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Dodger could have legitimately worked as a Discworld story. In fact as I was reading it, I was playing a little mental game and imagining the setting/characters in Ankh-Morpork and it fit well.
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Jan 22, 2014 00:04
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Mister Roboto posted:Dodger could have legitimately worked as a Discworld story. I was wondering why it wasn't.
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Jan 22, 2014 00:14
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There's also the Bromeliad trilogy (Truckers, Diggers, and Wings), which is aimed at a younger audience but is pretty solid.
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Jan 22, 2014 01:50
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LooseChanj posted:I was wondering why it wasn't. Same here. It really had a very Discworld feel and characters.
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Jan 22, 2014 02:15
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LooseChanj posted:I was wondering why it wasn't. Originally it was, but Pterry decided it worked better outside the Discworld setting. Ankh-Morpork isn't quite Victorian London yet.
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Jan 22, 2014 09:42
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When it was first being hinted at I was praying that Dodger was another (albeit unconnected) adventure in Nation's quasi-Europe. It wouldn't have taken even as much of a repapering as a Discworld book. Just file down a few of the location names to make it less specifically real-world London and slightly reshuffle the "historical" figures and it'd be perfect. Not that it ended up mattering much in Dodger's final version, but reading Nation left me wondering a lot about its pre-epilogue setting (although about that too, to be fair).
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Jan 22, 2014 10:26
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Thinking further, one could probably re-read Raising Steam and try and envision if each Vetinari scene is really him or Charlie.
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Jan 22, 2014 13:23
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Just started my first Pratchett book, Mort. Its...well not exactly a challenge to read. Hasn't really grabbed me yet. Given all of the praise that this author gets can I attribute my (so far) lack of enthusiasm to it being a fairly early book and the praise derives from later works, or the book itself gets better than the first 45 pages or so suggests?
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Feb 16, 2014 23:11
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Bilirubin posted:Just started my first Pratchett book, Mort. Its...well not exactly a challenge to read. Hasn't really grabbed me yet. Given all of the praise that this author gets can I attribute my (so far) lack of enthusiasm to it being a fairly early book and the praise derives from later works, or the book itself gets better than the first 45 pages or so suggests? Both; also, in general Mort's one of my least favorites. If you want an early one that is one of the best, read Small Gods.
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Feb 16, 2014 23:33
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Everybody loves the Death books; I think they're an awful loving entry point and not nearly as good as their reputation. The real star of the Discworld is Ankh-Morpork, and it's totally loving neglected by the Death books(aside from, perhaps, Hogfather). I'd try one of the City Watch books before writing the Discworld off. Guards, Guards! or Men at Arms are good starters, there. I think Men at Arms is the better book by quite a bit and probably the better starting point. It's newer and it's much more representative of most of the Discworld than is Guards, Guards!. The characters from it are first introduced in Guards, but Pratchett's not a particularly difficult read and it's not that hard to get your bearings straight. Subtle, his characters are not. If you don't like Men at Arms, give up on Pratchett, but if you don't like Mort, well. Mort's fairly lovely and not indicative of the series as a whole.
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Feb 16, 2014 23:40
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Men At Arms is a very good choice, as it got me really into the Discworld after playing the first Point And Click game and reading some graphic novels.
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Feb 16, 2014 23:51
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Khizan posted:Everybody loves the Death books; I think they're an awful loving entry point and not nearly as good as their reputation. The real star of the Discworld is Ankh-Morpork, and it's totally loving neglected by the Death books(aside from, perhaps, Hogfather). Just my luck to start with a dog. Well, its been on my bookshelf for so long I have no idea where it actually came from so it was time. Thanks for these (and the other) suggestions. About 100 pages in and the story kind of tells itself with me as a passive observer. Decent enough pass time I suppose.
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Feb 17, 2014 00:16
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Bilirubin posted:Just started my first Pratchett book, Mort. Its...well not exactly a challenge to read. Hasn't really grabbed me yet. Given all of the praise that this author gets can I attribute my (so far) lack of enthusiasm to it being a fairly early book and the praise derives from later works, or the book itself gets better than the first 45 pages or so suggests? Everyone always seems to recommend Mort as the first Discworld for people, and I've never quite understood that, but then I never found it as good as others seem to either. I like the other Death books, but they are a bit more peripheral than most Pratchett stuff. I think Khizan is spot on.
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Feb 17, 2014 00:24
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Mort has great ideas but it's a bit weaker than usual on characters, and the plot (in my opinion) isn't great. I liked both Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! much more. Mort is far from bad, but it's a weird starter recommendation that still gets thrown around a lot - maybe because it's one of the earliest books that aren't just parody.
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Feb 17, 2014 01:45
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Am I in trouble if I admit I liked Sourcery? I started reading through Discworld from the beginning about eight months ago; I just finished Soul Music yesterday. They're all quite good; forced to choose, I'd say so far I liked Reaper Man the most and Pyramids the least. Moving Pictures didn't excite me much either. As for which of the casts I'm most fond of, it's a close contest between the Watch and the witches. And like most I find Vetinari one of the most awesome characters ever, in a way that completely wouldn't work if he were ever made a central character instead of a mostly-background one. Eric the Mauve fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Feb 17, 2014 |
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Feb 17, 2014 06:02
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I like Mort if only for the line "There is no justice, just us". Plus it's a Death book and they're the best ones so there.
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Feb 17, 2014 06:25
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Reaper Man has probably the greatest closing line of any book ever.
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Feb 17, 2014 06:45
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Eric the Mauve posted:Am I in trouble if I admit I liked Sourcery? I like Sourcery. It's a nice blend of early Discworld fantasy parody and the things that'd come to make up Discworld in the future. Plus Rincewind going to fight the Things with nothing more than a sockful of sand was such a great scene.
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Feb 17, 2014 09:42
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Daktar posted:I like Sourcery. It's a nice blend of early Discworld fantasy parody and the things that'd come to make up Discworld in the future. Plus Rincewind going to fight the Things with nothing more than a sockful of sand was such a great scene. "Is it the sock of an Archchancellor? Is it a sock of force?" That's about the only good bit of the book, though.
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Feb 17, 2014 10:18
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Bilirubin posted:Just my luck to start with a dog. Well, its been on my bookshelf for so long I have no idea where it actually came from so it was time. Yeah, I suggest Mort a lot, but if its themes aren't working, I think Guards! Guards! or Wyrd Sisters would be good starters too, they are a bit more "traditional" in their narrative structure.
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Feb 18, 2014 07:08
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My first was A Hat Full of Sky, because I didn't know it was a sequel. After that I went to Guards, Guards! and read the Watch books in order.
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Feb 18, 2014 07:15
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I started at Going Postal, I saw it at the local library and the description sounded interesting. One of the best drat book decisions in my life.
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Feb 18, 2014 07:33
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I always thought Mort had one of the best, if not the best, climax of any early Disc book, both in terms of emotional weight and action. Pterry is kind of the inverse of Stephenson or King; his books tend to have fantastic endings, even when they start off weak (though the opening of Sourcery is pretty awesome).
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Feb 18, 2014 13:24
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YggiDee posted:I started at Going Postal, I saw it at the local library and the description sounded interesting. One of the best drat book decisions in my life. Going Postal was my first English Pterry book, bought on a whim because I had to fly to London. I'm so happy I did that!
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Feb 18, 2014 15:07
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I first read Thief of Time as my first Discworld novel, my dad read them all the time but I never tried until I was in Australia. I really enjoyed it and then basically read his collection in order, but he didn't buy them in order (drat him) which is why I bought books to fill the gaps. Sourcery is the one book of Disc series I haven't read. To me I have to agree with the hive mind and say Ankh-Morpork is by far the best bit of the Discworld books and your first book should focus on that. To prove a point my favourite part of Pyramids is the start when the main character is in Ankh-Morpork as a member of the Assassins Guild?
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Feb 18, 2014 15:42
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Night Watch is still by far the best IMO, but it's not one you could really read first. I've been into Pratchett basically since I can remember, so I don't really know much on suggested reading order...
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Feb 18, 2014 20:23
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I've been stocking up on Discworld companion books (I recently bought Art of..., Turtle Recall, and Streets of Ankh-Morpork) and I had a look at Wikipedia to see what else is worth getting. Since I'm halfway through Wyrd Sisters and loving it, I think I might get Nanny Ogg's Cookbook next. What other tie-in books are must haves? Also I found this: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mrs-Bradshaws-Handbook-Terry-Pratchett/9780857522436 I haven't yet read a book with a Mrs Bradshaw in it, so I'm not sure what the connection to Discworld is. However, Bradshaw's Handbook is a famous travel guide to Britain from the 1800s, so maybe this will be a similar thing for the Discworld!
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Feb 19, 2014 02:16
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I hear the diaries are interesting, but they ARE still diaries, so it's up to you if the little snippets are worth the investment.
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Feb 19, 2014 02:25
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thespaceinvader posted:Night Watch is still by far the best IMO, but it's not one you could really read first. I've been into Pratchett basically since I can remember, so I don't really know much on suggested reading order... I always thought starting with the Watch series was a good plan. If I recall correctly my first Discworld book was Men at Arms, but my first ever TP book was Truckers.
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Feb 19, 2014 03:32
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precision posted:I always thought Mort had one of the best, if not the best, climax of any early Disc book, both in terms of emotional weight and action. I am glad I stuck with it for the ending, which was oddly satisfying for an otherwise quick and uncomplicated read. Book grew on me as I went along. ETA: Albert's reappearance at the University was hilarious OK so off to find a copy of Men at Arms I guess. Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 05:05
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Khizan posted:Everybody loves the Death books; I think they're an awful loving entry point and not nearly as good as their reputation. The real star of the Discworld is Ankh-Morpork, and it's totally loving neglected by the Death books(aside from, perhaps, Hogfather). I agree almost completely with this post. I started with Men at Arms and it was a great place for it. That said, the Eternal Pratchett Debate is "where is the best place to start" and for my money it's Guards, Guards, (with the possible alternative of The Wee Free Men if the prospective reader is very young), just because I find a lot of people get annoyed if they don't start a series at "the beginning" and Guards, Guards is as close to a "starting point" as you get in Discworld, and the best of the available "starting point" options (Color of Magic is too raw, Equal Rites is non-representative, etc.) Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 05:48
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Amazing Maurice is a pretty good non-series starting point, I reckon.
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Feb 19, 2014 05:58
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Bilirubin posted:I am glad I stuck with it for the ending, which was oddly satisfying for an otherwise quick and uncomplicated read. Book grew on me as I went along. ETA: Albert's reappearance at the University was hilarious Do you have any other Pratchett books?
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Feb 19, 2014 06:54
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I agree almost completely with this post. I started with Men at Arms and it was a great place for it. That said, the Eternal Pratchett Debate is "where is the best place to start" and for my money it's Guards, Guards, (with the possible alternative of The Wee Free Men if the prospective reader is very young), just because I find a lot of people get annoyed if they don't start a series at "the beginning" and Guards, Guards is as close to a "starting point" as you get in Discworld, and the best of the available "starting point" options (Color of Magic is too raw, Equal Rites is non-representative, etc.)
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Feb 19, 2014 07:22
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I wouldn't tell anyone to start with the Witch books, but they are my favorite set of characters, Esme Weatherwax being the absolute best. "Headology".
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Feb 19, 2014 07:29
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I personally like Going Postal as a starting point. It's really self-contained, but the Vetinari/Vimes/etc. cameos show why the characters are amazing without having to know anything about them. You get to know Ankh-Morpork and the Disc and its peoples without having to eat any walls of text explaining things or being confused. And I just really like the Post Office crew 
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Feb 19, 2014 07:31
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Mister Roboto posted:Do you have any other Pratchett books? No, was surprised to find I had this one in fact
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Feb 19, 2014 19:25
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Just start in chronological order with Colour of Magic/Light Fantastic combo and go on. Each one is a gem for itself (Soul Music being my personal favorite)
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Feb 20, 2014 13:13
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Bilirubin posted:Just started my first Pratchett book, Mort. Its...well not exactly a challenge to read. Hasn't really grabbed me yet. Given all of the praise that this author gets can I attribute my (so far) lack of enthusiasm to it being a fairly early book and the praise derives from later works, or the book itself gets better than the first 45 pages or so suggests? Books with City Watch are easily the best.
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Feb 20, 2014 13:13
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adary posted:Just start in chronological order with Colour of Magic/Light Fantastic combo and go on. Each one is a gem for itself (Soul Music being my personal favorite) The problem with that is that the early books are more of a straight riff on old Fantasy staples, if you're a fan of Fantasy already then they're fun reads however if you're not they can feel a bit awkward and obtuse compared to the later Discworld books. My first Discworld book was Guards Guards about 20 odd years ago and I've never looked back.
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Feb 20, 2014 13:42
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