61–70 of 234 posts
"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!"
"Yes. I know. He's Vorbis," said Brutha. "Vorbis changed people. Sometimes he changed them into dead people. But he always changed them. That was his triumph." -- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods) I love this book, Small Gods, one of my favorite books by any author. I think the same could be said of Terry Pratchett, he changed people through his books (and as a bonus generally left them alive). Godspeed Terry.
In case anyone hasn't seen it, Terry Pratchett helped make a documentary, "Choosing to Die", about (and eloquently defending) assisted suicide: https://vimeo.com/105168003 I've yet to see any reports saying this was such a death, but he's been dealing with Alzheimer's for some time now. At any rate, it sounds like he died in a dignified and comfortable manner, as he deserves.
I've never read any of his books, although I've been meaning to for some time. Can anyone who's read through them comment? According to the Discworld wikipedia article, publication order may not be the best way to go through the series. This[1] page recommends reading a plot/chronological order. Personally I prefer reading books in publication order, since I get to follow the mind of the author. Given that, there are…
I’d go with publication order; while the person who introduced me to the series insisted, nearly to the point of violence, on starting with Guards, Guards! , I don’t see where it helped, as the earlier books are quite good if somewhat different from his later style.
I've never read any of his books, although I've been meaning to for some time. Can anyone who's read through them comment? According to the Discworld wikipedia article, publication order may not be the best way to go through the series. This[1] page recommends reading a plot/chronological order. Personally I prefer reading books in publication order, since I get to follow the mind of the author. Given that, there are…
For example, the books about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch start with "Guards! Guards!", and the subsequent books in this sequence tell the continuing story of how the Watch evolves into a (slightly) modern police force. If you start in the middle of this sequence, the payoff won't be as good.
Similarly, there's the sequence about the witches ("Equal Rites" etc.), about Rincewind ("The Colour of Magic" etc.), and his last books about the "Ankh-Morpork industrial revolution" (starting with "Going Postal"). Then there are some one-offs, like "Eric", "Small Gods" and "Pyramids".
I tend to recommend "Guards! Guards!" as a starting point, because I find the City Watch stories the most interesting and enjoyable. Together with the later Ankh-Morpork books they read like an insightful origin story of a modern society, and encompass many sociological topics. Several of the Watch books are also highly original detective mysteries.
I've never read any of his books, although I've been meaning to for some time. Can anyone who's read through them comment? According to the Discworld wikipedia article, publication order may not be the best way to go through the series. This[1] page recommends reading a plot/chronological order. Personally I prefer reading books in publication order, since I get to follow the mind of the author. Given that, there are…
So with the caveat that you need to understand those first two books aren't representative of what the series becomes, you could definitely start at the beginning. Just know that across so many books, there's bound to be some unevenness. Some books are just plain fun, others have deeper messages, some are, frankly, just not as good. Early highlights like Guards Guards, Pyramids, Small Gods, Wyrd Sisters are the ones where you'll discover the real breadth of what he does. Later books can be less consistently original, but when you get to books like The Truth, Night Watch and Monstrous Regiment, there are some real gems.
But don't let yourself not read any of them. That would be a real shame.
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." — Terry Pratchett RIP
"It only kills monsters" - Susan, on why her poker passes right through Death.
Are there authors who write similarly?