Assassins attempting this commission seem to find themselves the victims of unexplained accidents - falling slates, lightning strikes - or, and this is worth noting, being waylaid by Mr Rincewind's travel accessory.
Oh, wow. I totally forgot about that complication.
Like they did with the young Assassin in Night Watch, even though Vimes had been taken off the books by then? Could be.
the difference being that Vimes doesn't try to kill the assassins that come after him. In fact he's downright courteous to a lot of them (as long as they are professional about it. The moment they make it personal they wave their basic rights... like breathing).
Those that try to kill Rincewind on the other hand are not faced with the same courtesy. Lady Luck is never lenient... and she cheats on her dice rolls.
So I bought the Colour of Magic audiobook the other day, and I totally don't understand why people recommend skipping it. It's awesome, and if the series only gets better after this, then, well, fuck yeah.
Maybe it's better in audiobook form, I don't know. Nigel Planer is awesome, and the fact that I already know his voice from the Discworld games only adds to the effect.
Cherrn on
All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
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HedgethornAssociate Professor of Historical Hobby HorsesIn the Lions' DenRegistered Userregular
So I bought the Colour of Magic audiobook the other day, and I totally don't understand why people recommend skipping it. It's awesome, and if the series only gets better after this, then, well, fuck yeah.
There's simply no question about the matter; Colour of Magic is one of the two or three weakest books in the series. Things not only get better after this, they get substantially better from here on out.
Seriously, after you finish Colour of Magic, go and read Small Gods (don't worry, Small Gods is a stand-alone, so you won't get any spoilers by reading it). You'll never be able to read more than a few pages of Colour of Magic ever again.
So I bought the Colour of Magic audiobook the other day, and I totally don't understand why people recommend skipping it. It's awesome, and if the series only gets better after this, then, well, fuck yeah.
There's simply no question about the matter; Colour of Magic is one of the two or three weakest books in the series. Things not only get better after this, they get substantially better from here on out.
Seriously, after you finish Colour of Magic, go and read Small Gods (don't worry, Small Gods is a stand-alone, so you won't get any spoilers by reading it). You'll never be able to read more than a few pages of Colour of Magic ever again.
I've read every discworld book and The Colour of Magic is still my favorite :oops:
The argument can go both ways, I suppose. Small Gods is more stand alone, as the locations are fresh for the series, but then where do you go? Pyramids is stand alone, but features locations and elements you revisit when (inevitably) you become engrossed by the series and want to read more more more.
Ankh Morpork is Discworld... except for the Witches stuf that I haven't read most of... and the Death stuff I guess... and probably some of the newer stuff I haven't got...
The guards books are my favorite by far, but I always felt that Mort is unappreciated. It's a terrific book that covers all of Disc World and it's mythos and it concentrates on my favorite character, DEATH.
Pyramids isn't necessarily better or worse, I just find most people who've read the series likes Small Gods better anyway. And actually, after reading that I started with The Color of Magic and worked my way up the list. I don't know how other people decide after that. I'd imagine it'd depend on the summaries they got of the other books.
Mort is on my 'read again' list. I remember not being too keen on it in the past (Death wasn't fun enough, or something equally ridiculous). Didn't help that I read out of order, probably.
So since it's nearly Christmas I'm thinking of getting the Hogfather movie. I hear the actor playing Teatime isn't that good. Any opinions on it? How is Death's voice handled?
Hogfather is pretty much the worst Discworld book, and I can't think of any way the adaptation could have been worse.
Salmoned for lies. The adaption wasn't very good, but as Discworld books go, it's great. I rank Thief of Time and Night Watch above it, but other than that there isn't another that leaps to mind as better.
The guy who plays Teatime should be beaten to death with a shovel.
I agree. I cringed every second he was on the screen. Teatime should be along the same lines as Scrooge's nephew Fred, but with the added capacity to stab you and then not give a shit.
Also, I could have sworn that there was some connection between Pyramids and Small Gods. Like, Brutha watches a young girl feed lettuce to Om in Small Gods, and Ptraci finds a random turtle in Ephebe and feeds him lettuce in Pyramids. Or something.
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
edited December 2007
I would toss the Rincewind books, myself. They never did much for me. Hogfather is not the worst book, although I don't think I'd put it up there with the best. I'm a Vimes lover, myself. Some people complain that there are too many Watch books, and to those people I say, "Please keep your feces-eating habits to yourself. Your breath is repugnant."
So since it's nearly Christmas I'm thinking of getting the Hogfather movie. I hear the actor playing Teatime isn't that good. Any opinions on it? How is Death's voice handled?
Apparently we're in the minority here, but my wife and I both enjoyed it and we're both huge fans of the books, having read and reread all of them. I'm not sure if people wanted a page-by-page recreation of the book or something but I thought it was fine for what it was. Obviously the story was condensed for time and Teatime was not at all what I had pictured from the book. But other than that there wasn't anything that really offended me. I have sincere hopes that they'll do a Watch movie in the near future as that wouldn't really require a large budget with lots of special effects. Unless they do Guards, Guards I guess.
But yeah, if I saw it on the shelf at Best Buy and it wasn't more than $20 I'd buy it but I wouldn't make any special effort to track it down.
So I bought the Colour of Magic audiobook the other day, and I totally don't understand why people recommend skipping it. It's awesome, and if the series only gets better after this, then, well, fuck yeah.
There's simply no question about the matter; Colour of Magic is one of the two or three weakest books in the series. Things not only get better after this, they get substantially better from here on out.
Seriously, after you finish Colour of Magic, go and read Small Gods (don't worry, Small Gods is a stand-alone, so you won't get any spoilers by reading it). You'll never be able to read more than a few pages of Colour of Magic ever again.
Pfft, maybe to you. Colour of Magic is still a great book. I found most of the Witches books far less amusing.
The short story from the Legends books though? CLASSIC.
I find that the witch books were the worst out of the series
That's because you're a terrible person.
Nah, Wizard books are easily the worst.
Witches are second worst.
Still great though.
thems fightin' words, the wizard books are awesome, the witch books are abominations that should never have seen the light of day. literally the only discworld books I actually dislike
I find that the witch books were the worst out of the series
That's because you're a terrible person.
Nah, Wizard books are easily the worst.
Witches are second worst.
Still great though.
thems fightin' words, the wizard books are awesome, the witch books are abominations that should never have seen the light of day. literally the only discworld books I actually dislike
I could maybe, maybe see calling the end (the big fight/resolution at the castle) of Carpe Jugulum less than stellar, but everything else about it is absolutely epic.
Man, so much hatred for the witch books. I had no idea. Maybe I just have a thing for Morris Dancing and humorously shaped vegetables. And Lancre's a decent foil for the hectic, dog-eat-dog atmosphere of Ankh Morpork.
Honestly, the Rincewind books are the only ones I don't really enjoy, and that's just because you can only do so much with a character whose solution to every problem is "run like hell in the other direction." Plus, I have an innate hatred of any fantasy novel that feels like a tabletop RPG campaign. While you can't count the dice rolls or campaign plot hooks, the fact that Rincewind is basically The Lady's glorified D&D character annoys the hell out of me.
I think we can all agree that someone competent needs to make a weekly, NYPD Blue-style show about the Night Watch.
@Monkey - Did you know that the early books were based on TP's D&D campaign? Apparently, the games he ran when he was young were absurd comedies rather than epic adventure (or the usual D&D gimmegimmegimmeneedsmoremagicmorexpGIMME!). The Luggage was definitely an NPC from a D&D campaign - I remember TP talking about it a long time ago.
@Tube - There's punning heart to some of TP's books that makes me smile. The jokes themselves aren't funny, it's just cool that someone would spend a whole book leading up to 'There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's elvish'. Or a giant woman carrying an ape up a tower while being buzzed by flying machines.
That actually makes a lot more sense. The Luggage seems like something that a suitably demented GM would throw into a campaign. Fair play to him, too, for not going the usual High Adventure route with his campaigns.
That actually makes a lot more sense. The Luggage seems like something that a suitably demented GM would throw into a campaign. Fair play to him, too, for not going the usual High Adventure route with his campaigns.
Terry said it would, and this is important, do EXACTLY as it was told.
So what do you fine folks think of the Captain Carrot = Rightful Heir To Ankh-Morpork sub-plot? Personally, i think its a bit forced, especially in the scenes where Carrot acknowledges it himself, by denying it. (I think that happened, I should re-read all of the Watch books) Do you think there will be a conclusion to it? Or in a unexpected twist, Vetinari has him killed before he is *discovered*? Or will Vetinari bow out after cementing Ankh-Morpork as the greatest city on the Disc, and install Carrot as the ruler?
So what do you fine folks think of the Captain Carrot = Rightful Heir To Ankh-Morpork sub-plot? Personally, i think its a bit forced, especially in the scenes where Carrot acknowledges it himself, by denying it. (I think that happened, I should re-read all of the Watch books) Do you think there will be a conclusion to it? Or in a unexpected twist, Vetinari has him killed before he is *discovered*? Or will Vetinari bow out after cementing Ankh-Morpork as the greatest city on the Disc, and install Carrot as the ruler?
I always figured it would end with a constitutional monarchy where Carrot is recognised as King but really Vetinari is still the ruler.
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Oh, wow. I totally forgot about that complication.
AM950K is definitely on the low side.
the difference being that Vimes doesn't try to kill the assassins that come after him. In fact he's downright courteous to a lot of them (as long as they are professional about it. The moment they make it personal they wave their basic rights... like breathing).
Those that try to kill Rincewind on the other hand are not faced with the same courtesy. Lady Luck is never lenient... and she cheats on her dice rolls.
Maybe it's better in audiobook form, I don't know. Nigel Planer is awesome, and the fact that I already know his voice from the Discworld games only adds to the effect.
There's simply no question about the matter; Colour of Magic is one of the two or three weakest books in the series. Things not only get better after this, they get substantially better from here on out.
Seriously, after you finish Colour of Magic, go and read Small Gods (don't worry, Small Gods is a stand-alone, so you won't get any spoilers by reading it). You'll never be able to read more than a few pages of Colour of Magic ever again.
It's good, yes, but Pyramids is better. And Guards, Guards. Both awesome starting points.
Ankh Morpork is Discworld... except for the Witches stuf that I haven't read most of... and the Death stuff I guess... and probably some of the newer stuff I haven't got...
Salmoned for lies. The adaption wasn't very good, but as Discworld books go, it's great. I rank Thief of Time and Night Watch above it, but other than that there isn't another that leaps to mind as better.
What didn't you like?
I agree. I cringed every second he was on the screen. Teatime should be along the same lines as Scrooge's nephew Fred, but with the added capacity to stab you and then not give a shit.
Also, I could have sworn that there was some connection between Pyramids and Small Gods. Like, Brutha watches a young girl feed lettuce to Om in Small Gods, and Ptraci finds a random turtle in Ephebe and feeds him lettuce in Pyramids. Or something.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Nah, Wizard books are easily the worst.
Witches are second worst.
Still great though.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Apparently we're in the minority here, but my wife and I both enjoyed it and we're both huge fans of the books, having read and reread all of them. I'm not sure if people wanted a page-by-page recreation of the book or something but I thought it was fine for what it was. Obviously the story was condensed for time and Teatime was not at all what I had pictured from the book. But other than that there wasn't anything that really offended me. I have sincere hopes that they'll do a Watch movie in the near future as that wouldn't really require a large budget with lots of special effects. Unless they do Guards, Guards I guess.
But yeah, if I saw it on the shelf at Best Buy and it wasn't more than $20 I'd buy it but I wouldn't make any special effort to track it down.
Pfft, maybe to you. Colour of Magic is still a great book. I found most of the Witches books far less amusing.
The short story from the Legends books though? CLASSIC.
But anybody that disrespects the Death series of books needs to be lynched.
EVERYBODY GOT THAT?
GOOD
Lords and Ladies was quite nice.
and Rincewind's a dolt.
3DS: 1607-3034-6970
Not the worst Pratchett book.
Just the worst book.
Honestly, the Rincewind books are the only ones I don't really enjoy, and that's just because you can only do so much with a character whose solution to every problem is "run like hell in the other direction." Plus, I have an innate hatred of any fantasy novel that feels like a tabletop RPG campaign. While you can't count the dice rolls or campaign plot hooks, the fact that Rincewind is basically The Lady's glorified D&D character annoys the hell out of me.
I think we can all agree that someone competent needs to make a weekly, NYPD Blue-style show about the Night Watch.
@Tube - There's punning heart to some of TP's books that makes me smile. The jokes themselves aren't funny, it's just cool that someone would spend a whole book leading up to 'There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's elvish'. Or a giant woman carrying an ape up a tower while being buzzed by flying machines.
Terry said it would, and this is important, do EXACTLY as it was told.
I always figured it would end with a constitutional monarchy where Carrot is recognised as King but really Vetinari is still the ruler.