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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

DiscWorld

The Dadaist

03:17 / 24.04.02

I want to read the DiscWord´s saga by Terry Pratchett.
Last year I read Good Omens by Terry and Neil Gaiman, and it was great!!

Kit-Cat Club

07:45 / 24.04.02

Well, go ahead then. Start at the beginning (The Colour of Magic) and carry on until you get to the end (The Truth, I think). They are available from all major bookshops. However, I preferred Good Omens.

Was there something you wanted to know about the series before you started, or were you just looking for a general chat about Pratchett?

ONLY NICE THINGS

08:22 / 24.04.02

When you say, "the End", Kit-Cat, do you mean "the most recent", or has the bald fuck finally killed the beast?

Trijhaos

09:55 / 24.04.02

You really don't need to start at the Colour of Magic. You could start anywhere really, since the books are mostly self-contained. Oh sure, if you picked up "The Last Continent" you wouldn't know who this Rincewind fellow is, but you could still read it and probably enjoy it. But, if you were to pick up, say, "Mort" you'd be OK since its the start of the little saga about DEATH and I'm fairly certain "Pyramids" is a stand-alone.

I think I'm one of the few people out there that couldn't stand "Good Omens".

Kit-Cat Club

09:58 / 24.04.02

Sadly, I don't think he has killed it off - I should have said 'most recent'. Still, we can dream.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

16:07 / 24.04.02

Oy! Don't diss my man Pratchett or there will be trouble... (And now those firemen fuckers next door are playing with their siren)

Gek

22:11 / 24.04.02

<: A good starting point actually is ERIC - a tale based on FAust in which a young demon accidently summons the "fierce demon" Rincewind...Myself, I love the discworld universe and Pratchetts story telling.:>

PS- Moving Pictures is fucking ha-ha-larious

Trijhaos

22:44 / 24.04.02

"ERIC" would be better read after the Colour of Magic. You see, Eric just isn't as funny if you don't know who Rincewind is and why its so absurd that he's considered a demon.

Abigail Blue

00:41 / 25.04.02

Have any of you read 'Before & After' by Matthew Thomas?
Just wondering if anyone else found it to be a straight knock-off of Good Omens, 'cept nowhere near as clever/funny...

The Dadaist

00:49 / 25.04.02

I wanted to know if the Pratchett´s Books are good enough.

Abigail Blue

01:25 / 25.04.02

Honestly? I'm not a big fan. Good Omens was great, but I think that it was the combination of Pratchett and Gaiman that made it so, since they were able to balance out each others' shortcomings.

The DiscWorld books aren't bad, but they're nothing inspired or special: You can finish one in an hour and get nothing out of it except a quiet chuckle or two. And, if you read more than two or three, I've found that they stop being even remotely funny because it starts to seem as if he's making the same jokes from book to book.

I like to think of Terry Pratchett as being the President of the Harlequin School of Comedic Fantasy Writing. I swear he drops plot elements into a spreadsheet and gets his computer to write the books...

Trijhaos

01:25 / 25.04.02

What do you mean by good enough? Some elaboration on exactly what kind of information you're looking for would help people answer your questions or at least direct you to a site that will answer said questions.

mixmage

01:43 / 25.04.02

what's that quote about "4 bits of stick and a teaspoon of mouse blood"?

Baz Auckland

20:44 / 25.04.02

I loved Good Omens and still do.. it's just that my copies have a tendency of disappearing. One day I'll buy copy#4 and WILL NOT LEND IT OUT TO ANYONE.

I started the discworld series years ago and loved them at first... then at about #24 or so (Carpe Jugulum i think it was) I just couldn't be bothered anymore.

BUT In regards to the Dadaist: Read a few as they're good for a laugh. Just don't read too many or else...

Wrecks City-Zen

00:47 / 26.04.02

Yeah...carpe juggulum was a bit dry...and the fifth elephant...but the truth was pretty good.

Steve Block

05:18 / 26.04.02

Just thought I'd whack a link in to The Science of Discworld II, as it looks of interest, concerning memes and how stories have shaped the world. The first book was a good read, and hopefully this one will be as well. On the subject of Pratchett, I have to say that to me he seems to have come out of the rough patch he went into with Jingo and around there, and The Thief Of Time was an exceptional book that really made me think. I find Pratchett is very good at dealing with big issues in a small way, which isn't to say that he trivialises them, rather that he humanises them. I am quite lkooking forward to this book, I love the way he plays with meta-narrative at times.

Cat Chant

08:16 / 26.04.02

Terry Pratchett makes me furious. Really. Like Harry Potter, but ten times worse.

The Mr E suprise

08:56 / 26.04.02

Why does it make you furious? Do Neighbours and Coronation street also anger you?

The discworld novels are good travel books (like Harry Potter). If you've a long, dull, journey ahead pick up one of the many discworld novels (they all seem to 'plug and play') and enjoy. Fairly funny, slightly moralistic, easy to read.

The Natural Way

10:08 / 26.04.02

Discworld and Pratchett: never trust a man who thinks Queen are the best rock band ever.

e-n

13:10 / 26.04.02

Dear God I've jsust realised that I've never read pratchett while NOT on holiday.Might be why I enjoyed them.Nothing else to do.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

19:33 / 26.04.02

Phew, it's a good thing Pratchett has never expressed such an opinion about Queen. Just car alchemy...

The Natural Way

13:17 / 27.04.02

I don't understand you, but he has expressed such an opinion.

So much for my attempt at criticism.

Tezcatlipoca

15:30 / 27.04.02

I think I'm one of the few people out there that couldn't stand "Good Omens".

Nope, right with you there. Pratchett is one of those interesting writers who only essentially has one thing to say in his books, and so repeats it endlessly. That said, he has found his cosy little market niche and does do what he does very well...

rizla mission

13:13 / 28.04.02

Have any of you read 'Before & After' by Matthew Thomas?
Just wondering if anyone else found it to be a straight knock-off of Goo Omens, 'cept nowhere near as clever/funny...

I read it. It had a funny gag about once every hundred pages, and the Christian lampooning went down well.

But yes, a bunch of shite which provoked the reaction "why do I still read bunch o' shite book like this? don't I have better things to do?"

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