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Desiree Cousteau posted:I, for example, am related to a whole clan of Granny Weatherwaxes. It was terrible, every single one of my aunts knew what I was doing before I did. And my uncles and cousins and brothers-in-laws all have the single attitude of, "get out of the way and let it by". It is kind of funny though. I think none of my aunts quite understand why they don't get along with their daughters-in-laws. My own grandmother had a bit of Ogg in her, in retrospect, and she even looked the part.
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Jan 26, 2012 04:03
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My mother and I agree, my Nan had some Nanny Ogg qualities too.
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Jan 26, 2012 04:11
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Sorry if this has been brought up before but has anyone got any of the audiobooks for Discworld? I got an invite to a trial at audible a little over a year ago and I was impressed enough to stay signed on. It's nice I think to be able to just sit and listen to the books when I'm relaxing at home and/or tired. Nigel Plainer 4 lyf I'm with you on Vimes needing to be taken down a few pegs Mister Roboto but I don't think Pratchett will go that far. I think the Watch series (or at least the Vimes series) should end with Vimes giving in his badge in 'disgrace' for giving into the 'Beast'. It would be a BAD END , but I feel one that he's been building up to for a good many books now. That said, should Vimes ever leave office then the upheaval in Ankh-Morpork (and pretty much the Disc) would be intense, something I don't think Pratchett will do due to circumstances. So if it ever happened it would have to be the last book in the Discworld series I think. Hopefully we get a Bookend book, but maybe it's better we don't.
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Jan 26, 2012 07:52
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Jedit posted:Vimes benefits from the Summoning Dark because of his job. As a nightwatchman his power is symbolically tied to the night, so when he uses it during the day he is technically making the day part of the night - which in a way is summoning the dark. The price he pays is that because he can do this, he can never actually stop being a copper, and he pays that price every day. See also that guy who shoes Death's horse; he's the greatest blacksmith on the Disc, but that means he has to do it.
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Jan 26, 2012 08:15
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Mister Roboto posted:
The price is the curse has to put up with Vimes. Remember who you are talking about, sonny-jim. And anyone remotely interested in the audiobooks would be far better served by first finding the four excellent radio plays produced instead; Mort, Guards! Guards!, Small Gods and Wyrd Sisters.
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Jan 26, 2012 08:27
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Pope Guilty posted:See also that guy who shoes Death's horse; he's the greatest blacksmith on the Disc, but that means he has to do it.
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Jan 26, 2012 13:00
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I just re-read Feet of Clay for the third or fourth time, and I just caught the Robocop references, such as "Undead Or Alive You Are Coming With Me"
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Jan 26, 2012 14:02
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ConfusedUs posted:I just re-read Feet of Clay for the third or fourth time, and I just caught the Robocop references, such as "Undead Or Alive You Are Coming With Me" How did you manage to read FoC three times without spotting "To Serve The Public Trust, To Protect The Innocent, And To Seriously Prod Buttock"?
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Jan 26, 2012 19:02
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KayGee posted:Sorry if this has been brought up before but has anyone got any of the audiobooks for Discworld? I got an invite to a trial at audible a little over a year ago and I was impressed enough to stay signed on. It's nice I think to be able to just sit and listen to the books when I'm relaxing at home and/or tired. Nigel Plainer 4 lyf Oh definitely, I love my Pratchett audiobooks. Stephen Briggs is clearly the better performer/actor/whatever though.
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Jan 26, 2012 22:12
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I just finished I Shall Wear Midnight today, and it was superb. The depth of Pratchett's thought is really astounding at times, especially when it comes in a form meant ostensibly "for younger readers."
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Jan 27, 2012 06:47
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Feet of Clay is one of the best Watch novels just because of how well the mystery is done. The climax is a bit weak but overall it's good.
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Jan 27, 2012 06:48
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Juaguocio posted:I just finished I Shall Wear Midnight today, and it was superb. The depth of Pratchett's thought is really astounding at times, especially when it comes in a form meant ostensibly "for younger readers." Pterry once said that you can tell when you're reading one of his children's books because the story is darker.
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Jan 27, 2012 09:23
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a cow posted:Oh definitely, I love my Pratchett audiobooks. Stephen Briggs is clearly the better performer/actor/whatever though. Speaking of audio books, which one would you say is the best one? I got an Audible credit kicking around I have to use before cancelling the service and I'd like to use it on some Discworld. (I already got Nightwatch, Going Postal and Thud)
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Jan 27, 2012 18:06
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Mister Roboto posted:Feet of Clay is one of the best Watch novels just because of how well the mystery is done. The mystery is just so great, particularly if you've read a couple of Pratchett books prior to it. Because by that point you're used to his style of literary/social allusion, so you think you're being so clever, picking up all the references to poison wallpaper (Napoleon) and poison books (Umberto Eco), and of course it's nothing to do with any of that at all. And then you feel a bit silly, just as Vimes did. It's a marvellous book, one of those very rare mystery novels that are even better on a re-read, because then you can see just how perfectly plotted it is.
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Jan 28, 2012 01:27
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When I read it I was thinking that he had read The Elements of Murder by John Emsley, which has an extensive chapter on Arsenic, and how it is used. And yes, you used to be able to buy it by the pound. I thought the murder mystery was a sideline; sort of the stage dressing to hold your attention while he slips in a couple more thoughts on self-determination. The books I love the best are the ones that examine a philosophic question: In Feet of Clay it is what is the nature self determination, and what are the ramifications. I think this is a central theme to a lot of what Pratchett does: it is the question that both Brutha and Om face in Small Gods, it is what Mr. Tulip faces and Mr. Pin bobbles in The Truth, it is what Mr. Nutt has to face in Unseen Academicals. It is a question that Rincewind ran away from for so many books. A lot of the characters do avoid or miss the issue, though, and sometimes it is because life keeps going on. It is also what the Wizards have had to face ever since Sourcery, what do you do when you have unlimited power and unimaginable reach and the ability to unmake the very fabric of reality? well, have a comittee meeting and 5 heavy meals a day until the urge goes away. This is also a momentous decision.
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Jan 28, 2012 06:32
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WORDS IN THE HEART CANNOT BE TAKEN. It's one of those quotes that has stuck with me ever since I first read Feet of Clay like 9 years ago.
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Jan 28, 2012 06:44
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Iacen posted:Speaking of audio books, which one would you say is the best one? I have a great affinity for Reaper Man.
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Jan 28, 2012 10:51
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Irisi posted:The mystery is just so great, particularly if you've read a couple of Pratchett books prior to it. Because by that point you're used to his style of literary/social allusion, so you think you're being so clever, picking up all the references to poison wallpaper (Napoleon) and poison books (Umberto Eco), and of course it's nothing to do with any of that at all. And then you feel a bit silly, just as Vimes did. Pratchett claims to have once received a postcard that said "WE WERE SURE IT WAS THE WALLPAPER YOU BASTARD"
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Jan 28, 2012 16:14
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Gods help Gargamel if he met the Nac Mac Feegles.
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Jan 28, 2012 22:46
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A thing that I learned recently: The Nac Mac Feegle call themselves "Pictsies". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picts
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Jan 29, 2012 12:37
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Yeah, that's one of the better punes, or plays on words, in Discworld.
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Jan 30, 2012 22:02
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So a friend of mine is working on an unofficial Russian translation of Snuff* and he's wondering how to translate Unggue. Is it just a goblin-y sounding word or are there any references or puns we're missing? * Why? Well, the publishers that have the right for Pratchett in Russia are releasing new books in a controlled drip of roughly two books a year. I think they're at Last Hero right now.
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Feb 2, 2012 17:33
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L space has annotations for stuff that has real world parallels and they don't have any notes for unggue so I'd assume it's a totally made up word. http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Unggue ONE YEAR LATER fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Feb 2, 2012 |
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Feb 2, 2012 19:39
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Could be a variant on Unguent.
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Feb 2, 2012 20:13
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That would work if there was any thematic link. I reckon it's just supposed to be a barbaric-sounding guttural noiseword to juxtapose against the pretty little pots and subtleties of feeling the goblins display. So yeah, I don't know any Russian but you're looking for one of those.
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Feb 2, 2012 22:42
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There are such things as glue pots. It could be as simple as there was one in Terry's eyeline when he needed a word. Eskarina got her name from Terry wanting a short name and his eyes fell on the Esc key.
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Feb 3, 2012 03:28
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I just got done with reading snuff, and I have a question. When did Vimes become blackboard monitor? And when did he get the... other perk? Cuz I think I remember reading about vimes in Koom Valley and the peace talks between the dwarves and trolls (weren't they playing chess or something?) in some book, but I don't remember Vimes getting any rewards for that. Did this happen in another book or is it just mentioned for the fiirst time in Snuff?
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Feb 3, 2012 04:07
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Vorgen posted:I just got done with reading snuff, and I have a question. When did Vimes become blackboard monitor? And when did he get the... other perk? Cuz I think I remember reading about vimes in Koom Valley and the peace talks between the dwarves and trolls (weren't they playing chess or something?) in some book, but I don't remember Vimes getting any rewards for that. Did this happen in another book or is it just mentioned for the fiirst time in Snuff? That comes from The Fifth Elephant, if I'm not mistaken. He's meeting with some dwarves and he mentions that he was the blackboard monitor when he was in school, and the dwarves treat him with unexpected reverence as a result because they respect words. Or they're angry at him because they respect words and he erased them. Something along those lines, it's been years since I read that book. New Yorp New Yorp fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Feb 3, 2012 |
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Feb 3, 2012 04:43
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Ithaqua posted:That comes from Thud!, if I'm not mistaken. He's meeting with some dwarves and he mentions that he was the blackboard monitor when he was in school, and the dwarves treat him with unexpected reverence as a result because they respect words. Or they're angry at him because they respect words and he erased them. Something along those lines, it's been years since I read that book. You were correct before your edit; the first mention of Blackboard Monitor Vimes is in The Fifth Elephant. edit: STOP EDITING WHILE I AM TRYING TO QUOTE YOU JESUS gently caress
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Feb 3, 2012 04:49
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DontMockMySmock posted:You were correct before your edit; the first mention of Blackboard Monitor Vimes is in The Fifth Elephant. SORRY I WILL NEVER EDIT A POST EVER AGAIN. I kept digging through Wikipedia and finding contradictory information, so I kept editing my post. I think I edited it 8 times in 5 minutes. I'm weird like that.
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Feb 3, 2012 04:55
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Ithaqua posted:That comes from The Fifth Elephant, if I'm not mistaken. He's meeting with some dwarves and he mentions that he was the blackboard monitor when he was in school, and the dwarves treat him with unexpected reverence as a result because they respect words. Or they're angry at him because they respect words and he erased them. Something along those lines, it's been years since I read that book. Right on most of that. The dwarves in Fifth Elephant add it to his list of titles because of their respect for responsibility over words in the name of education, and other more-fundamentalist dwarves in Thud hate him for being responsible for destroying any words at all. The Thuddian Ankh-Morpork down-deep dwarves don't follow or even like the 5th'Lephantian Low King out in Uberwald. Down the other vein, the Mr. Shine-respecting-Thuddwarf-crew don't mind hanging with Vimes.
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Feb 3, 2012 06:19
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Then how did he become best buds with the summoning dark?
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Feb 3, 2012 07:48
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Remember when his inner watchman "locked away" the Dark inside Vimes' mind? Apparently that was more than just a metaphor, it's still there and can be "unlocked", sort of like how Da Chief goes and cuts a deal with Jimmy the Squealer for info.
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Feb 3, 2012 08:42
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A while ago...I decided to reread all books in order, got up to Wyrd Sisters and thought...know what, I want to read all the witch books in order before moving onto Pyramids. So I did, then continue this...making sure to read all the witch, watch and Death books together. If you are going to have a Pratchett rerun...I thoroughly recommend doing this. I started to realise how well defined his characters are, especially when you take into account that he seldom released 2 themes sequentially and how much his writing has evolved. There are a few exceptions, but there is some very subtle changes to his most stoic characters, and some massive changes to some you wouldn't realise when reading them separated. I don't mean Vimes. His evolution is way too obvious. Terry has said himself that it is very hard to write Vimes into a story without Vimes becoming the story, specifically how much he has to write him OUT of Monstrous Regiment. I mean the others. Susan is the biggest one to mind. But there are others. The go from being the person that fits in the story to the person the story is written around. And doing a 6 book "World according to Weatherwax" followed by the Tiffany series is a great education too. Thoroughly recommend this. I only wish there was a solid timeline for how things happen in years...not just book sequence.
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Feb 13, 2012 08:37
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Kaskadan posted:I only wish there was a solid timeline for how things happen in years...not just book sequence. Thief of Time explains why there isn't. Basically, the History Monks have been shifting small pieces of time around in order to keep the whole of causality stable. As a result, the sequence of events in the books has changed since they were written and continues to change.
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Feb 13, 2012 09:28
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I know it's because of Baldrick, but Tony Robinson was born to play Nobby Nobbs. Does he still narrate the audiobooks?
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Feb 14, 2012 06:25
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Regrettably yes. I find his voice very distracting. Don't look at me like that, the Nobbs in the Guards! Guards! radio play was the pitch. perfect. Nobby.
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Feb 14, 2012 08:30
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Jedit posted:Thief of Time explains why there isn't. Also, in that same book (spoilers for Thief Of Time, Night Watch, and Wyrd Sisters) the Glass Clock utterly shatters history and it gets glued back together in a sort of "yeah, that's as good as we're going to get it" way. That's also the reason behind the events in Night Watch - the Glass Clock loving up history threw Vimes back in time (because he was falling through the Library at the time?) and the History Monks couldn't fix it on their own, since Carcer was there loving poo poo up too. This may mean that many main plotlines before/since then only happend because history got broken and people ended up in the wrong place. I don't imagine Granny shifting all of Lancre 16 or so years forward helped much, either. Granny meeting Lu Tze would be pretty aweome, they're similar in many ways.
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Feb 14, 2012 11:36
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Nilbop posted:Regrettably yes. I find his voice very distracting. I've always liked using weird Irish Nobby from Discworld Noir.
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Feb 14, 2012 14:09
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AlphaDog posted:Also, in that same book (spoilers for Thief Of Time, Night Watch, and Wyrd Sisters) the Glass Clock utterly shatters history and it gets glued back together in a sort of "yeah, that's as good as we're going to get it" way. That's also the reason behind the events in Night Watch - the Glass Clock loving up history threw Vimes back in time (because he was falling through the Library at the time?) and the History Monks couldn't fix it on their own, since Carcer was there loving poo poo up too. This may mean that many main plotlines before/since then only happend because history got broken and people ended up in the wrong place. I don't imagine Granny shifting all of Lancre 16 or so years forward helped much, either. Yeah, there's a few other things like that too - Djelibeybi springs to mind. Ultimately, the only thing we can be sure of is that great sex doesn't last long enough.* * Except for the Zabingo tribe of the Great Nef, of course.
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Feb 14, 2012 19:56
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