Any Terry Pratchett fans out there?

[privatehudson]

I sued to be involved in a few role playing and wargaming groups, and for years the other people there would tell me "you HAVE to read Terry Pratchett". For some reason I just never got around to it until about 6 years ago, and since then have collected and read every novel he has written and several of the spin off books as well.

Something about the quirky way he looks at the world just appeals to me in a way that Tolkien or any of the more serious fantasy writers never did, but in addition to the humour, deep down his work is every bit as inventive and intelligent as other fantasy writers.

 

[Verbose]

Yes, that or as I see it, lacking in any main character, or storyline..

I was pleasantly surprised he introduced new characters and explored more of a sort of working-class Ankh-Morepork. Bit of an innovation I thought. Didn't think he would have that in him still.

 

[Abaddon]

Does it have to focus all attention in one character and one storyline?

Essentially I didn't think any of the "side" stories were interesting or strong enough to stand alone, and I am not even sure what the "main" story was. There was too much "real world" slipping in for my liking too. Broke the immersion.

New characters, great, but none of them seemed very interesting imo.

 

[Abaddon]

I was pleasantly surprised he introduced new characters and explored more of a sort of working-class Ankh-Morepork. Bit of an innovation I thought. Didn't think he would have that in him still.

What class do you think he is normally writing about? Isn't much of his work "working class characters"

 

[Verbose]

What class do you think he is normally writing about? Isn't much of his work "working class characters"

Short of "Nightwatch" I think they've been more incidental, stuff for jokes mostly, character-driven comedy with character's background being part of it. This time I thought he delved more into how these people might actually live in the Big Wahoonie. He did the same in Nightwatch, but somehow had to introduce time-travel to get his characters back to the "bad old days".

But it's obviously a matter of preferences. I guess I liked the "real world"-leakage. Though I agree the theme of a threat in the streets in the form of that mental kid was underdone and wrapped up in too pat a manner.

 

[Optical]

Discworld is BRILLIANT. (Especially the City Watch ones IMO, but that's just my 2c.)

 

[sanabas]

Pratchett may personally be an atheist, or at least a humanist, but I'm not sure that either that book or Small Gods can really be seen as supporting atheism - after all, both assume the reality of gods. He's also very sympathetic to the modern pagan movement, as you might tell from his treatment of witches. He's spoken at Witch Fest, for example.

Not so much supporting atheism, more pointing out some of the craziness of organised religion, and what it can lead people to do. As is this quote from Unseen Academicals (a book I did like):

[O]ne day when I was a young boy on holiday in Uberwald I was walking along the bank of a stream when I saw a mother otter with her cubs. A very endearing sight, I'msure you will agree, and even as I watched, the mother otter dived into the water and came up with a plump salmon, which she subdued and dragged on to a half-submerged log. As she ate it, while of course it was still alive, the body split and I remember to this day the sweet pinkness of its roes as they spilled out, much to the delight of the baby otters who scrambled over themselves to feed on the delicacy. One of nature's wonders, gentlemen: mother and children dining upon mother and children. And that's when I first learned about evil. It is built in to the very nature of the universe. Every world spins in pain. If there is any kind of supreme being, I told myself, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior.

Of Pratchett's books, the ones I've liked least are the first 3 discworld books (Colour of Magic, Light Fantastic, Equal Rites) because they're much more straight parody than the later stuff. Snuff, the most recent one, I read last week, and didn't enjoy that as much as the others. I've read every novel he's published, apart from 2 of the 3 Johnny books. I don't think there's a single bad one in there. Science of Discworld trilogy is excellent, highly recommended for anybody looking for popular science stuff.

 

[Plotinus]

Not so much supporting atheism, more pointing out some of the craziness of organised religion, and what it can lead people to do. As is this quote from Unseen Academicals (a book I did like):

Yes, Small Gods is obviously a satire on religion, so one could see it as supporting an anti-religious stance, but that's not the same thing as atheism.

What class do you think he is normally writing about? Isn't much of his work "working class characters"

Yes, but not the wizard-focused ones, in which he's almost always focused on the university professors, portraying them as parodies of the traditional Oxford don. I think that the only earlier novel to feature students at all was Moving Pictures. So Unseen Academicals was a nice change in that the students were much more important, and also the university staff.

(Also I'm glad he's got some new teaching wizards in. Dr Hicks/Hix is a great Pratchett joke.)

 

[sanabas]

I think that the only earlier novel to feature students at all was Moving Pictures.

Ponder Stibbons first appears as a student, and has some students working with him in the High Energy Magic Building, and also on inventing/improving hex. Don't remember which books that started in though. Plus Equal Rites, sort of.

 

[Plotinus]

Stibbons is a student in Moving Pictures (in a very small role). Yes, I forgot about his students later on.

 

[sanabas]

Stibbons is a student in Moving Pictures (in a very small role).

Yeah, remembered that after I posted. He's the one who gets Victor's paper, with 'What is your name' as the solitary question. Is that the first time Detritus appears, too?

I'd love to see another Discworld computer game. There were three of them on the playstation1, and all 3 were a lot of fun. The third one, Discworld Noir, especially.

 

[Plotinus]

No, Detritus is much older than that - I think he may appear in the very first Discworld book, or pretty close. He's just a name there, though - only later does Pratchett make him more of a featured character.

 

[Takhisis]

I think Detritus first shows up in one of the bar brawls that Rijnswind Rincewind and Zweiblumen Twoflower get into.

Yes, but not the wizard-focused ones, in which he's almost always focused on the university professors, portraying them as parodies of the traditional Oxford don. I think that the only earlier novel to feature students at all was Moving Pictures. So Unseen Academicals was a nice change in that the students were much more important, and also the university staff.

Including Alfred Nobbs (no relation)!

 

[Optical]

You're right, I think Detritus appears in The Colour of Magic as a bouncer.

 

[MantaRevan]

You're right, I think Detritus appears in The Colour of Magic as a bouncer.

That's how I remember it.

 

[sanabas]

That's how I remember it.

Having thought about it some more, and checked the bookcase, he appears in Guards, Guards as a bouncer (or actually splatter) at the drum, where he loses a fight with Carrot. Then he's in Moving Pictures, doing bouncer-type stuff, before joining the watch in Men at Arms. I don't remember him in The Colour of Magic, but I can't find my copy to check.