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Terry couldn't help himself having characters becoming more mythic and flawless as they went on, I like early vimes and weatherwax more than the later epic tier versions
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Feb 14, 2022 21:26
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It's funny because Carrot started as him trying to spoof that. From what I remember, The Truth is the book I'd place at the main turning point between old pratchett when he was still trying to parody stuff and the later (well, mid I guess) stuff where he was like oh poo poo I'm a big fantasy author now. I found it a very awkward middle-ground, especially with that swearing stuff which constantly got on my tits.
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Feb 14, 2022 21:39
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gonadic io posted:It's funny because Carrot started as him trying to spoof that. From what I remember, The Truth is the book I'd place at the main turning point between old pratchett when he was still trying to parody stuff and the later (well, mid I guess) stuff where he was like oh poo poo I'm a big fantasy author now. I found it a very awkward middle-ground, especially with that swearing stuff which constantly got on my tits. Granny is pretty much the heroic version by Lords and Ladies, though I feel that the terrifying Granny Weatherwax of L&L and Carpe Jugulum is still in step with the earlier parodying of fantasy tropes, and in both of those plots it's moreso internal struggles that define her. In Maskerade she's much more mundane, splitting two Super Granny performances. Carpe Jugulum is the last book that puts Granny front-and-centre, right? Her subsequent appearances are as a supporting character in Tiffany Aching books? I'm not finished the Vimesiad yet, being only up to The Truth and thus with a few of his major books to come, so I don't have coherent thoughts on him yet. There's something going on there with him failing upwards, despite his best attempts, and some "knave of the first rate" critiques of policing. The key factor in his story that I've seen to this point is that his successes and sense of duty keep taking him farther away from what he says he wants in life (to be left alone and have nobody bother him) but which is also at odds with how he acts (being completely unable to stop working despite his best efforts).
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Feb 14, 2022 22:50
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I think Granny works for me because it's aware of the facade, her skill and pride in her skill is at the same time both a strength and a flaw and the books use that well. Stories that see her from the outside, I still find myself able to remember that. Vimes in contrast, anything inside his head (except maybe Snuff, I'm split on that one) works for me, but any viewpoint from the outside is too much. Like his stuff in Raising Steam, you need his denial and inner monologue to make god-Cop stuff like that work.
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Feb 15, 2022 06:39
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Granny's earliest appearance is basically this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKVSPcd8Gs So there's layers
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Feb 17, 2022 02:13
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Bruceski posted:Vimes in contrast, anything inside his head (except maybe Snuff, I'm split on that one) works for me, but any viewpoint from the outside is too much. Like his stuff in Raising Steam, you need his denial and inner monologue to make god-Cop stuff like that work. Yeah, one of the flaws of the "good cop" character is that they only work particularly well as the protagonist -- it's all cool and good when the protagonist sees the bad guy about to hurt someone and they get in a fight and the protagonist has no choice but to shoot him. It's quite another thing when your protagonist is in the jury box and some cop you've never heard of gets on the witness stand and says "yeah I had no choice but to shoot him."
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Feb 17, 2022 03:31
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Phenotype posted:Yeah, one of the flaws of the "good cop" character is that they only work particularly well as the protagonist -- it's all cool and good when the protagonist sees the bad guy about to hurt someone and they get in a fight and the protagonist has no choice but to shoot him. It's quite another thing when your protagonist is in the jury box and some cop you've never heard of gets on the witness stand and says "yeah I had no choice but to shoot him." I think that's why Vimes in the Truth worked so well for me. De Worde can't know that Vimes has his and the public good in his heart of hearts - he can only react to the authoritarian who he sees.
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Feb 17, 2022 04:03
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Levar Burton reading Troll Bridge on his most recent podcast was an unexpected but welcomed surprise.
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Feb 17, 2022 20:39
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Why did no one tell me Levar Burton had a podcast
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Feb 17, 2022 20:45
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New paperback editions of the Witches series and Small Gods are being released on Pterry's birthday in April, with the others to follow over the rest of the year and into 2023. They look to be colour coded. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the new covers myself, but if you're just getting into Pratchett or need to replace or fill out your collection and don't want the small format hardbacks or the knock-offs of the Rowling "pretend you're reading an adult book" editions, you might want to wait a couple of months. https://fb.watch/bst6H-d8yv/
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Feb 28, 2022 13:06
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I still cling to my Corgi editions, but these look better than most of the new redesigns. Who knows, they might even appeal to new readers!
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Feb 28, 2022 15:03
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Jedit posted:New paperback editions of the Witches series and Small Gods are being released on Pterry's birthday in April, with the others to follow over the rest of the year and into 2023. They look to be colour coded. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the new covers myself, but if you're just getting into Pratchett or need to replace or fill out your collection and don't want the small format hardbacks or the knock-offs of the Rowling "pretend you're reading an adult book" editions, you might want to wait a couple of months.
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Feb 28, 2022 15:24
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Non FB version: https://twitter.com/transworldbooks/status/1498251633679032320
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Feb 28, 2022 15:53
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Not too shabby. We've got the Harper Torch ones with that classic cheesy generic style, but I kind of dig those. Remind me of mystery novel covers like Elmore Leonard and stuff from the 80s and 90s. Some thematic object or something, bright colors, classic bookstore vibe. Though the original covers are cooler by far.
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Feb 28, 2022 16:02
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These are definitely tryin to appeal to new readers. The covers aren’t bad but they do look a little YA-generic.
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Feb 28, 2022 17:45
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What were those minimalist b+w ones? Was not a fan
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Mar 1, 2022 23:10
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Scaramouche posted:What were those minimalist b+w ones? Was not a fan Those are the aforementioned JK Rowling knock-offs where you try to look like you're reading serious adult fiction. I actually don't mind them - I had to replace my copy of Witches Abroad with one after my idiot sister accidentally destroyed it.
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Mar 2, 2022 12:01
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I was rereading Wyrd Sisters for what I think is the third time, and while I always plan on picking up new things that were missed in previous reads, this joke jumped right the hell out at me: quote:
How in the hell I missed that one until now, I have no idea.
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Mar 28, 2022 12:15
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I appreciate Magrat just assuming that if Nanny was telling the story that it was more than likely sexual.
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Mar 28, 2022 18:53
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Words have sex in foreign parts
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Mar 28, 2022 18:56
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Did anyone get the new audiobook of the Hogfather yet? I'm thinking of getting it but reviews are extremely mixed and it's not exactly cheap. A few more will be released on the 28th, looks like.
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Apr 10, 2022 15:22
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Finished the Watch and I have still no idea who this was made for. There's some plot about the noble dragon killing people, but it doesn't seem to urgent considering that Vimes have time to start a punk rock band (the show is trying to hard to replicate the Witcher's song memes but without really succeeding) and go to an alternate universe. It isn't all bad the show have some good ideas and good jokes (the door to the prison can only be open with the warden's hand..because she highfives the goblin that operates the lever) but it also seems really confused. The end result is a show that alienates Discworld readers but is also completely inaccessible for non-readers.
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Apr 16, 2022 14:02
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Alhazred posted:Finished the Watch and I have still no idea who this was made for. There's some plot about the noble dragon killing people, but it doesn't seem to urgent considering that Vimes have time to start a punk rock band (the show is trying to hard to replicate the Witcher's song memes but without really succeeding) and go to an alternate universe. It isn't all bad the show have some good ideas and good jokes (the door to the prison can only be open with the warden's hand..because she highfives the goblin that operates the lever) but it also seems really confused. The end result is a show that alienates Discworld readers but is also completely inaccessible for non-readers. It was made for studio executives who needed a tax write off to launder money. That's the only option that makes sense.
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Apr 17, 2022 07:26
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Devorum posted:It was made for studio executives who needed a tax write off to launder money. The thing is that they have put too much effort in it for it to look like just a money launder scheme.
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Apr 17, 2022 09:30
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citybeatnik posted:I appreciate Magrat just assuming that if Nanny was telling the story that it was more than likely sexual. She ain't far wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY2kC5fZG64
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Apr 17, 2022 10:40
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I was rereading The Wee Free Men and I just realized Rob Anybody is a play on Rob Roy... ..nineteen frickin' years later.
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Apr 28, 2022 00:13
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Today would have been the OFIAH's 74th birthday, and to celebrate a documentary on the making of the new audiobooks is being released on YouTube at 1700 UK time (1800 CEST, 0900 PDT).
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Apr 28, 2022 00:33
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tribbledirigible posted:I was rereading The Wee Free Men and I just realized Rob Anybody is a play on Rob Roy... I read the books out of order and it took until I read the one where the frog says "Rob Anybody... well, it shouldn't be taken for an instruction" for me to get that joke.
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Apr 28, 2022 04:45
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some good art https://twitter.com/Naara_Sakura/status/1519670992985116674?t=vdiJukS1q5gfImGvQX3Q1w&s=19
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Apr 28, 2022 23:41
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw4kYXx8s4k
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Apr 29, 2022 00:25
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I'm desperately interested in who's going to do the Watch books - I can't stand the ones Nigel Planer did, because he gave Angua such an awful voice.
Fighting Trousers fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Apr 29, 2022 |
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Apr 29, 2022 01:06
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I have to admit I feel like Angua should have a really aristocratic voice (and also an Eastern European accent), but Planer always made her sound a lot like Magrat. Meanwhile, the Witches books are out, and my review of Indira Varma's performance is overall, pretty good. She's not nearly as broadly goofy as Planer or Briggs, and so some of the wackier aspects of the humor don't land, but she has a pretty tight grip on the more wry aspect of the writing and can handle a broader spectrum of non-goofy voices, so that her Agnes actually sounds like a genuine young teenager, while the other witches sound genuinely old, and her narration voice is somewhere in between. That said, the way these recordings handle the footnotes drives me batty, because they do a "zoom out noise" "pause" "footnote" "zoom in noise" "pause" "resume" that just loving murders the timing on whatever the joke was.
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Apr 29, 2022 05:10
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Fighting Trousers posted:I'm desperately interested in who's going to do the Watch books - I can't stand the ones Nigel Planer did, because he gave Angua such an awful voice. Watch the documentary. It not only tells you, it gives you samples.
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Apr 29, 2022 08:56
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They don't talk about the Watch books, though? It mentions the Wizards, the Witches, Death, and Andy Serkis doing a one-shot with Small Gods. So I'm guessing they haven't made it that far yet.
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Apr 29, 2022 15:50
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Amazing Maurice trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fotvV-Ty9rU Looks... all right? More worth watching than The Watch, at least.
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May 18, 2022 11:08
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Listening further to the new audiobooks I continue to be enraged by how having the footnotes read by a different author, with significant pauses, completely murders the timing of every single joke. There's also at least one error where one of the bits where Agnes is projecting her voice around has gotten spliced back in at the wrong place, so she says "Up here!" during the part where she's singing in harmony with herself.
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May 20, 2022 19:17
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The audiobooks have never been very good at the footnotes, and the timing is exactly why. I feel like they should be tossed off as a random aside, instead they get treated like holy texts. Having a second person reading them could totally work, if they made it sound more like he were interrupting the main reader. And Bill Nighy would be hilarious at that!
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May 20, 2022 19:37
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Yeah, the thing is that you'd need to have them physically in the same room, and I'm not sure if anybody even does that any more.
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May 21, 2022 05:07
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You could easily do that with separate recordings.
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May 21, 2022 10:22
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Going back a bit. I was looking for something completely different when I found this:Fighting Trousers posted:And remembering that The Truth came out after The Fifth Elephant. makes the "She's your..." "Friend." exchange between Vimes, Carrot, and Angua hit different. They're on a bit of a break post Fifth Elephant., I think, even if Pterry never spells it out. And it suddenly made me think "their relationship doesn't appear all that much after Fifth Elephant, have we all just been assuming they're still together all the time?" So I went back and flipped through the later Watch novels, and do you know, if we take this reading, I think you can certainly then also read that at the very least it takes a long old time for them to get back together. Angua is only mentioned in passing in Night Watch, and Carrot barely appears; she's a supporting character to a supporting character in Monstrous Regiment. Thud first mentions her feelings for Carrot while she's down in the mine with him and Vimes and Sally: quote:"Let them," hissed Angua. "It"ll be a clearer scent. I"ll be okay." Then there's mention of the moon watch he had made for her: quote:The moon was somewhere beyond the clouds but Angua didn"t need to see it. Carrot had once had a special watch made for her birthday. It was a little moon that turned right around, black side and white side, through every twenty-eight days. It must have cost him a lot of money and Angua now wore it on her collar, the one item of clothing that she could wear all month round. She couldn't bring herself to tell him she didn"t need it. You knew what was happening. "Carrot had once" could easily be read both ways. They don't have to be together for her to wear it and pass off as a gift from a "...Friend". Then she argues with Sally after falling in the mud: quote:"I saw the way you were smiling at him!" "You trail after him". But does that imply they're together? Or is she just showing signs of wanting it? Carrot then notices she's missing: quote:"It was a classic ruse, sir," said Carrot reassuringly. "One for the history books. Now, off you go, sir. I"m going to have a look for Angua. She hasn"t slept in her bed." Her bed, not ours, or "the bed". Still sleeping in separate beds, then. This could easily be read as "he went and did a welfare check at wherever she lives now". She returns to the Yard, and: quote:"I was getting very worried-" Carrot began. He tries to be concerned; she calls him "captain" and tells him very shortly not to worry about her. You could have this as "we're at work, focus on work, personal isn't the same as important", but you could also have it the other way. Then we get the big moment after the shower: quote:"You think I went down there to impress Captain Carrot, don"t you?" said Sally, behind her. This seems like it could easily be read with the subtext being either "...so get back with him" or "so keep your undead hands off my man" if you want to; and that's where we leave that. Thud is her last major appearance. There's nothing I can find in her brief cameos in Making Money or Unseen Academicals; she's barely in Snuff or Raising Steam; we're almost home free, but for an annoying little passing reference in I Shall Wear Midnight: quote:"[Angua] stays on top of it, mind you", said Mrs Proust. "She shares lodgings with Captain Carrot, and doesn't bite anybody - although come to think about it, she probably bites Captain Carrot, but least said soonest mended, as I'm sure you'll agree." A determined mind might argue that there's no particular reason for Mrs Proust to be up with the latest news (although Angua's a regular customer and it pays for a witch to know what's going on); or alternatively they're in a romcom scenario of sharing lodgings but separate beds and not sleeping together; or by "sharing lodgings" she actually means "rooms in the same building, it's the only place they can afford" (maybe the Watch is now flush enough to be able to run a section house); but that is a very hard one to get past. Do wolves ever look back?
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May 22, 2022 01:26
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