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Aussie Crawl posted:That'd totally be worth it if the medal was actually done in metal.
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Aug 30, 2009 17:14
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Speaking of Disc merch, is the game Thud! actually good? A Disc-based card game could be hilarious fun. Something like a cross between Magic and Illuminatus!
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Aug 30, 2009 19:41
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Aussie Crawl posted:
That's pretty awesome. But 77 USD? I like that sort of "in universe" stuff. Like this:
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Aug 30, 2009 20:13
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precision posted:Speaking of Disc merch, is the game Thud! actually good? Not quite that, but there are rules out there for Cripple Mr. Onion.
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Aug 30, 2009 21:47
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So I read "Maskerade" as my first intro to Terry Pratchett, and while it was a quick read, it wasn't anything I'd read again. Are there better out there? It had a few parts I laughed at, but it wasn't quite the "laughing until I cry" I imagined it would be. More just mild amusement. The story itself was quickly forgettable, and kind of annoying. I literally didn't give a drat if the characters lived or died. Is his writing mostly about the jokes or is there some plot tension too?
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Aug 31, 2009 23:04
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:So I read "Maskerade" as my first intro to Terry Pratchett, and while it was a quick read, it wasn't anything I'd read again. Maskerade is one of my least favorites (which is to say I like it but just not as much as most Discworld); obviously the whole thing is a direct parody of Phantom of the Opera, and I imagine might be more enjoyable if you actually like the original material. If you want to read one with the same characters that is better (in my opinion), read Lords and Ladies, the one that comes directly before it in the series. If you just want to read the best of Pratchett, pick up a copy of Small Gods; it is one of the first chronologically, is standalone, and is probably the best book Pratchett has written.
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Aug 31, 2009 23:30
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Maskerade is a really tough sell as an intro to Pratchett. I loved it, but most of my love for it was based on already being familiar with the characters and universe of it. Definitely, absolutely give Small Gods a try. It's a very intelligent and reasonably objective commentary on religion. It also has jokes in. I am really getting impatient for Unseen Academicals, even though the premise of it seems like the worst premise for a Disc book in quite some time.
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Aug 31, 2009 23:47
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DontMockMySmock posted:Maskerade is one of my least favorites (which is to say I like it but just not as much as most Discworld); obviously the whole thing is a direct parody of Phantom of the Opera, and I imagine might be more enjoyable if you actually like the original material. Or if you really, really hate it. I first read Maskerade about 10 years ago, while I was working in the box office of a theatre where Phantom of the Opera was having a 4 month run. I despised the play with a burning hatred that glowed in the night, and I really enjoyed the book. I tried reading it again a few months ago, and I didn't even finish it. I personally think that the Watch books, starting with Guards! Guards!, are a good place to start.
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Sep 1, 2009 04:39
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Possible good news? Not suggesting that Terry has the disease for any particular reason but at the end of the article it is suggested there is a possibility the disease might be reversible. Lots of maybe's but well any step forward is still progress. Is it too late or not though, that's the question. I mean the guy has to retire sometime but it'd be nice to think he retires when he chooses to and then live the rest of his days at least in happiness. From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/04/2676540.htm?section=justin Fatty foods linked to Alzheimer's Posted 59 minutes ago Updated 24 minutes ago MRI scans of a brain Researchers found a specific protein in the brain could increase the risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers at Curtin University in Western Australia say they are a step closer to finding a way to slow or prevent Alzheimer's disease. A new study has found that foods high in saturated fats damage the membrane that regulates what is allowed into the brain. The university's John Mamo says stopping deposits of the protein amyloid from forming is the key to slowing the disease. "If we can understand the mechanisms behind how diet influences risk for Alzheimer's disease then it becomes possible for us to think of what type of intervention strategy we might have," he said. Professor Mamo says it could also be possible to reverse it. "This isn't just simply about providing prevention opportunities that are available to us but maybe we can take it one step further," he said.
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Sep 4, 2009 03:09
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Moggity posted:Sadly, this kind of research takes decades to come to fruition. What Pterry really needs is some good ol' headology. He just needs to convince his brain that it's fine. ... 
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Sep 6, 2009 04:50
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Small Gods is so good that Pratchett gets happy fanmail from people from pretty much every religious and nonreligious persuasion. It's got strong characters, a good plot, and lots of interesting ideas. If you only ever read one Discworld book, it should probably be Small Gods. (Though reading Small Gods has, in my experience, the effect of causing a person to read more Discworld books.)
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Sep 6, 2009 06:23
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Pope Guilty posted:Small Gods is so good that Pratchett gets happy fanmail from people from pretty much every religious and nonreligious persuasion. It's got strong characters, a good plot, and lots of interesting ideas. If you only ever read one Discworld book, it should probably be Small Gods. Its the best intro book because its the most self contained. The only thing you wouldn't get is why the Librarian shows up at a certain point in the story.
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Sep 6, 2009 19:54
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Going Postal is another good starter book. The only major character from earlier books is Vetinari and he is introduced very well. It gives a good view about how things work on the Disc, and all the characters are very fleshed out. I think it's the best Discworld book to date.
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Sep 8, 2009 10:36
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Konstantin posted:Going Postal is another good starter book. The only major character from earlier books is Vetinari and he is introduced very well. It gives a good view about how things work on the Disc, and all the characters are very fleshed out. I think it's the best Discworld book to date. Absolutely seconded. Making Money didn't really live up to it, though.
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Sep 8, 2009 16:18
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Pope Guilty posted:Absolutely seconded. Making Money didn't really live up to it, though. Agreed, the idea was good, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The way he describes the currency makes it difficult to understand for Americans who probably don't know what the hell half those terms even mean. I had to look them up on Wikipedia and even then I wasn't sure exactly how the different kinds of money related to each other. Also, the whole golem storyline could have been cut out altogether, I felt it distracted from the main plot too much and the resolution was tacked on at the end.
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Sep 9, 2009 06:39
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Pope Guilty posted:(Though reading Small Gods has, in my experience, the effect of causing a person to read more Discworld books.) Moggity posted:The university's John Mamo says stopping deposits of the protein amyloid from forming is the key to slowing the disease. 
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Sep 9, 2009 09:48
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I wish I could remember what or who made me start reading Terry Pratchett long ago because I wish I could thank it. He's the author I look forward to the most and the one that I reread most frequently. My battered copy of Small Gods has been making the rounds to people I know for quite some time. The other one I usually give people is Thief of Time, which is also fairly standalone and the subject matter being satirized is pretty universal to people in my generation (i.e. ones who have seen the Karate Kid.) It's my second favorite book after Small Gods. Third is reading all of the books about the Night Watch.  I also gave my younger cousin all of the Wee Free Men books. He thought they were funny and now says "Crivens" to me quite frequently. I've been picking up ones that I know I didn't like much during the first read-through (Eric, Sourcery, Maskerade, Moving Pictures) and while I still know why I didn't like them the first time, the fact that I haven't read them in so many years means that they're still making me laugh. Quite an impressive skill he has.
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Sep 9, 2009 19:02
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Sophia posted:I wish I could remember what or who made me start reading Terry Pratchett I started reading Pratchett because I saw The Light Fantastic in a K-Mart a few months after it was published and for some fated reason, bought it. Reading it before CoM is one of only three times I read the books out of order; the other two being not reading Equal Rites until I was well into the series (I don't remember why; I think I just couldn't find it) and not reading Eric until long after it was written because I didn't realize it was (barely) more than a short story, based on seeing the illustrated version which I really didn't want to pay for.
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Sep 9, 2009 21:09
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creamyhorror posted:I'm glad Small Gods was the first Pratchett book I read. I picked it up purely by chance in the library, and after that I had to read all the rest. I started with Men at Arms, which wasn't too bad of a start either.
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Sep 10, 2009 04:06
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Mokinokaro posted:I started with Men at Arms, which wasn't too bad of a start either. I started with Night Watch, which was.
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Sep 10, 2009 19:21
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MikeJF posted:I started with Night Watch, which was. I started with Guards, Guards, which I thought was absolutely awesome and hooked me on his books. I think I then read Light Fantastic and Color of Magic, which didn't impress me very much. The rest of the Guards series, and Going Postal, I consider to be rock solid and excellent material. I liked Small Gods, but I didn't think it was the best one ever. Seeing the high opinion many of you have for it makes me want to re-read and see what I missed. I personally would pick Guards, Guards or Going Postal as books to introduce people to Pratchett. I wouldn't use any of the books in the witch arc. Ulstan fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Sep 10, 2009 |
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Sep 10, 2009 21:38
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I like Small Gods because it's conceptual in a very focused way, unlike some of the more plot-oriented outings in the series. The idea of gods growing and dying based on followers lies in every strand of the book. It was an absurdly attractive description of the rise and fall of religions to my young mind. For some reason, unlike with you guys, the Rincewind/magic/witchery books appeal more to me than the Watch ones. Maybe I just like my heroes with fancy and goofy powers 
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Sep 10, 2009 21:56
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creamyhorror posted:Maybe I just like my heroes with fancy and goofy powers Vimes has fancy and goofy powers. For example, he can say "Come in, Fred" before Fred knocks on his office door. He wields the magic of dark sarcasm. For god's sake, he has the ability to tell his way around the city just by feeling the ground with his feet. If that's not a fancy and goofy power, then I don't know what is.
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Sep 10, 2009 22:04
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Rincewind books have always been disappointing to me - the only two I really like are Lost Continent and Interesting Times. I do, however, enjoy the other wizards far too much. Archancellor / Dean / Bursar / Senior Wrangler / Chair of Indefinite Studies tangents never fail to slay me. The witches I love, though. Usually they come with a nice Shakespearean satire which is always a winner for me, and Granny and Nanny are fabulous characters. Granny has my favorite speech of any book in the book about Vampyres (I can't remember the name) when she lectures the Omnian priest on what belief means. Edit: Going Postal isn't the best introductory book simply because he started writing in chapters in that book, which is really different from most of his other books (certainly all of his other good ones). I think it would be weird to read that one and then the other ones and be like "wait, where did all of the chapters go?" Though maybe I'm the only one who is distracted by such things. Sophia fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Sep 10, 2009 |
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Sep 10, 2009 22:09
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DontMockMySmock posted:Vimes has fancy and goofy powers. For example, he can say "Come in, Fred" before Fred knocks on his office door. He wields the magic of dark sarcasm. For god's sake, he has the ability to tell his way around the city just by feeling the ground with his feet. If that's not a fancy and goofy power, then I don't know what is. And Detritus too!
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Sep 10, 2009 22:14
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precision posted:I started reading Pratchett because I saw The Light Fantastic in a K-Mart a few months after it was published and for some fated reason, bought it. Reading it before CoM is one of only three times I read the books out of order... I read TLF before TCoM as well! When I was 10. In 1991. God, I'm old.
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Sep 10, 2009 22:18
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Dead Alice posted:And Detritus too! Detritus gets smarter when it's colder, and wields a siege bow. Angua is a werewolf. Carrot's got krisma. Fancy and goofy powers all around!
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Sep 10, 2009 22:57
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I started out with Sourcery on the way home from my school's German Exchange, rapidly followed by Equal Rites (which I retain a significant soft spot for so LAY OFF IT). Wasn't addicted until I got Men At Arms for Christmas a 18 months later. I think new readers are best off starting with Mort or Small Gods since Mort doesn't reach too deeply into the pool of regular story-leading characters apart from Death or Rincewind's cameo, and Small Gods is a genuine stand-alone novel. Guards Guards could also be a worthwhile starting point.
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Sep 10, 2009 23:30
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creamyhorror posted:For some reason, unlike with you guys, the Rincewind/magic/witchery books appeal more to me than the Watch ones. Maybe I just like my heroes with fancy and goofy powers Actually I'm with you on that. I've never really understood why fans of the Watch books sometimes talk as if they're obviously/unanimously better. The Witch and Lipwig books are my favourites, and I've also never understood all the hate for Equal Rites.
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Sep 12, 2009 01:35
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Guards! Guards! is a phenomenal place to start reading, and I generally hate fantasy.
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Sep 12, 2009 18:42
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glasnost toyboy posted:Guards! Guards! is a phenomenal place to start reading, and I generally hate fantasy. You probably like the Disc books because they're not really fantasy. Has anyone linked this yet? http://www.ansible.co.uk/misc/tpspeech.html
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Sep 13, 2009 01:22
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precision posted:You probably like the Disc books because they're not really fantasy. I like the Disc books because they're funny and intelligent enough to overcome my general suspicion of anything to do with dragons and magic.
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Sep 13, 2009 09:32
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glasnost toyboy posted:I like the Disc books because they're funny and intelligent enough to overcome my general suspicion of anything to do with dragons and magic. Exactly. Setting =/= Genre. The Disc books, at least after the first few, are pure satire, not fantasy. I share your distaste for fantasy; the only "fantasy" novels I've read in the past 14 years are the works of Michael Swanwick, who I think redefines the genre even more radically than Pratchett.[1] [1]: OK, I've kept reading the Wheel of Time books, but that's just because I liked the first few when I was a teenager and I simply cannot resist finishing a series of any sort until I get some loving answers.
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Sep 13, 2009 09:49
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Aussie Crawl posted:Too bad the Post Office one doesn't have the logo on it, despite it being used on the website. The text that is on the Post Office bag instead is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Anyway, I've read through most of this thread over the past months, and while I'm trying to read as much of the Discworld books as possible in a logical order, my library has a really scattered collection, and that is already after searching the provincial catalogue  Right now I'm trying to track down Witches Abroad, which only exists in the library collection in a trilogy book together with Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters (which I've already read) and it's either unavailable, or it's over two weeks overdue. Read so far: Color of Magic Light Fantastic Equal Rites Wyrd Sisters Pyramids Going Postal Making Money SixFigureSandwich fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Sep 13, 2009 |
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Sep 13, 2009 14:57
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Might be a good chance to repost the link to the reader's guide: http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/ This mostly just groups the stories chronologically by main-story focus, but there's plenty of crossover characters and cameos throughout. There isn't a way to go too wrong, since most of the books stand alone plotwise with the important background details regularly reintroduced. It doesn't address his non-Disc books though.
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Sep 14, 2009 08:37
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Another way to do it is just to read them in published order, since it seems to me that published order and chronological order are exactly the same. However, this means not reading each series in a row, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; it might be better to jump back and forth along the different storylines so that it's always fresh. The bad part about this is that someone new to Terry Pratchett ends up reading a few of the worse ones first (in my opinion), and might not get hooked like they should be. But then again, a bad Pratchett book is still so much better than pretty much every other book that it's probably OK.
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Sep 14, 2009 09:16
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yaffle posted:Except that in feet of clay there are constant references to his food and a description of his food tasters and I believe that Dragon king of arms says that arsenic in the candles wouldn't work against a Vampire and it does against Vetinari. Just to briefly resurrect this, the arsenic doesn't work against Vetinari, he's faking. There's a bit where he lights the poison candles for a brief moment, then cuts off most of it, making it look like it's been burnt down. Of course, he probably isn't a vampire because let's face it, it's less cool if he's supernatural.
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Sep 14, 2009 12:32
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Arsenic works against Vetinari, but plots don't work against Vetinari's brain.
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Sep 14, 2009 12:35
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Penguingo posted:Just to briefly resurrect this, the arsenic doesn't work against Vetinari, he's faking. There's a bit where he lights the poison candles for a brief moment, then cuts off most of it, making it look like it's been burnt down. No, he's definitely ill at first; he faints a couple times & in a rare example of a Vetinari-inner-monologue, he states he feels dreadful. He figured it out long before Vimes did, but he didn't know at first. Otherwise he would never have let the maid take the candle ends home to her family (where it kills the granny and the baby). Vetinari is a bastard, but he wouldn't have let innocent folk be killed off for no reason (if only because it leads to two less productive workers for the city)
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Sep 14, 2009 12:39
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I would hardly call Vetinari a "bastard". He's just ruthlessly efficient.
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Sep 14, 2009 14:20
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