Fantasy Book Club discussion

My plan is to read one Discworld book per month.

The Discworld works are organized into 6 series in addition to several one-off's, short stories, and short story compilations. The series are:
1. Rincewind (8 books)
2. Witches (6)
3. Death (5)
4. City Watch (8)
5. Wee Free Men (5)
6. Post Office (3)
7. One-off's, short stories, and compilations (12)
= 47 things to read!

2017

I'm reading the Discworld collection in order of publication because I'm curious to see if and how Sir Terry's writing evolves over time, so that means I'll be jumping around in the various series. If I understand correctly, this thread is just for 2017, so here are the first 12 books:

✓ 1. The Color of Magic (Rincewind #1 of 8)
✓ 2. The Light Fantastic (Rincewind #2 of 8)
✓ 3. Equal Rites (Witches #1 of 6)
✓ 4. Mort (Death #1 of 5)
✓ 5. Sourcery (Rincewind #3 of 8)
✓ 6. Wyrd Sisters (Witches #2 of 6)
✓ 7. Pyramids (Standalone #1 of 7)
✓ 8. Guards! Guards! (City Watch #1 of 8)
✓ 9. Eric (Rincewind #4 of 8)
✓ 10. Moving Pictures (Standalone #2 of 7)
✓ 11. Reaper Man (Death #2 of 5)
✓ 12. Witches Abroad (Witches #3 of 6)

Here's a handy list of Discworld works, start to finish, right here on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4065...

2018

✓ 13. Small Gods (Standalone #3 of 7)
✓ 14. Lords And Ladies (Witches #4 of 6)
✓ 14.5. Theatre of Cruelty (Short #1 of 5)
✓ 15. Men at Arms (City Watch #2 of 8)
✓ 16. Soul Music (Death #3 of 5)
✓ 16.5. Troll Bridge (Short #2 of 5)
✓ 17. Interesting Times (Rincewind #5 of 8)
✓ 18. Maskerade (Witches #5 of 6)
19. Feet of Clay (City Watch #3 of 8)
20. Hogfather (Death #4 of 5)
21. Jingo (City Watch #4 of 8)
22. The Last Continent (Rincewind #6 of 8)
22.5 The Sea and the Little Fishes (Short #3 of 5)
23. Carpe Jugulum (Witches #6 of 6)
24. The Fifth Elephant (City Watch #5 of 8)

So far so good. It's April and I've finished the first three and started Mort.

I especially enjoyed Equal Rites. It was received very well in the 1980's, but given its theme (which you can guess from the pun in the title) I wonder if today it wouldn't still find some way to offend those that Pratchett was trying to support.

I'm enjoying Mort, but I have low expectations for this one because Death as a character feels like a gimmick to me. I'll be interested to see if it can carry a whole book let alone a whole series...

We're ideally reading 12 (or more) in a year, but mine will stay open do I can monitor them.

Finished Mort!

I'm reluctant to say I had a tough time with this one - I believe it's one of his most popular. The plot seemed thinner than the first three, and the humor didn't land with me as much. It picked up in the last 100 pages, but then the climax was rather confused and abrupt. It probably doesn't help that the novel just before this one, Equal Rites, is my favorite by far, so far.

Maybe I'm just overfed - maybe one of these a month is too frequent. I'm not giving up yet, but I'm a little less certain of how I feel about my self-imposed challenge.

I read it a looong time ago, I remember liking it though.

I'm a little behind because of life, but I finished Sourcery today and started Wyrd Sisters.

I don't write many reviews, but I felt compelled to say something about Sourcery here.

"He looked like a balloon two days after the party."

"She reflected that there was possibly something complimentary in the way Granny Weatherwax resolutely refused to consider other people’s problems. It implied that, in her considerable opinion, they were quite capable of sorting them out by themselves."

I struggled a little to get through Wyrd Sisters. I'm not sure why - I love the characters, and it once more made me jealous of the people who were privileged to spend time with Terry Pratchett on Earth. I've been depressing myself watching the documentary of him battling Alzheimer's.

:(

Finished Pyramids - it felt a little meandering ... but who better to meander around with than Sir Terry?

Lol. I don't really remember these. Just the various characters.

Huh. Ya know, I can't think of a single character I haven't enjoyed. And the plots ultimately are pretty straightforward... Maybe I'm more "literary" than I thought ;)

Comic works have always been more lenient about plots than drama. After all, gives you more room to stuff in jokes

Mary wrote: "Comic works have always been more lenient about plots than drama. After all, gives you more room to stuff in jokes"

:) Well there goes my brief self-delusion of being literary.

Lol! Way to ruin a man's confidence!

truly I am without shame

Lol, i laughed at that and scared the cat.

Haha :) It's okay. I know what I am.



No, really. I'm okay.

:)

Finished Guards! Guards!. The City Watch...these are my people, for better or worse.

I did like the Watch. And the witches.

Finished Eric and Moving Pictures. I still have a shot of reaching my goal for the year. Two novels to go. Twenty-four days.

I think next year I'll dial it back a bit on the Pratchett. I'm passing up too many other interesting group reads.

I did it! I know I just said I'd dial it back for 2018, but I'm going to try 12 discworld novels in 12 months again. They're easy reads.

I do feel the comedic references are becoming significantly more obscure as I progress, and the last several books have been more of a parasitic parody where the novel wouldn't make sense without the object it reflects. The parody of the earlier discworld novels was more generalized and not aimed at a specific story or historical event - which makes it feel not so much like parody at all I guess... Maybe I don't like parody... I like the earlier novels better and hope that the series returns to something more like where it started. They're all entertaining, and every one has its moment(s) but I haven't 4-star 'really liked' one since Equal Rites.

I guess I'm wondering if I'm a true fan - I've heard people recommend skipping the earlier novels because he doesn't really come into his own until right here where I've begun to wallow a little.

Liam. I really appreciate your posts. You have a great and interesting way of writing things.

Tnkw01 wrote: "Liam. I really appreciate your posts. You have a great and interesting way of writing things."

:) Thanks Tnkw01.

Finished Small Gods. I seldom take the time to write reviews for a variety of reasons. But I wrote one for this one. Here's the link and the text:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

With my worldview under the microscope, I was worried about this one. I liked a lot of it, really liked some of it, and was saddened as I knew I would be by what I knew I'd find in the end:

Small Gods is the story of a novitiate wrestling with his god and learning in the end to believe in himself and do the good he knows is good.

If you're wondering what anyone could possibly find wrong with that statement, you will love the book. If that statement sets off alarm bells, good. Me too. But I survived. And my love for Sir Terry is undiminished.

As a group read, Small Gods would be an entertaining way to explore the difference between belief-that (intellectual assent or fear of a thing) vs. belief-in (trust based on a pattern of relationship with another). In Discworld, the gods are valid objects for belief in the one sense (that they exist) but not in the other (they can be feared but not trusted). This is a critical distinction that many (religious or not) fail to make: You can believe without really believing.

Liam wrote: "Finished Small Gods. I seldom take the time to write reviews for a variety of reasons. But I wrote one for this one. Here's the link and the text:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/s..."

My, this is really, really deep for Discworld. Is the book still humorous? I admire you for going through the series and I myself would like to read the whole series. Where can one find the time?

Tnkw01 wrote: "Liam wrote: "Finished Small Gods. I seldom take the time to write reviews for a variety of reasons. But I wrote one for this one. Here's the link and the text:

https://www.goodreads..."

Oh absolutely - it's still a riot and Sir Terry has a way of making you feel like we're all in this crazy world together. That said, the humanist worldview that's always present in his works comes to the forefront in this one. So if you're not a humanist, the last 25% of the book can feel repetitive and hollow. The first 75% was as humorous, fair, and insightful as ever.

From a purely literary standpoint, my critique would be that the god character doesn't undergo a redemptive character arc like the hero, leaving him rather flat. That wouldn't fix my theo/philosophical problem - it would just shift it from humanism to open theism.

I have been told more than once that I think too much.

That's good to know. I love Discworld. Maybe I can do a Discworld challenge in 2019. Probably one or two of the cycles instead of the whole series.

I don't believe you think too much. I enjoy your comments and viewpoints.

Thanks Tnkw01 :)

People say you can read these in any order you like, but I'm noticing a lot of delightful cameos and self-referential jokes as he goes along. So you will miss little things if you don't go in publishing order, and I think it's the little things that give Discworld its charm.

That's good to know.

I think the same Liam. I think the Discworld also grows as the series goes along and you don’t see that if you just jump around.

I have read 19 Discworld books so far and am going to try for another 15 this year.

Bill wrote: "I think the same Liam. I think the Discworld also grows as the series goes along and you don’t see that if you just jump around.

I have read 19 Discworld books so far and am going to try for anoth..."

If anyone can do it you can Bill - you're a machine! :) Nice to know there's another Discworld tourist this year. Maybe we'll bump into each other.

I started reading The Color of Magic about a year ago. The Discworld series sounds right up my alley. But I put it down and started another book and never picked it back up. I normally don’t do that.
Is this a normal reaction?
Good luck on your challenge!

The Color of Magic is not a typical Discworld novel. He hadn't gotten a full grip on the world-building, and the satiric aspects were much stronger.

Heather wrote: "I started reading The Color of Magic about a year ago. The Discworld series sounds right up my alley. But I put it down and started another book and never picked it back up. I normally don’t do tha..."

These have all been pretty light on plot so far (I'm now on the 14th). I often find myself wondering why we're still meandering around following the characters in question and then something funny will happen and I realize I'm just enjoying the meander. So, yeah, I could easily see putting it down, getting distracted, and not having a hook to draw you back in.

Before this challenge, I'd only read the Color of Magic and The Last Hero (book #29 I think). It was a long time ago, but I recall The Last Hero having a much stronger plotline and a rewarding finish.

With that said, I'm afraid I enjoyed the first few more than I've enjoyed the last several. I'm worried that doesn't bode well for me in this challenge because most people will say what Mary said - that the first few aren't a good representation of the whole.

Thanks Liam. I have so many books on my “to read” list. So many great adventures...so little time.

Haven't updated in a while. Finished Lords And Ladies and Men at Arms. The City Watch novels continue to be my favorites with the Witches as close second.

Renumbered my list because Troll Bridge is a short story - and I'm having trouble finding it.

Meanwhile, a popular blogger and redditer is doing a massive Discworld giveaway this month so get thee to reddit and win yourself something fun: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comm...

Li.am wrote: Renumbered my list because Troll Bridge is a short story - and I'm having trouble finding it.

It's in The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories

Chris wrote: "Li.am wrote: Renumbered my list because Troll Bridge is a short story - and I'm having trouble finding it.

It's in The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories"

This looks interesting. I've added it to my TBR list.

Chris wrote: "Li.am wrote: Renumbered my list because Troll Bridge is a short story - and I'm having trouble finding it.

It's in The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories"

Thanks Chris!

You're welcome. :-)

Finished Soul Music. If I weren't such a neurotic completionist and if Sir Terry didn't have the track record to warrant persisting, I would've DNF'd this one. I wound up skimming vast swaths.

Soul Music was my least favorite so far out of the first 20.

I think all authors have a slump when they write a lot of books in a series. I know I thought Ghost Story in the Dresden Files series was terrible but Jim Butcher redeemed himself in the next book and the series picked right back up. Really can't wait for the next one in the series.

Finished Interesting Times. I felt like the magic was back right up until the end which was a little...out there. Possible I'm ignorant of a pop culture reference that would make it land better. /shrug

I enjoy Rincewind. Probably more than most. I don't know what that says about me.

On to Maskerade!

Great job Liam. Which is your favorite so far?

Tnkw01 wrote: "Great job Liam. Which is your favorite so far?"

That's getting harder to say now that I have 17 or 18 to pick from.

I'm going to go with Equal Rites, although if I could only take one to a desert island, it'd probably be the first - The Colour of Magic. I think I'm alone there. I mostly see people (including Neil Gaiman !) telling people to not start at the beginning.

Is Equal Rites ok to read as a stand-alone?

Yes. It’s the start of the Witches subset and reads like a standalone.

Great job Liam! I just finished The Last Continent yesterday and have to admit that Rincewind is starting to lose me a bit.

@Tnkw01 - I agree with Bill - you should be fine reading Equal Rites (Discworld #3, Witches #1) without reading the previous two Discworld books.

@Bill - Sorry to hear that re: Rincewind. I can understand it though. The only group I think I could personally indulge in without tiring is the Watch (so far anyway - there are whole sub-series I haven't even started yet...)