Book Loving Kiwis discussion

A place to talk about books in the Terry Pratchett Discworld series.

Thanks EG, we will start in Sept or Oct. I'm looking forward to it.

I've read the first 3 (spread over more than 10 years, no reflection on my enjoyment of the series) so if you get further than that I may well join in.

Thanks EG.

I have the first book - the colour of magic - from the library already, it's a bit early I know, but I can renew it 6 times :)

It's a wee paperback with large writing and only 285 pages.

Let me know when your copies come in and we can get onto it when everyone is set.

Ready to go when you are. Leave it to Ace to set the date.

SK, Kathleen, I have started A Little Life which is a bit of a whopper, so maybe next Sunday the 23rd?

No prob. I must read East in Eden for July/ August NZ authors read so next Sunday all good for me.

Great, I'll post again when starting on Sunday.

Ladies, it's 7pm Sunday, going to have some dinner then snuggle up (under the airconditioner, as its still very hot n humid here). Hope to get a couple of chapters in before I nod off!!

Started this evening. Very clever writer, great wit. Enjoying it so far.

What can I say? The man was a genius. Love the lightness of this story. Thanks Girls. Will be reading more of Pratchett in the future.

Oh I'm still reading..sorry ladies, better get a move on.

I am cheesed off because he died. I can't imagine a year without a Disc World book to read.

My favourites are the those truly satirical ones where TP sends up things like Big Business, and/or crazy human thinking like racism and bigotry. So the Night Watch books with Sam Vimes and the postal and banking send ups with Moist Van Lipwig are serious and brilliantly clever-funny.

The witches and wizard novels are much lighter.
But they are all fun.

I wanted a novel where Sam Vimes has a daughter!!!
I want TP back!!!

I really struggled through this book and unfortunately (unlike the rest of the planet).

I did get a bit lost at the beginning but I sorted out who was who finally and I did quite enjoyed the ending, I hope the next book will make more sense to me.

I might try a witches and wizards one next P.D.R., maybe that will be more my thing....

Kathleen, I found this overview of Pratchett characters which could help us decide where to next?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/bo...

Yes please Kathleen. I think November or December I will have time. The blurb on GR is pretty good, already sounds like a comedy of errors her being born a girl and all !!

Is Equal Rights the first witch one?
Isn't it The Light Fantastic?

Dunno!

Hmm. PDR I think its witches1 discworld3.

I hear Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a good one also.

Oh righto. Thanks Kathleen, let me know when you are up to the witches and we can buddy read it ... you will probably have to explain what's happening to me as we go along:)

Equal Rights is very much more a children's level book about equality but his best and very adult one on the rights of women is 'A Monstrous Regiment'. A brilliant use of the John Knox quote as the title! His plot twists in that and the satire are the tops. Won't say more or I will spoil the book for others.

Mind you, in Equal Rights' you can see all the signs of his better, more complex writing to come. He's just getting to grips with the whole Disc World and its people. And you can see how he's found a way to be different from other Fantasy writers in his handling of magic which promises well in his other books. Sometimes for magic you can read atomic bomb/power, Ace. Pratchett often digs at human stupidity in quick asides.

Kathleen wrote: "Ace wrote: "Oh righto. Thanks Kathleen, let me know when you are up to the witches and we can buddy read it ... you will probably have to explain what's happening to me as we go along:)"

Ready when you are, Ace. Equal Rites is the first witches one (and the third book of the whole lot).
..."

I'm halfway through the latest Bernard Cornwell in the Saxon series, so when I finish that we can start. Maybe Sunday?

Kathleen wrote: "That'll be great."

Oops Kathleen, I didn't get to it..I'll try agin this Sunday. Did you manage to start reading it?

EDIT: I just read your review from last Sunday.. I'll try to catch you up this weekend and see if I want to keep reading the series.

I've only ever read Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch but it's one of my all time favourite books! Masterly!

I have the The Colour of Magic to hand and will try to read it next (My first November book.)

For his own sake, I am glad TP is out of life now - dementia is a dreadful disease and I so admired his campaigning on behalf of research since he was diagnosed. He interviewed extremely well.

I am 80 pages into The Colour of Magic and can follow the story - though it took some getting there. I don't read fantasy as a rule and, sad to say, this doesn't entice me to change that. I love the author, how he came across and the novel mentioned above - but I am not engaged, though I so wanted to be!

Deborah wrote: "I am 80 pages into The Colour of Magic and can follow the story - though it took some getting there. I don't read fantasy as a rule and, sad to say, this doesn't entice me to change t..."

Deborah, I felt the same way. I did finish it but... So now I've skipped to book3 which is the first Witch book and already its much much better than the colour of magic. Hang in there... or skip to book 3 ;)

By 'better' I mean easier to understand whats going on!

Oh....thank you, Ace! I just finished it but I never really warmed to it. I may take your advice - I did expect much better writing than I found after loving Good Omens so much!

Er...do remember that those are his earliest books some thirty years ago! He is learning how to make his crazy satirical ideas accessible to readers.

Just finished 'Raising Steam' again. That's the last. Where are you all?

I'm stuck on my second one, Equal Rites.

Hello ace,
why are you stuck? Can we help?

Hi PDR, at the risk of sounding like a child, I just dont get why everyone thinks they are so funny. I have added equal rites to my next seasonal challenge. When I'm reading it I will come back here for much needed support. Thanks for asking.

Yes Kathleen indeed. My husband thinks they are hilarious and has quoted certain paragraphs to me for years. I normally dont laugh along :/

I am determined to get there though.

A floating thought from the edge of the disc or maybe beyond I.e Ankara,Turkeye ... My 2nd Pratchett read was Moving Pictures found neglected and crusty in an old box of discarded books. Point is this read totally out of series order and loved it. Conclusion: each book stands on its own and not as a series?

Response to Ace: read what YOU enjoy and love what you read. Life is too short and there are too many books to settle for less.

Thanks SK at least I understood your "disc" reference (now that I have read one book) :)

I'm easily distracted, which is my other issue. Like now, 2:38am wide awake and should be reading my book or trying to go back to sleep! Thanks for dropping by SK

Know what you mean. A couple of the Goodreads Winners were end of series books which I hesitate to read as probably need to go back to beginning of each series. Could be wrong. Anyway Pratchett doesn't write that way so somewhat of a relief.

You really need a good working knowledge of British history, British current politics and a taste for puns and a love of satire to enjoy T.P.

You also need to be politically socialist and distinctly anti the multinational and world bank views of the world and economics!

He will be regarded, as far as the Sam Vimes, and Moist von Lipvig novels go, as a serious satirist. the best since Jonathon Swift.

Guardian 27 December 2015

Sir Terry Pratchett remembered by his daughter, Rhianna Pratchett
28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015

The script writer for games, comics and film remembers her father’s gift for observation, his love of nature and an idyllic childhood filled with wonder, wildlife and cats

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

Nice one, Lesley, thank you.

A wonderful article and photos. Thanks EG. So thankful to have found his books. He surely was a ray of sunlight which lives on through his writing.

I loved the way his characters grew and changed too and was sad about the steam arriving. It brought the Discworld too close to home as A S Byatt wrote.

Just reread Guard Guards to keep Kathleen and Ace company. It's still a great read even after the numerous rereads. Here we have the beginnings of those great characters in the Watch and the growth of law and order in AnkMorepork. Love it. The characters are still all a little 2D in places and almost touch caricature at times but the seeds of the complex 3D characters are there and if you read the books in order you get to watch the growth of a great writer and your favourite characters.
I'm wondering what book in the series you will read next.

Where is everyone in their reading now? I've just reread all the Sam Vines up to Thud. I still sigh in awe at TP's ability to turn 2D caricatures into 3D real people.

I've found a couple of TP books which are next on my reading list but not Disc World. Hope no one minds if I include them in our discussion.

The Wee Free Men

The Long Mars

Yahoo. Wee Free Men is Disc world.

Was gonna say, Sandy, that the wee free men is very much the disc world and a hoot with it, 'cos these guys get involved with Tiffany Aching.

Later on in Snuff you are asked via Sam Vimes' thoughts to compare the goblin attitude to the MacFeegles. I love the MacFeegles and read bits to my grandson in between bursts of laughter. That's the way to live, I hope he took on board.

Hi everyone, I've just stumbled upon this in another group thread.

A petition to add Octarine to the element table. Pretty cool.

https://www.change.org/p/iupac-joint-...

Octarine is an element, who didn't know that! Must sign the petition.

Finished Snuff and heading for Raising steam. Have just ordered his last book, about Tiffany taking over from Granny and am itching to see how he manages it. I will miss new Sam Vimes stories and dread all the blasted fans writing dreadful fan fiction stories about Sam et al.

Moving pictures is a punt at Hollywood and you need to line the characters up with actors and directors. He wrote in the Hollywood melodramatic style which I do not like as much as his own dry humour.

But TP did like to wring the last out of a joke: hence the ha ha , ho ho and he he which does always irritate me as too much!!!

Any one else finished the entire Disc world series and want a moan with me about what we are going to do without Sir Terry's next novel coming up?

Loved 'Small Gods' he takes the mickey so well in that novel!

An onion book, lots of layers. And he's right we need the spiritual as much as the physical!