Pratchett II: The Wrath of Om

[Liffguard]

So it's not a series in the strictest sense?

ETA: accidental alliteration!

It is a series, there's continuity and character development and all that. It's just that it's fairly loose continuity, the plot of each book is entirely self-contained and Pratchett writes in such a way that it's very easy to understand what's going on regardless of prior experience.

[Guest]

It is a series, there's continuity and character development and all that. It's just that it's fairly loose continuity, the plot of each book is entirely self-contained and Pratchett writes in such a way that it's very easy to understand what's going on regardless of prior experience.

OK, thanks.

I think if i get to it, I will start at the beginning just as a personal preference even if it's feasible to jump right in elsewhere.

[HairBearHero]

OK, thanks.

I think if i get to it, I will start at the beginning just as a personal preference even if it's feasible to jump right in elsewhere.

The only thing I'd bear in mind if you're reading in series order is that the first two (possibly even 3 - I didn't like Equal Rites very much so haven't re-read in a long time) feel very different in terms of characterisation and wordbuilding. The first one in the series that felt like a "proper" Discworld book to me was Mort - it's where he first nails down his characterisation of Death (amongst others) and starts building the world as something more than a piss-take of common fantasy tropes.

[The BlackBear]

This gives you a list of nooks in order they were published, but it also shows you the main characters from each book, so you can read them by overall arc if you prefer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Storylines

Most of them you can jump in anywhere. I started with Colour of magic just because it is the first book, but the Nights Watch grouping are probably the most popular (from my experience.) Things noticebaly change as well, earlier on they weren't nearly as satirical as they later become, and things like the Unseen University change character drastically.

[SkynJay]

The only thing I'd bear in mind if you're reading in series order is that the first two (possibly even 3 - I didn't like Equal Rites very much so haven't re-read in a long time) feel very different in terms of characterisation and wordbuilding. The first one in the series that felt like a "proper" Discworld book to me was Mort - it's where he first nails down his characterisation of Death (amongst others) and starts building the world as something more than a piss-take of common fantasy tropes.

Equal Rites is wonderful but does feel different from other granny books.

But I disagree about the first with a Discworld feel. The Light Fantastic has a very different tone than Color and really had the same feel as those that follow the Rincewind line.

[Apfeljunge]

I don't know if you are someone who finds this sort of guide helpful. I really like it, even if I never strictly followed it since I started reading them as a child.

http://i.imgur.com/kvqoC1h.jpg

[HexMachina]

I don't know if you are someone who finds this sort of guide helpful. I really like it, even if I never strictly followed it since I started reading them as a child.

http://i.imgur.com/kvqoC1h.jpg

Ah, looking at that reminds me. You should probably read the Young Adult stuff in order. It makes sense not reading in order, but you spoil stuff that has happened in the earlier books (I read Hat Full of Sky before The Wee Free Men).

Thanks for the chart, I find it quite useful

[Guest]

I googled "where to start with Pratchett" and this NPR piece came up which seemed to pretty nicely echo what you guys were saying.

[Dillinger]

A long, emotional post I wrote at the time of Sir Terry's death, which I posted on the Facebook page for my book:

I still remember pretty vividly the day "the book man" came to our primary school when, amidst the shelves and shelves of titles he had set up, I saw this weird book that looked like nothing I had seen before. That copy of 'The Carpet People' (with bizarre cover art by Josh Kirby), which I decided to buy on a whim, was the first time I had ever come across Terry Pratchett.

It's a story all about the tiny, tiny people who live in between the hairs of your carpet, and I thought it was just brilliant. I moved onto his Bromeliad Trilogy and flew through those, too.

The books sparked in me a new-found desire to write. I started writing short stories, very much inspired by Pratchett and his tales about wee people.

A few years later, after my S1 parents night, my mum and dad told me that in amongst a bunch of reports about what a pain in the arse I was, my English teacher had given me rave reviews.
(This same teacher is the poor soul who was tasked with cleaning the vomit of me and three other children one afternoon - if you want that story, you'll have to buy the book.)

In fact, so good was my writing, she had told them, I could easily go on to be a journalist, if that was something I wanted to pursue.
(This may, in part, have been because I had recently pinched wholesale an article from Nintendo Official Magazine and passed off the work of a professional, salaried journalist as my own in English class. Again, the full story of that particular bit of fraud is retold in full in the book!)

At that moment in time, writing was the one and only thing I wanted to pursue, so it was praise which meant a great deal to me.

After leaving secondary school at the age of 16, I spent a couple of years pursuing a career in writing. I wrote a comedy sketch show with my mate Peter (also a huge Pratchett fan), which a London production company met us to discuss as they wanted to film it; did freelance music journalism, traveling all over the UK covering T In The Park, Reading, Download, and a bunch of other great gigs in between; and tried to write a novel.

I can still remember the reaction I got from a lot of folk when I told them I was staying at home to work on a novel full-time - almost always a mixture of incredulity and sneering condemnation. Obviously that just made me more determined than ever.

However, I eventually came to the painful realisation that I wasn't old enough or experienced enough to write a book - that an essential part of writing a book is having enough life experiences to draw on for inspiration and material, which is why you don't tend to find many sixteen year old novelists.

I went out to work, only with a view to gaining writing experience, and ended up spending many years pursuing a career instead - still holding my ambitions and still writing (amassing, over more than a decade, literally hundreds of different folders and projects in various stages of development), just in my spare time.

Now, having worked on it for two or three years in stolen (usually late night) moments whilst working full-time, running a house and starting a family, I take great pride in saying that I've published my first book. I'm not claiming it's 'Pride & Prejudice' - one of the main stories in it is about the time I had chronic diarrhoea in a stranger's house - but I wrote it to make people laugh, and so far those who have read it said it did just that. So I'm very pleased with it, as silly as it is.

Rewind to 2004, when I had been out of school and pursuing writing for more than a year, and I got a chance to meet the man who brought me far, far more joy than any other writer or entertainer I can name. I have amassed 60-70 of his books, pretty much everything he has released, and still have an insatiable desire for more of Terry Pratchett's stories. More than anyone else, he is the man who inspired me to write, write, write, always write. So to meet him back in '04 was a proper honour.

Whilst getting my copy of his new title, 'Going Postal', signed, I told him about my dream to publish a book, and asked if he'd write me out a message on a piece of Josh Kirby artwork I had brought along.

He penned "To Graeme, Keep up the writing!" and signed it. I've kept that picture all these years and can't help but feel an enormous sense of pride looking at it now.

EDIT: Pic doesn't seem to be showing? http://i59.tinypic.com/29m3mrl.jpg

[HairBearHero]

I googled "where to start with Pratchett" and this NPR piece came up which seemed to pretty nicely echo what you guys were saying.

One other recommendation I'd make is that you should buy them as paper books rather than e-books. One of the best things about Pratchett is the footnotes and e-books deal with them in a fairly clunky manner.

[Which Tyler]

seconded

[Jussi]

First blurb for The Shepherd's Crown:

A shivering of worlds

Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.

This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.

There will be a reckoning. . . .

The final Discworld® novel

http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062429971/the-shepherds-crown

[SheRa Seastar]

I have been reading the discworld novels in the order they were published, I haven't read one I hated yet. I'm only as far as Jingo (no 21) though.

Death is my favourite character so far, closely followed by Carrot. Reaper Man was my favourite book, and I will definitely be employing the Susan Sto Helit method of dealing with monsters under the bed when the time comes that my son is scared of such things.

[alguien]

Any UK folks read The Shepherd's Crown yet? I've seen mostly good reviews, some of which are poignant. Doesn't come out in the US until 9/1/15. 

 

Also, fair warning, but don't read AS Byatt's review in The Guardian if you don't what the whole goddam book spoiled. It's a well-written piece, but SWEET JESUS, some spoiler labels would have been nice. I stopped reading halfway through. 

[Gigei]

Any UK folks read The Shepherd's Crown yet? I've seen mostly good reviews, some of which are poignant. Doesn't come out in the US until 9/1/15. 
 
Also, fair warning, but don't read AS Byatt's review in The Guardian if you don't what the whole goddam book spoiled. It's a well-written piece, but SWEET JESUS, some spoiler labels would have been nice. I stopped reading halfway through.

Gosh, yes. I won't read any more news about that since spoilers seem to be everywhere and I haven't read it yet.

[MinDonner]

Ooh it's out now? Will immediately buy, read and report back!

[voodooqueen126]

Seriously, I just want to meet ONE PERSON BEFORE I DIE who can't stand Vimes!!!



It'd be nice....

I also find that Vimes has a huge chip on his shoulder and this is the reason that the Watch series is my least favourite after the Rincewind books.

My favourite is Witches and I am so happy that the final discworld novel is Tiffany Aching.

[The BlackBear]

I like Vimes, but Snuff kind of muddied that for me. It just didn't feel like a Pratchett novel. I guess that's the risk when you can't directly write yourself.

[MinDonner]

67% of the way through. I hate it. It's like a shit version of Lords & Ladies. :( :(

Apart from...
[spoiler]Granny's actual death did make me almost tear up, mainly at the thought of her and Terry checking out at around the same time. But nearly every other character seems to be acting in stupid artificial ways that betray all their characterisation up to that point.[/spoiler]

[SkynJay]

67% of the way through. I hate it. It's like a shit version of Lords & Ladies. :( :(

Apart from...
[spoiler]Granny's actual death did make me almost tear up, mainly at the thought of her and Terry checking out at around the same time. But nearly every other character seems to be acting in stupid artificial ways that betray all their characterisation up to that point.[/spoiler]

This saddens me. I will buy it now matter what, but I was hoping for one more flash of awesome to end things.