Terry Pratchett - Discworld series.

[Harriet]

I've only read a few of them, but I've found that the ones with Death in are so much funnier and easier to get into than the ones without. My favourite's Mort, mainly because of the big part Death plays in it, and its got some of the funniest lines, e.g......'Why is there a cherry on a pole in this drink?'....'Mort realised that, with some difficulty and embarrasment, Death was attempting to wink'.

Discuss...

[Barbara]

I've only read a few of them, but I've found that the ones with Death in are so much funnier and easier to get into than the ones without. My favourite's Mort, mainly because of the big part Death plays in it, and its got some of the funniest lines, e.g......'Why is there a cherry on a pole in this drink?'....'Mort realised that, with some difficulty and embarrasment, Death was attempting to wink'.

Discuss...

I too love Pratchett's humour. My introduction was "Weird Sisters". I love the beginning - a take on the opening scene of Macbeth. Cue: Thunder, lightning, witches round a cauldron, "When shall we three meet again?". "Well I can do next Tuesday" comes the reply. So, I like the Witch books. However, I find the humour pushes you back a bit from getting too involved. I feel a bit detached, so I cant read one after the other, I have to have a rest in between.

[Darkstar]

I've read all of them except the most recent. I started reading them years ago, and really liked them because I enjoyed trying to spot the references. They're also very funny and very well written. I like the ones with the witches, but I must confess to a soft spot for poor old Vimes.

[Harriet]

I've just finished 'Reaper Man', and I found the parts that didn't have Death really slow-moving, but all the parts with Death in were HILARIOUS, and I intend to re-read it :D

[My Friend Jack]

I guess there must be getting on for 30 Discworld books by now. The thing that I find so impressive is that the quality of the stories and the way in which they are told, is consistently high. Many of the books have taken a poke at institutions within modern society (newspapers, the music industry, universities, authority figures, politicians), but I always find the incredible, far-fetched, outlandish world in which the stories take place so utterly believable - which is a tremedous achievement for an author with such a regular output.

[Purity]

I've only read a few of them, does it matter if you read them in order??

[Harriet]

I guess not, I've read just over 10 of them, and the only way that I've read them in order was to read Colour of Magic first. I don't think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the stories follow on from each other.

[Opal]

I don't think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the stories follow on from each other.

I actually think they do! I mean they all work well as stand alone books, and have self contained plots, but I've read all of them and there are things going on in the background.

For example in the City Watch books. The back story behind Sam Vimes is kinda funny, he starts off as a drunk who falls asleep in gutters, and by the end of Night Watch he's a duke and married with a child! And the "romance" between Carrot and Angua is kinda funny, but mostly because of what isn't written if you see what I mean! ;)

The Rincewind books are quite good too, although if anything he's proof that dead doesn't mean you're gone....

I could talk for hours about Discworld, but probably shouldn't, so I'll just say that in my opinion, as long as you're aware you aren't reading books in order it doesn't matter too much, as long as you like them! And I think they're some of the best books I've ever read! :D

[Dr Haggard]

The "watch" books are my favourites. I love Vimes and his sparring with Vetinari. But all the ones set in Uberwald and places like that are cool too. Basically I love everything Terry Pratchett has done except The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic - which I never recommend to anyone as good Discworld books.

[Sara]

I haven't read any of them in a while but I remember them being some of the funniest books I've ever read.

[Granny weatherwax]

I love Terry Pratchett :D he must live in front of his PC, the amount of books he churns out is incredible.
Brilliant writer, the discworld books are genius in my opinion. :)

[Rootytootytoo]

Not so much of a surprise Granny, given your name!

I think Granny Weatherwax and Vimes are fantastic characters... I am always delighted to learn that another book is coming out featuring either of them. I wonder how he decides whether to follow up or not. I've liked some of the 'one offs', like Teppic in Pyramids... but like others I suspect he'll never be heard of again... I'm not that bothered that Rincewind has disappeared though!

[jipjip]

Massive fan ,have all his books-luckily my father-in-law is a book rep so I get them all free(but don't tell his boss)! ;)
I tend to go through phases of what's my favourite, witches,watch,death,rincewind-but for a while now it's been the watch ones as I think Night Watch is one of the best books he's written!(along with Good Omens) My best pressie was getting a signed copy(how sad am I :D )

[captain holly]

I love Terry Pratchett. Death started out as my favourite character, probably because the first book I read by him was Reaperman. It's now changed to Vimes, and I'm sure it'll change again.

I love his kids books as well....well the ones that are kind of still in the discworld. Wee Free Men and A Hatful of Sky are brilliant.

[lucyb]

Vimes has also become my favourite but I do have a soft spot for the patrician's one liners.

[happyfriday]

Ok, I want to start reading these books but I am at a loss as to which one to start off with, there are just so many (Which will be great if I like them, because I'll never have to wait for the next one to come out, there are just too many to get through) so anyway can someone recommend what one I should start off with? I'd like to also read them in some sort of order!!

Hope someone can help. :D

[My Friend Jack]

Colour of Magic is the first, although someone on here recently said they thought it wasn't as good as some of the later ones. Each book is a self-contained story which can be read in isolation, but there is some character development if you read them in the right order, and it'll help with understanding how Discworld works if you read them in the right order, I suppose.

Start with CoM, and the list of other books by Terry Pratchett at the front will give you the correct reading order.

[happyfriday]

Thanks a million MFJ just got it at lunch time and hope to start it this weekend!!! :D

[Elfstar]

That sounds like good advice,MFJ,I also have a great fondness for Vimes but I absolutely adore the Librarian at the Unseen University (OOOK?) and Susan. One of my favourite books was Soul Music, tho I think the Night Watch books are some of the best.

[My Friend Jack]

Oddly enough, I didn't rate Soul Music as highly as most others, but I particularly liked the one about the newspaper indusrty (was in Interesting Times?). I've enjoyed all of them, though.

Look forward to hearing from happyfriday soon!

[Elfstar]

Oh, I don't think it was the best I just enjoyed it. It really struck a chord (sorry) with me tho I still agree with a friend who insists he only wrote it to get the Kirsty McColl related tag line in!! So how did you rate Going Postal?

[captain holly]

Oddly enough, I didn't rate Soul Music as highly as most others, but I particularly liked the one about the newspaper indusrty (was in Interesting Times?).


Do you mean The Truth? With William de Worde... I think that was his name.
I really enjoyed that one as well.

I think one of my favourite things about the Discworld series is how he has regular characters who make appearances in most of his books.

I enjoyed Soul Music, but I think one of my fave Susan books is Thief of Time. I think that was the one with the auditors and the death by chocolate (what a way to go). I thought it was a shame in Soul Music that you never got the chance to see if her and the harp player got a chance to have a little romance.

[incredible]

I've only read a few of them, does it matter if you read them in order??
Sequence is not critical IMHO as if you like the books you'll probably end up reading them again anyway.

One of the features of the Discworld series though is that characters reappear, sometimes several books later or in unexpected locations. And of course Cut-My-Own-Throat Dibbler could appear in any crowd scene anywhere. So sometimes it helps to know their back story. On the other hand, I guess it could be nice to discover their initial minor role when you go back to an earlier book (eg LuTze in Night Watch cf Lu Tze in Small Gods).

Unfortunately I can't say from personal experience as I got hooked from the first in the series and have read every one as soon as it came out (in paperback anyway). A new Pratchett is always an immediate purchase.

[pawpads]

I've read all of the Discworld books since being introduced to them back in 1998.

The first 3 books are my least favourite's, but I think that's probably due to the fact that I've loved exploring the Disc as I've read more.

The Watch books are my favourites at the moment, but this will change every now and again.

[sunny]

Love all the discworld series and I know it was originally meant for younger readers but Hatful of Sky and The Wee Free Men are hilarious! I love the scene when they are in the pub in the scarecrow clothes and, oh well you'll just have to read it yourself if you haven't already.

I have been a fan since The Colour of Magic came out in paperback and devoured each one as it came out. Among my many fave lines are:

'Crivens ya scunner!'
'He's no happy unless he has the wind under his kilt'
'...like the ghosts of beans at bathtime.'
'I aten't dead'
Music with rocks in

Love all the characters, especially Death, the Luggage, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, The Librarian, Vetinari, Vimes, and, and oh all of them.

I once travelled in the first class compartment of a train to London, not my idea ticket was booked for me, I got some very annoyed and curious looks from the sober suited businessmen seated there, as I giggled and guffawed my way through my Discworld novel. I felt quite sorry for them after a while.

Oh, reminds me, I better get that book back that I lent my nephew, he likes Hatful of Sky too! :D

~ sunny

[donnae]

I have read a few of these, but quite a long time ago. I am currently re-reading The Colour of Magic. I have almost finished it and guess what - I have remembered the ending! Don't you hate that when that happens.

I agree with an earlier poster about Mort, that was one of my favourites. I also loved Equal Rites.

TP has the most incredible imagination and sense of humour.

They work well as independent stories, but I like how characters pop up in different books as well.

I am going to read a couple of BGO online choices, and will then return to Discworld (for some light relief!). ;)

[Freydis]

Just finished my first Pratchett - Wyrd Sisters. An easy read, finished it inside of a day and night on and off, and giggled out loud a good part of the way through (a few things set me off and I couldn't stop guffawing). This was a perfect introduction to his work, especially for a student of early modern English theatre - I loved the idea of the Dysk/Globe and the takes on Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III and Henry V as they might've been lumped together into a cross between Monty Python and the Firesign Theatre.

Oh, and the magical references are a hoot too.

[My Friend Jack]

Glad you enjoyed it, Freydis. There are many more institutions which fall victim to Pratchett's humour elsewhere in the series. I'm sure you will enjoy many more.

[tagesmann]

I've just started re-reading these from the start. I think I got as far as Men at Arms before I gave up. I think the stories were getting a bit tired at that stage. Perhaps it was me but some people I have discussed this with have agreed and say the series went through a bit of a poor patch before getting better.
So I have just finished "The Colour of Magic." It was amusing and some of the word plays were as clever as I remembered. But it wasn't the outright laugh that I remember. ***

[r3nu4l]

I've just started re-reading these from the start. I think I got as far as Men at Arms before I gave up. I think the stories were getting a bit tired at that stage. Perhaps it was me but some people I have discussed this with have agreed and say the series went through a bit of a poor patch before getting better.

I'm a big Pratchett fan and have been for years. For me, I actually found the first couple of books to be almost too surreal, perhaps that was just me getting used the style, not sure. The series then seemed to calm down and find a perfect rhythm for a long time before becoming almost clichéd in my view. I found that there was almost an overreliance on Sam Vimes in particular and the Watch in general, although I love stories about the Watch. However, the Moist von Lipwig character that was introduced for Going Postal and Making Money has breathed new life into the series. I feel as though that's what was missing.

[Petra]

I have just finished The Colour of Magic- after waiting three months for it to become available at my library.
It really wasn't what I was expecting at all and I am pleased to say that this is a good thing as I commenced reading in a slightly dubious mood. I will now move on to reading some of the others in the DiscWorld series but am now left with the decision of whether to read them in order of publication or (probably easier) the order in which I can get hold of them.....

[David]

There's a Pratchett thread under General Discussion that features people's advice about which novels to read, bella.

You can see it here (http://www.bookgrouponline.com/forum/showthread.html?t=3304).

[Nellie]

I adore Terry Pratchett books, wonderful, funny stories and a fantastic world in which they take place.

I have a real soft spot for Death. I particularly liked when he dressed up as the Hogfather to deliver presents.

[Gingerben1]

I absolutely love Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, his sense of humor is amazing and i always find myself getting awkward glances for laughing too loud when reading his books on my kindle. I started off with The colour of magic and was instantly gripped the characters have a real likability and i always find myself feeling sorry for 'the luggage' as it continuously gets left behind by it's owners. i am now up to the 10th book in the series moving pictures and i have to say so far Guards! Guards! and Mort have been my favourite titles simply due to how funny they are. The part where Death is taking to mMort's dad is hilarious and in guards! guards! i found myself laughing out loud when they are trying to raise the odds of shooting a dragon to 1000000:1. Terrific writer and looking forward to reading the rest of the series.