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Darknyte posted:In the 2 TA books I've read (I skipped Wee Free Men for some dumb reason, planning to pick it up whenever I see it in Borders), I get this creeping feeling that Tiffany is being set up to replace Granny, and the logical conclusion of the series has DEATH showing up to cart Granny off across the sands, only she pushes him aside and marches off with a remark about how even a dead witch still needs a good pair of boots. She can't be going on with that. Granny's doing better in the Aching books than in, say, Carpe Jugulum. It would make some thematic sense to do it in the coming-of-age books, but if Terry's going to kill her off at all I would suspect it to be in a "regular" book instead of the YA line. And yeah, get the first one. Tiffany is only 9, but it's the most fun of the three.
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Nov 5, 2008 18:37
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I really did hate Granny in Carpe Jugulum.. she's being angsty in a way that doesn't seem to suit her character at all.
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Nov 6, 2008 19:58
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ThaGhettoJew posted:She can't be going on with that. Granny's doing better in the Aching books than in, say, Carpe Jugulum. It would make some thematic sense to do it in the coming-of-age books, but if Terry's going to kill her off at all I would suspect it to be in a "regular" book instead of the YA line. And yeah, get the first one. Tiffany is only 9, but it's the most fun of the three. The thing is, Granny's been fighting off Death in every book, and with every book she gets progressively older and older and older; old age is the only thing left she hasn't been able to beat. But Terry has pretty much taken Granny Weatherwax as far as she can go -- there's really nothing left for her to beat at this point. The Aching books are a good way to use the Granny Weatherwax character without making her into some sort of discworld version of a Super-Saiyan. I don't think Pratchett will kill Granny off but doubt we'll see another book with her as the main character.
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Nov 6, 2008 20:03
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ThaGhettoJew posted:She can't be going on with that. Granny's doing better in the Aching books than in, say, Carpe Jugulum. It would make some thematic sense to do it in the coming-of-age books, but if Terry's going to kill her off at all I would suspect it to be in a "regular" book instead of the YA line. And yeah, get the first one. Tiffany is only 9, but it's the most fun of the three. You're likely right - it was likely a mix of finishing Mort and having recently read about Tiffany that made me think that. I still say Tiffany was/is (depending on how much time he has- dammit!) being set up to replace Granny; maybe in the sense that Granny goes off borrowing one day and just doesn't come back? Makes for a great 1st TA 'adult' novel - Granny aten't dead, but she ain't come back, neither, so Tiffany has to move in to her cottage (oh no Nanny has to ride down to the Chalk to get her!), from off the Chalk (where she'd been their witch for a few years) and a recurring element is Granny's body in her room, so Tiff has to sleep somewhere inconvenient. Granny still aten't dead at the end of the book, but DEATH stops by to check up on her, something about her Life Timer is wonky. The following book would have Granny returning, the only witch powerful enough to do so after all that time gone, but deals hilariously with the consequences of her having been a(n) eagle/badger/vermine/owl/squirrel for all that time. -- Also, reporting in from Moving Pictures, about halfway through. It's okay. Gaspode is my favorite so far. It'd be nice to have a book that was all about him, I think he's earned it by now.
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Nov 8, 2008 18:31
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Darknyte posted:Also, reporting in from Moving Pictures, about halfway through. It's okay. I was pretty disappointed with that one. I think all the Flinstone'isms really turned me off. Terry's "what the hell was I thinking" book. Gaspode is always awesome though.
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Nov 8, 2008 19:45
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LooseChanj posted:I was pretty disappointed with that one. I think all the Flinstone'isms really turned me off. Terry's "what the hell was I thinking" book. Gaspode is always awesome though. It's like he wasn't not sure what direction he wanted to take Discworld in at this point. It's still entertaining, but I find it telling that Vetinari in future books, every time there's new technology developed (Paper of News, the clacks, etc.), he refers back to 'that business with the moving pictures'. It's almost like Pratchett himself - if subconsciously - is apologizing for a wtf work.
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Nov 8, 2008 21:06
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Darknyte posted:It's like he wasn't not sure what direction he wanted to take Discworld in at this point. I like moving pictures and don't get the dislike. It reminds me of Soul Music -- it kinda shoehorns real-world stuff into Discworld in a way that doesn't really work, but it's still funny. The only genuinely bad Discworld book (imho) is Monstrous Regiment. It just *isn't funny*.
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Nov 8, 2008 21:58
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Calenth posted:I like moving pictures and don't get the dislike. It reminds me of Soul Music -- it kinda shoehorns real-world stuff into Discworld in a way that doesn't really work, but it's still funny. Monstrous Regiment has admittedly grown on me after an initial dislike of it. Once I got past the schticky plot setup, the characters were actually kind of fun. Plus, you get to see some A-M regulars through foreign eyes.
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Nov 8, 2008 22:59
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ThaGhettoJew posted:Monstrous Regiment has admittedly grown on me after an initial dislike of it. Once I got past the schticky plot setup, the characters were actually kind of fun. Plus, you get to see some A-M regulars through foreign eyes. Monstrous Regiment I liked, and I do like Moving Pictures; I see it as a lesser work among the amazing body of work Pratchett has produced. My personal scale for the Novels is a complex formula of: ((Laughs per page x [Sentimental/Bad rear end] Moments)/(How Fast I See The Twist + Number of Poorly Executed Tech References))(Number of Novels Featuring the Main Character) Witches and Watch tend to settle very close to the top of my list. Moving Pictures, while an engaging tale thus far, has not produced much laughter, and largely has me anticipating a Watch cameo beyond Colon and Nobby. How about Tiffany has to take over in the Ramtops because Granny goes to Ankh-Morpork to team up with Sgt. Angua to solve crimes? Granny's right up Vimes's alley - she prefers headology to outright magic. "You're off the case, Weatherwax - give me your broom and shield."
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Nov 8, 2008 23:33
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ThaGhettoJew posted:Plus, you get to see some A-M regulars through foreign eyes. I love Monstrous Regiment and The Truth, and a big part of that is how much fun it is to see Vimes from outside his own head.
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Nov 8, 2008 23:38
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Darknyte posted:
It's shorter because it was originally illustrated, like The Last Hero. I don't think it was co-written though.
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Nov 8, 2008 23:46
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Part of why I didn't care for Moving Pictures as much was it was like the 6th time the plot was just a variation on "terrible things encroaching from outside the universe". I mean that was what happened in Equal Rites, Sourcery, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Lords and Ladies... Not that all those didn't have lots of great things about them, but after awhile you start to think "Oh, again?"Pope Guilty posted:I love Monstrous Regiment and The Truth, and a big part of that is how much fun it is to see Vimes from outside his own head. LooseChanj posted:It's shorter because it was originally illustrated, like The Last Hero. I don't think it was co-written though.
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Nov 9, 2008 12:45
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Entropic posted:For some reason I've never been able to find the illustrated version of I had to order The Last Hero from B&N's website, like so many other things. One of the nice things about them is being able to check if a local store has something in stock. A few times I've been able to run down the next nearest store (which has a bigger selection) and get what I was looking for. Did that for The Amazing Maurice.
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Nov 9, 2008 13:48
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Entropic posted:For some reason I've never been able to find the illustrated version of That'll be something to do with it being out of print.
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Nov 11, 2008 05:52
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Re: Moving Pictures, I re-read it myself recently, and about halfway through I flipped to the list of Discworld books, to confirm a feeling I was having. If you look at the '89-'91 books (Pyramids, Guards! Guards!, Eric, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Witches Abroad) it's a transitional group. You have two of the few true standalones, the only Death book without Mort or Susan, Eric (which is an odd bird in a number of ways, being the first illustrated book and the bridge between Rincewind-as-joke-wizard and Rincewind-as-eternal-coward-traveler), the Witch book that really defined Granny (in Equal Rites she's barely recognizable as who we have today, in Wyrd Sisters, she's just the crone of the coven, but Witches Abroad, especially when she distinguishes herself from her sister, is when we first see the Granny Weatherwax who drives the later Witch books), and of course Guards! Guards! is the first Watch book, and the one that doesn't fit (not multiracial, no Vimes class-consciousness, stylistically not yet what we see in Men at Arms and later), and in one of the two standalones, you first see The Faculty that will appear until the present day (prior having had successive Archchancellors). For me, at least, it's right at and after this transitional bunch that Discworld REALLY takes off.
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Nov 12, 2008 17:40
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bigscary posted:Rincewind-as-joke-wizard and Rincewind-as-eternal-coward-traveler I liked the former much more than the latter.
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Nov 12, 2008 18:03
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LooseChanj posted:I liked the former much more than the latter. I liked the latter better when he first appeared but got very tired of him very quickly.
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Nov 13, 2008 01:44
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bigscary posted:... I've finished Moving Pictures and burned through Thief of Time so quick you'd think my last name was Ludd. In retrospect, everything you said is what's been boiling in my brain as I'm finishing the series (only what, 3 more to go, I think?). I'm always looking back to the publication dates and title list at the book, figuring out where we are in continuity. Thanks for somehow getting all that out of my brain and into words. In the end Moving Pictures didn't stink, and I did eventually chuckle aloud. It's not my favorite; we'll call it neutrally buoyant. In case anyone was curious: The Last Hero, Wee Free Men, and Maurice...
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Nov 15, 2008 05:17
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Darknyte posted:I'm always looking back to the publication dates and title list at the book, figuring out where we are in continuity. When I started reading them, I went by the list in the front. I think it was backwards most of the time for some reason. Now I just go the list on the wikipedia article.
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Nov 15, 2008 09:51
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LooseChanj posted:I liked the former much more than the latter. I would be tempted to agree if the former was ever funny. Rincewind still sucks, but at least he's not an empty frame upon which random jokes are hung.
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Nov 15, 2008 21:58
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If your reaching the end on your Pratchett read through I'd suggest keeping an eye out for 'Once more with Footnotes', it's a collection of his short stories, speeches and newspaper articles from right back to when he first started writing. It's an excellent read for getting a view on Terry's world view over the years. I've just seen how much these are going for on e-bay and now wish I'd bought a spare copy  On Moving Pictures, I went to the world premier of the play a few months back, they had popcorn and Terry was there, it was excellent. edit, I just hunted back through this thread, and I posted almost exactly the same thing about Once More almost exactly a year ago, sorry about that. What is new is that the asking prices have gone up by 100% or more. Jekub fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Nov 17, 2008 |
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Nov 17, 2008 18:36
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The_Doctor posted:That'll be something to do with it being out of print. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0575046368/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used $389!!! Was it ever in print in the US? Would I have better luck buying it used from the UK?
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Nov 21, 2008 23:53
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smackfu posted:I was thinking about tracking down a copy, but yikes! Oh no, Pratchett is becoming one of those authors. 
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Nov 27, 2008 17:37
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Smackfu, it was originally published in the US by NESFA Press (New England Science Fiction Association) when Terry was the guest of honour at Noreascon Four, the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention. So wikipedia tells me anyway. His early books have always been highly collectable. 1st editions of the Carpet People, the original 1971 copy, have always commanded high prices. I've never found a copy I could afford, having to stick with my 1992 re-written edition. I've just finished re-reading all of the Science of Discworld books, a decent enough fix of disc if you like Wizards and Rincewind meddling in history. The science is always interesting, but I'd be interested to know how much is out of date now after nearly 8 years. You guys in the US have a discworld con coming up next year, might be well worth going if it's anything like the UK con. http://www.nadwcon.org/ Quick edit just for Moist, http://www.abebooks.co.uk/search/sortby/1/an/Terry+Pratchett/fe/on Jekub fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Nov 28, 2008 |
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Nov 28, 2008 15:02
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I finished Making Money last night. 
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Nov 28, 2008 15:52
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Jekub posted:Quick edit just for Moist, http://www.abebooks.co.uk/search/sortby/1/an/Terry+Pratchett/fe/on I suppose it was bound to happen
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Nov 28, 2008 16:40
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LooseChanj posted:I finished Making Money last night. Come on...did you not  at ..."that can either mean gold, or thousand...."?
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Nov 29, 2008 01:28
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Wittle Goony Gurl posted:Come on...did you not No, before now there's always been more discworld to look forward to! 
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Nov 29, 2008 01:53
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LooseChanj posted:No, before now there's always been more discworld to look forward to! I just finished Making Money about a week ago. . . indeed!But I can happily report that if you haven't read Nation, it is very very good; so there is one last bit of Pratchett for you to enjoy, even if it isn't Discworld.
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Nov 29, 2008 04:46
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DontMockMySmock posted:But I can happily report that if you haven't read Nation, it is very very good; so there is one last bit of Pratchett for you to enjoy, even if it isn't Discworld. Read that last month.
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Nov 29, 2008 09:43
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Terry is going to be a knight  linkage
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Dec 31, 2008 02:27
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About time, and very much deserved.
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Dec 31, 2008 13:14
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I almost completely forgot about this, and it's only on iplayer for another 23 hours : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00g3fg2/With_Great_Pleasure_With_Great_Pleasure_at_Christmas/ 'With Great Pleasure' with Terry, an hours worth of him picking his favourite writers and extracts from there work. It was broadcast on Christmas day on Radio 4 and repeated on boxing day, hence you can still get hold of it for another day. I don't think this will work outside of the UK, but you might be able to work your way round it with a proxy?
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Dec 31, 2008 15:35
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amanvell posted:Terry is going to be a knight   I just finally got around to listening to the Tiffany Aching Books and found them to be simply fantastic. Now look forward to using my Xmas Gift Book Certificates to buy them...after I read Nation.
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Dec 31, 2008 17:22
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Capn_Marrrrk posted:I just finally got around to listening to the Tiffany Aching Books and found them to be simply fantastic. I read them last year. They made Twilight seem that much lamer, and they're not helping Harry Potter at all either.
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Dec 31, 2008 18:35
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Got Nation for Christmas, and it was amazing. Mau as a character reminded me a lot of Vimes, with the Grandfathers being the Night Watchman from Thud! I loved how the ending flipped the entire story, and I'm going to have to read it again before his next book comes out. And good on Terry for being knighted. The fact that he had managed for about a decade to stay Britains top selling author (before Rowling), had nothing to do with it, and his Alzheimers did, but recognition is recognition.
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Jan 6, 2009 19:08
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After putting it off for a while, I finally started reading the Discworld series with the very first one, The Color of Magic. I am loving it. And I'm excited that I have a whole series before me to read through.
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Jan 7, 2009 00:37
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Mystic_Squid posted:After putting it off for a while, I finally started reading the Discworld series with the very first one, The Color of Magic. I am loving it. And I'm excited that I have a whole series before me to read through. I envy you. You've got some awesome stuff ahead of you. Even the ones I don't like as much are still worth rereading, and they get markedly better after the first few (IMO).
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Jan 7, 2009 07:26
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Mystic_Squid posted:After putting it off for a while, I finally started reading the Discworld series with the very first one, The Color of Magic. I am loving it. And I'm excited that I have a whole series before me to read through. Don't avoid the YA stuff for fear of it being too childish...the only difference is footnotes explaining what a pantry is, and a younger protagonist.
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Jan 7, 2009 14:32
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Please tell me that "Making Money" gets better. I just can't seen to get into this one. at about page 55 -60
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Jan 8, 2009 05:23
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