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Flipswitch posted:After just re-reading Unseen Academicals, I can't quite understand the dislike for it, it's a pretty good book I think. It doesn't have as much as an impact as the darker novels, but it definitely feels that much more quirky. Unseen Academicals, moreso than even the other books, is a very British book. If you don't know the first thing about football culture (I hesitate to say fandom as it's much more than that) then you're only really getting half of it. At least "Aho! The Megapode!" requires no preknowledge.
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Aug 22, 2010 00:28
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I actually have to disagree, I felt that in Unseen Academicals PTerry did a great job of capturing the essence of what it is to be a sports fan, yes the story is about football (soccer) but the feelings of the crowd, and the group mentality, all the general themes of the story really apply to any and all sports fans. Now that having been said if you know nothing at all about sports in general I could see you not liking it, otherwise I thought it was fantastic and on par with most of his other recent work.
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Aug 22, 2010 14:24
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I really do wish to see something involving Susan again. I like to think of her somewhat like Vimes, except directed towards all things that are "silly" instead of crime. Just the idea of one of her students going around the house armed with a broadsword looking for monsters is hilarious. Also anything that involves her is going to by default have Death of Rats and Quoth in it as well, which is a plus. But I suppose that storyline is tied up enough at the end of Thief of Time.
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Aug 23, 2010 00:26
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Just chiming in to say that The Last Continent is a pretty good read so far. No worries!
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Aug 27, 2010 09:08
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What's everyone's opinion of Pyramids? I'm about 4/5 of the way through and I've been bored shitless so far. I can't wait to finish this and start on Guards Guards. I think my favourite Discworld books are definitely the ones that are set in Ankh Morpork, whether they are Watch books or not.
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Aug 28, 2010 13:23
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I loved Pyramids, it's right up there with Small Gods.
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Aug 28, 2010 14:51
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I saw I shall wear midnight in a bookstore today. Didn't pick it up because I preordered it for quite a bit less, but that was hard. Maybe you guys can already find it as well
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Aug 28, 2010 15:23
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BELL END posted:What's everyone's opinion of Pyramids? I'm about 4/5 of the way through and I've been bored shitless so far. I can't wait to finish this and start on Guards Guards. I think my favourite Discworld books are definitely the ones that are set in Ankh Morpork, whether they are Watch books or not. I felt a little bait and switched with pyramids because I really was looking forward to a book about the assassins guild from the intro, but it turned out to be something else. I mean I liked it fine, I just was expecting something else.
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Aug 28, 2010 15:25
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Paragon8 posted:I felt a little bait and switched with pyramids because I really was looking forward to a book about the assassins guild from the intro, but it turned out to be something else. I mean I liked it fine, I just was expecting something else. Same here. I liked it - but if it had been an in-depth look at the Assassins Guild, with various jobs and lots of cool techniques and traps and tools I would have loved it. But having a proper assassin as a main character just doesn't seem something like Terry would do. I can't see him writing an entire book from the perspective of someone who does so much killing, and so easily. Does that make sense to anyone else?
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Aug 28, 2010 15:31
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Pyramids is one of my least favorite Discworld books, but it's still a Discworld book - that's like saying "oatmeal-raisin is my least favorite flavor of cookie." It's still a delicious cookie, you're just disappointed it's not chocolate chip.
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Aug 28, 2010 19:37
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Paragon8 posted:I felt a little bait and switched with pyramids because I really was looking forward to a book about the assassins guild from the intro, but it turned out to be something else. I mean I liked it fine, I just was expecting something else. Yeah, it almost seems Pratchett knew he didn't have enough material for an assassins-only story so he structured the fantastical Egyptian aspects to fill the rest. It's still an early one, like Equal Rites, that feels like it's only 1/2 there. Kind of similar to why he doesn't write a Vetinari story. He's awesome, but he needs things to bounce off and react to. An entire story of watching him plan and scheme would be boring. Pratchett is a good author who (generally) knows how far he can stretch certain topics.
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Aug 29, 2010 03:04
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The closest thing we'll ever get to a Vetinari story is Jingo, which is awesome enough.
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Aug 29, 2010 03:13
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Got I Shall Wear Midnight today, going to crack it open when I go to bed and probably read it through. I always end up doing that with Pratchett books.
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Sep 2, 2010 22:09
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Just finished mine, couldn't put it down, should of gone to bed hours ago. Absolutely love it.
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Sep 3, 2010 01:30
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Damnit. I think there's another four weeks to go before it hits the states, unless they start shipping to brick & mortar stores early or something. And I'm quite fond of the Tiffany Aching stories too.
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Sep 3, 2010 03:41
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Yeah I went to bed at about 1 and had it finished by like 5/6, it might be "new book gleam" talking but I think it might be my second or third favourite after Nightwatch and Fifth Elephant. Bit of discussion with the other guy who read it. This is a spoiler concerning a cameo that I wouldn't have liked to know about beforehand. Did you get as excited as I did when Smith showed up? I read Equal Rites a couple months and it was really nice for that to get cleared up. Also I didn't like the massive cocktease of Vimes showing up in a witch book but then not meeting Granny This is definitely his darkest book I think, before this he mostly did that sort of stuff through implications or offhand comments in the Witch and Watch books. This deals with that stuff straight on, maybe he was trying to hammer it home to the people who can't get over the "young adult" label or something. This is just a part of a conversation from the middle of the book, nothing to with the main plot or anything but I think it gets across what I mean about not just implying stuff anymore. "My dad beat me up, didn't he?" said Amber in a matt-of-fact voice as they walked towards the grey towers. "Did my baby die?" "Yes" "Oh" said Amber in the same flat voice. "Yes" said Tiffany. "I'm sorry" I loved this book pretty much, can't wait to get through all the other Pratchett books so I can read this one again with the other Tiffany books fresh in my mind.
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Sep 3, 2010 11:12
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thebardyspoon posted:Did you get as excited as I did when Smith showed up? I read Equal Rites a couple months and it was really nice for that to get cleared up.
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Sep 3, 2010 15:01
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thebardyspoon posted:Yeah I went to bed at about 1 and had it finished by like 5/6, it might be "new book gleam" talking but I think it might be my second or third favourite after Nightwatch and Fifth Elephant. Oh yes, I didn't clock on at first but when I did I had this big grin on my face, also The part Vimes showing up in a witch book but then not meeting Granny, well he kind of did but a city version of her, I liked the distraction part with her asking about his son oh and the ending 
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Sep 3, 2010 21:26
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thebardyspoon posted:[I Shall Wear Midnight] is definitely his darkest book I think, before this he mostly did that sort of stuff through implications or offhand comments in the Witch and Watch books. The last few chapters also gave me the incredibly sad feeling that Terry was saying his goodbyes to Tiffany. When that feeling came over me, I really thought I was going to tear up.
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Sep 4, 2010 01:05
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First time in my life I'm not reading spoiler tags...arrrrgh. I just finished Nation and  . UU had me worried for the first third of the book, because yeah, you could tell the difference in his writing style. But I actually enjoyed the Vetinari bits, and I was happy to see cameos from some of the smaller characters, such as Verity Pushpram. Part of the strangeness is no doubt due to the fact that I'm not a sports fan.Nation...still not sure about this one. I've always been a fan of the stranded-on-an-island type books such as Call It Courage and The Coral Island, but this one was rather a miss. Not that I didn't like it, but I'll have to re-read it sometime in the future.
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Sep 4, 2010 02:51
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Libandano Urfam posted:Nation...still not sure about this one. I've always been a fan of the stranded-on-an-island type books such as Call It Courage and The Coral Island, but this one was rather a miss. Not that I didn't like it, but I'll have to re-read it sometime in the future. Nation's a strange one. Not Discworld, not a young children's book, and it's got an odd story structure. I think it holds up well as a complete standalone and I happily recommend it to others, although I confess I don't reread it as much as some of his other work. Probably because of its emotional ups and downs, but they're definitely an important part of the book as a whole. Do give it another shot once you've had a chance to digest it for a while.
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Sep 4, 2010 07:49
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I really didn't like I Shall Wear Midnight (only about halfway through though, maybe it improves later?). It feels more like a writer trying to imitate Pratchett than the man himself, there's a lot of parts where he keeps using the same sentences, and a lot of parts where before he would have used witty implications or whatever he just came straight out with it (i.e. where they talk about Angua). A lot of the characters kinda blur together too and they don't feel like they have an individual 'voice', really, which used to be one of his strongest points. I thought it was just because it was for younger readers, but I felt the same about Unseen Academicals too. I'm hoping it's just because of errors in dictation or something. It's still an okay book, but I can't feel if it had been written in his prime it would have been amazing. He could have done so much with the Feegles in the city... 
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Sep 4, 2010 09:42
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Heres an interesting interview with Pratchett in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/sep/01/terry-pratchett-alzheimers-assisted-suicide I hadn't realised he lost both his parents recently as well
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Sep 4, 2010 13:13
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Lovely article, but it is upsetting to learn he can't physically write now. Sod Alzheimers!
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Sep 4, 2010 15:14
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Finished ISWM earlier today, really enjoyed it. Great to see Esk and Wee Mad Arthur make appearances, lots of fun and laughs, only real criticism is that the climactic battle seemed a little weak.
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Sep 4, 2010 18:42
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Loved Midnight, tore through it in one night. And yes, I did do little mental backflips when Eskarina came back, it's lovely to have a bit of closure on her story. I did feel like he could've done more with Amber, though. A human kelda is a hell of an idea- It's meant to be pretty earthshattering, but they didn't go into it much. Agreeing with the darker themes, drat, the rough music stuff..
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Sep 6, 2010 02:40
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Hi Guys. I have been a Discworld fan for long and I was trying to find some digital copies in the itunes bookstore. The prices are reasonable and all but... Some books seem to have big formatting errors... Which eally annoys. Does anyone know of good digital versions of Pratchett's work?
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Sep 6, 2010 10:34
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Good versions and legal versions tend to not be the same thing in my experience with ebooks.
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Sep 6, 2010 10:52
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Dead Alice posted:Good versions and legal versions tend to not be the same thing in my experience with ebooks. I Know... i already have all the Paperbacks and am plodding my way through some nice hardcovers. But i just wanted portable reading... And it's proving to be a hard endeavor.
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Sep 6, 2010 10:57
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Rereading WintersmithRob Anybody posted:'Wher's mah coo? Is that mah coo? It gaes "cluck"! It is a...a...chicken! It is no' mah coo!'
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Sep 6, 2010 16:04
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There's a scene from one of the books that I vaguely remember, and was hoping that someone could help pin down for me. I'm pretty sure it's a Watch book involving vampires and Uberwald. It's something like, one of the main characters casually tosses an orange or ball at another character (vampire?), who completely fails to react. The main character then reasseses their opinion of the target, reasoning that most people will, when tossed an item, instinctively reach out to catch it or flinch away from it. But this person is quick-thinking enough to recognize that it's a harmless item, and ignore it in case it is a diversion leading to an attack... Or something like that. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
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Sep 8, 2010 01:55
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5th Elephant I believe, Anguas family?
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Sep 8, 2010 01:57
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It is Fifth Elephant but Vimes threw an orange at Inigo Skimmer.
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Sep 8, 2010 01:58
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I'm pretty sure he killed her Nazi Werewolf brother by throwing something?.
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Sep 8, 2010 02:01
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SeanBeansShako posted:I'm pretty sure he killed her Nazi Werewolf brother by throwing something?. Yes a firecracker
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Sep 8, 2010 02:05
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SeanBeansShako posted:I'm pretty sure he killed her Nazi Werewolf brother by throwing something?. Launched a cut down signal flare which Wolfie caught in his mouth shortly before it detonated
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Sep 8, 2010 02:05
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That's just such a good Watch book. Maybe the best.
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Sep 8, 2010 02:07
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Nilbop posted:That's just such a good Watch book. Maybe the best. So let me tell you about this book Night Watch...
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Sep 8, 2010 02:10
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Smiling Jack posted:So let me tell you about this book Night Watch... The best Vimes book, certainly, but it's hardly the different members of the Watch showing what they can do and exploring them a bit. In this one we get huge swathes of social politicking with Cherry, Detritus and Angua, we get Sybil being an astute aristocrat, we get Carrot getting beaten by Wolfgang, we get Gaspode in a fight, we get Vimes and his endless selection of awesome moments, from the orange to the roadside bandit fight to the finale.
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Sep 8, 2010 02:13
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The Fifth Elephant is fantastic. Mr Civilized!
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Sep 8, 2010 02:27
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