Discworld - Terry Prachett

Start with any and proceed to any of the others.
The major character sets include:
Death and his houshold (Susan, Binky, etc...).
The Lancre Witches (Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick (ret., maried King Verence), Agnes Nitt (The Fat girl whose thin girl inside is bursting to get out).
The Watch( Dux Vimes, Sybil, Capt. Carrot, Angua (forget PMS, her once a month problem really bites!), Cheery Littlebottom, Sgt. Colon, and Nobby).
The Unseen University ( Mustrum Ridcully (Chancellor, noisy, aristocratic) , Bursar (buSAH!), the Librarian (ook!), and the staff at the High Energy Magic Research Facility (very continuinuinuum).

For a very prescient view of contemporary world politics, read Jingo.

Discworld is a delightful place--with passionate fans. Some random thoughts:

I'm particularly partial to the Granny Weatherwax books (Wyrd Sisters fits here. Some people find Color of Magic (one of the earliest books) a little labored and slow moving, but there are funny bits and a great comic artiste is entitled to an experimental book or so to find his stride.

One of the advantages of the multiple plot strands is that Pratchett continues to use the Discworld setting without going stale.

This link is to one of the official websites:

http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld/

Like Harry Potter fans a number of Discworld fans build their very own pages of homage. Gaming addicts (on and off line) have a number of pages.

Terry Pratchett is THE best selling author in the UK--and has been knighted for his contributions to the British trade balance. At present local fans from the Terry Pratchett's Somerset town are arguing with the British Tourist Board which keeps insisting that "twinning" with imaginary towns is not officially allowed. Everyone who is anyone knows that Ankh-Morpeck (the capitol of Discworld) is real.

Pratchett's style is veddy-veddy British--somewhere between Wodehouse and Monty Python. He uses both under statement and over statement and delights in word play. You got some of the flavor reading Good Omens

Enjoy a glorious new dominion!

A friend of mine introduced me Discworld eons ago, and I started with book # 1, and tried to stay in a continouos(sp?) order, and laughed my pants off till book #8 or 9. The books weren't mine so I can't tell you the titles, sorry.

I just liked the theory that the world was being carried by a turtle, it was much "A Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" to me, hilarious, to say the least!

They are he sort of books where one cannot help but to laugh, chortle,and snicker whilst reading them. Leads to interesting looks on public trans.

Useful link for chronological order:

http://scifan.com/writers/pp/PratchettTerry.asp

Enjoy.

My friend got me hooked on Pratchett. I was wary at first, cause it is so different than anything I had before encountered. But once you've read a couple....you get hooked. I love those books now, they make me laugh, and they poke fun at society everywhere in an awesome way..... Discworld rox my sox.....you should def give 'em a try!!!

I was totally ignorant of Pratchett and Disc World, until my partner Sam introduced me to them and the wonderful characters in his stories. I love the humor and his biting, accurate comments that can easily be directed to our world and it's affairs. He's an astute author that I recommend for laughs or insight in society.

Sam and I often read to each other at bedtime and Pratchet is a favorite. I've missed a few in the sorcery books, dealing with Rincewind. However, once we get them, I'm sure that I'll savour them as I have the others.

Occassionally Sam will call me "Carrot' for some reason and "Granny Weatherwax on others. Maybe my friend hobitbob can explain that to me.

Disc World is my favorite mental vacation venue in the whole multiverse.

Sam

Ook Ook

tell_me_why,

Great avatar and signature. Ook Ook to you to.

Sam

From Locus Online: excerpts of an interview with TP:

http://www.locusmag.com/2004/Issues/05Pratchett.html

Do you have a favorite Discworld book?
I drew the eye
I have a quote fetish

"'When they're laughing at you, their guard is down, when their guard is down, you can kick them in the fracas.'"

"'She marched away, singing inside. This was not a fairy-tale castle and there was no such thing as a fairy-tale ending, but sometimes you could threaten to kick the handsome prince in the ham-and-egg'"

The Turtle Moves.....

Trying to pick a favorite Disc World book is really hard. No, I can not do it. Each of them is a favorite for different reasons. "Each one is more lovely than all the rest."
I have the quote fetish thing too, along with puns, oxymorons, malapropisms and spoonerisms. Poor Wiyaka, she lives with my spouting quotes and playing with words every day. Not that she does not get her licks in too. This morning we had an exchange that left me panting and clutching my lower ribs. Oh, the pain, my ribs still hurt, let's do it some more!

Sam

has anyone read the last 2 about Tiffany Aching? (last one a Hat Full of Sky). brilliant. Young Tiffany flattens a monster with a frying pan and is made a kelda by the wee free men or pictsies .... crivens!

Vivien--


There are three Tiffany books now--the third was released this month.

yaypers

I've got The Wee Free Men, which is described on the jacket of Hat Full of Sky as the first one. Hat Full of Sky is only just out here - is there another in the US?

I love his humour and his sly way of poking fun at institutions and ideas and his way with words.

Vivien--

Abject apologies. I disseminated false information and raised false hopes. I was stupid--but not malicious.

I saw the publicity for A Hat Full of Sky--which I have thoroughly enjoyed along with The Wee Free Men--which announced that this was Pratchett's third young adult book.

The "first" young adult book is the Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents--a very satisfactory read, but not in the Tiffany series.

Going Postal, a new Discworld novel, will be released in the states in October, 2004.

Alas, reality is not always as I would have it.

Last week in a Pratchett interview in Locus he announced that he was going to try to slow down a bit. He's been publishing two excellent books every year for more than 15 years and wants a bit of flexibility for his middle age.

Once again, abject apologies.

no apologies needed

Going Postal? sounds different.

I loved the Amazing Maurice - 'I'll let you have all the great big silver coins and just keep the little gold ones' ...ahem...