# Terry Pratchett



## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

Does anybody here like Terry Pratchett? I haven't read any of his work and am planning on purchasing Nation. I'm not sure about the Discworld novels though, 27 novels is a bit daunting, is it worth it to read them all?


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

*raises hand*

I've read about five of the Discworld series books and I love them.  I adore the humor and highly recommend the series.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Wait until Nog gets here .... he is the king of Terry Pratchett. 

I haven't read Nation but I've read a large portion of his books. The Discworld are very amusing stories and do not need to be read in order .... there are numerous recurring characters but many of the novels are purely stand alone ....

If I may, I suggest you start with Witches Abroad or Small Gods - two of my favorites


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Yes!
No need to feel intimidated. You don't have to read them all, or read them in order.

I just saw the British TV adaptation of the first two Discworld books and really liked it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> Wait until Nog gets here .... he is the king of Terry Pratchett.
> ...


There are a few others here, too, but I'm definitely one of his top fans, owning just about every book he's written. (The same can be said about Roger Zelazny, which is interesting in that there seems to be little correlation between the two other than they both write/wrote "speculative fiction".)

Anyway, I enjoyed _Nation_ a lot (see my sig, below  ). It is a "young adult" book, and as such I found a few aspects of it perhaps a bit simplistic, but overall it was still a good read. I enjoyed his "Tiffany Aching" YA books a bit more...they are set within the "Discworld" milieu, and include some of the funniest characters ever: the Nac Mac Feegle (a.k.a. The Wee Free Men, a.k.a. Pictsies).

As far as the 30+ Discworld books of his that I've read (all except the latest at least twice, most more) I liked them all (duh!), loved most, and a couple or three rank in my top all-time favorite books. I also enjoyed the two Johnny Maxwell "YA" novels, and am waiting for the 3rd to be enKindled™ (or possibly in DTB as it's on my Christmas list  ).

So I say, "Go for it," if _Nation_ looks interesting to you, and if you enjoy it at all, then get thee to a nunnery library or Amazon Kindle store and read _The Color of Magic_ -- and beware the luggage!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Nogdog beat me to it and I'm exhausted from exams anyway so I'll be brief and just say... I think you'll find a lot of people on here more than willing to talk your ears off about Pratchett.  I support his position on Nation.  It's really a spectacular book, but it's also not like what you'll get with his Discworld novels which are fabulous as well.  Not many authors could get me to read such a vast collection, but I've devoured all of his books and some of them multiple times.  So read Nation then jump into Discworld and hold on tight.


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

I spent the summer reading all the Pratchett available for Kindle. If you do want to read it in order, a reading guide for the various story arcs is available at:

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/index.html

If you want to read all the books chronologically, you can always go to Fantastic Fiction to sort out dates of publication.

The books really are GREAT fun (and I, for one, really liked the luggage).


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Loved the Luggage in The Color of Magic.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

If you do a search of the Kindleboards, I think you will find several previous threads discussing Pratchett. He's a favorite of several of us.

Mike


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Yes, we have had several Pratchett discussions. You are in good company here. The other thing to remember about Pratchett is that you should keep trying to read his books until you find one that pulls you in. I'm trying to replace all my paper copies and have been haunting Amazon for them. It looks like a lot of his "youth" books are lower-priced right now.

Some of the earlier Pratchett threads:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,14239.0.html
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,13946.0.html


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

ooo I am about to go on a Terry Pratchett Discovery Trip myself. With my favourite author passed on, after completing his last series, I need some good fantasy to get stuck on  was considering Terry Pratchett, so I am thankful for this post (if you can understand, I haven't touched his books yet as 37 x $20 = daunting price to pay hahaha)


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

That's why you buy a couple to start with then by the time you're done with them you're more than happy to buy more and more and more as long as it means you get to keep reading.  With school finally done for the semester I'm seriously considering revisiting some of my favorites from him despite a huge reading list of new (to me) titles already on my Kindle.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

It's probably worth pointing out here that while there are 30 some odd "Discworld" books, in general each book stands pretty much by itself (though it often is more entertaining if you know what's gone on before in a given story arc). Therefore, except for the first book (_The Color of Magic_) you are not left with any cliff-hangers or such that force you to have to read the next book and then the next book and so on to "finish" a story. In fact, whatever continuity there is is within each of the several different story arcs, and as Pratchett generally jumps from arc to arc as he writes and publishes his novels, it can be years between books in the same story arc.

So, you can read a couple Discworld books, then go enjoy a few other authors, and come back to the next installment in Pratchett's world without any problem -- well, other than that niggling urge to get back to the fun instead of whatever comparatively boring books you've been reading in the meantime. 

Warning: one stylistic quirk of Pratchett's that is not ideal in Kindle format is his use of the footnote. He likes to insert one every few pages, either to fill in a bit of background or (more often) to stick in another joke. I sort of wish that the Kindle versions would just put them in right in the text [maybe in square brackets and a different font] instead of making us have to fiddle around with Kindle buttons in order to read them.


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

I think I'll read them in publication order


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

TheSeagull said:


> I think I'll read them in publication order


I think that's probably best, at least the first time through.  It lets you see how both Pratchett's style and storytelling evolved, as did the Discworld itself.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Warning: one stylistic quirk of Pratchett's that is not ideal in Kindle format is his use of the footnote.

--

Actually, it was while reading "Wyrd Sisters" that I dicovered that the Kindle handles footnotes pretty easily. At least if the publisher sets them up right. I just had to use the pointer to point at the asterisk, click and be taken to the footnote. Then the back button took me right to where I was.


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## harfner (Jul 5, 2009)

I love Terry's books, and once I started getting published as an author and attended SF/F cons as a pro, I ran into him off and on.  At one WorldCon, I realized to my horror I was put next to him for the mass author signing.  (My real name is Steven Piziks, and they'd seated me by that instead of by my pen name Steven Harper, since I publish under both names.)

It was awful.  Terry had a line that went all the way around the room and out the door.  He had two convention workers standing next to him to direct traffic, enforce the "two book only" rule, and keep a fresh bag of frozen peas for his wrist.  I sat next to him, drumming my fingers and watching fan after fan after fan get his book signed.  I couldn't even talk to anyone because everyone around me was so busy.  The worst moment came when two of MY BEST FRIENDS went through the line with his books.

"Hey!" I protested.  "Did you at least BUY any of my books?"

"Meh," they said.  "We'll get one from you later."

It was a long two hours.

I did sign about a dozen books overall, though, and =I= didn't have a two-book limit.  So there!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> Warning: one stylistic quirk of Pratchett's that is not ideal in Kindle format is his use of the footnote.
> 
> --
> 
> Actually, it was while reading "Wyrd Sisters" that I dicovered that the Kindle handles footnotes pretty easily. At least if the publisher sets them up right. I just had to use the pointer to point at the asterisk, click and be taken to the footnote. Then the back button took me right to where I was.


Yes, but compared to reading in a DTB it's still a pain. In the DTB you just flick your eyes down to the footnote and read it. On the Kindle, if the asterisk or superscript link is in the middle of the page, you use the 5-way something like: down - down - down - down - down - down -right - right - right - right - click - [read note] - back. Not horrible and certainly usable, but it can get you out of the flow and become a bit aggravating.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I try to get the cursor going well before I hit the footnote, but I have actually found myself almost missing (or flat out missing for all I know) some of the footnotes because the mark is so tiny.  So do be sure to look out for them and be sure to click on them you first time readers.  Sometimes the footnotes are the best bits!!!!!


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

Here is some help for reading order, may seem complicated.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-1-5.jpg

I for one love the Death books. Hogfather is an excellent one this time of year!

Scott


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

scottder said:


> ...
> I for one love the Death books. Hogfather is an excellent one this time of year!
> ...


I never would have guessed that from your Avatar.  (I'm a City Watch person, myself.)


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

NogDog said:


> I never would have guessed that from your Avatar.  (I'm a City Watch person, myself.)


I suppose that did give it away a little, didn't it 

Scott


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

scottder said:


> I suppose that did give it away a little, didn't it
> 
> Scott


Death is kind of interesting in that (a) he probably appears in more DW novels than any other character, and (b) his character probably has evolved/changed more than any other in the series. But Sam Vimes is still my main man, with the Granny Weatherwas/Nanny Ogg duo coming in second.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Death is cool but Death of Rats always makes me giggle  (SQUEAK)  and I also have a warm spot in my heart for his granddaughter, Susan.  My all time favorite secondary character though is the Great God Om when he was still a little turtle.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

I haven't gotten far enough to establish a favorite character yet, but I'm endlessly amused by the walking trunk made of sapient pearwood.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> Death is cool but Death of Rats always makes me giggle (SQUEAK) and I also have a warm spot in my heart for his granddaughter, Susan. My all time favorite secondary character though is the Great God Om when he was still a little turtle.


One of my favorite Kindle screen-savers:









PS: He's a tortoise, not a turtle. 

My other DW screen-savers:
























And of course, my favorite:


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

I made a few DW related ones as well:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,5659.msg323287.html#msg323287


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

scottder said:


> I made a few DW related ones as well:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,5659.msg323287.html#msg323287


I forget which Death book it was, but they mention a cat giving Death an "I'm-not-hungry-and-you're-not-interesting-look". Anyone who has ever owned a cat KNOWS that look too.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

NogDog said:


>


OOK!


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## harfner (Jul 5, 2009)

Wait, wait--how do you do that?  How do you change the screen saver on your Kindle to these?  Tell!


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

harfner said:


> Wait, wait--how do you do that? How do you change the screen saver on your Kindle to these? Tell!


Search the forum for the Screensaver Hack


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Is there an illustration anywhere of the Luggage?


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Is there an illustration anywhere of the Luggage?


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

scottder said:


>


Ooh, thanks!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

harfner said:


> Wait, wait--how do you do that? How do you change the screen saver on your Kindle to these? Tell!


Screen-saver hack instructions

And if you're interested: Font hack instructions

See my sig for a link to a page that has links to all the relevant files.


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Screen-saver hack instructions
> 
> And if you're interested: Font hack instructions
> 
> See my sig for a link to a page that has links to all the relevant files.


Are there any screenshots around of Helvetica2 or Georgia2?

Scott


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

scottder said:


> Are there any screenshots around of Helvetica2 or Georgia2?
> 
> Scott


I've started a new Font Screenshots page. So far it only has the Georgia2 font. I'll add others over the next couple days.


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

NogDog said:


> I've started a new Font Screenshots page. So far it only has the Georgia2 font. I'll add others over the next couple days.


Sweet! Thanks.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Favorites are tough, but I too really love the guard books with death and then the wizard books coming a close second... because it's hard for me to choose.  I really adore Detritus for some reason, and Vetinari is a lot of fun too.  Of course, it might be hard to see in my own avatar but I also have a soft spot in my heart for the librarian.  Ook!

But most of all I just can't get over how clever Pterry is in all of his books.  He really has a unique way of looking at the world and then twisting language and the rules of grammar around to make it easy for us to see as well.  I really haven't seen many his equal in doing that.


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## PD Allen (Dec 9, 2009)

Pratchett is enjoyable. Has anyone seen the movie based on his first book? They didn't do a bad job of it.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

PD Allen said:


> Pratchett is enjoyable. Has anyone seen the movie based on his first book? They didn't do a bad job of it.


I own it on DVD, of course. 

"Hogfather" is on my Christmas list, so I may own it soon, too. (I rented it from Netflix earlier this year.)

 

They are both pretty well done for comparatively low-budget efforts, though each could use some serious editing to tighten things up and improve the pacing, which can drag at times.


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

I haven't seen "The Color of Magic" yet, but Hogfather was pretty good as well.

Scott


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I've read the first four books; they were funny and amusing, especially the _Colour of Magic_, but they are a series, so are pretty much the same book over and over again with slight variations, and I'd never be able to get through all 20 plus novels. As a general rule, I can never get past four or five books in series, and Discworld was no different. But do give them a try.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Geemont said:


> I've read the first four books; they were funny and amusing, especially the _Colour of Magic_, but they are a series, so are pretty much the same book over and over again with slight variations, and I'd never be able to get through all 20 plus novels. As a general rule, I can never get past four or five books in series, and Discworld was no different. But do give them a try.


Um, Discworld doesn't even have the same lead characters from book to book. The series starts as fantasy parody but strays into other areas quickly. The last one I read is largely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. This is the least "all the books are the same" series I can think of.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Well, all of the books pretty much run like this:

Main character has or finds a problem of a magical/demonic/natural eventish/monstery nature.  Problem escalates.  Funny characters.  Funny situations.  Good triumphs over evil.  Universe is saved.

But then, other than the funny characters and situations, I may have described all fantasy novels ever written so I may have been overly vague ...


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

There are two cartoons that are actually really enjoyable as well.  I don't have Soul Music yet, but Wyrd Sisters was really fun.  I also really enjoyed both Hogfather and The Colour of Magic.  I've heard he has a couple others in the works too but I forget which.  I think it was "Going Postal" which seems an odd choice, but I'll take just about any of them.


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## scottder (Jun 26, 2009)

IF you read the early books, yes they are very similar, but he branches off more with later books. The Tiffany Aching books, while for 'Young Adults' are also excellent.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geemont said:


> I've read the first four books; they were funny and amusing, especially the _Colour of Magic_, but they are a series, so are pretty much the same book over and over again with slight variations, and I'd never be able to get through all 20 plus novels. As a general rule, I can never get past four or five books in series, and Discworld was no different. But do give them a try.


While that's obviously not how I feel, I can't argue with it, either. After all, I have yet to get past the first couple chapters of any Stephen King novel I've tried, yet there are obviously many who have gladly read all/most of them.

I would also note that the novels do start to branch out more into different characters and story types around the 6th book, _Wyrd Sisters_. But still, _vive la difference_, and your mileage may vary.


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## Frank_Tuttle (Jul 1, 2009)

I would, armed only with rusty pliers and a lifetime of practice at cursing, tear out every tooth in my head if it would grant me the ability to write one-tenth as well as Terry Pratchett.

The man mixes comedy and tragedy like nobody else.  Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, Death -- words fail me.  I love Discworld, all things Discworld, things that remotely resemble Discworld from moderate distances.

One of my most treasured possessions is a signed copy of "Making Money."

Pure genius.  Now I'll shut up.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Frank_Tuttle said:


> I would, armed only with rusty pliers and a lifetime of practice at cursing, tear out every tooth in my head if it would grant me the ability to write one-tenth as well as Terry Pratchett.
> 
> The man mixes comedy and tragedy like nobody else. Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, Death -- words fail me. I love Discworld, all things Discworld, things that remotely resemble Discworld from moderate distances.
> 
> ...


I like my teeth, but I agree with those sentiments. Not sure I've seen it put quite so succinctly before


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Pratchett fans might enjoy the interview Pterry did with Radio New Zealand this morning. The interviewer is clearly a fan, which helps.

Link: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20100920

Select "Feature Guest - Terry Pratchett"

Note: as the page makes clear, the interview includes discussion of assisted death.


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