Sir Terry Pratchett has died • Hacker News Board

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#101

Post by CJefferson » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:02 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #76

shabda wrote: 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.

I don't think Small Gods is a collaboration, that's Good Omens.

Yes.

Extending this comment, Good Omens is an excellent book, but not anything like the Discworld series.

Small Gods is a good discworld book to start on (the best in my opinion, of course everyone will have their own).

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#102

Post by ShaneOG » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:09 PM UTC

Shivetya wrote: post #70

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?

I'd recommend Neil Gaiman; and definitely read Good Omens, a book that Terry and Neil co-wrote.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#103

Post by kposehn » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:13 PM UTC

I'm saddened greatly by this - for many reasons, not the least of which is that we will likely not see any more Long Earth novels in concert with Stephen Baxter.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#104

Post by biggc » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:15 PM UTC

zeidrich wrote: post #71

btilly wrote: 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…

My mum accidentally introduced me to Pratchett when she brought home Truckers, I was at the age where she would still read to me, but I would also push ahead on my own. If you're looking where to go next with your 2-year old, I'd recommend that trilogy.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#105

Post by totalrobe » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:17 PM UTC

mcphilip wrote: post #94

The first celebrity death that hit me hard. I've read all fourty Discworld novels, some of them 4 or 5 times. His books taught me to approach the world with a twinkle in my eye and a smile quick to come out -- a good change from the cynicism of my teens. So many memories... he wrote amazing characters. Dorfl, a Golem who figured out how to program himself (via writing his own scrolls to feed into his head). His firep…

This hit me hard too. Discworld was like a lifeboat that kept me sane while growing up in the bible belt.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#106

Post by biggc » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:17 PM UTC

I have to ask, did anyone start on Pratchett with the Nome trilogy? I think I was 8 or 9 when my mum brought truckers home from the library to read together with me. After I went through that trilogy on my own she bought me a copy of Pyramids and it's been uphill since then.

Unfortunately Pyramids was a bit too weird for her, and put her off Pratchett, I can see why that would be.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#107

Post by spiritplumber » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:29 PM UTC

biggc wrote: post #106

I have to ask, did anyone start on Pratchett with the Nome trilogy? I think I was 8 or 9 when my mum brought truckers home from the library to read together with me. After I went through that trilogy on my own she bought me a copy of Pyramids and it's been uphill since then. Unfortunately Pyramids was a bit too weird for her, and put her off Pratchett, I can see why that would be.

I did, first book I managed to read in English actually. I was 10ish?

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#108

Post by jameshart » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:30 PM UTC

arethuza wrote: post #63

robin_reala wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

12.3, he’s British.

A real British pi would never have a decimal point in it - they are newfangled foreign things.

Right - we all know that pi is actually three pounds, two shillings and tenpence.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#109

Post by dredmorbius » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:36 PM UTC

jgrahamc wrote: post #22

‘Goodbye,’ Mort said, and was surprised to find a lump in his throat. ‘It’s such an unpleasant word, isn’t it?’ QUITE SO. Death grinned because, as has so often been remarked, he didn’t have much option. But possibly he meant it, this time. I PREFER AU REVOIR, he said. So, goodbye, Sir Terry; or at least let's hope it's just au revoir.

Interesting, etymologically.

"Good bye" is a contraction of "God be with ye (you)", which isn't quite so abrupt. "Au revoir", literally, "until (we) see again".

Similar to "Hasta manyana" (until later), or "bis später" (same), Spanish and German, or "zài jiàn" ("see (you) again", Mandarin Chinese) . Farewells (literally, "fare thee well", be well) in many languages share similar attributes.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#110

Post by tjradcliffe » Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 5:36 PM UTC

_abattoir wrote: post #58

jgrahamc wrote: post #22

‘Goodbye,’ Mort said, and was surprised to find a lump in his throat. ‘It’s such an unpleasant word, isn’t it?’ QUITE SO. Death grinned because, as has so often been remarked, he didn’t have much option. But possibly he meant it, this time. I PREFER AU REVOIR, he said. So, goodbye, Sir Terry; or at least let's hope it's just au revoir.

Well, I wasn't planing on crying this morning, but today I can make an exception. ;_;7 Au revoir, Sir Pratchett, you magnificent human.

One of the nice things about working from home is no one notices you crying at your desk. :-(

====

LORD, WE KNOW THERE IS NO GOOD ORDER EXCEPT THAT WHICH WE CREATE...

Azrael's expression did not change.

AND THERE IS NO HOPE BUT US. THERE IS NO MERCY BUT US. THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS JUST US.

The dark, sad face filled the sky.

ALL THINGS THAT ARE, ARE OURS. BUT WE MUST CARE. FOR IF WE DO NOT CARE, WE DO NOT EXIST. IF WE DO NOT EXIST, THEN THERE IS NOTHING BUT BLIND OBLIVION.

AND EVEN OBLIVION MUST END SOME DAY. LORD, WILL YOU GRANT ME JUST A LITTLE TIME? FOR THE PROPER BALANCE OF THINGS. TO RETURN WHAT WAS GIVEN. FOR THE SAKE OF PRISONERS AND THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS.

Death took a step backwards.

It was impossible to read expression in Azrael's features.

Death glanced sideways at the servants.

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?

-- Sir Terry Pratchett, "Reaper Man"