Terry Pratchett

[A205GTI]

Never read any of them, was not interested until now...

Basically stumbled upon the Small Gods being played on Radio 4 Extra and is actually very funny.

So I am now thinking I am missing out on some good reads.

So which book do I start with on my adventure?

Any advice appreciated.

[Silver Smudger]

Start with the first Discworld (Colour of Magic) and work through the lot! Seriously, I have never read one of his books that have disappointed me, the writing gets better and better and there are in-jokes that build through the series too.

He has a great way of 'playing' with words, really knows how to make a solid character, and makes wicked observations on real life - Genius.

[mikebradford]

im another fan, i dont read many books, but have read and enjoyed all the discworld titles

[onomatopoeia]

Silver Smudger said:

Start with the first Discworld (Colour of Magic) and work through the lot!

Agree. The first two are more a collection of puns fired at machine gun speed than stories with well developed characters, but by the time he gets to Mort (4th novel) he does start telling stories and they get better and better.

It's about time Susan had another novel too.

[havoc]

They're all good. Different core character groups recur in different novels - Wizards, Witches, Guards, Death's Granddaughter, etc... You may find a preference for some over others, but all worth reading.

When you read them, esp. the Wizards ones, you'll gradually discover a hatred of the plagiaristic JK Rowling...

[BrewsterBear]

I started a very similar thread a few months back and this picture has helped no end;

[Halmyre]

BrewsterBear said:

I started a very similar thread a few months back and this picture has helped no end;

I think they've shoe-horned 'Monstrous Regiment' in where it doesn't belong. I think it's the most 'stand-alone' of Pratchett's Discworld books, with a slight connection to the 'Watch' series.

[rumple]

I think he is much underrated, I read all the Discworld books them moved on to The hitchhiker's guide, I found it dross in comparison.

[DJRC]

Well somebody appreciated him well enough to give him a gong!

[Halb]

There's a 2.2 version of the above list now.

Pratchett is today's version of Swift/Dickens. Extremely clever use of language and research. The amount of literary and cultural allusions he throws in is staggering, you will get different ones after the third/fouth reading.
Small Gods was a nice read.
Sad that his alzheimer's will most likely deny any future works.

[kowalski655]

1 great non Discworld book is Good Omens, co written with Neil Gaiman, a really funny book.

Dont know if the sci fi ones with Stephen Baxter are any good.

[Mr E]

kowalski655 said:

1 great non Discworld book is Good Omens, co written with Neil Gaiman, a really funny book.

Dont know if the sci fi ones with Stephen Baxter are any good.

Good Omens is excellent.
I also enjoyed "the long earth"

[Halb]

I read Good Omens when it first came out, I was cool towards it. Though it may be due a reread soon.


I've read the Long Earth, I like it...though it took me a while to get into it. By the end, I was hooked and really needed to know where it went next. It reminded me of Strata (early TP sci-fi) and Ilium, with it's quantum type of sci-fi.
I currently have The Long War next o me, but I can't start it because I have a book to finish reading and a short story to finish writing.

[Hooli]

Silver Smudger said:

Start with the first Discworld (Colour of Magic) and work through the lot! Seriously, I have never read one of his books that have disappointed me, the writing gets better and better and there are in-jokes that build through the series too.

He has a great way of 'playing' with words, really knows how to make a solid character, and makes wicked observations on real life - Genius.

+1

[RealSquirrels]

Silver Smudger said:

Start with the first Discworld (Colour of Magic) and work through the lot! Seriously, I have never read one of his books that have disappointed me, the writing gets better and better and there are in-jokes that build through the series too.

He has a great way of 'playing' with words, really knows how to make a solid character, and makes wicked observations on real life - Genius.

woah woah woah, don't start with the first discworld, it's basically crap. start with one of the good ones. maybe the first of the watch series... even though that is still quite a bit towards the fantasy end of the spectrum.

[Halb]

RealSquirrels said:

...even though that is still quite a bit towards the fantasy end of the spectrum.

Flat world on top of elephants and a turtle? It's all towards the thick end of the fantasy spectrum.

[strudel]

Nothing wrong with the first ones at all. An understanding of quantum physics does help with some of the humour though

[RealSquirrels]

perhaps I was exagerrating a bit, but the later novels are far, far better books than the earlier ones. they stand alone as decent books, not just decent within the socially slightly crippled fantasty genre.

[DanL]

RealSquirrels said:

perhaps I was exagerrating a bit, but the later novels are far, far better books than the earlier ones. they stand alone as decent books, not just decent within the socially slightly crippled fantasty genre.

I agree - I loved the Colour of Magic when I first read it years ago. However, there are much, much better discworld novels out there. Try Mort - it's pretty stand alone and introduces you nicely to the world.

[Halb]

The early ones don't have a story, they're a series of events, that's how they were written, as gentle pastiches of the genre, a knowledge of the classics if the genre helps. Later he discovers plot. And then they get awesome.

Edited by Halb on Thursday 15th August 23:18