@DR which Robin McKinley are you missing? I have only read two, both a LONG time ago, and anything published since appears to have passed under/over//through my radar.

Oh and happy b/day.


On other subjects:
I find that opinions on writing and books are incredibly subjective, raising almost, but not quite, the same kind of heat and passion as the crunchy vs smooth peanut butter debate.

I think that Pratchett's writing has evolved immensely over time. The first books he wrote, which include the Rincewind/Twoflower ones, seemed mainly parody of the Conan, Fafhrd/Greymouser, Ann McCaffrey, et al fantasy that was doing the rounds up to that point. I picked up The Colour of Magic when I was about 12, and related to it because I could associate all of the cliches that he was parodying with stuff that I had recently read... perhaps that is why they appear weaker, they are not the man's true voice, the sharp tug on the weave of peoples perception of reality.

I recently went back and read the complete Conan series, the Lankhmar books and the Elric stories. I couldn't help putting them into a pratchett context :D the wit in (some of) them only improved because of that.