SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion

It's been so long since I've read the first Discworld book - it may feel like the first go round. I haven't started it yet but it's right *there* on my kindle waiting to get read .... Now, where's Charles? I want to hear what he has to say about this book ...

I listened to the unabridged audio in 2006 and really liked it. I was reminded of my D&D phase in high school, but I'll probably not reread it unless I see some interesting comments.

I read the next three Discworld titles and decided that was enough going by the old idea that a series is only good for three or four books.

Pratchett manages somehow to keep surprising his readers. While you can only tell the same joke so many times, he finds new ways to tell the joke ...

You must read Reaper Man.

MUST.

Greg wrote: "...I read the next three Discworld titles and decided that was enough going by the old idea that a series is only good for three or four books. "

IMO, Pratchett didn't really start to hit his stride until #6, Wyrd Sisters, and then #8 and the beginning of my favorite story arc, Guards! Guards!. He started developing deeper characters and dealing with more significant themes, while his writing style matured. (I'm guessing you might be a City Watch type of guy, which is the story arc started in Guards! Guards!.)

PS: Not sure if I'll be reading this, since I've already read it 3 or 4 times. ;-)

Wyrd Sisters is one of my favorites - but I LOVE the witches of Lancre almost as much as love Death of Rats.


SQUEAK

Geoffrey wrote: "Wyrd Sisters is one of my favorites - but I LOVE the witches of Lancre almost as much as love Death of Rats.


SQUEAK"

Which brings up a discussion topic for those who have read the later books in the series and now are re-reading this first one: compare and contrast Death (the incarnation) as he is depicted in the first books and as he is "fleshed out" in the later ones. :-)

A couple of weeks ago I finally succumbed to Charles's siren song which is always luring unsuspecting readers into the Discworld and I bought Guards! Guards! andWyrd Sisters. I read Guards! Guards! and then remembered we had picked The Colour of Magic for this month. I finished it today. I was pretty sure I had read some Pratchett back in the day and I know now I definitely read Colour of Magic, I recognized the sapient pearwood box right away.

Comparing these two books, I agree that Guards! Guards! is a deeper story. Its plot is better developed and the characters more fully drawn. The same humor is in both but the jokes are cleverer in Guards! Guards! But in the end I loved both these books. I loved the silliness of Colour of Magic and really, really want my own sapient pearwood box.

I was almost afraid to start reading these as I suspected it would end up with me spending a lot of money to get them on the Kindle. Oh well, what are credit card points for except for buying Amazon gift cards for myself? I am very happy to (re)discover this series and I'm looking forward to reading more. I've already got Wyrd Sisters downloaded so I'll be reading that one next.

I just found this diagram, linking all the Discworld novels. Pretty cool.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-o...

Donna wrote: "A couple of weeks ago I finally succumbed to Charles's siren song which is always luring unsuspecting readers into the Discworld and I bought Guards! Guards! and[book:Wyrd Sisters|3450..."

My work here is done. :-)

Donna wrote: "I just found this diagram, linking all the Discworld novels. Pretty cool.

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-o..."

Pretty cool. I never thought of those "Industrial Revolution" books as a semi-connected story arc, but it does make sense. I guess not really a story arc (except for the last two) but more of a thematic arc?

I am loving this book as much on the reread. It's been long enough that I remember the flavor, but not the specifics.

Well, not most of them.

I am just as amused by reflected-sounds-of-underground-spirits as I was the first time ... when the reveal totally took me by surprise.

I have long suspected that there is some really funny joke that I totally do not get about Twoflower's name.

If someone would please explain it to me I would appreciate it. You may have to go slowly and use small words, though.

stormhawk wrote: "I have long suspected that there is some really funny joke that I totally do not get about Twoflower's name."

I was impatient. I Googled. I now know what passes for the truth.

I am disappointed.

(view spoiler)[There's no joke. It was just intended to sound faux-Mayan, to be exotic. Like Vizier Nine Spinning Mirrors. (hide spoiler)]

I'm almost convinced to try Guards! Guards if I look at the chart Donna provided and think of it as only a series of 7 books.

I keep meaning to post this link and forgetting: Colour of Magic annotations at lspace.org (some interesting trivia and notes about the book).

Charles wrote: "I keep meaning to post this link and forgetting: Colour of Magic annotations at lspace.org (some interesting trivia and notes about the book)."

Wow! Those are some serious fans. I love how in one part the fans come up with a certain explanation for something, then Pratchett says no, it was something else and the fans are not convinced. I guess that's how you know your work has truly taken on a life of its own.

It was fun seeing the explanations for many lines. I had forgotten about the satire on the McCaffrey Pern novels. I laughed out loud when I read that part in the book and how he used exclamation marks in the names. I always hated her use of apostrophes in the dragonriders names, it made them hard to pronounce.

Thanks for sharing that Charles.

Donna wrote: "Wow! Those are some serious fans. I love how in one part the fans come up with a certain explanation for something, then Pratchett says no, it was something else and the fans are not convinced. I guess that's how you know your work has truly taken on a life of its own."

Reminds me of that scene in Back to School where Rodney Dangerfield brings Kurt Vonnegut to class with him to refute something absurd the English professor was claiming about one of Vonnegut's works.

And what's wrong with using apostrophes as an 'honorific,' I might ask...?

Patrick O'Connor

Patrick wrote: "And what's wrong with using apostrophes as an 'honorific,' I might ask...?"

Nothing wrong, it just always made me stumble over the names. However, I will be happy to call you P'trick from now on. (Now see, once I look at that, your name becomes puh-TRICK) :)

D'Nna I kinda like with both Ns .... but it really work without some surgery on my name: G'ffrey

I finished this book the other day. It was my first time reading, and I really enjoyed it. I can see that this will be yet another series that I will be following.

It's been a while since I read them, but I think only male dragonriders get an apostrophe.

Chicks just keep their name.

Which is just as well ... my name starts with a vowel and only has three letters.

stormhawk wrote: "It's been a while since I read them, but I think only male dragonriders get an apostrophe.

Chicks just keep their name.

Which is just as well ... my name starts with a vowel and only has three..."

I was just looking on Wikipedia and you're right. Which is just as well because D'Nna comes out Duh-nuh-nuh, which reminds me of Sha-na-na... I actually like G'ffrey though, it comes out in an English accent in my head.

Which is just as well because D'Nna comes out Duh-nuh-nuh, which reminds me of Sha-na-na...

You'll need a pompadour and a motorcycle.

Lynda wrote: "I finished this book the other day. It was my first time reading, and I really enjoyed it. I can see that this will be yet another series that I will be following."

After I read my first Discworld book, I immediately started reading through the entire thing ... only I think I started with 'Equal Rites'.

Waiting for Pratchett's next book to come out, I decided to read them all again and I have to say that the colour of magic again was dissapointing. It's still a good read, mind you, but you can tell it was the first. After book one, Pratchett gets into his stride and the books just get better and better.

Snuff was excellent, Thud too. Anything with Vimes is awesome.