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The best Pratchett book to start with is whatever's in your local library.
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Aug 6, 2022 05:33
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DontMockMySmock posted:The best Pratchett book to start with is whatever's in your local library. Also whichever story line tickles your fancy. Wizards? Witches? Detectives? The actual avatar of Death as a character with a fascination for humans? Fantasy entrepreneurs press ganged into service? Most of the stories that are further along in any one group of protagonists story are pretty good as stand alone books too, even if you see more in the way of linking elements to the greater world if you are familiar with the previous books, so if one particular book description stands out, then go for that one because you can always go back if you like it. You'll even have an excuse to re-read that first book to see the greater story it was part of.
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Aug 6, 2022 05:41
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tsob posted:I barely see them mentioned, but I think the "Science of Discword" books are probably some of my favorite Pratchett stuff, just because I enjoy both halves and I'm not honestly sure if I prefer Pratchett's side about the Unseen University wizards being a gaggle of barely functioning idiots who pull through or Cohen and Stewarts half musing about related science topics in a very easy to digest pop-science way more. I definitely prefer the approach later Wizard stuff took to focusing on the misadventures of a dozen or so UU head men over Rincewind, with Rincewind more the put upon schmuck they drag behind them than focusing solely on Rincewind as the earlier Wizarding books did. The wizard's stunned awe at how a bunch of idiot, violent apes managed to survive in the face of a magic-free, uncaring universe sums up everything you need to know about Terry's philosophy.
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Aug 6, 2022 06:53
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small gods is i think my favourite of the discworld books but it lands so well in part because it's a very deliberate inversion, or maybe a correction of the mistakes made in Pyramids ie just leave AH out it will overcrowd the story otherwise, which makes it very radically different to any of the other discworld books. and if you don't know those beats, if you don't have an understanding of how the religion and tone of the setting work you don't feel the subversion and as such it doesn't land quite as well. so it kind of works as a stand alone but it also doesn't? guards, death, witches in order then the standalones is how i did it and it's fine. i don't recommend publication order because some significant fraction of people won't make it through the first three books while if you go back and read them as kind of prototypes they tend to read a little better, imo.
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Aug 6, 2022 19:11
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DontMockMySmock posted:The best Pratchett book to start with is whatever's in your local library. To be fair, this approach caused me to start with Strata and be deeply, deeply confused for a while. Old Kentucky Shark fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Aug 7, 2022 |
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Aug 6, 2022 23:10
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My first discworld book was Equal Rites which maybe me almost not keep going. Then I read Monstrous Regiment which I really liked and then Going Postal. After that I liked the series enough to read the whole thing in order. So I usually tell people to start with Going Postal. It's still my favorite Discworld book (hense my avatar :P) and I think stands alone pretty well.
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Aug 7, 2022 18:27
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I know I read others before then, but the first one I remember was my dad reading Witches Abroad to me. He liked to do voices when reading, and one scene (the birthday cameo) has stuck in my head. He was a good influence for me getting into them, because he helped me spot some of the various references. The first book reads a lot better if you know the pulp fantasy stuff it's riffing on, for example.
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Aug 8, 2022 06:12
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Bruceski posted:The first book reads a lot better if you know the pulp fantasy stuff it's riffing on, for example. That was really what endeared me to early Discworld. I started with 'A Light Fantastic' of all things, while making my way through the entire fantasy shelf of my local library. I had read a tonne of second and third entries of a series and was used to being pretty confused for the first couple of pages till I figured out a rough idea of the plot from context clues, but what really sold me on the series was that it poked fun on the fantasy tropes I was consuming at that time. e X fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Aug 8, 2022 |
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Aug 8, 2022 16:01
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Good Omens is another fun standalone recommendation if you like cleverly written prose. Pratchett and Gaiman both have a talent for wordplay and clever symbolism that make for interesting reading when combined.
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Aug 10, 2022 05:23
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Liquid Communism posted:Good Omens is another fun standalone recommendation if you like cleverly written prose. Pratchett and Gaiman both have a talent for wordplay and clever symbolism that make for interesting reading when combined. I was asked to leave a library while reading this book. (I couldn't stop laughing)
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Aug 10, 2022 05:31
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Liquid Communism posted:Good Omens is another fun standalone recommendation if you like cleverly written prose. Pratchett and Gaiman both have a talent for wordplay and clever symbolism that make for interesting reading when combined. Good Omens is sooo good and I’ve re-read it several times. I find something new every time.
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Aug 12, 2022 13:05
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dino. posted:Good Omens is sooo good and I’ve re-read it several times. I find something new every time. There is a decent tv version too. I'm never sure how many people still know about Just William though, because the kids in that are basically a direct quote
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Aug 13, 2022 00:03
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Watching David Tenant swanning about in tight leather trousers was a good time for me and the boyfriend. We loved it.
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Aug 13, 2022 14:49
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sebmojo posted:There is a decent tv version too. If you can find the audio books read by Martin Jarvis, they are fantastic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpasO_qd22E
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Aug 14, 2022 00:38
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ONE YEAR LATER posted:Publication order or gtfo Yes, but no. Start with Small Gods and/or Guards! Guards! If they pull you in completely then go back to the beginning.
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Aug 15, 2022 17:06
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stereobreadsticks posted:Yes, but no. Start with Small Gods and/or Guards! Guards! If they pull you in completely then go back to the beginning. ^^^ I tried to read Hogfather first but couldn’t get into it. Then I tried Small Gods and was off to the races. Read the Rincewind stuff next and when I started in on Guards Guards I lost my mind, I loved the night watch so much! Then I hit Tiffany Aching because I’m a sucker for YA lit, and I am switching every other book I read with either the Witches line or Death line. I did circle back around to Hogfather and quite enjoy the BBC miniseries of it 
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Aug 17, 2022 01:40
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stereobreadsticks posted:Yes, but no. Start with Small Gods and/or Guards! Guards! If they pull you in completely then go back to the beginning. I started with Small Gods, and absolutely loved it.Went with Color of Magic next and loved it too, but Light Fantastic didn't grab me much. There's so many places to start, that as long as you read the synopsis and it looks like you'll like it, you can't go wrong (some of the last books non-withstanding).
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Aug 17, 2022 03:56
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Small Gods is the only Pratchett book I haven’t finished because I freaking hated it. The thing was rife with comic book level assholes, including the loving turtle. If I can’t sympathise with the characters overall (minus a villain or two) I won’t be able to get into the book/story. It’s why I absolutely couldn’t watch The Good Place. I legit hated everyone on it, and couldn’t enjoy myself.
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Aug 17, 2022 11:28
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dino. posted:Small Gods is the only Pratchett book I haven’t finished because I freaking hated it. The thing was rife with comic book level assholes, including the loving turtle. If I can’t sympathise with the characters overall (minus a villain or two) I won’t be able to get into the book/story. It’s why I absolutely couldn’t watch The Good Place. I legit hated everyone on it, and couldn’t enjoy myself.  You're not meant to sympathise with Vorbis, he's is literally the antagonist and an absolute piece of poo poo. Om isn't much better but the whole point of the book is Om realising that Gods are assholes who don't deserve their worshippers, and that includes him. I can't remember any other "comic book level assholes"
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Aug 17, 2022 11:46
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If you sympathize with anyone in Small Gods who is remotely definable as a "villain", then you're really telling on yourself.
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Aug 17, 2022 12:28
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I think the only people in the book you're meant to identify with are Not Thomas Aquinus, Not Diogenes, the Not Man In
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Aug 17, 2022 13:06
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I felt a bit sorry for the Master Of Novices, who was a overall fairly nice man who was very hard on himself for the sin of Really Liking Boobies (and was also trapped in a hellish system of religion)
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Aug 17, 2022 14:08
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I started with The Color of Magic in my first year of high school, in 2004 and was immediately hooked for some reason. It was recommended to me by a student teacher in one of my classes. I had recently read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy so that might have helped, I think the first 2 books have a very "Hitchhiker's Guide, but for fantasy" feel. I don't remember which one I read next, but I'm definitely responsible for my school's library doubling their collection of discworld books. One of the librarians also recommended Tom Holt, who has some decent books but none of them left as much of an imprint on me. Mort is a very strong starting point though.
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Aug 17, 2022 14:45
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The first Pratchett I read was a short story featuring Granny Weatherwax, then I went and started from The Color of Magic. It's a good short story: https://www.angelfire.com/weird2/athenia/stories/pterry/sea.htm
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Aug 18, 2022 00:11
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Blimey, angelfire. 
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Aug 18, 2022 00:14
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Yeah I was surprised that the link worked haha
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Aug 18, 2022 00:17
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Just finished my re-read of Small Gods. What a fantastic book! Love the expansion of the world and in particular the world of gods. The desert being filled with billions of small gods buzzing around desperately trying to find a believer is a very fascinating image to me, it makes me think of a world where some other god elbowed away Yahweh at the critical moment and instead we’d have Grubalism or something.
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Aug 18, 2022 03:01
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ONE YEAR LATER posted:The first Pratchett I read was a short story featuring Granny Weatherwax, then I went and started from The Color of Magic. The Sea and Little Fishes is a great story, yes. So is Troll Bridge You did just remind me to source a copy of Theatre of Cruelty, though.
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Aug 18, 2022 11:05
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ONE YEAR LATER posted:The first Pratchett I read was a short story featuring Granny Weatherwax, then I went and started from The Color of Magic. goddamn that sure is a website design Thanks for linking it though, I almost forgot this one existed.
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Aug 18, 2022 12:49
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Xarn posted:goddamn that sure is a website design All it needs is a guest book, a webring link, and an Enya midi auto playing in the background to fully transport me back to 1997.
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Aug 18, 2022 13:38
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ONE YEAR LATER posted:The first Pratchett I read was a short story featuring Granny Weatherwax, then I went and started from The Color of Magic. I've only ever read The Sea And Little Fishes reposted on some janky website in the back rear end of nowhere, but that link went down years ago, so this is perfect A bit from near the end, spoilered for people just running across this now quote:"What's empowerin' about witchcraft anyway?" said Granny. "It's a daft sort of a word." Ahh yeah, that's the stuff
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Aug 18, 2022 14:00
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Edit: Whoops, wrong thread. Thanks for the heads up "Mad Hamish".
tsob fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Aug 18, 2022 |
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Aug 18, 2022 22:14
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I think you may have intended to post that in the Wheel of Time thread.
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Aug 18, 2022 22:45
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Rereading Moving Pictures for the first time since I was young, and I don't think I understood even half the book the first time
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Aug 19, 2022 00:56
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At the Discworld Convention, and it’s fun but there’s a huge black space in the middle of everything, and it’s faintly depressing. The constant empty chair onstage is an apt metaphor:
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Aug 20, 2022 14:53
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The_Doctor posted:At the Discworld Convention, and it’s fun but there’s a huge black space in the middle of everything, and it’s faintly depressing. The constant empty chair onstage is an apt metaphor: Lucky you. I had to cancel in 2018 due to holiday clashes, then 2020 didn't happen and the memberships all bumped to this year. There's people I haven't seen in years. (Don't go out of your way or anything, but if you happen to run into one of ccooke, Aquarion, Kincaid or Random, do please tell them Jedit says hi to everyone. )
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Aug 20, 2022 19:14
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Jedit posted:Lucky you. I had to cancel in 2018 due to holiday clashes, then 2020 didn't happen and the memberships all bumped to this year. There's people I haven't seen in years. I was sat with them all for a fair bit of yesterday and today, and will again shortly! They’re all my era AFP friends too.
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Aug 20, 2022 20:54
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Anyone read 'A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfictions'?
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Sep 7, 2022 02:54
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FPyat posted:Anyone read 'A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfictions'? Yes, but not since it came out. It's as Pterry as you'd expect.
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Sep 7, 2022 08:24
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FPyat posted:Anyone read 'A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfictions'? If you want to read it and you’re in the uk I can send you a copy. It’s right here on my charity shop pile. Edit: gonna regret this when I run out of things to burn and freeze to death in a few months
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Sep 7, 2022 08:52
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