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The Terry Pratchett Thread

Danster

By Danster
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Ran

Ran

Posted
Posted

I haven't read any Discworld books since I was a teenager (I sort of got tired of them for some reason).

I've recently been picking up some gorgeous hardback editions and am absolutely ploughing through them. I am enjoying them way more as an adult but it is bittersweet with the knowledge that Terry is no longer with us and there aren't any new editions on the way.

Currently up to Mort (which was my favourite as a kid). I'm looking forward to the watch books as I've never read any of those!

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Plissken

Plissken

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Posted

I die defending the idea that Night Watch is one of the finest pieces of British fiction ever written full stop.  Forget the jokes or the settings, what that book says about humanity, both its capacity for creating good and for ignoring evil is a fantastic lesson that should be taught in schools.

 

I think I've said this before, but Pratchett had an incredible capacity for inventing situations that are really, really horrible.  The horrors of the Unmentionables HQ for instance. I'm not a fan of Carpe Jugulum (though the idea is great) but the bit that sticks with me is the village that has done a deal with the vampires, effectively making themselves milch cows rather than face death.  I found that acceptance and the way Pratchett writes it as utterly chilling.  He also does it with a complete economy, describing in a few sentences what would take lesser authors a few pages.  And then he tops it off with the double meaning of the villages name - Escrow.  That's the blackest of black jokes right there.

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Talvalin

Talvalin

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Posted
On 08/11/2020 at 07:46, Delargey said:

 

The books are so rich in references- https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/

This is a great read for the hidden gems in the books.

 

Well, there goes the rest of my week. I recently re-read Guards! Guards! and Men-at-Arms so I'm now reading their annotations instead of actually working. *coughs*.

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PK

PK

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On 01/11/2020 at 12:47, Ran said:

I'm looking forward to the watch books as I've never read any of those!

Gosh, I'm so jealous. To experience for those for the first time again would be wonderful. And especially given what's happened in current affairs since their publication!

 

Could you let us know what you think of them, when you get to them?

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Ran

Ran

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2 minutes ago, PK said:

Gosh, I'm so jealous. To experience for those for the first time again would be wonderful. And especially given what's happened in current affairs since their publication!

 

Could you let us know what you think of them, when you get to them?

Will do, Reading them in their order where possible so I have Sourcery and Pyramids incoming first (Wyrd Sisters arrived early so I ploughed on with that!). Again I enjoyed it way more than my childhood self. Maybe the humour was a bit lost on me then because I am honking like a goose at least a few times every book and grinning the rest of the time.

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mdn2

mdn2

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It was my birthday today and after randomly mentioning to my other half a few weeks ago how I'd love to reread all Terry Pratchett's Discworld books from the start I got these this morning:

 

:wub:

DSC_0476.JPG

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mdn2

mdn2

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Talvalin said:

Brilliant. Are those small sized hardback editions? They look great.

Fairly regular sized with some amazing cover art. Now I have the first 15, I'm gonna have to get the rest and find room for them somewhere.

 

 

DSC_0477.JPG

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Ran

Ran

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1 hour ago, smac said:

Yeah, while Josh Kirby is the defining look of Pratchett to me, those are really nice editions.

Absolutely agree. Kirby is the first thing I think of but amazing as his work is I prefer the Paul Kidby art related to Discworld, his version of Rincewind (and pretty much all the characters) is exactly how I picture them. I love this image.

image.png.e4c938403331d6e893a4a3125d229ca9.png

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Captain Kelsten

Captain Kelsten

Posted
Posted

Nightwatch is by far and away his strongest book and, honestly, where the Watch series should have ended. Sam Vimes was one of Pratchett’s proxy characters and with Thud and especially with Snuff you could tell Pratchett was struggling. I mean the journey Vimes goes on in Thud is hardly discrete - a man who wants to be good holding back the oncoming darkness within him that he’s terrified will destroy who he is or at least believes himself to be.

 

Snuff, on the other hand, was just bad. I’ve only managed to read it once and listened to the audiobook the next time and it’s just so...pointless. Meandering. It lacks any of his bite or humour or wisdom and you can tell he was really struggling at this point. 

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davidcotton

davidcotton

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Posted
On 22/04/2021 at 15:43, Ran said:

Absolutely agree. Kirby is the first thing I think of but amazing as his work is I prefer the Paul Kidby art related to Discworld, his version of Rincewind (and pretty much all the characters) is exactly how I picture them. I love this image.

image.png.e4c938403331d6e893a4a3125d229ca9.png

Doesn’t look anything like David Jason :p

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Dudley

Dudley

Posted
Posted
On 07/11/2020 at 12:53, Plissken said:

I die defending the idea that Night Watch is one of the finest pieces of British fiction ever written full stop.  Forget the jokes or the settings, what that book says about humanity, both its capacity for creating good and for ignoring evil is a fantastic lesson that should be taught in schools.

 

It's been quoted so much it's almost trite to at this point but what should also absolutely be taught in schools in the Vimes economic theory of boots.

 

Because someone mentioned economy further up and in both senses of the word that in 2 paragraphs is Pratchett delivering the only complete course on why it's expensive to be poor that anyone will ever need.

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MikeBeaver

MikeBeaver

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Posted
21 hours ago, Doctor Shark said:

Nightwatch is by far and away his strongest book and, honestly, where the Watch series should have ended. Sam Vimes was one of Pratchett’s proxy characters and with Thud and especially with Snuff you could tell Pratchett was struggling. I mean the journey Vimes goes on in Thud is hardly discrete - a man who wants to be good holding back the oncoming darkness within him that he’s terrified will destroy who he is or at least believes himself to be.

 

Snuff, on the other hand, was just bad. I’ve only managed to read it once and listened to the audiobook the next time and it’s just so...pointless. Meandering. It lacks any of his bite or humour or wisdom and you can tell he was really struggling at this point. 

 

No, I'm sorry, I'm not having that :quote:


YOU may think les of them, but I for one will bat for both of those stories, Snuff and Thud being some of my most listened to ( yes, I'm an audio book only "reader" ).

 

Having listened to this series quite possibly nearing a thousand times, maybe more, they bring joy, humour and the character of Sam Vimes has progressed so much since his introduction in Guards! Guards! from the drunken, useless Captain, to a member of society who, if removed from the board, would certainy put the Patricians position as ruler in jeapardy.

 

My least listened to is book 3 ( Equal Rites ), as it is read by Celia Imrie, and I don't think she does a great job of the cast's voices, much prefering Stephen Brigg's tbh.

 

Witches Abroad, Monstrous Regiment ( Right my little lads, Spruce up! )and Moving PIctures are some of my other favourites, along with the Thief of Time, and I know those are also amongst the ones people will say are not as good, but they are, to me, and I guess with so many in the series there is something for everyone, and the more he wrote, the more chance there was of getting someone to enjoy the rest of them.

 

 

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Delargey

Delargey

Posted
Posted
On 21/04/2021 at 21:39, mdn2 said:

It was my birthday today and after randomly mentioning to my other half a few weeks ago how I'd love to reread all Terry Pratchett's Discworld books from the start I got these this morning:

 

:wub:

DSC_0476.JPG

 

These are fantastic,  part of me wishes I didn't own my battered up copies to justify re buying them. 

 

Of course, I love my books for sentimental reasons, where I carefully have put cellotape round the edges to protect them.  I think my copy of men of arms has the beginning of a note my best mate wanted to write in the computer lab before I told him off for writing in a precious novel...now when I re read it I really want to note what the know was*

 

* probably "your a cock"

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scruffycat

scruffycat

Posted
Posted
On 21/04/2021 at 21:39, mdn2 said:

It was my birthday today and after randomly mentioning to my other half a few weeks ago how I'd love to reread all Terry Pratchett's Discworld books from the start I got these this morning:

 

:wub:

DSC_0476.JPG


Those are lovely, I’m kinda thinking of buying the set, again, for my daughter in a couple years because she would really enjoy them. Where are you getting them, I couldn’t see them on Amazon? 
 

 

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mdn2

mdn2

Posted
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3 minutes ago, scruffycat said:


Those are lovely, I’m kinda thinking of buying the set, again, for my daughter in a couple years because she would really enjoy them. Where are you getting them, I couldn’t see them on Amazon? 
 

 

They are on Amazon, but apparently they're not all out yet, just the first 34 books. They're the Discworld Hardback Library. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=discworld+hardback+library&sprefix=Discworld&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_9

 

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Festoon

Festoon

Posted
Posted

I've always loved that Om, once restored, isn't what he was, and doesn't quite learn that he shouldn't just return to his smiting ways. Brutha is the good force, and remains so to the end, whereas Om would just be the exact same feckless idiot, or effectively dead, without him.

 

That's some searing intelligence and observation going on there.

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Ran

Ran

Posted
Posted
On 20/11/2020 at 15:13, PK said:

Gosh, I'm so jealous. To experience for those for the first time again would be wonderful. And especially given what's happened in current affairs since their publication!

 

Could you let us know what you think of them, when you get to them?

Had a long gap between Sourcery and Pyramids, but I'm reading again and am well into Guards! Guards! at this point.

It is shaping up to be a favourite already, I've just passed the Librarian desperately using charades to communicate a book title to Carrot which will stay with me for a long time. :lol:

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