Which Discworld?

Ponge

I've read several of the Discworld novels before (several years ago, I can't remember which ones) and I'm going to pop to the bookshop tomorow to pick up something to read and I know I'd enjoy a Pratchet novel.

I've read several times not to start with the Colour of Magic, and I think I've read it before a while ago. I've definatly read the first one with Mort in it, and i've read one with Teppic in it based in the desert. I've also read one based about a rock band with a troll in it, I can't rememeber any of the titles :-$

If i get into it again i'll probably read those titles again but I don't think I want to read them just now. If anyone knows what the titles are I'd appreciate it though.


So... suggest away!

Ponge

I've also read 3 of his other books about tiny gnomes, (Truckers?) and really enjoyed them, but can't remember what they were called either.

Kalkino

Mort, Pyramids and Soul Music are what you have read, iirc

Rook

The Citywatch novels are pretty much the best ones.

Burnage

Faust/Eric is illustrated? Huh, thought it was just a standard novel.

The Watch and the Death books are all pretty awesome.

KeyScourge

Definately check out Reaper Man

Satanic Jesus

KeyScourge wrote: »

Definately check out Reaper Man

I was going to say that. Fine, I'll suggest reading Hogfather.

corcorigan

Anything with Death in it.

Willeth

Thief of Time is my favourite, and it stands on its own as a novel. The only thing you really need to know is Susan's background, and I think it briefs you on it anyway.

Hahnsoo1

Don't miss the two Discworld BBC (EDIT: Actually, SkyOne) movies that came out recently. The first is Hogfather (should be available on Netflix) and the second is the Color of Magic (which is Color of Magic combined with The Light Fantastic). Both are 2 part mini-series, and the second one should be available in the US on Netflix/DVD soon (you can find bootlegs on the internet, if you are persistent). I found both to be highly enjoyable, although the utter lack of trolls made me sad.

Kalkino

I believe the Discworld movies are actually produced by Sky, which is the BBC's main paytv competitor (ITV being free to air). I've recently seen the Colour of Magic, which I really enjoyed.

Hahnsoo1

Kalkino wrote: »

I believe the Discworld movies are actually produced by Sky, which is the BBC's main paytv competitor (ITV being free to air). I've recently seen the Colour of Magic, which I really enjoyed.

Ah, you are correct. Editing post now. Still, I really enjoyed both of them.

Quirk

Willeth wrote: »

Thief of Time is my favourite, and it stands on its own as a novel. The only thing you really need to know is Susan's background, and I think it briefs you on it anyway.

Thief of time is really very excellent, and does indeed stand on its own.

The city Watch books are probably my favourite series, and tell an excellent interweaving and overarching story which is well worth starting from the beginning

bsjezz

small gods is my favourite of all of them and it has no heavy crossover with books from the rest of the series

Kester

What did you like about the ones you've read? There's a lot of different strands to the Discworld books.

There's a general progression (albeit not necessarily that smooth) from early Discworld, which is straight-up parody of generic fantasy novels (and usually not sophisticated parody at that), to mid-Discworld, where he ran out of fantasy to parody and starts parodying real life (rock music, Hollywood etc), which has evolved into the recent books, which are almost all satires on the real world, with varying degrees of subtlety and success. There's also a period somewhere in the middle (which seems to be mostly over) where Pratchett tries to illustrate big ideas in the books. Hogfather is the most obvious example, but most of the Death books are like this in some way. (As the most 'philosophical' and also the most tied into the Discworld mythos, these are probably the least accessible.)

So, recommendations. In terms of the early fantasy parody stuff, it never really worked for me so I can't offer advice there. For the parody of other things the witches novels, particularly Lords and Ladies (which parodies A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Maskerade (which does Phantom of the Opera) are very good. The satire-heavy novels are the ones I enjoy most: Small Gods is the first of these that really worked well and takes aim at organised religion; Monstrous Regiment and Jingo are both about war, in different ways, and do a reasonably good job without being too heavy-handed; finally, Going Postal is particularly topical as it deals with corporate fraud.

If that's not too helpful in terms of how you see the books and you just want the ones with the most engaging stories, then they're dotted all over the chronology. However, Pratchett has definitely grown as a writer as the series goes on, so more recent books are generally better. My favourites story-wise, for what that's worth: Men At Arms, Thief of Time, The Last Hero, Night Watch, Mort.

Hope that's some help!

Willeth

A bit off-topic, but it's a bit of a stretch calling BBC 'pay TV'. The system we have over here is completely different to America's. If you had to compare them, everything is basically PBS.

But steer clear of the TV films, they're fucking horrendous.

Hahnsoo1

Willeth wrote: »

But steer clear of the TV films, they're fucking horrendous.

What didn't you like about them? Other than "The books are better" (unless you don't like Terry Pratchett).

Willeth

I don't agree at all with the character choices. I also think Pratchett's world works much better when everything's delivered deadpan and the viewer/reader has to bring the humour out themselves. I think it's because Discworld has always been about normal people in a ridiculous environment trying to be normal. The only exception to this are the wizards, and I'm not including Rincewind in that.

Dr Snofeld

I was annoyed about the character choices for The Colour of Magic right up until I watched it.

It was because I always thought of Eric Idle as the definitive Rincewind.

Willeth

See I don't like Eric Idle either. He's too slapstick. David Jason is definitely better, but the only one who really worked in the Sky thing was Cohen.

Kalkino

Willeth wrote: »

A bit off-topic, but it's a bit of a stretch calling BBC 'pay TV'. The system we have over here is completely different to America's. If you had to compare them, everything is basically PBS.

But steer clear of the TV films, they're fucking horrendous.

Well I wasn't meaning to give the impression they are paytv, I was referring to Sky as a competitor (that happens to be paytv, in the UK sense) to the BBC. I guess it can be interpreted the way you have read it but that wasn't the intention

Casually Hardcore

Personally I like the Night Watch line of books and the three Tiffany Aching novels the best. Though the Tiffany Aching novels are aimed towards young readers.

Hahnsoo1

I actually thought Jeremy Irons as the Patrician was an inspired choice. He looks exactly like what I imagine the Patrician would look like, at least in my mind. Twoflower is supposed to be somewhat like a Japanese tourist, though, considering the Counterweight Continent/Agatean Empire is supposed to be somewhat Asian.

The_Glad_Hatter

for me Guards! guards! is the perfect introduction to DW. It's what got me hooked years ago.

As for the sky tv movies. While i liked the atmospehere of the Hogfather, i thought the production values and script for the Colour of Magic were not good (Pratchett's earliest 2 novels were not hist strongest works, and the faithfull translation to film was not a very good idea imho).

Teslan26

Anything with vimes in > anything with death > anything else.

I tried to read them in historical order, personally, and it means that any 'in jokes' and references will be fully understood (and there are a few in each book). Certainly the ones from the same settings should be read in order.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-1-5.pdf

will show you that. Colourful too

Hypatia

Another way to look at it if you aren't sure of where to start, is to ask yourself what sorts of interests you have.

Each Pratchett novel is parodying some pretty specific things. If you don't have the background/knowledge of what he's parodying the books are still enjoyable, but if you do get all of his references you're going to find the book a lot funnier.

I'd say the most accessible books are the City Guards books, but everyone is going to have different favorites based on their interests.

For example, if you're into Chinese history "Interesting Times" is pretty good, whereas if you're a movie buff "Moving Pictures" is probably better. Etc, etc.

Seol

I've always thought the best places to start are Mort (first book that was "proper" Discworld IMO), Wyrd Sisters, Guards! Guards! and Small Gods. If I had to pick just one, it'd be Small Gods.

ceres

Okay, see, the Witch novels are my favorites, then the Death novels, then the Watch, then everything else.

Small Gods is my favorite one-off.

Blackjack

ceres wrote: »

Okay, see, the Witch novels are my favorites, then the Death novels, then the Watch, then everything else.

Small Gods is my favorite one-off.

You and me against the world, Ceres.

I love the Witch books, and never really got into the Watch ones as much as everyone else.

BobCesca

The Witches books are indeed the best.