Terry Pratchett

How does one narrow such a prolific writer down to just one selection or character. I think the man is a bonafide genius. I've read most of the books but I feel I must go back and re-read them all several times just to keep em' straight in my head.
I love how he takes a concept - hollywood, wizard of oz, rock'n'roll to religion and makes perfect sense out of absolute nonsense.
I'm not sure how big his following is on this side of the pond but I for one will keep singing his praises 'til he is considered required reading.
Ceili

Ook?

I've never read his work although super intellectual English writer A. S. Byatt does.

i have only read Pratchett's 'The Colour of Magic' (after having had it repeatedly recommended to me) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the different characters and intend to read more of the series.
I have to say that i thought death was the best character and am interested to see how he will appear throughout the Discworld series. How many books are there in the series? It's about 20 is it not?

YES, THERE ARE AROUND TWENTY.

(SQUEAK!)

I've just started reading him as well. Color of Magic and The Wyrd Sisters. Have to get another, but I'm not sure which one. I know they don't need to be read in any kind of order but suggestions would be helpful as there are so many to choose from.

I found Color of Magic to be slow, but I know it was one of his first. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor of the Sisters.

For a dose of both Ankh-Morpork and the Ramtops, try "Maskerade."

I don't remember the details, but the regulars at Terry Pratchett's local in his home village appealed to the British Tourist Authority to "twin" their village with Ankh-Morpork.

The BTA refused, saying "twinning" was not possible with imaginary cities.

Life is not as I would have it.

the hogfather was good if you like death - death temping as father christnas brilliant!

I love those books, I need to read more of them. My favorite characters are DEATH and the Librarian so far - the best books I've read were Mort, Moving Pictures, Small Gods, and the Wee Free Men.

I like death too and his grand daughter - have you met her??

the Wee Free Men was great crivens!

Susan: Real children don't go hoppity skip unless they are on drugs!
*********************************************

Susan's employer: How does one address the brother of a king?

Sucan: We always called him "Ronnie."

Big jobs!
there c'n be only one t'ousand!

One of the best authors around! I love all the strange bit part characters like Greebo, Gaspode, The Luggage and You Bastard. Three favorites are Mort, Small Gods and the one he wrote with Neil Gaiman called Good Omens. All because they are about serious topics and contain so much deep thought, yet still crack you up constantly. Some Quotes;

God does not play dice with the universe: He plays an ineffable game of His own devising,which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players (ie everybody), to being involved in an obscure and complex varient of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who SMILES ALL THE TIME.
(Good Omens)

The only thing known to go faster than ordinary light is monarchy, according to the philosopher Ly Tin Weedle. He reasoned like this: you can't have more than one king, and tradition demands that there is no gap between kings, so when a king dies the succession must therefore pass to the heir INSTANTANEOUSLY. Presumably, he said, there must be some elementary particles - kingons, or possibly queons - that do this job, but of course succession sometimes fails if, in mid flight, they strike an anti-particle, or republicon. His ambitious plans to use his discovery to send messages, involving the careful torturing of a small king in order to modulate the signal, were never fully expanded because, at that point, the bar closed.
(Mort)

Thats why it's always worth having a few philosophers around the place. One minute it's all Is Truth Beauty and Is Beauty Truth, and Does A Falling Tree In The Forest Make A Sound If There's No One There To Hear It, and then just when you think they're going to start dribbling one of 'em says, Incidentally putting a thirty-foot parabolic reflector on a high place to shoot the rays of the sun at an enemy's ships would be a very interesting demonstration of optical principles.
(Small Gods)

I'm reading "The Last Continent", the further tales of Rincewind and the wizards of the UU. This one is a hilarious parody of Australia or EcksEcksEcksEcks as Mr. Pratchett has named it.

I haven't met Death's granddaughter yet, just his daughter. I've been slacking off.

What was the one guy's name again? No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-wee-Jock-Jock or something of that sort?

Good Omens is great too - I forgot that one. I went to England once and drove on the M-25, and I agree, it's Satanic.

sorry i meant daughter - you haven't missed out - just me exhausted and absent minded

love the bit where they correct the gods drawing and create the platypus Ceili

Death had a daughter, Ysabell, who married Mort. Death's granddaughter is named "Susan"

thanks noddy - the brains are scrambled at the moment with teaching, working, teaching certificate level 2 (degree level writing to do), exhibitions, family, kittens ..... the brains are giving up and I want to sleeeeeep for a week!

and Christmas???? nothing at all is organised or thought about until after next week when term ends!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone