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Sir Terry Pratchett has died

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Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#191

Post by david-given »

conorh wrote: post #34

"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.

Small Gods was described to me, by a minister, as one of the best books about religion they'd ever read.

"Thou Shalt Not Submit Thy God To Market Forces!"

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#192

Post by david-given »

untog wrote: post #46
tomjen3 wrote: post #43

I seem to have a habit of only starting to read authors right around their deaths, but for somebody who has not read him, which novel would be the best to start with?

IMO the first book, The Color of Magic, is a good place to start in introducing the Discworld universe.

The Colour of Magic is a bit weird because it's basically a Fritz Leiber parody, even down to the structure. (Spot the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser cameo in the first chapter!)

I'd probably go with Mort. It's damned good, it's tight and to the point, and it's got Death in it.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#193

Post by lomnakkus »

aw3c2 wrote: post #151
lomnakkus wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That and the, well, rather more down-to-earth reasoning that his words were set in small caps and so were easily distinguishable from the rest of the text. I still wish I could speak in small caps.

ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ᴀs ᴅʏɪɴɢ said Death. ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ᴀs ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜsʜ.

I see your Unicode there... and I like it! Nothing more to say, really. Awesome :)

(EDIT#3: I overspoke. Nevermind, beautiful!)

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#194

Post by _kdhr »

I had and continue to have a lot of laughs with Pratchett. One of my favourite ones which I only a couple of years ago re-listened on Audiobook while walking about town and was giggling outloud uncontrollably was this quote:

> ...if you haven’t smelled Ankh-Morpork on a hot day you haven’t smelled anything.

> The citizens are proud of it. They carry chairs outside to enjoy it on a really good day. They puff out their cheeks and slap their chests and comment cheerfully on its little distinctive nuances. They have even put up a statue to it, to commemorate the time when the troops of a rival state tried to invade by stealth one dark night and managed to get to the top of the walls before, to their horror, their nose plugs gave out.

The idea of carrying chairs outside to appreciate it is so hilarious. It speaks a wealth to me about working class pride in whatever circumstance and condition your town and life is in. That “This may be so, but it's mine” attitude.

Terry's plots were fun but his best most memorable things were his insights into every day life; his grandoise fantasy elements were always the backdrop to the characterization and human elements, always witty.

> Rincewind had in any case seen his past life flash in front of his eyes so many times that he could sleep through the boring bits…

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#195

Post by colin_jack »

lucraft wrote: post #61

Words to live by: "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 f…

That quote didn't seem like him at all, in fact it seemed to be showing a mindset completely at odds with his books, quick google indicates you maybe missed a key part:

"And at the other end of the bar the world is full of the other type of person, who has a broken glass, or a glass that has been carelessly knocked over (usually by one of the people calling for a larger glass) or who had no glass at all, because he was at the back of the crowd and had failed to catch the barman's eye"

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#196

Post by ErrantX »

lucraft wrote: post #85
jameshart wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think Night Watch is my favourite too. A little bit dark, and lots of deep questions about morality.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#197

Post by ConceptJunkie »

vacri wrote: post #175
bentcorner wrote: post #44

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…

Begin at the beginning. Pratchett's concept of the discworld filled out as the books go on. Read the books in chronological order and you'll see the discworld grow. Things happen in later books that wouldn't make sense in earlier books, and in the later books, the world is much more 'nailed-down'. The first couple of books, as mentioned, are much more lighthearted whimsy, without a formal plot. But they're still a fu…

"The Light Fantastic" was my first introduction to Terry Pratchett back around 1989 or so. I was definitely hooked. To me, the first two books are lot more like Douglas Adams' books: vehicles for cool ideas and good humor, but not particularly interesting or insightful stories. The Discworld books would have played out pretty quickly if they'd stayed that way.

But then he got better. Much better. Much, much better.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#198

Post by colin_jack »

vanderZwan wrote: post #157
rodgerd wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This rathr sems to miss the point of Patchett's body of work as a selection.

I don't know, I'm pretty sure he was referring to himself as the third type of person when he wrote that: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett...

I think the quote does miss the point, its almost a call for more wall street banker style behavior. As mentioned abovce though thats not really in keeping with his books, and the quote is misleading as it omits the last part.

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#199

Post by phaemon »

lotsofmangos wrote: post #145
bentcorner wrote: post #44

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…

Read the very short story 'Troll Bridge' - http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/athenia/stories/pterry/troll... Then buy the lot, you will not regret it. Some are better than others, naturally, but even his worst is like Tom Holt on top form. I'd read them in order, personally. Though that might just be because that's been my experience of them. As others have said, the style changes after The Light Fantastic, but the fir…

That Troll Bridge page is a bit difficult to read. Try:

http://markdownshare.com/view/0d9bab9a-065a-4838-adf5-17d507...

Re: Sir Terry Pratchett has died

#200

Post by Florin_Andrei »

kazinator wrote: post #148
TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'He was the sort of person who stood on mountaintops during thunderstorms in wet copper armour shouting 'All the Gods are bastards.' - Terry Pratchett

If you're encased in copper, wet or not, you have a fair chance. The copper provides a conductive path around you that is better than through you. Lightning rods and their cables also get wet, and are touching the building, which is also wet.

I don't know. The armor is a bit too close to the skin for comfort. There will be quite a bit of heat dissipated, to say nothing of purely mechanical shockwaves and deafening noise.
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