Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett starting on April 22, 2024.


Happy Reading!

I'm starting today :D

I will start as well:)

10% in... The scene with the exchange of password phrases was hilarious! Also the brotherhood's ideas of what a long lost king must be like:))))

Poor Carrot! That scene reminded me of Elf, the movie:)) Of course, this book came first.

This might be a book of quote sharing.

It's from a footnote on page 3 of my copy...

"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read."

:D

I loved that!!! And the lady who raises Swamp Dragons is awesome!

I agree that this might be a book of quote sharing. I am only 19% in and have a few highlighted. I am really enjoying the scenes with Carrot and the watch.

I happened to be reading this in a different book club, so why not kill two birds with one stone. I'm roughly 25% of the way through.

(view spoiler)[Carrot is such a good character. I love the good boy energy he gives off, and I can't wait to see him solve world peace by just being that guy. I also really like Vimes, he's pretty complex. He's drinking because he doesn't like that state that the Watch is in but not being able or willing to take the chance to change it.

Every scene with the secret society is geniusly written. These scenes are where we see the most of the naturalistic, almost improv sounding dialogue that Pratchett is so good at writing. I also like how, though Vimes is the first thing we see in the book, the secret society is the truely first part of the book that we take a deep dive into. If it didn't start with them, I'm not sure if the book would have clicked with me as fast as it did. (hide spoiler)]

I think Vimes is truly noble and wants things to be better... He is a jaded idealist, reality has beaten him down and he is completely disillusioned... So he drinks... This is why Carrot is so good for The Watch gang - he is bringing some of that naive belief in how things should be and has the strength and conviction to impose his will on the world around him... His speech in the dwarf bar was hilarious:)))

Quinn, "almost improv sounding" dialogue is so perfectly said! His dialogue is brilliant!

RachelG. wrote: "I agree that this might be a book of quote sharing. I am only 19% in and have a few highlighted. I am really enjoying the scenes with Carrot and the watch."

Starting! I am on board with quote sharing as an art form when it comes to BR-ing these books.

I love the dedication. For the random throwaway Stormtroopers. And just the description "Schroedinger's paperback"

17% "...change your name to something like Grabthroat Shinkicker..." LOL

Choko wrote: "I think Vimes is truly noble and wants things to be better... He is a jaded idealist, reality has beaten him down and he is completely disillusioned... So he drinks... This is why Carrot is so good..."

You are going to enjoy his character arc across the books :)

I finally had time to just sit and read. I'm around 28% and just loving it all :)

Here's a couple more quotes I enjoyed and some general commentary.

(view spoiler)[There are many horrible sights in the multiverse. Somehow, though, to a soul attuned to the subtle rhythms of a library, there are few worse sights than a hole where a book out to be.

Oh man do I know this feeling. Going to look for a favorite to reread and discover it missing. The horror! My husband and cats might have had some talkings to about this over the years lol

Pratchett poking fun with the Patrician's "Oblong Office" hehehe

Carrot's letters home are so charming in his innocence. I also love how he's bring the Watch back to life and they are slow in realizing hah

Life is just chemicals. A drop here, a drip there, everything's changed. A mere dribble of fermented juices and suddenly you're going to live another few hours.

I know that is really referencing Vimes' alcoholism but it also put me in mind of Death's many comments about "glands" and that's why you don't have emotions after death. It's all chemicals. Unintended connection? (hide spoiler)]

I am loving this reread.

Starting today. You guys are making me excited for this one.

Narilka wrote: "I finally had time to just sit and read. I'm around 28% and just loving it all :)

Here's a couple more quotes I enjoyed and some general commentary.

There are many horrible sights in the multive..."

Love your quote picks! Mix of LOL and thoughtfulness...

I'm up to 50% myself, and I'm a little embarrassed that it took me this long, and a mob conversation about traumatizing peas, to realize that this book was Pratchett's parody of traditional fairy tales... it's everywhere, from Carrot's parentage to the strange science of dragons...

Though there was also a great line in there that parodied my favorite Shakespeare quote--Malvolio's best line from Twelfth Night...

Nirkatze wrote: "I'm up to 50% myself, and I'm a little embarrassed that it took me this long, and a mob conversation about traumatizing peas, to realize that this book was Pratchett's parody of traditional fairy tales..."

Also crime noir, particularly with some of Vimes' ruminations about the city being a wossname ;)

I think the next Witches novel also does some parody of traditional fairy tales if I remember correctly.

I'm still waiting for one of my favorite quotes in this one. I think it's towards the end of the book though.

I finished and really enjoyed the story! Now going to go back and comment on some of my favorite moments.

8%: (view spoiler)[ The talk about what a codpiece is was so funny. The fact that Carrot put it on his head is so typical of seeing something new and reacting to it. (hide spoiler)]

9%: I loved this quote: (view spoiler)[ "People who are rather more than 6 feet tall and nearly as broad across the shoulders often have uneventful journeys. People jump out a them from behind rocks and say things like, "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else." (hide spoiler)]

21%: (view spoiler)[I liked how in the Shades they were compared to Sheep. (hide spoiler)]

41%: CLASSIC quote! (view spoiler)[ "What you've got to ask yourself is: Am I feeling lucky?" (hide spoiler)]

90%: I will never watch Dog the Bounty Hunter without thinking of Nobby from now on with this quote- (view spoiler)["Up against the wall and spread 'em, motherbreath!" (hide spoiler)]

Yes on all of it!!! Absolutely loved this book!!!

Oh shoot. The quote I was thinking of is in the next Watch book, not this one. Still a lot of great ones though :)

LOL great collection of quotes there, @Rachel! I don't think mine are nearly as good...

Finished! (view spoiler)[The latter half especially reminded me of other parodies/takes, like the new Netflix movie Damsel (which I thoroughly enjoyed), or The Paper Bag Princess.

My sad collection of quotes:
"All for one what?" --good question!!
"Anything you say will be written down in my notebook and may be used in evidence." --hah! Sounded so hesitant, like he was making up his own version... (hide spoiler)]

Hahaha! I totally laughed at the "All for one what?"!!!

Thoroughly enjoying this! Love the naive good boy energy of Carrot. The scene with the letter home to his parents really reminded me of The Jerk (movie with Steve Martin) and his letter home about his "Special Purpose" lol

I remember that movie! I loved him in it:)))

I'm still reading this but so far this is probably my favorite of the bunch.

Through about 60% (view spoiler)[As RachelG noted above, I loved that nod to Dirty Harry lol Do you feel lucky??

Interesting how Vimes has worked out that the dragon went somewhere instead of dying. No splatter.

The Librarian and going into L-space... I'd forgotten that's where that was first referenced. Very cool.

Dwarfish yodel LOL Very ethnic lol (hide spoiler)]

Plenty of laugh out loud moments in the first 1/3 I read so far...

noblesse oblige: was it the narrator pronouncing it wrong, or Pratchett goofing around again?... like he does with insurance and all sorts of Earth ideas that are misunderstood in Discworld?...

Goofing around. Pratchett spells it funny in the text too. Kind of like "inn-sewer-ants" for insurance.

Thought so... it's been a theme of the series since the tourist in book 1 introduced insurance and insurance fraud / arson, so handily...

I don't get what is funny about it though. What is the pun?

Nirkatze wrote: "I don't get what is funny about it though. What is the pun?"

Not sure. It's not listed in the L-space annotations either. Perhaps just an example of Nobby's attempts to climb the social ladder?

This is very spoilery so don't click if you haven't finished the book. Here's the "official" annotations: https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/guar...

Probably... trying to social climb, but not even knowing the words/terminology... like people people trying to say hors d'oeuvres or bone apple tea (bon appetit)

Timelord Iain wrote: "Probably... trying to social climb, but not even knowing the words/terminology... like people people trying to say hors d'oeuvres or bone apple tea (bon appetit)"

Ah, that makes sense, I can see that.

Speaking of Jokes I Don't Get, I saw a bumper sticker today that said "If you're going to ride my ass, at least pull my hair" and I didn't see how that would make things better. Or was it supposed to be like, pull my hair so I know you're there? I feel like I'm missing something.

Nirkatze wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Probably... trying to social climb, but not even knowing the words/terminology... like people people trying to say hors d'oeuvres or bone apple tea (bon appetit)"

Ah, that ma..."

(rough) sex joke

Haha! Yep, it's a typical thing for "medical" rougher movies:)))

Nirkatze wrote: "Speaking of Jokes I Don't Get,..."

Like Emily said, it's a sex kink joke.

Bit of both... also just a "get off my ass" bumper sticker... there's a million variations, and some that are less kink-focused... "buy me dinner first", etc...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Bit of both... also just a "get off my ass" bumper sticker... there's a million variations, and some that are less kink-focused... "buy me dinner first", etc..."

Yes but this specific one she's asking about it def sex kink.

I finished. It as just as enjoyable as the last time I reread it. Now I don't know what I'm more looking forward to: more Watch books or more Witches books :D

Choko wrote: "Haha! Yep, it's a typical thing for "medical" rougher movies:)))"

Ah, thank y'all for the clarification. I often find that that kind of humor goes over my head.

I have started and it's been as fun as ever
13 % (view spoiler)[ Carrot being told he is a human and him not believing it is just funny

The start with the secret society and how there are so many that people just mixes them up and go into the wrong one was hilarious too (hide spoiler)]

I’m almost done and I love it. I’ll probably finish tonight and then I’ll go through all the spoiler tags.

So many great quotes but this is my favorite quote from the whole book. It just feels very right in the current atmosphere we live in.

“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people,” said the man. “You’re wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.”

This is my favorite of the series so far. The characters are so charming. And there are so many quotable lines. I can’t wait for the next one.

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "This is my favorite of the series so far. The characters are so charming. And there are so many quotable lines. I can’t wait for the next one."

Yay! I'm glad you found a Discworld subseries that you like!

I liked it alot, too... I basically agree with people that Watch & Witches are best, so far...

Narilka wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "This is my favorite of the series so far. The characters are so charming. And there are so many quotable lines. I can’t wait for the next one."

Yay! I'm glad you found a..."

Me too! Eye reading helped a lot. I might reread Wyrd Sisters eye reading it. I enjoyed that one a lot as well but think I would have enjoyed it more without audio. *Disclaimer: this doesn’t work with all Discworld books cuz there’s a few I did eye read and still didn’t enjoy 🤪

Do people want to slow down the buddy read?... take a break to let stragglers catch up, or slow down to 1/month instead of 2/month, and just accept this'll be even more of a multi-year Buddy Read than it already is?...

A bunch of people are 1-2 books behind (or more), and just overbooked in general...

The idea was first floated in one of the threads where I was backing out of yet another new starting series BR, I think, then mentioned again in the BR planning thread, since I never got around to moving the idea to the Discworld threads (my lack of participation lately, just proves the point)...

Anyway, thoughts?

I personally would be ok in making May, and even June, a 1 book month. All of these are/should be eye reads for me so they take me longer to get through. I wouldn’t mind a few weeks to catch my breath.