Live data from Hacker News

Sir Terry Pratchett has died

bbc.com

81–90 of 234 posts

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#81
post #13

Read http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett... if you want to understand him. Read http://www.lspace.org/books/pqf/ if you want a quick reminder of what we have lost. Goodbye Terry, you will be remembered fondly.

I don't think we have lost anything. I think we gained something incredible over a short time. Nobody lives forever. What Terry Pratchett has given to us will live longer than any person. I'm not sad that he has died. Everyone who is born dies, and there's an infinite number of potential people who are never born. What is important is that we live, and while we live some of us do extraordinary things. I'm reading Gua…

Very well said, thank you.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#83

I was introduced to Terry Prachett by watching Terry Pratchett's Hogfather as done by Sky One. Really late to get into his stories, but since then I had started with book 1 of Discworld. Are there authors who write similarly?

> Are there authors who write similarly? Nope. But the closest you're going to get is probably Douglas Adams.

Maybe Robert Asprin? Same generation and I think his first MYTH books were at the similar level of ridiculousness and brilliance.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#84

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 started with Pyramids half my life ago, back in my early teens. It's the only novel not to have started its own mini series, which I have always felt is a bit of a shame. But it did hook me and made me want to read all of the others. I think by the time of Pyramids TP was really getting in to his stride, so when I went back to The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic and found them less polished I wasn't put off as I knew there was better to come.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#85

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…

The main reason for that recommendation is that The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, though fun books and enjoyable fantasy parodies in themselves, are really not representative of what the later Discworld books were to become. When Terry wrote Equal Rites and Mort, he really set out his manifesto for the series as being about this world, reflected in that world, and that theme is what really carries forward.…

Night Watch was amazing. Moral, moving, exciting. It could stand on it's own as literature without any of the other books.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#86

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…

The early ones are weaker; he gets better, and then maybe tails off towards the end. Most people prefer Vimes to Rincewind. If you want to read them in publication order it's a perfectly good order, but if you're unsure I'd start with one of the more well-regarded ones - maybe just follow the "watch" track on that chart, or others have made suggestions.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#87
post #80
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Small Gods is a common recommendation from other people, but it is a collaboration with Gaiman. Not that its a bad thing, but it is missing the full Pratchett voice. My favorites are all Moist_von_Lipwig books. I recommend starting with Going Postal. Its comes much later in chronological order, but is the first Moist_von_Lipwig book and is enjoyable standalone.

Although Going Postal is the first Moist book, The Truth is the first "Industry" book and I think it's best of the lot. Going Postal is still great though (much better than the later industry ones).

Sorry, I was wrong. Good Omens is the collaboration.
Post reply on HN