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Feeble posted:Yeah but don't you guys get the original Paul Kidby covers? We just get those gently caress ugly...things. Men at Arms had a Josh Kirby cover, as did every book up to Thief of Time.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:25
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I just finished The Long Earth and it wasn't that great. It was basically all premise, and very little plot. I didn't completely buy into the premise that millions and millions of people would abandon their lives and technology to become subsistence farmers in the wilderness. The plot didn't really start to develop until 200 pages in. The pacing of some things was way off too, especially the parts towards the ending. I'm more inclined to blame Baxter for this than Pratchett, because the characters were great, although the third main character doesn't have a notable presence until well past the halfway mark of the book. I'm not inclined to read the next in the series.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:57
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Hedrigall posted:I hope you Americans know how loving lucky you are, because those five books are $10 for you but about $43 for me in Australia. (Although that's still a bargain compared to the ~$100 you'd spend to get the five as paperbacks in bookstores here Dude just switch to a American address. All my kindle books are from the US store and I've had no trouble. To be extra safe I buy a gift card with my Australian account and redeem it under my US account. I have close to 20 books now, most purchased at heavily discounted prices because I have email notification on my wishlist the second something drops in price.
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Sep 18, 2013 07:38
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I just finished The Long Earth and it wasn't that great. It was basically all premise, and very little plot. This is exactly what I thought after reading it. It felt like the two of them agreed on the premise of 'what would our world be like if we could access infinite alternate earths?' but then completely failed to come up with an actual story to tell. They also managed to kill any tension by repeatedly pointing out that the main characters are never in any danger.
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Sep 18, 2013 12:04
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Feeble posted:Yeah but don't you guys get the original Paul Kidby covers? We just get those gently caress ugly...things. From pterry himself - "Hmm. We wondered about the cover 'giving away half the plot' and decided to go with it -- especially since Josh got the Gonne exactly right from the description. But I'd say it's pretty obvious VERY early in the book what sort of thing we're dealing with. That's what distinguishes a 'police procedural' from a mystery; after all, you know from the start whodunit in a Columbo plot, but the fun is watching him shuffle around solving it his way..."
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Sep 18, 2013 18:55
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Jedit posted:Men at Arms had a Josh Kirby cover, as did every book up to Thief of Time. Arrgh dammit. I knew I wasn't right about that. When I first thought of who did the covers I thought "Kirby" but then thought "wait, I thought it was Kidby, guess I'm just remembering wrong." It's not like I've ever even seen one IRL, which makes me sad. Canuckistan posted:From pterry himself - "Hmm. We wondered about the cover 'giving away half the plot' and decided to go with it -- especially since Josh got the Gonne exactly right from the description. But I'd say it's pretty obvious VERY early in the book what sort of thing we're dealing with. That's what distinguishes a 'police procedural' from a mystery; after all, you know from the start whodunit in a Columbo plot, but the fun is watching him shuffle around solving it his way..."  Edit: Now I really feel like I want to read through Men at Arms and see just how obvious it really is without the cover... InequalityGodzilla fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Sep 18, 2013 |
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Sep 18, 2013 21:35
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Feeble posted:Arrgh dammit. I knew I wasn't right about that. When I first thought of who did the covers I thought "Kirby" but then thought "wait, I thought it was Kidby, guess I'm just remembering wrong." It's not like I've ever even seen one IRL, which makes me sad. It's not, actually. Terry goes out of his way to make it a strange alien "thing" until Vimes gets shot at, when the reader starts to understand.
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Sep 19, 2013 09:56
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Saw it coming once I saw the name personally. Besides, the big mystery driving the plot wasn't what did the killing, but who. Half the cast already know what the Gonne is from the start, and the other half have a pretty good guess.
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Sep 19, 2013 10:05
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Well, this is some welcome news. I hope this is an indication that his illness has slowed or plateaued, to make this kind of long-term commitment. If not, well, I suppose he has said that his daughter would take over.
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Sep 20, 2013 18:54
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Emerson Cod posted:Well, this is some welcome news. I hope this is an indication that his illness has slowed or plateaued, to make this kind of long-term commitment. If not, well, I suppose he has said that his daughter would take over.  And he said Rhianna would take over for him? Never heard that before but it sounds like good news. I've played most of the video games she's written. She's definitely a very strong writer, I can say that much, but I haven't seen much to suggest that she possesses the same sort of humor as her dad. Then again if Eoin Colfer could do a fair job at continuing Douglas Adam's legacy it doesn't seem as unlikely that someone could follow in PTerry's footsteps.
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Sep 20, 2013 20:10
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Feeble posted:And he said Rhianna would take over for him? Never heard that before but it sounds like good news. I've played most of the video games she's written. She's definitely a very strong writer, I can say that much, but I haven't seen much to suggest that she possesses the same sort of humor as her dad. As I said last year: Terry has said that when he and Rhianna were working together on prospective scripts for The Watch, he couldn't tell some of her writing apart from his own.
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Sep 20, 2013 21:29
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Jedit posted:As I said last year: Terry has said that when he and Rhianna were working together on prospective scripts for The Watch, he couldn't tell some of her writing apart from his own.
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Sep 20, 2013 22:31
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Feeble posted:Well, I only found this thread like 3 days ago so it's understandable that I missed it. That's very good to know, though! If you filter the thread for my posts, you'll find a full report of news from Discworld Convention 2012 on page 2.
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Sep 20, 2013 23:31
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Jedit posted:As I said last year: Terry has said that when he and Rhianna were working together on prospective scripts for The Watch, he couldn't tell some of her writing apart from his own. I wonder if she's become involved with the Discworld writing/editing process at this point.
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Sep 21, 2013 03:57
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MikeJF posted:I wonder if she's become involved with the Discworld writing/editing process at this point. I suspect yes. In fact I wonder if the complaints about the change in writing style are actually just the growing pains of her easing into the role as a ghostwriter.
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Sep 21, 2013 05:02
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Speaking of The Watch, any news on that? Seems like it's been a bit.
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Sep 21, 2013 06:47
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Mister Roboto posted:I suspect yes. I wouldn't be too surprised to see her credited with co-authorship in the not too distant future
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Sep 21, 2013 13:50
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Something that makes me go hmm about discworld is that I got the implication that murders by the assasin's guild, if done by the book, are legal in AM. If that's the case why do the rich constantly hire their own, illegal assassin's so they can be charged with murder?
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Sep 21, 2013 17:48
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bunnyofdoom posted:Something that makes me go hmm about discworld is that I got the implication that murders by the assasin's guild, if done by the book, are legal in AM. If that's the case why do the rich constantly hire their own, illegal assassin's so they can be charged with murder? Because the guild has a shitload of rules that they absolutely always follow. It's not particularly hard for someone who knows what they're doing and is willing to fight dirty to exploit those rules so that assassins don't stand a chance against them. Hell, Vimes started to enjoy it after a while. Plus, the guild won't accept a contract on someone that they already have a contract on. Conflict of interest. So you might not be able to hire them to kill the specific person you want dead.
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Sep 21, 2013 18:05
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Stroth posted:Because the guild has a shitload of rules that they absolutely always follow. It's not particularly hard for someone who knows what they're doing and is willing to fight dirty to exploit those rules so that assassins don't stand a chance against them. Hell, Vimes started to enjoy it after a while. In addition, I recall reading that they won't just kill anyone - a Guild assassin won't accept a contract on Bob the butcher, because he's just too poor and below-notice to be worth the trouble.
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Sep 22, 2013 04:37
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Also the assassins are really expensive and a mark of respect. Most Ankh-Morpork nobles probably aren't the sort to want either of those things.
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Sep 22, 2013 04:53
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Down With People posted:In addition, I recall reading that they won't just kill anyone - a Guild assassin won't accept a contract on Bob the butcher, because he's just too poor and below-notice to be worth the trouble. The target must be able to defend themselves*. *Anybody making more than $n Ankh-Morpork dollars/year is automatically considered able to pay somebody to defend them.
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Sep 22, 2013 05:09
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Well that seems to imply that Bob the Butcher could be a target then, because he's capable of defending himself. At least, I assume he is, given that he swings massive blades into meat for most of the day.
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Sep 22, 2013 06:10
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Feeble posted:Well that seems to imply that Bob the Butcher could be a target then, because he's capable of defending himself. At least, I assume he is, given that he swings massive blades into meat for most of the day. It would be an insult to the Guild of Assassins to consider a mere tradesman on par with them. Contract rejected.
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Sep 22, 2013 06:42
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Tunicate posted:It would be an insult to the Guild of Assassins to consider a mere tradesman on par with them. Contract rejected.
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Sep 22, 2013 06:54
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Tunicate posted:It would be an insult to the Guild of Assassins to consider a mere tradesman on par with them. Contract rejected. Which is what makes some of the stories with them so interesting; when they're hired, for instance, to knock of the Queen of the Beggars' Guild. Or Vimes. Although they're not actually accepting contracts on Vimes any more, IIRC - doesn't stop them using him for a training ground, though.
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Sep 22, 2013 09:23
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Just finished Snuff a little while ago, and while I enjoyed it, I have to confess there were a few moments there that seemed to snag, and seem a bit un-Pratchetty. The biggest one is that, unless I'm just forgetful/mistaken, this is the first Discworld novel in which Death does not make a personal appearance?
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Sep 22, 2013 09:36
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thespaceinvader posted:Which is what makes some of the stories with them so interesting; when they're hired, for instance, to knock of the Queen of the Beggars' Guild. Or Vimes. Although they're not actually accepting contracts on Vimes any more, IIRC - doesn't stop them using him for a training ground, though. My understanding was that Vimes only started being an acceptable target once he had access to the Ramkin family fortune. Before that he was beneath the dignity/notice of the assassins guild.
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Sep 22, 2013 09:41
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Multiple factors in play really: -The Guild leaves records, suffice to say that Vetinari probably has a good idea of what contracts are open. If you want to silence someone, a private thug might pass beneath notice and can be easily silenced in turn, whereas if you kill a Guild member to silence him after the job the Guild would take extreme notice. -The Guild's rules make them pretty ineffective at killing anyone properly paranoid. Any pragmatist or paranoid who expects an Assassin can foil them. -Suitable victims are limited. They mainly take contracts on notable targets, and really, given that most Assassins we've seen are some kind of noble, they don't usually need the job for the money. This, combined with the above, means the Assassins are mostly good for killing the typical noble. -Cost. From what I can tell, a Guild contract is pretty expensive, whereas hiring some bloke who just smashes people on the head with a big stick is much much cheaper.
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Sep 22, 2013 10:05
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PaleFigure posted:Just finished Snuff a little while ago, and while I enjoyed it, I have to confess there were a few moments there that seemed to snag, and seem a bit un-Pratchetty. The biggest one is that, unless I'm just forgetful/mistaken, this is the first Discworld novel in which Death does not make a personal appearance? Correct.
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Sep 22, 2013 10:09
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PaleFigure posted:this is the first Discworld novel in which Death does not make a personal appearance? I hadn't noticed that. Might be worth a re-read to see what else I missed
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Sep 22, 2013 10:14
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PaleFigure posted:Just finished Snuff a little while ago, and while I enjoyed it, I have to confess there were a few moments there that seemed to snag, and seem a bit un-Pratchetty. The biggest one is that, unless I'm just forgetful/mistaken, this is the first Discworld novel in which Death does not make a personal appearance? I'm pretty sure he's not in The Wee Free Men. Didn't some really rich people take out contracts on themselves so nobody else could? It doesn't really make sense thinking about it, but I'm sure I read it somewhere.
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Sep 22, 2013 10:14
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Segway Rave posted:Didn't some really rich people take out contracts on themselves so nobody else could? It doesn't really make sense thinking about it, but I'm sure I read it somewhere. You may be thinking of 'Making Money'. Topsy took out a provisional contract on Moist, only to be activated if Mr. Fusspot dies of something other than natural causes. While this is obviously to force him into taking care of the dog and therefor the bank the dog owns, Vetinari does note that it also keeps the other Lavish's from take out a contract on Moist. Down With People posted:In addition, I recall reading that they won't just kill anyone - a Guild assassin won't accept a contract on Bob the butcher, because he's just too poor and below-notice to be worth the trouble. not exactly true. Nobby nobbs and The Duckman both have contracts on them. The Duckman has a very large contract on him in fact. But no self respecting assassin would actually take the contract, it's just to pathetic a target. Stroth fucked around with this message at 11:06 on Sep 22, 2013 |
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Sep 22, 2013 11:02
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To be fair I can understand not wanting to kill Nobby. I feel like after you did that blade would just never really feel clean ever again, no matter how many times you scrub it. Also, refresh my memory: Duckman is, I assume, that nice fellow with a duck on his head who hangs out with foul ol' Ron?
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Sep 22, 2013 17:44
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Feeble posted:Also, refresh my memory: Duckman is, I assume, that nice fellow with a duck on his head who hangs out with foul ol' Ron? He is. Someone want's him dead to the tune of 132,000 AMD. And as for Nobby, there is that. But also, you'd really piss off Vimes if you did. Stroth fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Sep 22, 2013 |
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Sep 22, 2013 18:11
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Stroth posted:He is. Someone want's him dead to the tune of 132,000 AMD. Stroth posted:And as for Nobby, there is that. But also, you'd really piss off Vimes if you did.  !
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Sep 22, 2013 18:46
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PaleFigure posted:Just finished Snuff a little while ago, and while I enjoyed it, I have to confess there were a few moments there that seemed to snag, and seem a bit un-Pratchetty. The biggest one is that, unless I'm just forgetful/mistaken, this is the first Discworld novel in which Death does not make a personal appearance? Wee Free Men was the first non-appearance. Also, his appearance in The Colour of Magic may actually be Scrofula.
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Sep 22, 2013 19:03
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I don't seem to recall any part of Snuff where we followed a character who died on the spot during some point in the book. Wait, I might be wrong. One of the River pirates did die I think?
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Sep 22, 2013 19:13
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SeanBeansShako posted:I don't seem to recall any part of Snuff where we followed a character who died on the spot during some point in the book. Could argue that since they were not "important" deaths, Death didn't turn up for the usual pomp and circumstance.
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Sep 22, 2013 19:34
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Stroth posted:not exactly true. Nobby nobbs and The Duckman both have contracts on them. The Duckman has a very large contract on him in fact. But no self respecting assassin would actually take the contract, it's just to pathetic a target. Wait, they do? Which books were those in?
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Sep 22, 2013 19:34
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