slang.

[enderlord99]

I’m sure that the Playground must have its fair share of Pratchett fans! :smallbiggrin:

You mean "the entire playground except Pokemon-freak89 (me) is an expert on the discworld novels," right?

[fizzybobnewt]

The last book I actually read was Reaper Man. I really enjoyed Death's story but found the one involving the trolleys very confusing. I'm still not sure I understand it.

I did too. The thing about Terry is that he often partially explains things in ways that he contradicts later, and one just has to remember that it's the character thinking there, not Word of God.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Another thing to remember is that he will often change what is Canon. For example, look at the Nac Mac Feegle in Carpe Jugulum, when they're simply a clan of pixies, and then look at the Nac Mac Feegle in the Aching novels, where they're the name of the people, the Pictsies. Also, look at how the CJ Feegle "are a simple folk" but right "verra comp-li-cated doc-uments" or something of the sort.

[Starscream]

I did too. The thing about Terry is that he often partially explains things in ways that he contradicts later, and one just has to remember that it's the character thinking there, not Word of God.

It always amuses me when you see an established character through another character's eyes, and they are very much not impressed.

I remember when William De Worde was first introduced, he met Vimes and came to the conclusion that the man was a bit of a jerk. Then we met Moist von Lipwig, who thought William was a stuffy buffoon. Then we get another Vimes novel and he thinks Moist is a showboating fool.

And the funny thing is, they are all basically right. I think it says a lot for Pterry's characters that I can think of them as heroes, then see them through another character's eyes as decidedly non-heroic.

[Nameless]

You mean "the entire playground except Pokemon-freak89 (me) is an expert on the discworld novels," right?

I'm not a Discworld expert by any means. :smalltongue:


I did too. The thing about Terry is that he often partially explains things in ways that he contradicts later, and one just has to remember that it's the character thinking there, not Word of God.

I understood the the main plot. (As in, why things were coming alive etc) It was the details that lost me. Why are the wizards going to this house? What's so special about it? Why was there a hole in the sky? What was the hole in the sky? What happened to the hole in the sky?
It's as if Terry started taking acid half way through writing the book, yet managed to not let it effect the Bill Door story (too much). :smalltongue:

[SITB]

I understood the the main plot. (As in, why things were coming alive etc) It was the details that lost me. Why are the wizards going to this house? What's so special about it? Why was there a hole in the sky? What was the hole in the sky? What happened to the hole in the sky?
It's as if Terry started taking acid half way through writing the book, yet managed to not let it effect the Bill Door story (too much). :smalltongue:

Didn't it morph into a Alien pardoy by that point? And the Wizards were lured into the Mall because of mind controlling powers of the Malls?

[Serpentine]

Thief of Time. Guards Guards. Jingo. Hogswatch. Light Fantastic. The Color of Magic. The Last Continent. Interesting Times. Small Gods. Going Postal.

Not necessarily in that order.Well, at least you gave them a proper go before dismissing them.
I was shocked to discover my dad doesn't really like Pratchett. Would've thought it'd be right up his alley...
I may very well be from North London, but damn it, I know my cockney slang. Incidentally, I also know some late 18th to 19th century slang.So you'll be picking me up from the airport half-way through January, right?
The last book I actually read was Reaper Man. I really enjoyed Death's story but found the one involving the trolleys very confusing. I'm still not sure I understand it.I understood the trolley story in Reaper Man, but I didn't really enjoy it. I thought it got in the way of the story I actually wanted to read - Death getting ready to die.
...which I guess makes Reaper Man simultaneously my most and least favourite Discworld novel :smallconfused:

[Eldan]

Mhm... it was weird, and really random and came out of semi-nowhere. I mean, I can see that he wanted to include a bit more of the effect death's absence had on the world, but the living compost heap and Windle Poons, the zombie really showed that well enough, I think. I thought the wizards becoming action movie parodies was vaguely amusing, but not what the story was about.

[Serpentine]

Such a shame... I adore the Death parts :/

[Nameless]

Didn't it morph into a Alien pardoy by that point? And the Wizards were lured into the Mall because of mind controlling powers of the Malls?

I don't... Know... :smalleek:


So you'll be picking me up from the airport half-way through January, right?

Sure. I unfortunatly cannot put on a very convincing accent though.


I understood the trolley story in Reaper Man, but I didn't really enjoy it. I thought it got in the way of the story I actually wanted to read - Death getting ready to die.
...which I guess makes Reaper Man simultaneously my most and least favourite Discworld novel :smallconfused:

I had the same feeling actually. I was far more interested in Death's story then the one involving the wizards.
I think Pratchett should write a story that revolves around the Death of Rats if he hasn't already.

[Brother Oni]

Sure. I unfortunatly cannot put on a very convincing accent though.

One wonders how you're going to be able to tell who the other is. Ideas are bounching around from one of those cheesy spy/romance films ("I'll be wearing a red carnation") to Nameless standing in Arrivals with a piece of cardboard with "Serpentine" written on it. :smallbiggrin:

[Serpentine]

I actually really, truly and seriously do need/want someone to pick me up from the London airport, and maybe take me in for a few days before I go on to Oxford or Largs or wherever I end up basing myself... <.<

Topic. Uh...
Last I heard Pratchet had finished his Discworld series and was moving on to a brand new one. I guess I was mistaken in that?

[Totally Guy]

My prediction for after he dies: He'll have put something in his will which will be odd or surprising. It'll spark media attention just after his passing will have stopped being a story.

He's a clever guy and he'll know when he's going to go. He plans things like that.

[Serpentine]

He quite literally is planning for it - he just recently signed his voluntary euthenasia forms.

[Nameless]

One wonders how you're going to be able to tell who the other is. Ideas are bounching around from one of those cheesy spy/romance films ("I'll be wearing a red carnation") to Nameless standing in Arrivals with a piece of cardboard with "Serpentine" written on it. :smallbiggrin:

I'm easy enough to spot. I'll be the one wearing the underbust corset and top hat and fangs. Chances are, I'll also have dreadfalls in. :smalltongue:


I actually really, truly and seriously do need/want someone to pick me up from the London airport, and maybe take me in for a few days before I go on to Oxford or Largs or wherever I end up basing myself... <.<

Ooooh, times like this I had a house to share. We could stay up all night and tell ghost stories.

"Once upon a time... There was... a GHOST!!!" D:!


Topic. Uh...
Last I heard Pratchet had finished his Discworld series and was moving on to a brand new one. I guess I was mistaken in that?

Well, I'm not sure what he's doing after Snuff, but I havn't heard of him ending it and starting something new. :smallconfused:

[Serpentine]

Ooooh, times like this I had a house to share. We could stay up all night and tell ghost stories.Is there meant to be an "I wish" in there?
Also if you can't, you should tell Malfunctioned to take me in :3

[Nameless]

Is there meant to be an "I wish" in there?
Also if you can't, you should tell Malfunctioned to take me in :3

I will send him a telepathic message now.

[dehro]

...which I guess makes Reaper Man simultaneously my most and least favourite Discworld novel :smallconfused:

when dealing with Discworld, I somehow find that a fitting thing to happen.
One wonders how you're going to be able to tell who the other is. Ideas are bounching around from one of those cheesy spy/romance films ("I'll be wearing a red carnation") to Nameless standing in Arrivals with a piece of cardboard with "Serpentine" written on it. :smallbiggrin:

wha...uh..so..she doesn't actually have a snake tail and a lisp? :smalleek::smallfrown::smallfrown:

[Thufir]

I understood the trolley story in Reaper Man, but I didn't really enjoy it. I thought it got in the way of the story I actually wanted to read - Death getting ready to die.
...which I guess makes Reaper Man simultaneously my most and least favourite Discworld novel :smallconfused:

I enjoyed some of it despite not understanding it the first time I read it (I was rather young, and didn't know what a shopping mall was).
Basically, the characters in it were good. I liked Windle Poons, of course it introduced Reg, the rest of the Fresh Start Club, Mrs. Cake and the wizards. Very amusing people. But the plot they were in, with the trolleys and so on, wasn't that great, and certainly not as compelling as the other plot of the book. Essentially they were comic relief which perhaps went on a bit too long.


I think Pratchett should write a story that revolves around the Death of Rats if he hasn't already.

I disagree. The Death of Rats couldn't carry a whole book by himself, even with the raven translating for him. He's a supporting or minor character, and he's good at it.


Last I heard Pratchett had finished his Discworld series and was moving on to a brand new one. I guess I was mistaken in that?

Definitely. He wrote one book recently which wasn't Discworld (Nation), but there are still at least two more Discworld books expected and no real indication he's going to stop. And I doubt he'd start a whole new series at this point.


Wha...uh..so..she doesn't actually have a snake tail and a lisp? :smalleek::smallfrown::smallfrown:

Where are you getting the lisp from? :smallconfused:

[dehro]

Where are you getting the lisp from? :smallconfused:

snakey creatures don't all have a forked tongue and a lisp?

the world as I know it is falling to pieces around me!:smalleek::smallfrown:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

snakey creatures don't all have a forked tongue and a lisp?

the world as I know it is falling to pieces around me!:smalleek::smallfrown:

She has a smoking australian accent, does that count?

[dehro]

She has a smoking australian accent, does that count?

it more than makes up for it

[CoffeeIncluded]

After looking several months for The Last Hero, I finally found it in my college bookstore.

[Fjolnir]

I've read Interesting Times, Going Postal, Thud, Monstrous Regiment, Moving Pictures, The Last Hero, and Soul Music in the Discworld series and my introduction to his writing was with Good Omens and I also managed to read Strata . I like his writing and would love to read more of his writing, unfortunately my local public library doesn't carry any Pratchett beyond Nation.

[Sanguine]

I've read Interesting Times, Going Postal, Thud, Monstrous Regiment, Moving Pictures, The Last Hero, and Soul Music in the Discworld series and my introduction to his writing was with Good Omens and I also managed to read Strata . I like his writing and would love to read more of his writing, unfortunately my local public library doesn't carry any Pratchett beyond Nation.

Inter-library-loan. Best thing since, well libraries.

[CoffeeIncluded]

The paperbacks are pretty cheap; I can get them for eight dollars each.

[Serpentine]

Definitely. He wrote one book recently which wasn't Discworld (Nation), but there are still at least two more Discworld books expected and no real indication he's going to stop. And I doubt he'd start a whole new series at this point.Huh. Wonder where I got that from.

Where are you getting the lisp from? :smallconfused:I actually did have a weird sort of lisp which still comes back occasionally, usually when I'm concious of my speech.
Also, not relevant, but I totally had an awesome dream where I was Serpentine and had to rescue a princess last night :smallbiggrin: And also there was a beautiful blue boy-serpent... Man, I wish I could remember properly what he looked like :smallfrown:

[Brother Oni]

I actually really, truly and seriously do need/want someone to pick me up from the London airport, and maybe take me in for a few days before I go on to Oxford or Largs or wherever I end up basing myself... <.<


Which one? London has 2 major airports serving it (although chances are, you'll probably be arriving in Heathrow if it's a direct flight).


I'm easy enough to spot. I'll be the one wearing the underbust corset and top hat and fangs. Chances are, I'll also have dreadfalls in. :smalltongue:

*Looks at gender icon under Nameless' account*
*Mind boggles*

[Shadow of the Sun]

I just recently read The Carpet People. It's pretty good, but lacks the brilliance of Pterry's other works.

Also, Serples isn't a snakeywoman, and I'm not an impossible configuration of light and dark. But we both have an awesome Aussie accent, so.

[Eldan]

After looking several months for The Last Hero, I finally found it in my college bookstore.

Watch out, by the way: there's two versions. One's small with a lot of pictures, the other is huuuuge with even more pictures.

[Serpentine]

Which one? London has 2 major airports serving it (although chances are, you'll probably be arriving in Heathrow if it's a direct flight).Dunno, haven't booked the flight yet. Why, you gonna pick me up? :smalltongue:
But uh... Not really relevant here <.<

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

And also there was a beautiful blue boy-serpent... Man, I wish I could remember properly what he looked like :smallfrown:

Probably me :smallamused:

[Nameless]

*Looks at gender icon under Nameless' account*
*Mind boggles*

I wear it with a top hat, so it evens things out. :smalltongue:

On a related note, has anyone read Soul Music? Yay? Nay?

[Eldan]

I have. However, it was filtered through a German translation, which was sometimes extremely literal, sometimes just left jokes out entirely, and sometimes just got them wrong.

Also, I was never very interested in Rock Music in the first place, so I probably missed half the jokes that were stliill there.

[Serpentine]

Seen Soul Music, liked it - and that last scene with Death has to be about the most epic image ever! :biggrin:

[Eldan]

Was there a movie? :smallconfused:

[Aidan305]

Both Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters were made in to animated series. They're pretty decent adaptations.

[Serpentine]

I'd like to see them again... They kinda got mashed together in my memory.

[Atcote]

Just chiming in as another Pratchett fan.

I remember being but a little lad, and seeing Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music by Cosgrove Hall on TV... They weren't the best pieces of entertainment in the world, but they were unique - rather violent, self-aware, and starring the types of characters who didn't usually get any sort of front lining.
That stuck with me for years before discovering, low-and-behold, they were books as well! I remember reading Men at Arms as one of my introductions - the first one I actually bought was Fifth Elephant, and I believe that was back in 2004/5.

After work, at some random point each month, I would buy a new book and fall into it. They shaped my tastes and my expectations of humour from that point on. Pratchett is amongst my most beloved authors - the writing isn't always perfect, no, but then, that's a pointless standard. His wisdom, wit and world will stay with me forever, as will my love of alliteration.

My favourite Pratchett novels are Small Gods and Reaperman.
So far, not a huge fan of any of the live-action adaptions, but the way I see it, they may just catch someone's attention, or their imagination, and lead them into the literally fold, just as the cartoon did me.

Also, thanks to Good Omens, I was introduced to another of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman.

Some people see themselves as Aragorn. Some as a Pug, or John Snow, or Sherlock when they see themselves as characters.
I'm a Rincewind, through and through - I'd give anything just to have a potato, and leave the adventuring up to those who can't outrun it.

[fizzybobnewt]

I listened to Soul Music. What happened in that scene with Death and the guitar?

[shadow_archmagi]

Just chiming in as another Pratchett fan.

I remember being but a little lad, and seeing Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music by Cosgrove Hall on TV... They weren't the best pieces of entertainment in the world, but they were unique - rather violent, self-aware, and starring the types of characters who didn't usually get any sort of front lining.
That stuck with me for years before discovering, low-and-behold, they were books as well! I remember reading Men at Arms as one of my introductions - the first one I actually bought was Fifth Elephant, and I believe that was back in 2004/5.

After work, at some random point each month, I would buy a new book and fall into it. They shaped my tastes and my expectations of humour from that point on. Pratchett is amongst my most beloved authors - the writing isn't always perfect, no, but then, that's a pointless standard. His wisdom, wit and world will stay with me forever, as will my love of alliteration.

My favourite Pratchett novels are Small Gods and Reaperman.
So far, not a huge fan of any of the live-action adaptions, but the way I see it, they may just catch someone's attention, or their imagination, and lead them into the literally fold, just as the cartoon did me.

Also, thanks to Good Omens, I was introduced to another of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman.

Some people see themselves as Aragorn. Some as a Pug, or John Snow, or Sherlock when they see themselves as characters.
I'm a Rincewind, through and through - I'd give anything just to have a potato, and leave the adventuring up to those who can't outrun it.

I feel like Hogfather was the best of the adaptations, if only because it had so many wonderful lines on the part of Death, and the villain was really well done.

[Brother Oni]

I wear it with a top hat, so it evens things out. :smalltongue:


It's not the top hat, it's the corset.

The top hat is just a sign of class, and if I'm physically close enough to tell whether you have fangs, my wife would kill me. :smalltongue:

I was under the impression that a corset was an undergarment, so you're wandering around scantily clad, which is what's boggling my mind.
Mind you, it's probably no worse than what you see in a nightclub on a weekend.


I feel like Hogfather was the best of the adaptations, if only because it had so many wonderful lines on the part of Death, and the villain was really well done.

Going Postal was done extremely well too, especially with the way they emphasised how Moist caused the banking crash cutting a little close to the current social/political climate when it was released.

Plus it has a great line by David Suchet - "I believe the polite term for it, is Marketing".

[Serpentine]

I was under the impression that a corset was an undergarment, so you're wandering around scantily clad, which is what's boggling my mind.
Mind you, it's probably no worse than what you see in a nightclub on a weekend.There's what I call "body modification corsets", and "fashion corsets". Body mod corsets are the ones worn under clothes to alter your body shape. Fashion corsets are worn above the clothes as an attractive item of clothing. Some are somewhere in-between - they're worn over the top to look pretty, and also they're cinched really tight to change the shape of the body.
I have several, and they're definitely not for wearing under stuff. See here (http://www.galleryserpentine.com.au/) for more info (if it's working for you... Site's buggy for me). If you can see it, you'll find specifically men's corsets there, too.


...there's a Going Postal movie?
>Googles<
...there's a Going Postal movie... starring JEFF?!
WANT

[Brother Oni]

...there's a Going Postal movie?
>Googles<
...there's a Going Postal movie... starring JEFF?!
WANT

Yes, he is VERY good in it. :smallbiggrin:
It's pretty much perfect casting all the way through.

The actress they have portraying Angua has promise (she certainly looks the part (http://starmansurfer.deviantart.com/art/Angua-von-Uberwald-3-190751724)), but not sure of her actual English acting ability. Here's hoping the next live action one will be one of the City Watch books.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

The actress they have portraying Angua has promise (she certainly looks the part (http://starmansurfer.deviantart.com/art/Angua-von-Uberwald-3-190751724)), but not sure of her actual English acting ability. Here's hoping the next live action one will be one of the City Watch books.

That IS perfectly Angua.

[Brother Oni]

All we need now is to find Carrot and Vimes. Nobby and Colon shouldn't be too difficult (there are plenty of actors who do similar sort of roles in other work).

[Eldan]

Fun fact: Lord Vetinari is also Tywin Lannister.

[Fjolnir]

Vimes seems to me at times to be a JFK style character, though I admit the real JFK did not grow up under the same circumstances

[Atcote]

I feel like Hogfather was the best of the adaptations, if only because it had so many wonderful lines on the part of Death, and the villain was really well done.

Don't get me wrong, I believe they have their merits; they're just not great (or even good) as stand-alones, to be frank. Same ideas and plots and whatnot, removed from the 'Terry Pratchett's Discworld' name, and I wouldn't be able to stand them - especially after some of the performances in Going Postal (especially Adrian Schiller as My Gryle, which is sad because he was quite good in Being Human).

But I agree, Hogfather was my most preferable too.

Also, yeah, I liked that Angua's casting, although I imagined her a little more... 'normal' looking, but that's just me.
Now, if they had a decent werewolf that she transformed into instead of whatever it was that jumped at the camera...

(I can get judgmental about my TV, sorry...)

[Serpentine]

All we need now is to find Carrot and Vimes.Is it weird that my first thought for Carrot is Daniel Craig?
Needs to be someone bulky yet friendly-looking, though... And then I go to Rupert Grint. Man that boy bulked up. But still not tall enough for Carrot...

Werewolves on film are always problematic. The ones on the US version of Being Human looked alright, iirc. But then you have things like Underworld - you know, those movies entirely about vampires and werewolves? - and they look like giant mutant beaver-rats.
Does no one know what a wolf bloody looks like anymore? :smallconfused:

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I've only seen the Colour of Magic movie, and it was hard to find.

[Atcote]

Does no one know what a wolf bloody looks like anymore? :smallconfused:

I agree, this is one of my great annoyances in many modern werewolf films; they decide to go for the horrifically fake looking bipedal wolfman instead of a big, scary wolf, which is distinctly how they are described in Discworld (in that most humans can't seem to tell the difference - and wolves can only tell because of the smell or some similar sense). Harry Potter also fell into this trap, although at least there werewolves are not really described in detail.

Don't even start on one of the few films that avoided this headache were those Twilight ones...

[Serpentine]

Yeeeaaaah... As much as I hate Twilight, I've gotta give them that :/

[Nameless]

Don't get me wrong, I believe they have their merits; they're just not great (or even good) as stand-alones, to be frank. Same ideas and plots and whatnot, removed from the 'Terry Pratchett's Discworld' name, and I wouldn't be able to stand them - especially after some of the performances in Going Postal (especially Adrian Schiller as My Gryle, which is sad because he was quite good in Being Human).

But I agree, Hogfather was my most preferable too.

Also, yeah, I liked that Angua's casting, although I imagined her a little more... 'normal' looking, but that's just me.
Now, if they had a decent werewolf that she transformed into instead of whatever it was that jumped at the camera...

(I can get judgmental about my TV, sorry...)

I dunno. When Hogfather first came out (in 2006 I believe), I knew almost nothing about Pratchett and I really enjoyed it. I did however think that Colour of Magic was very boring. I haven't read the book, but I've been told it's also his most boring book.
I haven't watched Going Postal, so I can't really comment on that one.


I've only seen the Colour of Magic movie, and it was hard to find.

Hogfather is on Youtube, if you're interested.

[Kato]

I
Going Postal was done extremely well too, especially with the way they emphasised how Moist caused the banking crash cutting a little close to the current social/political climate when it was released.


I'm sorry, but what? Yes, I liked the movie, it was decent, it had a great cast (Jeff, omg, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff!) and I can accept some of the changes. But on the other hand some things were stupid and needless. Worst of all... the flachbacks! Especially that last one. Somewhere on the verge between severe teeth grind and intentionally narmy, except I'm sure there was no narm intended... I'll hide it, just to be sure.

CIGARETTES! Okay, I got it, cigarettes are eeeevil but really? This scene? It was as if she was buying heroine instead of tobacco...
Also, all the flashbacks were an exagerrated guilt trip to me [no pun intended].

Remind me, I liked the books Guilt much better. But maybe that's just me.

So, yeah, the movie was okay, but a poor adaption. I think I was more explicit about it in the last Pratchett thread :smallredface:
That said, I liked Hogfather better but I'm still looking forward to Making Money (I think it's planned)


As for werewolves... I guess any media has it's own right to depict them as they want to, unless they claim 'they look just like wolves' and then don't.

[Rockbird]

Hmm. I've been rereading Unseen Academicals. I gotta say it's a lot better on a second read-through. First time I didn't really like it, this time I... Well, do. Still not a patch on Night Watch or Thud, but it has some really good bits.

[Rae Artemi]

I've only seen the Colour of Magic movie, and it was hard to find.

Hogfather is also on Netflix, as well as Youtube, as Nameless said.

[dehro]

Tony Robinson, in his Baldrick days would have made a great Nobby.
as for Carrot...Paul Bettany?

[Feytalist]

Discworld books, as Pratchett himself has stated, make for bad movies (ok, I admit, Hogfather wasn't all that bad). Plays, on the other hand...

Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Eric, Hogfather... they all make very good plays. It helps if the actors don't take themselves too seriously, heh.

[Tusalu]

Having bought all the TV adaptions, I'd say that they have managed to make them appeal very well to those who haven't read Discworld. I know at least that my fantasy-interested friends liked them very much. But for a fan it gets annoying how much is changed. In this respect Going Postal was the worst, even though it was a pretty good adventure film on it's own.
The things that actually annoyed me in Going Postal:
- Angua being too obvious a werewolf. This removes most depth of the the character, but of course saves time for the adaption.
- Ridcully. They got him right in Hogfather, and now they had to make him just a generic academic. At least they could have changed his name.
- Adora. While the character was great, the cigarette-thing mentioned earlier was absolutely horrible.

And of course Reacher Gilt wasn't the same either, but that was the necessary change to make the movie as it is. It's different from the book, but it's still pretty good.


...
that rant got a little long didn't it?...

[Joran]

For those in the Washington, D.C. Metro area, Sir Terry Pratchett is speaking at the National Press Club.

http://press.org/pratchett

[BiblioRook]

He quite literally is planning for it - he just recently signed his voluntary euthenasia forms.
The moment I saw the title of this thread I though of this and actually assumed it was what the thread was about. I'm surprised it took three pages to so much as get mentioned. But that is depressing, lets talk about books.


I just recently read The Carpet People. It's pretty good, but lacks the brilliance of Pterry's other works.
In fairness, it was his first book. More then that, he originally wrote it when he was 17.


Other miscellaneous points:
Going Postal has always been one of my favorites, but it was also the first Discworld book I managed to read (only one at my library) so while it still is a very good book I can only assume that has something to do with why I favor it so much more then the others.
On the other had, while Soul Music is being mentions, I never really liked that one, I don't know why exactly but it just didn't really click with me I guess (which is a shame as it introduced one of my favorite characters; Susan Sto-Helit). The adaptation didn't help, it was truly the worst of the lot, I would go as far as to say it was painful to watch (but more largely because how it was animated, I was fine with Wyrd Sisters though). I agree that Hogfather definitely was the best movie however. Going Postal would have been better for me if it weren't for certain points (the 'man in a rubber suit' golems really creeped me out) but they get some bonus points for adding things many wouldn't have noticed (Stanley's lean) while also losing a few more for not including others (the cockatoo :smallmad: )
But also on the subject of bad Discworld adapations; Colour of Magic? What the heck was that all about? Rincewind as an old man really seems to cheapen his character in my opinion, I don't know why he's so often mistakenly portaied as such. Just because he's a wiz(zz)ard, and wizards are automatically old men?

Anyways, here's a subject that I never heard brought up before in one of these threads: The video games. Anyone ever play them?
It was hard doing, but I managed to play two out of the three (the two staring Rincewind). As I understand it, the third is a wholely original story, but with so many Vimes fans you might not appreciate it as it seems he's made out to be more of a jerk as usual in it as he's something of the main antagonist.

[Shadow of the Sun]

The moment I saw the title of this thread I though of this and actually assumed it was what the thread was about. I'm surprised it took three pages to so much as get mentioned. But that is depressing, lets talk about books.


In fairness, it was his first book. More then that, he originally wrote it when he was 17.


I was reading the one that was edited by himself 30 years on. It's still good, but it's not best by a long shot.

I'll admit, though that "Lord of the Rings in a carpet", as the original has been described is still better than Eragon.

[GloatingSwine]

As I understand it, the third is a wholely original story, but with so many Vimes fans you might not appreciate it as it seems he's made out to be more of a jerk as usual in it as he's something of the main antagonist.

That's usually the case in Ankh Morpork stories which aren't actually Watch/Vimes books.

Go and reread The Truth and see how he appears there.

[GloatingSwine]

As I understand it, the third is a wholely original story, but with so many Vimes fans you might not appreciate it as it seems he's made out to be more of a jerk as usual in it as he's something of the main antagonist.

That's usually the case in Ankh Morpork stories which aren't actually Watch/Vimes books.

Go and reread The Truth and see how he appears there.

[Kato]

I liked Carpet People though it's been away too long since I read it... but I recall how my first encounter with Pterry was when our teacher picked 'Only you can save mankind' as a modern book to read in German (well, the German translation, anyway) It was pretty good but I was not aware what a gem I was holding back then. Discworld really is where he shines, imo, though the Carpet stories and DSotS/Strata were decent but not quite as good. (Good Omens and Nation are something very different, of course)


I tried the third Discworld game... some Noir-esque detective story. But the disc was bugged and it didn't really catch my attention sufficiently.

[BiblioRook]

I've always been very fond of old-school Graphic Adventures (Item based puzzle games, like Monkey Island) so I was expessially eager to play the two I played. Some of it was odd (one was a version of Guards! Guards! with Rincewind as the main charicter), but both had Rincewind voiced by Eric Idle, you can't really find fault in that.

[Thufir]

Is it weird that my first thought for Carrot is Daniel Craig?
Needs to be someone bulky yet friendly-looking, though... And then I go to Rupert Grint. Man that boy bulked up. But still not tall enough for Carrot...

I thought Rupert Grint for Carrot. But only if they start at Guards! Guards! and work their way through. I don't think he could just step into later Carrot, but he'd grow into it.

Also, no idea what you people mean about Angua looking perfect. No way is that what Angua looks like. Skin and hair are too pale. Hair is also all straight and boring.
I have quite a specific mental image of Angua.

[dehro]

I didn't have a nerdgasm when I read the non-discworld novels, but they weren't bad.. the one that has kind of left me going "meh..." was Nation..possibly because I wasn't expecting it, but rather was anticipating another Discworld novel.

[Feytalist]

I must say, as much as I love the Discworld books, one of my favourites has always been Dark Side of the Sun. Every time I reread it I notice something different.

[Talya]

yeah..didn't want to say, but that thought crossed my mind too..though I understand that's not going to happen for quite some time, barring other causes of death.

Really? From what I understand he was suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's, and that he intended to end his own life before his disease progresses to a critical point.

[Serpentine]

Yes, but that could still be years away - decades, even.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Sooner than you think. Already, he can't write long things by hand, and has trouble typing.

[Shadow of the Sun]

He's said that he has difficulty signing autographs at book signings coz he can't remember names for long enough.

So, yeah, I don't think he's gonna be writing for too much longer.

[Atcote]

On the topic of his disease, there are these considerations for those so inclined:


Match-It for Pratchett (http://www.matchitforpratchett.org/), which I'm not certain is still going, but if it's not, then there's always:


Alzheimer's Research UK (https://www.committedgiving.uk.net/art/public/donor.aspx?id=cc) (or your country's equivalent)

Sorry if these have already been brought up.

[Teucros]

Twenty more days until Snuff gets published...

[grimbold]

Twenty more days until Snuff gets published...

the countdown
it pulls at my soul

[Nameless]

the countdown
it pulls at my soul

Like a kitten at a ball of yarn.

[grimbold]

Like a kitten at a ball of yarn.

oh nameless
how you make me smile

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I always have to wait several months until the paperback comes out in Canada. Unseen Academicals I bought while I was in England, though.

[Manga Maniac]

I'm currently reading them all in order. I'm about halfway through The Last Continent, and if all goes to plan I should be at the point where I can read Snuff soon after it comes out.

[Nameless]

oh nameless
how you make me smile

:smallbiggrin:


I'm currently reading them all in order. I'm about halfway through The Last Continent, and if all goes to plan I should be at the point where I can read Snuff soon after it comes out.

I probebly won't be reading it any time soon. I have way too many of his other books I want to read first.

[dehro]

I can't wait to read it...I guess I'll have to go through Amazon though.. because the chances of finding it in a library here anytime soon are dismal.

[BiblioRook]

I probebly won't be reading it any time soon. I have way too many of his other books I want to read first.

Same here. About a year ago I was planning on one big rereading of Discworld. I got as far as Men at Arms when I realized that it's probably wasn't fair to the literal hundreds of books I have yet to read that I had laying around to put them aside in favor of reading 30+ books I have already read, regardless how much I enjoyed those 30+ books.

[Manga Maniac]

I can't wait to read it...I guess I'll have to go through Amazon though.. because the chances of finding it in a library here anytime soon are dismal.

I usually get them from a bookstore. That way I can drag it with me wherever I go, cover flailing off as I jump off a cliff or otherwise.

[dehro]

I usually get them from a bookstore. That way I can drag it with me wherever I go, cover flailing off as I jump off a cliff or otherwise.

yeah..that's my mistake..
I was thinking in the wrong language :smallbiggrin:
libreria is italian for bookstore.. and sounds a lot like library..which of course isn't a bookstore

[Manga Maniac]

Just finished The Last Continent. 'Twas great, though the ending seemed a bit sudden.

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever gone on the L-Space wiki (http://wiki.lspace.org/[/url)?

[Atcote]

The god of evolution is one of my favourite of Discworld's strange citizens. His greatest creation... Priceless.

Personally, I avoid wikis for something I've been involved in for so long; I've read all the books, and I get most of my news from other sources, so there's not that much I really want to dive in to; It's also not the sort of thing that I need quick reference information, that I would usually use a wiki for.

Snuff is at the top of my countdown list at the moment; can't wait for some good ol' Vimes action.

[dehro]

I occasionally have a browse of the L-space.. and usually find a trick or two that I missed in the books..or a reference/fun fact, that I didn't recognize or know about.

[Manga Maniac]

Just got The Art of Discworld. Being the nerd I am, I instantly uploaded Rincewind's picture to Wikipedia.

[Kato]

Just got The Art of Discworld. Being the nerd I am, I instantly uploaded Rincewind's picture to Wikipedia.

Thank you :smallbiggrin:

[Manga Maniac]

Speaking of Wikipedia, anyone feel like helping me change the "Fictional history" section into a more condense "Appearances" section? (Something like this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starkiller))

Wikipedia's very strict on being a verified real-world-based encyclopedia, donchaknow.

[Feytalist]

I occasionally have a browse of the L-space.. and usually find a trick or two that I missed in the books..or a reference/fun fact, that I didn't recognize or know about.

You mean The Annotated Pratchett (http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/)? I love that file. It documents all the little references that I probably wouldn't have gotten on my own. It hasn't been updated in ages, though.

[Manga Maniac]

The wiki, probably by nature of being a wiki, seems to be a bit more updated on its annotations.

At the very least, all the currently released books seem to have annotation pages.

[dehro]

You mean The Annotated Pratchett (http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/)? I love that file. It documents all the little references that I probably wouldn't have gotten on my own. It hasn't been updated in ages, though.

that's the one, yes

[grimbold]

You mean The Annotated Pratchett (http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/)? I love that file. It documents all the little references that I probably wouldn't have gotten on my own. It hasn't been updated in ages, though.

Oo
its still a very useful tool :smallsmile:

[Feytalist]

Oo
its still a very useful tool :smallsmile:

Yep. For anything before Monstrous Regiment, anyway. Or Thud, maybe. One of those two.

By the way, I just found out that his actual coat of arms has the motto "Don't Fear the Reaper". Which is so awesome, it approaches awesomosity from the other side.

[Eldan]

Did he change that himself, or was it actually ancestral?

[Feytalist]

I assume he had it made after his knighthood. But its still pretty cool.

[Eldan]

Pretty cool arms, yeah. (Mine are pretty lame, actually). But no way he inherited those.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

No, he did not inherit those.

[fizzybobnewt]

Plus, it's got an Ankh and the bird is called a morepork.

[Kato]

Man, I sure wish I had a coat of arms that epic....


So, I had a look into the two(I think they are the only ones) animated book adaptions, SOul Music and Wyrd Sisters. I'm ot entirely sure what to think of them since the animation put me off a bit but I guess they were fine enough.

[Nameless]

Speaking of animation, I heard some time ago that Disney were making Mort into an animated film.
This will either be amazing... or horrible.

[Kato]

Speaking of animation, I heard some time ago that Disney were making Mort into an animated film.
This will either be amazing... or horrible.

I'm kind of afraid it will be horrible....


Also, since it's not too long off... when Snuff comes out I'd really appreciate any discussion of it to be in spoilers, pals :smallwink:

[Atcote]

Speaking of animation, I heard some time ago that Disney were making Mort into an animated film.
This will either be amazing... or horrible.

I still haven't seen this from an official source, just claiming it as rumour. So at the moment, it's just conjecture, but it's so out of left field and unbelievable, what would be the point of lying about it? (Well, yes, trolling.)

Just don't expect much in the way of faithfulness; Disney tends to be unfaithful to the rather simple plots of very old fairy tales; more in-depth plots, the more to strip away.

I am deeply interested however; let's hope there's none of that 'Dropping the 'Death' aspect' business about it - after some rather prominent dark themes in The Princess and the Frog, I don't think that will be an essential problem if they decide to go that bit more dark. The real risk is a repeat of their adaption of Lloyd Alexander's 'The Black Cauldron', where, not only wasn't it faithful (forgivable), but it wasn't especially good either (unforgivable). Let's but hope they've learned.

[Manga Maniac]

I definitely know there was a Mort film in production (I think it's in The Art of Discworld somewhere), although I'm pretty sure it got scrapped. No idea on how far into development it was– might have just been talked about for a bit.

EDIT: There's this source (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/28/terry-pratchetts-mort-to-become-a-disney-animation/) about Disney adapting it. D'nno if it's reliable.

[Atcote]

EDIT: There's this source (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/28/terry-pratchetts-mort-to-become-a-disney-animation/) about Disney adapting it. D'nno if it's reliable.

Bleeding Cool is usually okay, but notice that they too state that they've got a 'tip-off'? That's basically a good way of saying they've got news but can't name a trustworthy source to go along with it.

Other sources seem to state that it's a pure Discworld adaption, with Mort used as a very rough base-plate; again, no way to really trust that.

The Mort film that's mentioned in Art of Discworld is the one that apparently suffered from the 'We don't really like the whole 'Death' angle' problem.

[Manga Maniac]

I'm trying to imagine what Mort would be like if Death wasn't there.

It is very boring.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Heehee, I just preordered a signed copy. Even better, I think I just got my little brother obsessed with Terry Pratchett. :smallamused:

[Thufir]

I'm trying to imagine what Mort would be like if Death wasn't there.

It is very boring.

"Nonexistent" is how I'd describe it.

[Eldan]

"Nonexistent" is how I'd describe it.

Apparently, it was supposed to be just about a boy saving a princess from some kind of strange space-time event.

[dehro]

Heehee, I just preordered a signed copy. Even better, I think I just got my little brother obsessed with Terry Pratchett. :smallamused:

terrible mistake
now he's going to nick all your books..or worse, dog-ear the lot of them

[Manga Maniac]

@Eldan: That could actually be somewhat interesting.

But hell if it would be Discworld.

[Nameless]

Heh. I'm supposed to bring in an example of a core narrative and discuss it in one of my lectures at uni on Wednesday. I think I'll take one of my Discworld books, should be interesting. :smallcool:

[Kato]

Sorry, but what's core narrative?

[The Glyphstone]

A plot that features unobtanium.

[Nameless]

Sorry, but what's core narrative?

You know... He never actually said. :smallconfused:
But I'm pretty sure it means the main plot or the main part of the story. For example, the core narrative of LotR qould be travelling to Mordor, destroying the ring and defeating the forces of evil.

[Kato]

You know... He never actually said. :smallconfused:
But I'm pretty sure it means the main plot or the main part of the story. For example, the core narrative of LotR qould be travelling to Mordor, destroying the ring and defeating the forces of evil.

Aaaaah... so... kind of all works involving actual plot? Meh, anyway, a Pratchett is a good job for any assignment. :smallsmile:

[MoonCat]

Preordered Snuff, and looking forward to it arriving.

[Joran]

For those in the D.C. area, Terry Pratchett is speaking at the National Press Club:

http://press.org/pratchett

Tickets are still available. Sadly, no signing due to health issues.

[BiblioRook]

Talking about talks

An interview with Pratchett about the new book, Snuff (http://boingboing.net/2011/10/10/an-interview-with-sir-terry-pratchett-on-his-new-novel-snuff.html)

[Eldan]

Got Snuff today.

I'm a hundred pages in, and it's very enjoyable. I definitely like it more than Unseen Academicals.

Good to know that some of the Ramkin Family were avid natural philosophers with keen insight into apples falling on their heads.

[MoonCat]

Heh heh, I liked that too. Pretty good so far.

only 45 pages in since I have an essay due today that I have to write.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Oh, it's out? Am I gonna have to avoid the threat to avoid spoilers?

My family never gets the books until they're out in paperback, in Canada. Which can sometimes be a while.

[Feytalist]

And I have to wait two weeks. Blah. Stupid third world shipping dates.

[Kato]

Meh... I'll rather wait for the paperback edition... I like to be able to carry my books around with him. Though it means I'll probably have to wait six months or something... hm....

[CoffeeIncluded]

Alright, great to know that Snuff is great! :smallbiggrin: Aargh, though I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks for the book to come in from overseas...:smallfrown:

[Joran]

So... I won a drawing to actually meet Professor Sir Terry Pratchett at the Press Club talk tomorrow.

What should I say or ask?

P.S. Honestly, the only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens...

[dehro]

So... I won a drawing to actually meet Professor Sir Terry Pratchett at the Press Club talk tomorrow.

What should I say or ask?

P.S. Honestly, the only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens...

yeah...I'll go ahead and make a voodoo-doll in your likeness now...

[CoffeeIncluded]

So... I won a drawing to actually meet Professor Sir Terry Pratchett at the Press Club talk tomorrow.

What should I say or ask?

P.S. Honestly, the only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens...

.........................Can I hop a flight and switch places with you?

READ THE OTHER BOOKS. NOW.

[PPA]

So... I won a drawing to actually meet Professor Sir Terry Pratchett at the Press Club talk tomorrow.

What should I say or ask?

P.S. Honestly, the only Pratchett book I've read is Good Omens...

I feel like my 4th grade classmates did when I won a football autographed by the local soccer team. In other words, I second the voodoo doll.

[Joran]

.........................Can I hop a flight and switch places with you?

READ THE OTHER BOOKS. NOW.

Will do... Where do I start? Seriously though, I loved Good Omens, I'm a big fan of Gaiman and Douglas Adams, so Pratchett should be right in my wheelhouse, but I never found a good entry point.

Tickets are still available for the talk.

I'm probably giving the meet and greet ticket to my Father-in-law, who's a huge fan of Pratchett. My in-laws take care of my kid during the day, so I want to show my appreciation. I'll still attend the talk though; I find author talks fascinating.

I find it odd that it's a stamping not a signing, due to health reasons. Does Alzheimer's interfere with motor functions?


yeah...I'll go ahead and make a voodoo-doll in your likeness now...

Please, not the face. :(

[CoffeeIncluded]

Will do... Where do I start? Seriously though, I loved Good Omens, I'm a big fan of Gaiman and Douglas Adams, so Pratchett should be right in my wheelhouse, but I never found a good entry point.

Tickets are still available for the talk.

I'm probably giving the meet and greet ticket to my Father-in-law, who's a huge fan of Pratchett. My in-laws take care of my kid during the day, so I want to show my appreciation. I'll still attend the talk though; I find author talks fascinating.

I find it odd that it's a stamping not a signing, due to health reasons. Does Alzheimer's interfere with motor functions?

Please, not the face. :(

If you don't have time, start with the Watch Series: Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, Thud!, and Snuff, which came out today.

Terry Pratchett has a rare variant of Alzheimer's that affects vision and motor skills. He can't really write anymore...

[Kato]

Okay, since you are nice enough to give the ticket to a fan I'll restrain from getting a flight and taking your place by force if necessary.
Well, tell us how it went...


As for Books... I like the Guards but I think they are kind of overrated, as in 'not so much better than the other books'. There are lots of good ones, depending on what you like. Maybe just start from the beginning, though the first books are a bit different from the rest I still like to read them in order.

[Joran]

Okay, since you are nice enough to give the ticket to a fan I'll restrain from getting a flight and taking your place by force if necessary.
Well, tell us how it went...


As for Books... I like the Guards but I think they are kind of overrated, as in 'not so much better than the other books'. There are lots of good ones, depending on what you like. Maybe just start from the beginning, though the first books are a bit different from the rest I still like to read them in order.

I tried reading Color of Magic and definitely struggled through it. I was gifted the Graphic Novels, so I know the story of Color of Magic and Light Fantastic.

[Aidan305]

Just finished reading Snuff

It was... good. Definitely Pratchett. There's a nice bit of subtle humour and the plot was interesting.
But... I'm not sure how much I liked it. I suspect that, in part, I was expecting a few more twists, a little more excitement; and a more rural air. Once we met the goblins it turned from an entertaining homage to the "Village Secret" plot, in to massive "What is Human?" plot and I'm not sure it really worked. I'm also disappointed that the villain (Stratford) wasn't really there and when he was it was as a not-as-good-as-Carcer killer. Or the Villain (Rust Jr) was never seen so we can't really take measure of him other than what we know of his father.

As an aside, Willikins has really changed in the four or so years since we last saw him. He's let his hair down and is much less of a... butler as it were.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Must...Not...Look...Up...Snuff...Spoilers...

Somebody cast Owl's Wisdom on me, I need to make a will save.

[Feytalist]

I did it. I looked under the spoiler. I am a weak person :C

His first few books are quite different from the rest. Not bad, necessarily, but the rest is certainly better. I'd second the Watch series as a great place to start. I've also always had a soft spot for the Witches, ever since I saw the Wyrd Sisters play.

[MoonCat]

Well, finished it last night.

Oh hell. This felt like a badly written fanfic, where everything was out of character. The jokes did not feel like Pratchett humor, and it wasn't actually a good read, ending with a flop after an unfindable climax. Interesting idea, but it wasn't a Pratchett novel, and it wasn't a good story either. And what saddens me is that his latest books have been like that, getting worse as it goes. In Unseen Academicals everyone who wasn't new felt vastly out of character as well, and the book was only saved by it having a good story behind it. I Shall Wear Midnight was annoying to me, I don't know why, and this one I cannot stand. Why Pterry, why?!?!?!

[pendell]

Well, Snuff is now downloading to my Kindle, so the big stack of books I am currently reading through (including Robert Macomber's excellent "Lt. Peter Wake , USN" series) is going on hold until I'm done. I see some reax have already been posted here. I'll put mine as well.

TBH, so far the high point of Pratchett's work has been "Night Watch". Everything since then has felt like a bit of a comedown. but Night Watch was drama and history and reminded me very much of the wall coming down in 1989. Ever since, I've felt like Pratchett has been trying to find a focus. The Tiffany novels were grand, but Tiffany is grown up now. Unseen Academicals frankly bored me, because I can't stand sports of any kind.

I don't expect Snuff to be among his best work, but it would have to be very bad indeed to be as bad as the original 'Color of Magic'. If that had been my first book in the series, I probably wouldn't have finished it. Happily, I started into the series with 'Equal Rites', when Pratchett was starting to his his stride as an author.

We'll see. Pratchett's books are bit like ... umm .. steak. When it's good it is VERY good, and when it is bad it's still steak. Yeah, steak. That's the ticket :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[chiasaur11]

Well, Snuff is now downloading to my Kindle, so the big stack of books I am currently reading through (including Robert Macomber's excellent "Lt. Peter Wake , USN" series) is going on hold until I'm done. I see some reax have already been posted here. I'll put mine as well.

TBH, so far the high point of Pratchett's work has been "Night Watch". Everything since then has felt like a bit of a comedown. but Night Watch was drama and history and reminded me very much of the wall coming down in 1989. Ever since, I've felt like Pratchett has been trying to find a focus. The Tiffany novels were grand, but Tiffany is grown up now. Unseen Academicals frankly bored me, because I can't stand sports of any kind.

I don't expect Snuff to be among his best work, but it would have to be very bad indeed to be as bad as the original 'Color of Magic'. If that had been my first book in the series, I probably wouldn't have finished it. Happily, I started into the series with 'Equal Rites', when Pratchett was starting to his his stride as an author.

We'll see. Pratchett's books are bit like ... umm .. steak. When it's good it is VERY good, and when it is bad it's still steak. Yeah, steak. That's the ticket :).

Respectfully,

Brian P.

I always like Pizza for the analogy.

Pizza is good food.

[Kittenwolf]

I'm actually a couple of books behind with my Pratchett at the moment, I still have Snuff & Unseen Academicals to go through. Alas my reading pile still has a few items in it :)

I've met him a couple of times actually, once at a book signing in Canberra, and then again when the amateur theater group I was in performed "Mort" at the 2007 (I think it was '07...) world Discworld convention in Melbourne.

Now performing on stage in front of Pratchett, *that* wasn't a cause for stage fright for anyone at all ;)

[dehro]

I always like Pizza for the analogy.

Pizza is good food.

but it CAN be terribly bad and inedible

[Eldan]

Well, finished it last night.

Oh hell. This felt like a badly written fanfic, where everything was out of character. The jokes did not feel like Pratchett humor, and it wasn't actually a good read, ending with a flop after an unfindable climax. Interesting idea, but it wasn't a Pratchett novel, and it wasn't a good story either. And what saddens me is that his latest books have been like that, getting worse as it goes. In Unseen Academicals everyone who wasn't new felt vastly out of character as well, and the book was only saved by it having a good story behind it. I Shall Wear Midnight was annoying to me, I don't know why, and this one I cannot stand. Why Pterry, why?!?!?!

I didn't find it bad by any means, and I don't agree with the people being out of character, with the possible exception of Willikins, who felt very different to earlier books. That said, the climax was a bit weak, and it did go on for too long after it.

[Aidan305]

I'm actually a couple of books behind with my Pratchett at the moment, I still have Snuff & Unseen Academicals to go through. Alas my reading pile still has a few items in it :)

I've met him a couple of times actually, once at a book signing in Canberra, and then again when the amateur theater group I was in performed "Mort" at the 2007 (I think it was '07...) world Discworld convention in Melbourne.

Now performing on stage in front of Pratchett, *that* wasn't a cause for stage fright for anyone at all ;)

There was a production of Wyrd Sisters in Dublin a year ago. From what I hear the actors were horrified when they walked out on stage on opening night and saw Professor Sir PTerry sitting front and centre.

[Kittenwolf]

There was a production of Wyrd Sisters in Dublin a year ago. From what I hear the actors were horrified when they walked out on stage on opening night and saw Professor Sir PTerry sitting front and centre.

That would freak you out!
We offered him a front row, centre seat when he came in, but he elected to stay up the back instead. Good thing he did.
During Death's fight scene near the end, the scythe blade broke off and flew into the audience, had he taken the seat we offere, we would have Reaped PTerry...

[Aidan305]

That would freak you out!
We offered him a front row, centre seat when he came in, but he elected to stay up the back instead. Good thing he did.
During Death's fight scene near the end, the scythe blade broke off and flew into the audience, had he taken the seat we offere, we would have Reaped PTerry...

Clearly I had heard wrong. My sources were, sadly, only second hand.

[Kittenwolf]

Clearly I had heard wrong. My sources were, sadly, only second hand.

Mine wasn't anything to do with Dublin :). Mine was the convention in Melbourne

[Aidan305]

Mine wasn't anything to do with Dublin :). Mine was the convention in Melbourne

Ah, I misinterpreted what you said. Apologies. He had been in town for an alumnus dinner in Trinity college the previous day and heard that they play was on so decided to stick around. They literally had no warning.

[Arcane_Snowman]

I've read quite a number of Terry Pratchett books by now, and I must admit he is one of my favorite authors.

[fizzybobnewt]

That would freak you out!
We offered him a front row, centre seat when he came in, but he elected to stay up the back instead. Good thing he did.
During Death's fight scene near the end, the scythe blade broke off and flew into the audience, had he taken the seat we offere, we would have Reaped PTerry...

That would have made his coat of arms ironic.
How did you do Death's voice?

[Kittenwolf]

That would have made his coat of arms ironic.
How did you do Death's voice?

Our Death was just one of those people who can put on an absurdly deep voice :)

[BRC]

So, my thoughts on Snuff so far.

I'm a bit over halfway done with it, and I'm not quite sure what I feel about it. It's good, but there is something slightly off about everything. The Characters seem more like Caricatures in some cases, although this may just be because, for the first time, the Vimes household is the central cast, let's take Willikins for example.

Before, the joke with Wilikkins was that he was the stereotypical Butler, who also happened to be a badass. Now, he reads more like Vimes's personal hitman. His over-the-top Butler act would get annoying now that he's a central character, but without it he seems, I don't know, just weird.
And yes, young children have been known to find the mention feces hilarious, but having Young Sam develop a scientific obsession with it seems to be going too far.

And Vimes, I can see what Pratchett was trying to do by taking Vimes out of the city, but I'm not sure it worked. Vimes IS Anhk-Morpork, he's a bad man trying to be good. When he bluffs and staggers and pokes his nose around in Anhk-Morpork it makes sense, because that's his job. However, the Political situation in the Countryside is very vague, I kind of got the impression that it's under the control of Anhk Morpork, but AM has always been defined as a city, and there's no indication that the country people have any lines of communication with the City. Discworld, or at least the Sto Plains, seems to be made up more of Cities than Nations, and who controls the cabbage fields between them never really came up before.


And now lets talk about the Pacing, the Goblins, and the Summoning Dark.. Snuff has some of the worst Pacing I've ever seen. First of all, Pratchett spends lots of time exploring the countryside without really giving us much in the way of any sort of Dynamic. You've got the poor country folk and the Rich nobles, but with the exception of one generically anti-aristocratic blacksmith there's no real sense of any tension or interplay between them.

For example, the Spinning Maids. Vimes notices the tradition of the Maids turning around, asks about it, and gets told not to mess with it. Shortly afterwards, he learns the reasons behind it, and decides not to mess with it. Much of the first part of the book is bogged down with these sort of details, along with lots of mention that "There is something sinister going on here!". Vimes wanders around, his Policeman's Instinct's telling him that "there is something sinister going on", seeing signs that "There is something sinister going on", the power of Narritivium telling us that "there is something sinister going on".
In the end Vimes digs a little and learns, yes, that Something Sinister is Going On. Did we really need to spend eighty pages hinting at that. We knew Something Sinister was going on from the get-go.
Compare this to the expert Pacing he used in books like Thud or Night Watch.


The Goblins. Terry's using them to approach the Fantasy convention of having a race that it's "Okay" to hate, but by this point that idea has been deconstructed, by Pratchett and others, to the point that it's basically meaningless. Right now I don't really "Get" the Goblins besides "Everybody hates them, but they're actually quite nice" and "they store stuff in really shiny pots".

Finally, the Summoning Dark. This is the third Vimes book featuring the idea of Vimes having some sort of "Dark Passenger" riding shotgun. In Night Watch it was The Beast, a purely metaphorical construct, a term Vimes himself came up with.
In Thud, it was the Summoning Dark, a literal spirit of Vengence, and Vimes overcoming it was a huge moment.
early on in Snuff, it's mentioned that Vimes still hears the Summoning Dark sometimes. Then, at one point it stop being an Echo, and randomly becomes Superpowers.
Vimes already had a nifty suite of abilities, but they were never supernatural. He had good night vision because he'd spent years working in the dark. He could tell when people were lying because he was a suspicious bastard who had spent years being lied to. He could predict how people would act and manipulate people because he'd been doing it his entire life. In fact, his REFUSAL to use Magic was a big deal.

Now, suddenly, he can see in perfect darkness, speak Goblin, and can know, with perfect clarity and accuracy, anything that happens in Darkness. That's not what Vimes does.

Vimes would have gotten the same confession, but he would have done it without superpowers. He would have used the evidence he had, made a couple educated guesses and a few well placed lies, he would have played on the Suspect's fear of being caught. Then, having convinced the suspect that he already knew everything, he would get the suspect to tell him everything. He wouldn't use his magical head-demon to bully a suspect into confessing. Vimes doesn't need Superpowers, especially not no-strings attached ones like "Know everything that happened in Darkness".

I wasn't expecting another Thud, but this book just seems to be put together without the artful skill that Pratchett's earlier stuff showed. Somebody else mentioned that it read like Fan Fiction, and that's kind of accurate. The character seem to be more Inspired by themselves than actually themselves.

[Goosefeather]

snip

I find it hard to argue with any of the points you've made there. (Vague spoilers for the rest of the book inside, so if you haven't finished it yet keep out! :smalltongue:) I dunno, the book just seems... looser than previous Pratchett works, not as tightly knitted together. I can't help but compare it to Night Watch, which was for me the apogee of his oeuvre. There, every detail came back in some significant way, and the whole work drew to a highly satisfying climax, all the while weaving in a subtle parody of Les Mis. The pacing was great, the stakes couldn't have been higher, the characterisation was amazing - not only of Vimes, nor the insights into the pasts of other characters, but there was a wonderful understanding of human mentality in general. It was dark and exciting and bittersweet and constantly tense and on-edge; Snuff really just doesn't compare. Stratford especially just seemed like a crappy knock-off of Carter, and the cameo appearances from the rest of the Watch just felt forced, to be honest. Characters weren't developed, just exaggerated, and the random superpowers were hardly necessary and didn't even contribute to the climax, such as it was.

I mean, compare 'Pride and Extreme Prejudice' to 'All the little angels rise up' from Night Watch, or the lilac blossom.

To be honest, I would have been happy for Vimes' personal character arc to have ended with Thud, also a great read even if it didn't reach the dizzying heights of Night Watch. Snuff, while not a bad book as such, just felt a bit unnecessary to me. Honestly, it's highly depressing to be able to track the illness of one of my favourite authors unfolding through his books.

[lord_khaine]

Well Funny enough, i cant agree with any of the points you made, and found it to be one of the best books since Nightwatch.

[Goosefeather]

Fair enough, opinions are by definition subjective, after all, but out of curiosity, why do you say that? What makes it better than, for example, Thud?

[lord_khaine]

ooh, thats a tough question.

Thud is in itself a good book, but for unknown reasons i didnt find the action quite as caching or as intense.

Though mostly, i guess its that Snuff has a deeper focus on who is proberly the most well-developed discworld character, and takes him outside his comfort zone, leading to a situation where i feel myself deeper inside the story.

Also, i like the jokes from snuff better, like the one about a man who has a lot of wood :smalltongue:

[Dexam]

I've met him a couple of times actually, once at a book signing in Canberra, and then again when the amateur theater group I was in performed "Mort" at the 2007 (I think it was '07...) world Discworld convention in Melbourne.

Now performing on stage in front of Pratchett, *that* wasn't a cause for stage fright for anyone at all ;)
Hey! I was at the Melbourne Discworld Convention in 2007...

http://pics.livejournal.com/dexam/pic/0000ea79/s640x640.jpg


That would freak you out!
We offered him a front row, centre seat when he came in, but he elected to stay up the back instead. Good thing he did.
During Death's fight scene near the end, the scythe blade broke off and flew into the audience, had he taken the seat we offere, we would have Reaped PTerry...
And I was in the audience when this happened!

(Out of curiousity, what part were you playing in the production?)


Our Death was just one of those people who can put on an absurdly deep voice :)
His recovery from the broken scythe blade was nicely done, too. :smallbiggrin:

From what I recall:

*Death fights Mort, sword and scythe clash a few times*

*Death's scythe blade breaks off the handle and goes flying into the audience*

*Death pauses, stares at the audience* ... OH, BUGGER!

*audience totally cracks up*

[Feytalist]

Hah, I love that photo. It seems like Terry is going: "please get me away from this madman" :smallbiggrin:

So I should finally get Snuff sometime this week. Thanks for all the spoilers so far, guys :smalltongue: I'm looking forward to another Watch book. I must say I thought Thud was the best of the recent lot.

[Tusalu]

Halfway through Snuff at the moment. I would say it's no way near as good as Night Watch or Thud!, but still a joy to read.

[pendell]

Halfway through Snuff at the moment. I would say it's no way near as good as Night Watch or Thud!, but still a joy to read.

That was my impression as well. It had a climactic chase scene about 3/4 of the way through the book, but petered out after that.

It seems to me that Vimes is, bit by bit, and little by little, becoming the 'toff' he despises. His encounter with the blacksmith is especially illuminating in this regard. He encounters a man who has the same views on human nature and all people being equal as he did, and he winds up defending the privilege of his wife's family. That's something the Vimes of Guards! Guards! would never have done.

He also seems to be very judgmental of other people who don't simply take up weapons and start righting wrongs, forgetting that if he was not His Grace The Duke of Ankh, he'd have had no way to escape from a predicament certain local officials tried to put him in. The idea that you have power to right all wrongs and that the world must bend to you is Toff's thinking, it's not the experience of ordinary people. It certainly wasn't the experience of Guards! Guards! Vimes, who had no power in the city and spent his time drinking himself into a stupor.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[hamishspence]

It seems to me that Vimes is, bit by bit, and little by little, becoming the 'toff' he despises. His encounter with the blacksmith is especially illuminating in this regard. He encounters a man who has the same views on human nature and all people being equal as he did, and he winds up defending the privilege of his wife's family. That's something the Vimes of Guards! Guards! would never have done.

The Blacksmith has perhaps somewhat excessive "resentment of the rich"- which may play a part.



He also seems to be very judgmental of other people who don't simply take up weapons and start righting wrongs, forgetting that if he was not His Grace The Duke of Ankh, he'd have had no way to escape from a predicament certain local officials tried to put him in.

He also says:

"I'm not sure but that in your shoes I might not have done anything either."

so he does recognize limitations.

[Weimann]

Woot, finally got hold of it. This will be interesting.

[Nameless]

Woot, finally got hold of it. This will be interesting.

Well, so far I've only heard nays about the book. So do post a little review here when you've read it. :smalltongue:

[Eldan]

I'm not giving the book a nay. I'm giving it a yay, but. Good scenes, interesting ideas, bad pacing, and a few bad ideas too.

[Nameless]

Well, so far I've only mostly heard nays about the book. So do post a little review here when you've read it. :smalltongue:

Fixed for me. :smalltongue:

[Selrahc]

One thing that was a little weird in the book was the way Vimes was supposedly "Out of his comfort zone" because he wasn't in the city.

But Vimes is always out of Ankh Morpork. Jingo, Fifth Elephant, Thud. Even Night Watch. They all dealt with the issue of how Vimes can handle being outside of his jurisdiction.

Another thing. I think this book came out of order. Unseen Academicals has Mr Nutt, a character who everyone assumes is a goblin but is actually an orc. Neither one of those races is mentioned in any detail before UA, so the set up and the expectations are just way out of whack. I think if Snuff had been out before UA and we had some expectations of Pratchett goblins, the "twist" would have carried more weight and Unseen Academicals would hold together better.

Willikins was completely out of character as others have mentioned. It almost seems like an inversion of the character. Since Jingo the character has been a prim and proper Butler, who if needs must can cause serious pain. Suddenly he's a rough talking street slayer, who gives a bit of lip service to butlering? Very odd.

The villains in this one were very weak. I think that's a problem I have with a lot of Pratchett villains, but in this one... well. They were so badly overmatched. The mystery fell apart in no time, the mysterious and sinister magistrates were a damp squib.

I felt that some plotlines were very anaemic in general. The sisters looking for husbands? Built up and then banished to a few sentences in the epilogue. Seregeant Colon's malady? Kind of petered out. With the Buggy Swires addition to wrap up the Vimes plot neatly. Which was a pity, because that one genuinely had a nice hooking start.

Despite all this, it was quite a fun book. Interesting moments, hanging out with some familiar characters in fun circumstances. Frankly, that's good enough for me even if the adventure had some bad points.


It's not one of the classics, but I enjoyed it more than Unseen Academicals.

[fizzybobnewt]

So... sounds like it's not up to snuff?

I actually thought this in my head before realizing the pun.

[CoffeeIncluded]

My signed copy of Snuff just came in the mail.

...

My (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfJR6sAo0CU&feature=related) reaction. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWpGJ4Xhw8)

[Tusalu]

One thing that was a little weird in the book was the way Vimes was supposedly "Out of his comfort zone" because he wasn't in the city.

But Vimes is always out of Ankh Morpork. Jingo, Fifth Elephant, Thud. Even Night Watch. They all dealt with the issue of how Vimes can handle being outside of his jurisdiction.

Another thing. I think this book came out of order. Unseen Academicals has Mr Nutt, a character who everyone assumes is a goblin but is actually an orc. Neither one of those races is mentioned in any detail before UA, so the set up and the expectations are just way out of whack. I think if Snuff had been out before UA and we had some expectations of Pratchett goblins, the "twist" would have carried more weight and Unseen Academicals would hold together better.

Willikins was completely out of character as others have mentioned. It almost seems like an inversion of the character. Since Jingo the character has been a prim and proper Butler, who if needs must can cause serious pain. Suddenly he's a rough talking street slayer, who gives a bit of lip service to butlering? Very odd.

The villains in this one were very weak. I think that's a problem I have with a lot of Pratchett villains, but in this one... well. They were so badly overmatched. The mystery fell apart in no time, the mysterious and sinister magistrates were a damp squib.

I felt that some plotlines were very anaemic in general. The sisters looking for husbands? Built up and then banished to a few sentences in the epilogue. Seregeant Colon's malady? Kind of petered out. With the Buggy Swires addition to wrap up the Vimes plot neatly. Which was a pity, because that one genuinely had a nice hooking start.

Despite all this, it was quite a fun book. Interesting moments, hanging out with some familiar characters in fun circumstances. Frankly, that's good enough for me even if the adventure had some bad points.


Very accurate review. I thought much the same after reading it through.

[house.au]

Wow, that's weird, I came here to post something based on an assumed Terry Pratchett fanbase among Playgrounders and then I see this. Please tell me you're all aware of the Troll Bridge (http://bit.ly/rBsOO8) film that Snowgum Films are shooting with his blessing?

[BiblioRook]

I have a question for you people

For a time I've been slowly (very slowly) picking up Discworld copies with the old Kirby covers when I come across them.
I was just wondering, how many of them where there though? Or rather, up to which book did he do up to. I'm thinking it was Last Continent as that's the latest book in the series I recall seeing the Kirby covers for but I wanted to double check.

[Selrahc]

I have a question for you people

For a time I've been slowly (very slowly) picking up Discworld copies with the old Kirby covers when I come across them.
I was just wondering, how many of them where there though? Or rather, up to which book did he do up to. I'm thinking it was Last Continent as that's the latest book in the series I recall seeing the Kirby covers for but I wanted to double check.

Thief of Time was the last. So you're missing Carpe Juggulum, Fifth Elephant, The Truth and Thief of Time.

EDIT: In double checking, I discovered there is actually a "Discworld Book Covers" wiki (http://wiki.dyskowe.info/index.php/Main_Page). Should have all the info you need.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Wow, that's weird, I came here to post something based on an assumed Terry Pratchett fanbase among Playgrounders and then I see this. Please tell me you're all aware of the Troll Bridge (http://bit.ly/rBsOO8) film that Snowgum Films are shooting with his blessing?

One Man.
Against an Army.
Against Another Army.




That is brilliant.