Terry Pratchett

[GePap]

The Truth is very good, it's all about the setting up of the Anhk-Morpork Times.

[TCO]

How does Goodkind compare to Pratchet. I think I have been confusing them.

[Jon Miller]

Pratchett is way better

totally different writes

Pratechett is humor and does so pretty decently at tiems

Goodkind tries to do Epic Fantasy but does so incredibley poorly (I have heard he is Randian which would make sense with the weakness of his plots)

Jon Miller

[DarkCloud]

Goodkind tries to do Epic Fantasy but does so incredibley poorly (I have heard he is Randian which would make sense with the weakness of his plots)

Blast. that doesn't bode well. I just bought book I of his epic series (although at a reduced rate)

But I read his work in "Legends" and found it passable- I wanted to read a series that focused on political fantasy... and am hoping that his does.... Does it?

[Jon Miller]

I liked his first two for a while

but than either my tastes matured or I realised his weakness because I began to hate his books (couldn't finish any past book three

you can pick up the weaknesses if you look for them, and they get very tiring quickly

there was a time I recommended them, now I deffinitely would not (read Cherryh or Hobb or Brust or one of a dozen others instead)

Jon Miller

[DarkCloud]

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.

Hmm... strange?
oh well. different tastes...

[DarkCloud]

Sadly, Brust isn't really in print here any more... I read some of his stuff in the Liavek shared universe, but can't find any but the later books in his "Jhereg" series and "Five tHousand years afer".... and I'd rather start at the beginning...

Robin Hobb- the gal with "Fitz" and "Burrich", yes, I've read hobb... can't say I liked her too much... but I am planning on reading more books as soon as the library gets the second book in her Assassins' Apprentice Series.

I'll check out c.j. cherryth when I can

David Farland however- he's amazing (but seems to drag things on far too long)

[Jon Miller]

I am not the fondest of Brust (but he is worth reading, just not a lot worth owning) and Hobb I liked more later into her series (but I read it all at once)

Jon Miller

[FrustratedPoet]

I don't understand why so many people like Small Gods either. It's weak IMHO.

[-Jrabbit]

Pratchett is, himself, a Small God.

Surprised no one's mentioned the books featuring the witches. Quite excellent.

Best character: DEATH, by far.
Best Discworld novel: tougher call. Maybe Pyramids, with the camels who do calculus...

Good Omens was OK. His earlier stuff (like Strata) tended to be more simplistic crap, but amuse because you see the early development of some major Discworld concepts.

I agree that anyone's riffs get a little predictable after a couple dozen books, but Pratchett tends to have something to say, and the ability to say it with humor. A rare gift. He's generally praised as a satirist (very different from a humorist), but I think his weakest work is often the stuff that's very pointed in its subject matter (like the one on Hollywood, can't remember title now).

I own just about everything he's done (in hardcover, cuz my wife won't wait for paperback).

The key to his staying (relatively) fresh is that he explores (uses) the whole of Discworld, so it's not the same cast of characters every time. The University, the City Guard, the witches, plus the "different country" stuff like the vampires -- each time a different ride.

Pratchett is the most consistently amusing scifi-fantasy writer since Douglas Adams.
(Dirk Gently, we miss you!! )

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit

Best character: DEATH, by far.

HOW COULD I FORGET HIM?

YES, HE´S THE BEST ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION IN TERRY PRATCHETTS BOOKS

[St Leo]

DEATH is a good supporting character, but HE's incapable of filling a book on HIS own.

[-Jrabbit]

He's arguably the co-lead character in Mort, which is one of my faves.