Discworld

[Aaron]

So, I'm going on to the fourth book in the series (but I naughtily also read The Hogfather and Reaper Man out of sequence) and I love them.
The whole universe it presents is just charming and witty and everything I love about wizards, trolls and warriors.

The news broke recently that Pratchett has a condition very similar to alzheimers and it's going to destroy him sooner rather than later.
He has one book on the way and he says he feels he has another left in him.

Do you think he's going to go out on something epic?
Blow the whole place up?
Any ideas?

[Aaron]

P.S.: Some of the artwork is brilliant too...

http://www.lspace.org/ftp/images/misc/eric-and-rincewind.jpg

[JK]

I have never read any of them. One of those 'to do' list things...

Alzheimer's is some scary shit though. Probably the one thing in the world that terrifies me, considering it's killed most of my ancestors.

Now I need to find my happy place...


There it is. (http://static.flickr.com/53/138197308_575f342db6.jpg)

[Aaron]

Yeah, he seems to be taking it in his stride though. Very determined to finish another one before it takes him.
It must be scary as fuck. The idea of work probably helps distract him from it.

[Czaple]

I don't know why I haven't read any of the Discworld books yet, because I played both the PC games and was in tears the whole time. I know I'm really doing myself an injustice by not reading them, because he's one of those authors I can connect with like Douglas Adams, Nikolai Gogol, and William Goldman. Sad to hear that Pratchett has alzheimers... but nevertheless while he might forget himself, I'm sure much time will pass before people forget who he was.

[Antonio_Bay]

Never read any, but I've always had the impression theres like a bizillion Discworld books out there.

[phit_demon]

That's weird, I bought the first book only last week and just started reading it today, then I go online and I see this thread. Spooooky!

[DarthMaulRat]

I found out about Discworld through a random Wiki-pedia browsing and it sounds like a pretty entertaining series. Its on my to-read list, which unfortunately gets me through about two books a year.

[phit_demon]

Its on my to-read list, which unfortunately gets me through about two books a year.
Ain't it a bitch? My pile of must-reads never gets any smaller because I always keep buying new books and reading them as soon as I get them.

[Aaron]

Never read any, but I've always had the impression theres like a bizillion Discworld books out there.
Yeah, there's 20 something.
They can be dipped into indivudually as theyre all enclosed stories (except the first two which are joined). But it's more satisfying to read them one by one as a lot of the characters are re-occuring. Some great in-jokes because of it. It's all set in the same place, it's fun seeing things progress.

[DarthMaulRat]

Yeah, there's 20 something.
They can be dipped into indivudually as theyre all enclosed stories (except the first two which are joined).

Yeah, so I was at the book store today, and for the life of me couldn't figure out where to start. I heard the books are pretty self contained, but is there a recommended one to start with?

[phit_demon]

is there a recommended one to start with?
"The Colour of Magic" is the first one, so it's as good a place to start as any:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M24F8DY4L._SS500_.jpg

[YoullBe]

Sounds like an interesting series, my friend was telling me about it the other day so I think I'll put it on my reading to do list.

[Cuclean]

I went completely out of sequence and started on Moving Pictures. Then I lost it and now I'm scouring my apartment to search for it, it's quite funny.

[phit_demon]

Discworld cake:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3/phitdemon/discworld.gif

More Discworld cake:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h3/phitdemon/discworld2.jpg

[donkey]

I've read them all i think, including the most recent. I really like them. Hes got a lot of really enjoyable characters that he keeps coming back too.

And actually most are self contained stories (even tho they share characters) there are also some "series" of books. He follows 3 witches for a few books, a young start up witch in a remote part of discworld for 3 books, he also has a crime-drama segment of 5 or 6 books that follow police sargent Sam Vimes, and there are 3 books that follow Death and his family fairly closely. His last 2 "going Postal" and "Making Money" also follow the same main character's exploits.

I think Manking Movies is one of my top 5 as well as Pyramids, and most of the Sam VImes books.

It is an awesome set of fiction. The last one, was good, but not really great, but that also might have been just me feeling sad that Terry Prachet is on the way out.

I would say if you aren't sure you want to jump into a crazy fantasy world, read Good Omens, by Prachet and Neil Gaiman. And if you like the zanier parts of that book, then pick up Pyramids which is a self contained diskworld novel, and i think gently breaks you into the crazy disc-world...

I think

[RobinHoodDaffy]

I know this is an old thread, but hey it's already revived. I had no idea about Pratchett, I will cherish my autographed book even more now.

[donkey]

which one do you have autographed?


but you, know... they aren't worth that much... More trouble for you to keep it and all that. How about I buy it off you for 20 bucks? :)

[RobinHoodDaffy]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/006001315X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

...and no.

[donkey]

That is a good one of his.

It was the first one I read that had Igors in it, and I really like how he portrays igors... they are fun characters...

[donkey]

Just read that Sky 1 has done a version of 'the Color of Magic" and it's airing this weekend.

If I was anywhere that got Sky 1... I'd be there....

[phit_demon]

Just read that Sky 1 has done a version of 'the Color of Magic" and it's airing this weekend.

If I was anywhere that got Sky 1... I'd be there....
It'll most likely be available online as soon as it's been aired.

[donkey]

EExcellent NEws! Online at a sky 1 approved local or more like Online like the simpsons movie on you tube?

[phit_demon]

EExcellent NEws! Online at a sky 1 approved local or more like Online like the simpsons movie on you tube?
There are....other means.

[Jeremy Beadle]

It might sound absolutely blasphemous ... but they don't have to be read in order.

They're not like say, a Lord of the Rings 30 parter (there's at least 30 discworld books) where it's one ongoing continuous story. It's more like 30 books set on a particular planet.

There are recurring characters tho, and their books have to read in order.

I started with Guards! Guards! and never looked back. Still my favourite.

[Erasmus Cunk]

I'm now on Reaper Man on my Great Discworld Readthrough, and am loving every book so far. Moving Pictures was the surprise one for me: when I was going through my teenage Discworld phase, for some reason I didn't think much of it, but this time it was awesome! Gaspode the Wonderdog is my new favourite character.

[Erasmus Cunk]

OK, I'm now on Maskerade on my Discworld readthrough extravagansa. The witches books have been a revelation. I never used to think much of them, but now they're my second favourite sequence after the city watch ones. In fact, the whole series seems to have improved now I'm reading them again. Perhaps I now understand references which used to pass me by. I don't know. Is Terry Pratchett the greatest living fantasy author?

[RobinHoodDaffy]

That is a tough call. He is fecking awesome, but Dragon Riders ofPern readers might disagree. Hmm, Mercedes Lackey, Hickman and Wies, LaGuin, Rowling, and Gaiman are all really awesomes as well.

[Aaron]

Rowling
Do not sully this thread with that name

[donkey]

Gaspode the wonderdog makes a few cherished appearances in other discworld books too. Definatly one fo the better characters.

And as to JK- what ever happened with that lawsuit against her by the film maker who made a movie in the 80's about a boy wizard with a lightning bolt scar on his head?

[phit_demon]

Do not sully this thread with that name
You beat me to it. Wholeheartedly seconded.

[Cuclean]

I started with Guards! Guards! and never looked back. Still my favourite.

I just finished Guards! Guards! and loved it. It was a step up from Moving Pictures which I also liked. The characters are brilliant. You gotta love Carrot.

[RobinHoodDaffy]

Do not sully this thread with that name

Eh, whatever, I just meant she made a lot of little kids into readers. Consider it dead.

[elewton]

Don't read the first couple first. They're more fantasy parodies.

A representative couple that have self-contained character and story arcs are Soul Music and Small Gods.

[Firestone2489]

So I have a half gig of assorted ebooks on my computer and I just found out that I have these Discworld books.

[phit_demon]

I'm currently reading Equal Rites. Granny Weatherwax is a great character.

[Erasmus Cunk]

Sure is. And she gets better as the witches books go on.

Well, I finally read through all of them, and they just get better as they go. It's difficult to pick favourites, but I'd say the ones I liked best were Night Watch, Making Money, Last Hero (beautiful illustrations by Paul Kidby) and the Tiffany Aching series (which reminds me, I almost decided not to read the 'Discworld for Younger Readers' books, as I thought they wouldn't be up to the standard of the main ones, but they're easily their equal).

[reddragon105]

I started reading the Discworld books when I was in my teens, and I got through about half of them (which was 12 at the time) before I moved on to other things (Stephen King mainly). I started with The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic and then went by way of the trilogies - there was The Death Trilogy, which contains Mort, Reaper Man and Soul Music, and also a Witches and Watch trilogies. So I've read them a bit out of order, but at the same time not quite, because they can be separated into different series like the 'Rincewind' stories, the 'Witches' stories, the 'Watch' stories, etc., albeit with quite some overlap obviously.

Recently I went on a book shopping spree and picked up Thud!, which I'm currently reading and loving, so I went on to make sure I caught up by buying the rest of the ones that I didn't have at the time and the ones that have been published since, being the obsessive compulsive collector that I am. I've now got a book shelf full and after Thud! I'll work my way through the rest as systematically as possible.

The 37th (teehee) Discworld book, 'Nation', is out on the 11th September. Not that I'll be caught up by then... no chance!

[Erasmus Cunk]

Nice one. :) You have many good books to read, then.

Incidentally, Nation is not a discworld book but he is working on a couple of new ones. Unseen Academicals is one that comes to mind, and I can't remember the name of the other...

[reddragon105]

Yes, sorry, I didn't realise that until a couple of days ago. 'Nation' is his first non-Discworld novel since 'Johnny and the Bomb' in 1996. The potential next Discworld novel is 'I Shall Wear Midnight', the fourth Tiffany Aching book, following 'Wintersmith'.

[Erasmus Cunk]

Ah, it's a Tiffany Aching book, is it? That's excellent, I really enjoyed the others. Thanks for mentioning it.