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ONE YEAR LATER posted:Nutt says that when he was living with Lady Margolotta he would sneak around the castle in the hidden passages and at one point he mentions seeing a troll made of diamond come visit. Oh, we're counting stuff like this as a cameo? I assumed a cameo meant some 'face time'.
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Dec 13, 2009 10:21
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 17:14 |
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ok show of hands who thinks the last book was poo poo. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Dec 13, 2009 21:38
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*crickets chirping*
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Dec 13, 2009 21:42
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Swamp Zero posted:ok show of hands who thinks the last book was poo poo. Not quite poo poo, but certainly pretty low on my list. The two plots felt half-assed and didn't mesh together at all. Nutt would have been a better fit for the watch environment, and the soccer plot should've been a standalone "sports satire" book.
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Dec 13, 2009 22:55
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I thought the whole fashion model thing was a particularly bad fit in the story as it didn't really have anything to do with any of the plots.
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Dec 14, 2009 02:46
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muscles like this? posted:I thought the whole fashion model thing was a particularly bad fit in the story as it didn't really have anything to do with any of the plots. Yeah, I agree. I kind of felt like the whole book had a 'race against time' feel to it. It was like Pratchett had a ton of ideas that he wanted to do, but might not get to if this is his last book.
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Dec 14, 2009 03:59
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I thought the fashion model plot was more a ripoff of Cinderella than anything else, and to give some tension to the romantic subplot by giving what's her name a reason not to hang around for Trevor.
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Dec 14, 2009 14:32
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I had the whole fashion model bit down as a joke on the WAG phenomenon (if that's not a misuse of the word). Since there aren't any real models on the Discworld, first they had to be invented...
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Dec 14, 2009 20:34
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I was skimming through The Last Continent again, and it's way better than I remembered the Rincewind books being. Maybe because it's got so much UU Faculty and Death in it. And lots of great wordplay, like when one of the Wizards refers to "paleontology, archaelogy and other skullduggery". 
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Dec 15, 2009 13:14
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LGBT War Machine posted:I had the whole fashion model bit down as a joke on the WAG phenomenon (if that's not a misuse of the word). Since there aren't any real models on the Discworld, first they had to be invented... This too, but for one: that doesn't translate very well in North America, and two: there was way too much plot time devoted to it for it to be a one-trick joke like that.
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Dec 16, 2009 13:11
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I read those sections as mostly being an important part of Glenda's character growth as well as a chance to take the piss out of the fashion industry using dwarven fashion. After all it's the main impetus behind several important decisions and realisations for her. Edit: I was a bit disappointed we didn't get to see the match for the Archchancellor's hat. Vengeance of Pandas fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Dec 16, 2009 |
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Dec 16, 2009 16:42
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Moist von Lipwig posted:This too, but for one: that doesn't translate very well in North America, and two: there was way too much plot time devoted to it for it to be a one-trick joke like that. Is Pratchett that bothered about North Americans getting every joke? Surely any North American who reads Pratchett is both intelligent and a Britophile and therefore can look it up? j/k As with most things Pratchett, I think there are multiple layers to the joke, so we have a Cinderella/WAG/staers doing it for themselves sub-plot. And it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that once upon a time all fashion models were required to be under 5 foot tall and then the first tall slender proto-supermodel emerged and it was a further gag on that.
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Dec 16, 2009 21:59
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GhostDog posted:Not quite poo poo, but certainly pretty low on my list. The two plots felt half-assed and didn't mesh together at all. Nutt would have been a better fit for the watch environment, and the soccer plot should've been a standalone "sports satire" book. I'm also not a big fan. It felt a bit all over the place, a bit disjointed. I think there were some good jokes, but overall it was pretty 'meh'.
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Dec 19, 2009 14:04
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Vengeance of Pandas posted:Edit: I was a bit disappointed we didn't get to see the match for the Archchancellor's hat. Actually, yeah. That seems like quite a big thing to leave out. It was like it was just dropped after devoting a lot of time to setting it up. It's another point of pacing that was a bit off with this book. The search for Nutt on his way to Uberwald felt like it could have lasted another book, nevermind a chapter, and felt like it should have been nearer the end.
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Dec 19, 2009 14:14
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Nilbop posted:It's another point of pacing that was a bit off with this book. The search for Nutt on his way to Uberwald felt like it could have lasted another book, nevermind a chapter, and felt like it should have been nearer the end. Well, there were two stories in the book, and their climaxes were totally seperate events. And since the first one was the one that I was far more invested in, it left the actual ending as something of an anticlimax.
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Dec 20, 2009 08:31
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Here's something to cheer you up : 34 minute long excerpt from the Guardian Book Club from 12th December, 2009 Edit : A response to an audience question : "I'd rather be a rising ape then a falling angel" evilbastard fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Dec 21, 2009 |
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Dec 21, 2009 16:40
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Something I've noticed in the recent Discworld books is that there seems to be an excess of ideas vying for screentime. Thud, Making Money, Unseen Academicals, all seemed to have multiple plots that were unnecessary or were resolved weakly. Thud's Da Vinci code parody, Making Money's random glooper, UA's entire Romeo and Juliet subplot... Monstrous Regiment seemed to suffer the opposite and had only ONE plot that wasn't compelling enough, though I will say that in retrospect, the idea of them all being girls isn't that bad once you remember that 50 percent of the population is female, and the entire point of the story is that once the men are all dead, they still need bodies for war, so they'll move into the reserves. Pratchett still has the talent to write, but it seems to be shotgunning lately with all the random thoughts going all over the place and not fitting together smoothly. It would be of poor taste to blame his illness for this, but I am at a loss to explain where the lack of cohesion comes from. I have heard he is dictating his books now, I believe, versus typing them by hand. Perhaps this lack of "hands on" writing leads to more loose threads? You'd think a good editor would be able to stitch those up with a practiced hand by now. Now that the criticism is aside, here is some praise and some fun details I've noticed. Making Money makes reference to a popular board game A-M likes to play, Exclusive Possession. One might say the goal of it is to get a monopoly. And there are various pieces that one uses to play: A boot, a dog, a top hat, an iron, a horse and rider, a car/carriage, a battleship, a wheelbarrow, a thimble, and lots of money. All of those appear at some point in Moist's game, but he also has to concentrate on being the banker, which divides the player's attention... Meanwhile, one player quietly is going through a Grand Undertaking, snapping up all the utilities and talks about public transportation while allowing the other players to squabble over lands. Besides, he's not worried, he has the Get Out Of Jail Free card. Although as any player of Monop-Executive Possession knows, near the end of the game, it's sometimes safer to sit in jail than keep going around the board. Gloing This term appears all the time when the new ball is bounced. Gloing gloing gloing, just a football bouncing. But, actually, it's not the FIRST time Discworld hears that sound. Nutt hears it earlier when they light the everlasting Candle. Gloing...the sound of something lighting up the darkness. A "w" away from Glowing. One of Pratchett's talents is to use words that SOUND what they mean. In this case, while it LOOKS like the sound of a ball bouncing, it's been established as the sound of something glowing in the dark, kind of like how the gods smile upon Juliet and "Romeo" as they glow in the finale, and how the Urn was brought to light by the goddess of chance. Lady Luck only comes when you DON'T ask for her. Vetinari was banking on the new football bringing out the best in people, as previously it was a dark, untamed animal where people got hurt or worse. The theme of UA is lighting the darkness with knowledge, which is what a university and what teachers SHOULD be doing. Which shouldn't be left only to the rich academics, but available to everyone, including those left in the dark below stairs. Especially those below stairs, in fact, because they're the real Unseen Academicals. Vetinari fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Dec 24, 2009 |
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Dec 24, 2009 03:43
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Is anyone else getting a bit tired of AM? I really miss Rincewind and those sandy oriental places he used to visit. AM always seems to be on the verge of becoming Victorian London. Why can't we revisit the hilarious brutality of the Ephebians etc?
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Dec 27, 2009 21:24
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Because people complain. Borogrovia is at it's heart an AMless story, as are the Tiffany Aching books, but if you say Discworld, people think of Sam Vimes.
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Dec 27, 2009 23:04
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I finally got around to reading Night Watch and it is a truly amazing book. drat.
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Dec 29, 2009 01:59
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SkyTV has put up some pictures from the forthcoming production of Going Postal. I think it looks great. The characters are almost all exactly how I imagined them, particularly David Suchet/Reacher Gilt. SaintFu fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Dec 30, 2009 |
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Dec 30, 2009 00:59
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That will do quite nicely. Moist looks great, even if his gold suit is a bit dull. Guilt looks very cartoony, which actually suits him. The wizards continue to look a bit too much like twits though.
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Dec 30, 2009 03:20
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Nilbop posted:That will do quite nicely. Moist looks great, even if his gold suit is a bit dull. Guilt looks very cartoony, which actually suits him. Jeff from Coupling is an excellent Moist. I'm actually exited for this.
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Dec 30, 2009 07:05
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Nobby posted:Jeff from Coupling is an excellent Moist. I'm actually exited for this. I wonder if I'd be able to watch this without constantly expecting him to say something horribly perverted.
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Dec 30, 2009 14:58
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Nilbop posted:That will do quite nicely. Moist looks great, even if his gold suit is a bit dull. Guilt looks very cartoony, which actually suits him. I'm sorry, but aren't the wizards supposed to be a bunch of twits. At least that is the impression I get from all, but Ponder Stibbons.
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Dec 31, 2009 07:55
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The UU Faculty are never drawn / portrayed fat enough.
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Dec 31, 2009 08:07
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Entropic posted:The UU Faculty are never drawn / portrayed fat enough. They are a bunch of twits; but they have gravitas, or more accurately, gravity.
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Jan 1, 2010 04:11
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Mr Hootington posted:I'm sorry, but aren't the wizards supposed to be a bunch of twits. At least that is the impression I get from all, but Ponder Stibbons. I quite liked the few moments in UA when the "twit" mask slipped off Ridcully.
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Jan 1, 2010 04:37
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Vetinari posted:
I read it right after the Fifth Elephant so everyone turning out to be girls seemed like retreading old ground. Only worse, because there really aren't many human girls who make convincing guys, so I was picturing the main girl as "Bob" from Blackadder. The title was a good reference, though. I read Nation recently, and I have to say it was the most compelling Pratchet book I've read in years. That and Night Watch are the only two that kept me reading into the small hours of the morning since I first started reading his books. I'm now on Good Omens (Pratchet and Gaimon) and enjoying it a lot so far.
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Jan 2, 2010 17:26
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I just have to post these here. They were originally posted in the 3DCG thread in CC by EoinCannon and they are the greatest. Seriously, go look. Polly Cohen
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Jan 2, 2010 19:21
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bitterandtwisted posted:I read it right after the Fifth Elephant so everyone turning out to be girls seemed like retreading old ground. Only worse, because there really aren't many human girls who make convincing guys, so I was picturing the main girl as "Bob" from Blackadder. The title was a good reference, though. Yeah, I tracked down Nation even though it's a YA book and was not disappointed. Really awesome story.
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Jan 3, 2010 09:59
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Moist von Lipwig posted:I just have to post these here. They were originally posted in the 3DCG thread in CC by EoinCannon and they are the greatest. Seriously, go look. Polly looks like she forgot her sock. drunk asian neighbor posted:Yeah, I tracked down Nation even though it's a YA book and was not disappointed. Really awesome story. I think Pratchett is on record saying that the only difference between children's and adult books is that the words aren't quite as long and the sex isn't as obvious. This means you should read all of his YA books. pseudorandom name fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Jan 3, 2010 |
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Jan 3, 2010 20:04
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pseudorandom name posted:I think Pratchett is on record saying that the only difference between children's and adult books is that the words aren't quite as long and the sex isn't as obvious. Tiffany Aching is super-awesome. (Not gonna read the Maurice book, though; I can barely stand the plots involving Gaspode.)
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Jan 3, 2010 20:32
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inklesspen posted:Tiffany Aching is super-awesome. (Not gonna read the Maurice book, though; I can barely stand the plots involving Gaspode.) Gaspode was my favorite character besides Vimes for quite a while  Regardless, you should read it. It's still miles better than 99.9% of the literature out there, and if I recall correctly, Gaspode is a very small part of the plot (obviously there are other talking animals; also, I could be wrong since I haven't read it in forever and a day). Tiffany Aching IS super-awesome.
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Jan 3, 2010 21:02
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The Maurice book is kind of like the Bromeliad. The rats are basically human. The talking cat is just smug.
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Jan 3, 2010 21:39
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In a way I think Pratchett's YA stuff is his strongest. The three Johnny books (particularly Johnny and the Bomb) are excellent, and when I read Nation a couple months back I thought it was one of his best books in years.
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Jan 4, 2010 01:00
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John Charity Spring posted:In a way I think Pratchett's YA stuff is his strongest. The three Johnny books (particularly Johnny and the Bomb) are excellent, and when I read Nation a couple months back I thought it was one of his best books in years. Going on Maurice and the 3 TA books I have to agree. The TA stuff is exactly what I'd want a daughter to be reading in the 9-13 age bracket and Maurice is just a phenomenal story with amazing writing. Do 't skip Maurice because of Gaspode (who has minimal bearing on the plot) nor for any other reason.
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Jan 4, 2010 02:13
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mllaneza posted:Going on Maurice and the 3 TA books I have to agree. The TA stuff is exactly what I'd want a daughter to be reading in the 9-13 age bracket and Maurice is just a phenomenal story with amazing writing. Do 't skip Maurice because of Gaspode (who has minimal bearing on the plot) nor for any other reason. It's not because of Gaspode himself. I just don't think the "hey, intelligent animals in the Discworld" plot is fun.
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Jan 4, 2010 02:18
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Don't eat the green wobbly bit.
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Jan 4, 2010 02:25
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Wasn't a big fan of Unseen Academicals. There were a few funny bits and winks to old books, and some characters I wouldn't mind seeing more of (like Dr Hix -- skull ring! -- and Charlie), but I didn't give a drat about the main plot and most of the new characters were boring. Nutt wasn't exactly a compelling protagonist. A meek savant who is the best at everything he tries? Really? Trev and Juliet were barely characters, and everything to do with Glenda just seemed like an amalgamation of rejected prose from the Witches books or something. Most of the cameos were a bit dull, too. When Vimes showed up in, say, Monstrous Regiment, he was hilarious, but when he showed up in UA it was to a resounding "so what"? I still have high hopes for Raising Taxes though. Entropic fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Jan 4, 2010 |
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Jan 4, 2010 02:30
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