CommonShore posted:

And now I'm all-but-finished Nation - I just have the epilogue chapter left (I really needed to go to sleep last night). I don't expect much can happen in the epilogue to change my overall assessment much:

First-rate, excellent book. I've read Robinson Crusoe in pretty close detail lately (and I will be again soon) and I quite appreciate the fine-resolution and detailed parody that Pratchett is working with here. I can see that his reading and critique of Crusoe is quite close to my own.

Though now for all I know the epilogue will involve a battle against a bunch of wolves or something like that and then I won't be sure what to think.

DontMockMySmock posted:

I have never read Robinson Crusoe; I'd love to hear more details about the parody aspect of Nation. It's one of my favorite books, for sure.

DontMockMySmock posted:

Very interesting; thanks!

CommonShore posted:

Likewise, the golems at the climax came out of nowhere. I don't remember those super golems from the end of Making Money being mentioned anywhere in the text before they Save The Day and get explained after the fact. That also seemed to me like something that would have been either written into the previous plot somehow, or resolved differently. The Goblin subway, with the goblins's compulsive tinkering seemed like a dangling, frayed thread that was pointing in that direction, either from an earlier draft, or something that was being developed to fill in or interact with the golems somehow.

LegoMan posted:

Almost positive they were hinted at as people would hear rumblings underfoot and Vetinari specifically mentioning them.

However, the tone of the book was noticeably different but seeing as it's Terry I didn't give a poo poo I ate it up because I loved him.

Beachcomber posted:

I didn't care for Nation (or Dodger or the Long books), but I understand that he had to write it because it was clogging up the creative pathways until he did.

A lot of people seem to like it, though, so maybe I've changed enough in a fortyear to appreciate it differently.

Angry Lobster posted:

I started reading the Discworld novels in the nineties and stopped at the time of Pratchett's death, missing only the last two books. I decided it's time to reread them all for the first time and finally finish the series.

The_Doctor posted:

The Emporium was (until recently) run by the incredibly lovely Bernard Pearson and his wife Isobel, but now the physical location has closed and it’s all online. Bernard still keeps his eye on it all, and it’s one of the best online fandom shops you could hope for.

BigglesSWE posted:

About to finish up The Last Continent. Ridcully is such a gift of a character. Immensely likeable in spite of all of him being what he is.

Testekill posted:

https://twitter.com/RobocopFacts/status/1627565666935922688

A post about Sir Terry's Oblivion mod that he worked on is doing the rounds on twitter. I hadn't heard the story behind Vilja and it's very sweet.

Total Meatlove posted:

When the Salisbury Museum had the recreation of his study and desk, i think that mod was running on screen number 6.

The_Doctor posted:

Terry Pratchett posted:

Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil... prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...

Gnome de plume posted:

Kesper North posted:

Army of Darkness ("This... is my BOOMSTICK!") beat Doom by two years, iirc

quote:

The Shotgun first appeared in the 1981 film The Evil Dead, where it was a single-barreled Winchester 37A 20-gauge. When the shotgun returned in Evil Dead II, the Winchester model was replaced with a 12-gauge double-barreled Stevens 311-C model. In Army of Darkness, the shotgun (now a IGA Stoeger Coach Gun) earned it's more famous nickname of The Boomstick.

Kesper North posted:

Army of Darkness ("This... is my BOOMSTICK!") beat Doom by two years, iirc

sebmojo posted:

I picked up the biography by his assistant and it's excellent, dudes a good writer and the tone is spot on: clearly loved him utterly but is very open about what an irascible bugger he could be and generally was. He quotes a bunch of the autobiography that pt had started writing, along with the hilarious signing tour reviews terry would send to his publisher explaining how they had hosed up this time.


I have just got to the part where the disease hits and I had to put it down for a bit though

sebmojo posted:

I picked up the biography by his assistant and it's excellent, dudes a good writer and the tone is spot on: clearly loved him utterly but is very open about what an irascible bugger he could be and generally was. He quotes a bunch of the autobiography that pt had started writing, along with the hilarious signing tour reviews terry would send to his publisher explaining how they had hosed up this time.


I have just got to the part where the disease hits and I had to put it down for a bit though

Narsham posted:

I understand why it was written this way, but my only disappointment was not having more about his wife Lyn, especially after Discworld took off big-time. Her role in Terry's life can feel marginalized and its hard to tell whether that's a PoV issue or a privacy thing or whether their closeness was of the sort where they spent most of each day apart.

The_Doctor posted:

I want to get a copy of Rob's book at some point, but I know it will just wreck me.

CommonShore posted:

Sitting down to organize my thoughts for my first lecture on Crusoe this week and on my reread two things came up

- The cycles of struggles with God and the framing of his shipwreck as divine punishment seem to have a very strong conversation with Nation

- Nation would be a very good novel for me to use the next time I teach a first-year modern lit course.

Please write a funny Discworld short story in the style of Terry Pratchett about the wedding of Captain Carrot Ironfounderson and Sgt. Angua von Uberwald posted:

It was a beautiful day in Ankh-Morpork, and the streets were lined with eager spectators. The wedding of Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson and Sergeant Angua von Uberwald was the talk of the town, and everyone who was anyone had turned out to watch.

Carrot stood nervously at the altar, his broad shoulders hunched in anticipation. He couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the attention. Angua, on the other hand, looked calm and collected, her wolfish features displaying none of the nerves that Carrot felt.

The priest began to intone the wedding vows, his voice rising and falling in a sing-song cadence. Carrot tried to focus on the words, but his attention kept straying to the audience. There was Lady Ramkin, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. There was Lord Vetinari, looking stern and inscrutable as always. And then there was Nobby Nobbs, who seemed to be making a game of seeing how many slices of cake he could sneak from the buffet table without anyone noticing.

Suddenly, Carrot's thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise from outside. It sounded like a mob was gathering, and they were getting closer by the second.

"What's that?" he whispered to Angua.

She listened for a moment, then grinned. "Sounds like my family has arrived."

Carrot's eyes widened in alarm. He had met Angua's family before, and they had not exactly hit it off. In fact, he was pretty sure that her brother Wolfgang had threatened to eat him on more than one occasion.

Sure enough, the door burst open, and in strode Angua's entire family. Wolfgang was at the front, his eyes fixed hungrily on Carrot. Behind him were her parents, her cousins, and even her great-aunt Bertha, who was reputed to have once eaten an entire flock of sheep in a single sitting.

Carrot felt his knees start to shake. He had faced down dragons, trolls, and even the Patrician himself, but he had never felt so terrified as he did in that moment.

But then he felt Angua's hand slip into his, and he felt a sudden surge of courage. He squared his shoulders and faced the oncoming horde, his face set in a determined grimace.

"Welcome, everyone," he said, his voice ringing out across the room. "I'm so glad you could make it."

And with that, the two families began to mingle, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk. The tension in the room began to dissipate, replaced by a warm and festive atmosphere.

Carrot couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. He knew that he and Angua were in for a lifetime of challenges, but with her by his side, he felt ready to face them all.

Please write a Discworld short story in the style of Terry Pratchett featuring Captain Carrot Ironfounderson and Sgt. Angua von Uberwald posted:

In the bustling streets of Ankh-Morpork, Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson patrolled the city with his usual sense of duty and honor. His imposing figure and square jaw inspired respect in even the most hardened criminals, while his calm demeanor and unwavering sense of justice made him beloved by the citizens he served.

As he walked down the street, he noticed a commotion near the city's main market. Curiosity getting the better of him, Carrot approached the crowd to see what was happening.

He soon saw that the disturbance was caused by a group of goblins who were protesting the poor treatment they received from the city's merchants. The goblins were a despised minority in Ankh-Morpork, often subjected to discrimination and abuse by the human majority.

Sergeant Angua von Uberwald, the city's resident werewolf and Carrot's partner in the City Watch, had already arrived on the scene. She was trying to calm down the angry goblins, but her efforts were proving futile.

Carrot stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, everyone," he said, his voice carrying over the noise of the crowd. "I understand that you're upset, but there's no need for violence."

The goblins turned to look at him, their beady eyes filled with suspicion. Carrot knew that he had his work cut out for him.

"Let's talk this through," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "What exactly are your grievances?"

The goblin who appeared to be the leader stepped forward. "We're tired of being treated like dirt by the merchants in this city," he said, his voice trembling with anger. "They charge us exorbitant prices for goods and treat us like second-class citizens. We demand justice!"

Carrot nodded thoughtfully. "I see," he said. "That's certainly not acceptable. But violence won't solve anything. Let's see if we can work out a solution that's fair for everyone."

With that, Carrot and Angua sat down with the goblin leaders and the merchants. After several hours of negotiation, they came up with a compromise that satisfied everyone. The goblins would be given a fair price for goods and be treated with respect by the merchants, while the merchants would receive a tax break from the city council for their cooperation.

As Carrot and Angua walked away from the market, they couldn't help but feel pleased with themselves. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. They knew that there would always be more challenges to face in the city, but with teamwork and a commitment to justice, they would always be up to the task.