Terry Pratchett

GePap · August 21, 2003, 17:07

So, have you heard of this British authoer? read any of his book? Any thoughts?

I myself love his sense of sly, dry humor.

St Leo · August 21, 2003, 17:15

He's okay.

The fifth rider is CTHULHU.

General Ludd · August 21, 2003, 20:18

Definately one of my favorites.

I've read almost every single discworld book now, and one or two of his others.

ajbera · August 21, 2003, 20:39

Small Gods was brilliant.

MattH · August 21, 2003, 20:44

Everybody I know loves Small Gods, witch (

) is excellent. I prefer the Discworld series- especially the City Watch stuff.

Dauphin · August 21, 2003, 21:38

I've read 10 of his books in the last 3 weeks. That's what happens when you are staying next to a library and have limited internet access.

FrustratedPoet · August 22, 2003, 06:13

Good books. Very amusing light reading with just enough clever insights and intellectual in-jokes to make you feel like you aren't reading total fluff.

I like them a lot.

I'm reading Guards! Guards! at the moment. The Watch characters are my favourites and it's interesting to see how they've evolved from this original appearence.

TCO · August 22, 2003, 08:36

Anbody who writes series crap should be killed. Hat Volume 5 of the Neverending Crapiad. It is boring to me.

FrustratedPoet · August 22, 2003, 09:05

I think I've got the Neverending Crapiad around here somewhere....

BeBro · August 22, 2003, 09:28

Quote:

Originally posted by St Leo
He's okay.

The fifth rider is CTHULHU.

How exactly is "CTHULHU" pronounced?

Imran Siddiqui · August 22, 2003, 09:59

I put 'ok'. It just seems the same after a few books in.

Zkribbler · August 22, 2003, 10:19

Check out my sig. below.

Richard Bruns · August 22, 2003, 10:38

It was the cover art that hooked me. I was wandering through the library and saw a picture of a butterfly with the mandelbrot set on its wings. I read the book out of curoisity, and have been reading any other Pratchett book I can get my hands on since. I am having the hardest time finding a copy of Equal Rites, the third book.

I think the most impressive thing about his books is that he is much more scientifically literate than most science fiction writers. I think he is a physicist, and I know that he once was a supervisor at a nuclear power plant.

Zkribbler · August 22, 2003, 10:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard Bruns
I know that he once was a supervisor at a nuclear power plant.

OMG, Terry Pratchett is really Homer Simpson!?!?

FrustratedPoet · August 22, 2003, 10:46

I think he was the Press Secretary for the Power Plant actually.

Richard: Have you checked Amazon for a copy of Equal Rites? They should have a copy. It's not one of the best by any means, but still OK and needs to be read if you want to complete the set.

Menlas · August 22, 2003, 20:26

I tried to read it (one of my friends is very fond of his books), but I just didn't find it funny. Maybe I should retry though, it was a couple of years ago...

St Leo · August 22, 2003, 23:59

Cthulhu is pronounced "koolhoo", "k't'hoolhoo", or whichever way you feel like pronouncing it.

Proteus_MST · August 23, 2003, 05:51

I have all Discworld-Novels from Terry Pratchett.
So either I have masochistic Tendencies,
or I think those Books are indeed really good.

As for Cthulhu:

Doesn´t he lie dreaming in his House in R'lyeh,
waiting till even Death is dead?

Snotty · August 23, 2003, 07:26

If you like pratchett you should check out a book he did with the fantastic neil gaimen (sp?) called 'Good omens'. Its a perfect blend of pratchetts humour and neils dark(er) imagination. If youve ever had the luck to read the sandman series of graphic novels you will know what I mean.

Firelad · August 23, 2003, 07:52

Good Omens is FANTASTIC.

Zevico · August 23, 2003, 08:09

I second Firelad's comment. It is an absolutely great book.
Other good ones:
"The Fifth Elephant"
"Guards! Guards!"
-the one with the island that rises from the sea and causes a war between Klatch and Ankh-Morpork (what's it called again?)
-Any others with the watch
"The last Hero"
-Any others with Rincewind in them.
-Any others with the Librarian in them.

Proteus_MST · August 23, 2003, 08:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Zevico
-the one with the island that rises from the sea and causes a war between Klatch and Ankh-Morpork (what's it called again?)

I think it´s Jingo.

As for Stories I exspecialy like:
Everything with Lord Vetinari and Leonardo da Quirm

Buck Birdseed · August 23, 2003, 09:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard Bruns
I think the most impressive thing about his books is that he is much more scientifically literate than most science fiction writers. I think he is a physicist, and I know that he once was a supervisor at a nuclear power plant.

He's just generally very well read. He is also more philosophically, sociologically and politically literate than most science fiction writers...

DanielXY · August 23, 2003, 09:26

I liked "Only you can save mankind" one of his few non Disc-World books. Small Gods still is Tops.
And I especially like the Death char. For Example the scene where he really gets mad at Rincewind cose he refuses to die (He is hanging over the Border-Waterfall on some small bush, and refuse to ackknowlegde he is as good as dead "What should be the cause of my death? Im not dead!"

)

Alinestra Covelia · August 23, 2003, 11:25

Pratchett was funny to begin with, but for me, his later work became really quite offensive even though it was trying to parody racism and stereotyping.

Of course, he's a literary comedian, so I know that isn't always important. But anybody who lived in the UK through Ali G's career will know what I mean - the man became a victim of his own irony, and what was originally entertaining eventually became unbearable.

By the time I read "The Lost Continent" (?) and "Interesting Times", I'd decided I was finished with Pratchett. I still love his earlier works, including "Good Omens", but his forays into cross cultural literature were all horrendous failures for me. In making fun of cultural stereotypes, he fails to distance himself from the ridiculing, and ends up joining in.

For somebody like me who comes from the culture he's lambasting, this is deeply unfunny and in fact rather offensive.

General Ludd · August 23, 2003, 11:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia
For somebody like me who comes from the culture he's lambasting, this is deeply unfunny and in fact rather offensive.

You mean, for everyone from a western culture?

muxec · August 23, 2003, 12:11

The best of his books is "Small Gods"...

Alinestra Covelia · August 23, 2003, 12:58

Or perhaps the 'hilarious' antics of four elderly western mercenaries who massacre an entire asian-esque nation, Osweld?

I have no issue with works that are self-parodical. Once you start attacking other cultures with poorly researched stereotypes, however, the gloves are off. I take issue with that and thus I don't read his books anymore.

Take your literary interest wherever you please, of course.

DarkCloud · August 24, 2003, 17:08

Imran, depends on which ones you read

I consider many of them large departures form the ordinary
(and frankly I hated the first 3 "color of magic", etc. ick. I knew there was humor, but I don't quite know enouch about british politics to find it funny... I grasped some jokes, but didn't laugh.)

Small Gods is one of the best.
but Sorceror was good as well.
and his newest: Night Watch and another one I can't quite remember are the best 2 he wrote. The time monks happen to be the most interesting characters

Imran Siddiqui · August 24, 2003, 17:41

DC: Heh.

I LOVED the first two. 'Color of Magic' and 'Light Fantastic' were great. 'Small Gods' was the "eh" title. It seemed all tired and same old, same old.