Discworld - Terry Pratchett

[granfire]

I read one of the books - Thud! - I laughed until I cried.
Now, does anybody know the first one and how they follow each other? Though the stories seem to be pretty self contained I hate to miss out on the underlying red thread of the greater story line.

 

[Omar B]

Great series. The first book is The Color Of Magic. That one stars Rincewind but if you liked Thud you could start with one of the City Watch books.

The series is divided into Wizard books (Rincewind or the professors of the Unseen University), City Watch books, Witches books, Vampires, Moist Von Lipwig books and then all the rest. But that does not mean they cross over and characters from other storylines show up since most of the books take place in the same city.

Thud is good, not close to one of the best in the series. If you loved that one you'll freak the hell out at the rest of them. Here's a list of the books in order:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld

 

[granfire]

I was in tears I was laughing so hard!

Thanks, I will see how I can sort them and what I can find in the library...

(man, he was busy!)

 

[David43515]

Terry Pratchet is probably the funniest author writing in the English language. Nobody turns a phrase like he does, and he always makes you stop and think.

 

[Omar B]

Such a shame about his declining health. Years ago when The Wee Free Men came out he did a signing in Manhattan where I got to meet him. Once at a pizza place while getting a snack before the event where he wore a sport coat and a fedora and we spoke briefly in the line, then afterward when I saw him cross the street just behind me, enter the bookstore and walk to the lectern and began his talk.

I got into him after reading and rereading Douglas Adams to death and needing to find something else that was funny, a send up of our society and philosophy. Not a long list of humorists who are worth a damn writing on that level out there.

 

[granfire]

There isn't too much out there challenging and yet entertaining.

I mean, the puns are so clever (I read Thud! in the German translation, even that was hilarious!!)

Gooseberry and numnuts...:lol:

 

[Tez3]

There's an underlying seriousness to them as well that you can either pick up or ignore, he leaves it up to you how you want to read them, doesn't bash you over the head with philosophy. We have all his new books on order so we get them as soon as they come out.
The latest, I Shall Wear Midnight is brilliant and actually contains some thoughts that have stayed witht me and I think shall for a long while, I read it while our soldiers were in Afghan taking heavy losses and surprisingly this book while still being as funny as it's predessors has some priceless phrases in it that I found helped, anyway a good laugh always helps!

 

[granfire]

That is a nice thought, because Thud! also has some of that in it. brilliant, really.

Considering how long the books are out, I am surprised I never came across any until this summer.

 

[Tez3]

That is a nice thought, because Thud! also has some of that in it. brilliant, really.

Considering how long the books are out, I am surprised I never came across any until this summer.

You have a great treat to look forward to catching up with them all!

 

[granfire]

I need it, too, because the other book series I was reading is drawing to a close...

Sadly I think I will have to buy the Pratchett books though. I found myself enjoying them, but they seem to last me a very long time...library only give me books for 2 weeks <sigh>

 

[Whitebelt]

http://chris.gg/2007/10/the-discworld-reading-order-guide/

Here's a map of the storylines, it should show you what order to read the books in based on your favorite characters. My first experience of the discworld was with Night Watch so I owe my love of the books to Sam Vimes, only a very dedicated reader of fantasy should read the Rincewinds in my opinion whereas everyone would enjoy a Death novel or a Witches.

 

[granfire]

http://chris.gg/2007/10/the-discworld-reading-order-guide/

Here's a map of the storylines, it should show you what order to read the books in based on your favorite characters. My first experience of the discworld was with Night Watch so I owe my love of the books to Sam Vimes, only a very dedicated reader of fantasy should read the Rincewinds in my opinion whereas everyone would enjoy a Death novel or a Witches.

I appreciate it very much. Sam Vimes is a classic!

 

[Omar B]

I like the weird books like the ones with the vampires or any of the Igors. Vimes is cool, as is Carrot and Angua but my all time favorite is Rincewind.

In the past few years I've gotten into Moist Von Lipwig because his first book Going Postal was hilarious and TG's take on capitalism.

My favorites - The Color Of Magic, equal Rights, Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Moving Pictures (movies, yes!), Reaper Man, Small Gods, Lords and Ladies (a good Vampire story), Men at Arms, Interesting Times, Feet Of Clay, Hogfather, The Last Continent, Carpe Jugulum, The Fifth elephant, The Truth (newspapers). There was one with the first gun (spelled gunne).

 

[granfire]

going postal is a first in a series? cool, I think the library has it!

 

[Stac3y]

I got into him after reading and rereading Douglas Adams to death

So that was YOUR fault, you bastard! Sorry; was that in, er, questionable taste?. :angel:

 

[Omar B]

So that was YOUR fault, you bastard! Sorry; was that in, er, questionable taste?. :angel:

Yes, lets all make fun of the death of one of the great thinkers and authors of our time.

Gran - Yes, Going Postal is the start of Moist Von Lipwig's story, it's followed by Making Money and I'm not sure if there was a third one yet, I know Moist has played a major and minor roles in several of the other books.

On of my favorites, Cohen The Barbarian. He's everything Conan is, but old, senile, skinny as hell and can hardly lift his axe, but damn that dude can fight!

 

[granfire]

I think Stac3y was making fun of your somewhat unfortunate choice of words ^_^

I have the 5 volumes of the triollogy sitting here, have not read them yet...somehow that TV show image gets a bit in the way. Maybe some books are better not made into visual.

A friend of mine mentioned there is a 6th book to the guide to be written...the chose author was somebody who made him 'die a little inside' can't remember who tho was picked...or f it's ever going to happen.

EDIT:

I actually like Colfer...but you deal with a classic, you are up for trouble...so, did anybody read it?

(not to mention I am derailing my own thread...)

 

[Omar B]

There is a 6th book. It's called "And Another Thing ..." by E. Colfer, I know he writes some other series called Artemis Fowl.

In any case, I have the book, read about 3 chapters and put it down. I can't say if it's bad or not because I'm not far enough in to judge, but it's no Adams. I will eventually go back and actually read it.

 

[granfire]

I actually like Colfer, but his gig is more the young adult, juvenile audience (which fits me perfectly )

But filling the shoes of a legend is not easy!

 

[Omar B]

I actually like Colfer, but his gig is more the young adult, juvenile audience (which fits me perfectly )

But filling the shoes of a legend is not easy!

I don't think that's necessarily so. My favorite example (because he's my favorite literary character) is James Bond. Ian Fleming created a great character, Kingsley Amis wrote a decent follow up, but John Gardner blew it out of the park. By far my favorite Bond author was Gardner and he ended up writing more books than Fleming did (16 to Flem's 14). There have been other author since but they have not reached that level.