Discworld

[Eegah]

With Sir Terry Pratchett's passing today, I think it's high time we have a thread for his most famous work.

 

I've been working my way through Discworld for years, and have currently read 29 of the 40 books. And right now I'm seriously considering slowing down even more, because dammit, I don't want there to be none left! It's such a monumental achievement, producing such a long-running series completely by himself and mostly keeping it to a very high quality all that time. We won't see its like again any time soon.

[Danny Franks]

The first one I read (in book format) was Men at Arms, and after that, I barely stopped reading them until I'd read every single one that had been published at that time (the newest being Interesting Times). And since then, I've read each one as it's been published. 

 

I'll be honest, I was disappointed with Unseen Academicals and Snuff, and so hadn't got around to reading Raising Steam yet. I don't know whether to go and buy it tomorrow or just never read it, so I'll know that I've not read all the Discworld books that will ever be published.

 

I've always felt most attached to the Guards books, possibly because the first one I read was from that series. Always loved Carrot and Nobby and Colon and Angua and Vimes and Detritus. I loved the sense of Ankh Morpork you got from those books, the feeling that it was a living breathing thing, only partially understood even by those who lived there. 

 

After that it's probably Rincewind and his crazy adventures. The idea of the world's worst wizard (sorry, Wizzard) being the 'hero' of a novel was such a great idea, and set the tone for the Discworld so well. I just wish that the TV productions of the first two books had been better, and better cast.

 

Terry Pratchett always took the clichés and the predictable and turned them on their heads. A long lost king who actively kept anyone from learning his destiny, mean old witches saving the day, a fifty foot tall woman carrying a screaming monkey (sorry, ape!).

 

I suppose that he left us with so many wonderful musings on the nature of death, that there will always be something hopeful and peaceful we can take from his passing. So that's something, I guess.

[cstad]

I've read them all and I rank Going Postal as the absolute pinnacle of Pratchett's work, with Nation and Small Gods as very close second and third. I'm sure others feel differently, of course, but there's something about Moist's journey from dead man to Postmaster that really, really resonated with me the first time I read it, and continues to this day.

I find the Rincewind series to be the least favorite of mine; I guess because he never seems to grow or learn from his experiences (other than learning to run faster.). However, the hardest I've ever laughed while reading a book is while reading Interesting Times, particularly during Rincewind's run-in with the sumo wrestlers. My roommate at the time thought I was crazy, laughing while reading a book.

For favorite series, I would go with the Guard books, followed by the Tiffany Aching series (as a girl, this was another group of books that really resonated with me.). I also really liked The Truth, but mostly because I was working as a reporter at a small newspaper at the time. That book really captured a lot of the craziness in the newspaper industry.

[Julia]

Depending how you feel about different authors carrying on, Discworld isn't necessarily over. He just announced recently that his daughter was taking over.

[Eegah]

Though I believe she's also said that she won't be writing any books herself, just protecting the franchise from anyone else trying to continue it. It went something like "I must protect this world from everyone, including myself."

[Danny Franks]

If the characters were to continue in other mediums, like comic books, TV adaptations (hopefully better ones that the crappy Sky efforts), video games etc, then I'd be happy with them. More actual Discworld novels, written by Rhianna? No thanks. I think she's a good writer, but I don't think there is anyone who could capture Terry's sense of fun and erudite wit.

 

I remember that TV show that was in development a couple of years ago, about the Watch. branded as a sort of CSI: Ankh Morpork. I was really looking forward to that, and I don't know what ever happened to it. Wikipedia has it as going into production this year, but I've no idea how accurate that is.

[SVNBob]

Mark Oshiro, internet famous for reading and watching things, is in the early middle of two of his biggest projects ever.  If you've never heard of Mark, he got his start by reading the Twilight series, and posting eviscerating reviews after each chapter.  Since then he's gone on to read many more things, most of which he's liked, and also added watching full runs of TV shows to his reviewing schedule.  And he goes into everything as unspoiled as possible.  So for each new series, he practically knows nothing and can only guess at what happens based on what has happened in previous installments of the same series.

 

On the watching side of things, his big project is watching all of live-action Star Trek, in order.  He's just past the halfway point of season 1 of TNG.

 

But relevant to this section and thread is that he's also reading all of the Discworld books.  Also in publication order.  This week, he's starting Moving Pictures.  This week, his Discworld posts will go out on Tuesday and Thursday.  (He reads books from two series at a time, but only posts about one book a day, alternating days between the books.) 

 

In addition to his blog post about his immediate reaction to what he'd just read, he also posts a YouTube video of him reading the section.  One user on his site likens it to "an audiobook with DVD commentary".  So you can read along with Mark via his videos.  And, if you want, you can look back at his older posts on his YouTube channel to watch/read the other Discworld books he's already done.

[Danny Franks]

In addition to his blog post about his immediate reaction to what he'd just read, he also posts a YouTube video of him reading the section.  One user on his site likens it to "an audiobook with DVD commentary".  So you can read along with Mark via his videos.  And, if you want, you can look back at his older posts on his YouTube channel to watch/read the other Discworld books he's already done.

 

Thank you so much for this. I've spent the last few days working my way through his Guards! Guards! review, and I love his sheer enthusiasm and love for the book. He gets so involved, and is so effusive in his enjoyment. I can't wait until he works his way to more of my favourite Discworld books. Reaper Man, Men At Arms and Soul Music, in particular.

[Eegah]

And you have to love all the times in The Color of Magic where he points out how many people warned him that the series took a few books to get really good, and he doesn't see how it can get better. Bet he's really eating those words now.

[SVNBob]

Very much so.  And he still hasn't hit the really great ones yet.

[Danny Franks]

And you have to love all the times in The Color of Magic where he points out how many people warned him that the series took a few books to get really good, and he doesn't see how it can get better. Bet he's really eating those words now.

 

He seems almost stunned with how good Guards! Guards! is, and while I like that book, I do find the third act a bit muddled and lacking in clarity. Mort is the first Discworld book where I felt that Pratchett was figuring out what his world was going to be, so it's an important one, but again it's far from the epitome of Pratchett's writing.

 

The Susan and Watch novels, in particular, are my favourites, so I'm really eager for him to get to them. Reaper Man should be up after Moving Pictures, and that should be a good one.

[SVNBob]

Reaper Man should be up after Moving Pictures, and that should be a good one.

Indeed it is.  According to Mark's Master Schedule, he'll start posting about Reaper Man on May 22nd, so he'll have started reading it about a week before that.

 

Like most (if not all) Discworld fans, Mark loves the character of Death.  So he's going to be really excited to read another story where he's the star.  Plus, I can't imagine he'll dislike Death of Rats, the Grim Squeaker.

[Eegah]

It's also resulted in that huge reaction for a while whenever Death shows up, with him not having caught on yet that he appears in almost EVERY book. Same with the Librarian.

 

I've also found myself since almost the beginning looking forward just as much to the blind reactions of Rachel2302 in the comments, which sometimes provide an interesting counterpoint (she still lists Mort as the worst book so far, even under Eric, because Mort himself was just that unappealing to her).

[Danny Franks]

The Death of Rats is one of my favourite characters. It's such a fun little addition, and he has so much personality, even for a skeletal anthropomorphic projection of the death of rodents who can only say SQUEAK. I'm a big fan of Quoth the Raven (silly, silly pun) and his endless search for eyeballs to eat, too.

 

I like Death always turning up, even if it's just for a couple of lines. It's a nice little thread that runs through the books. And he's never wedged into the story, because as long as someone dies in the novel, he can make an appearance.

 

I'm listening/watching Mark read Moving Pictures at the moment. It's a long time since I last read that book, so much of it seems new and exciting to me too. A very different experience from him reading Guards! Guards!, which I must have read a dozen times, over the years.

[joelene]

I've only read The Witches series (except Equal Rites, so Wyrd Sisters through Carpe Jugulum) along with Mort years and years ago, all of which I loved, but for some reason I didn't continue with any of his other work. I have Guards! Guards! (which I believe I started but never finished for some reason) and The Colour of Magic on my bookshelf. I got into a real rut with reading and have only finished a few books in the last five-six years (and about a decade since my last Pratchett), but maybe Pratchett is the way to go to get into it again. Difficult to choose which ones based on your comments, you're all preferring different stuff! Heh. And no one hardly mentioned the witches, whom I adored.

And in regards to Mark Watches/Reads, I followed him for a while with Buffy and Angel but his total and utter shock and amazement and caps lock and exclamation points over absolutely everything drove me bonkers. But it's fun that he's out there doing it with such a passion, can't blame him for that.

Edited May 20, 2015 by joelene

[Captain Carrot]

joelene, I think most Pratchett fans will agree that you should read The Colour of Magic if you plan on reading EVERY Discworld novel. However, it is the first book in the series, and....it's a good example of how much an author can evolve. (It actually compares fairly well to many other authors in the genre, but it's lower tier Pratchett).

 

Guards Guards! is a much better book, and a good example of Pratchett at his best.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Captain Carrot

[Joe]

I really like the Colour of Magic. Rincewind is good fun.

[Anela]

On 4/24/2015 at 10:59 PM, Eegah said:

And you have to love all the times in The Color of Magic where he points out how many people warned him that the series took a few books to get really good, and he doesn't see how it can get better. Bet he's really eating those words now.

I finally bought the first book in the series, this summer, just to get started on my goal of reading it all, and two friends warned me that it wasn’t their favourite.  That it gets better.  

[Caoimhe]

On 12/1/2023 at 8:04 PM, Anela said:

I finally bought the first book in the series, this summer, just to get started on my goal of reading it all, and two friends warned me that it wasn’t their favourite.  That it gets better.  

My first Discworld book was Going Postal nearly twenty years ago. While I enjoyed The Color of Magic (and loved the video adaptation with David Jason) the ones I reread most often are the City Watch and Witches books. I still have a few that I haven’t read including the Tiffany Aching books, and have been collecting the audiobook versions when there’s a sale on.