Favorite/Best Discworld books?
Discworld
- Thread starter JeffinOakland
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Typically, I lean towards the Watch series for myself, though I also enjoyed all the Von Lipwick ones too.
(Not to say I didn't enjoy the others, but those I enjoyed the most). The first one I read was Feet of Clay.
(Not to say I didn't enjoy the others, but those I enjoyed the most). The first one I read was Feet of Clay.
I've only read a handful, but my favorites so far are Guards! Guards!, and Reaper Man.
While we're on the topic of Discworld, does anybody know what happened with the planned City Watch TV series? I thought I heard somewhere not long after Terry Pratchett died that his daughter was still working on the show, but I haven't heard anything since then.
While we're on the topic of Discworld, does anybody know what happened with the planned City Watch TV series? I thought I heard somewhere not long after Terry Pratchett died that his daughter was still working on the show, but I haven't heard anything since then.
^Last I heard they're still developing the TV show, but shes's be a bit busy this last year with Tomb Raider among other things. Now that's out things may start to movie a little more.
And to the OP: the Watch books by far, though the Death/Susan ones are a close second. Mind you the only ones I never really enjoyed so much were the Rincewind books and even then only the earlier ones. That says a lot for a series of books with what, 40 entries total!?
And to the OP: the Watch books by far, though the Death/Susan ones are a close second. Mind you the only ones I never really enjoyed so much were the Rincewind books and even then only the earlier ones. That says a lot for a series of books with what, 40 entries total!?
Difficult. Pyramids probably, but I'd struggle to name one I didn't enjoy or re-read dozens of times.
I'm still very sad that we've left the Discworld for good but at least Sir Terry left it in a better state than he found it (!). If you ever have the time read The Colour Of Magic and then go straight to Raising Steam to really see the how Ankh-Morpork and the Discworld developed under his watchful pen. Having read the stories for so long I have a real sense of going along for the ride with the characters as their world changed and mine did too.
That said, I've never seen a TV adaptation that I thought did justice to the stories but I'm sure it'll happen one day.
I'm still very sad that we've left the Discworld for good but at least Sir Terry left it in a better state than he found it (!). If you ever have the time read The Colour Of Magic and then go straight to Raising Steam to really see the how Ankh-Morpork and the Discworld developed under his watchful pen. Having read the stories for so long I have a real sense of going along for the ride with the characters as their world changed and mine did too.
That said, I've never seen a TV adaptation that I thought did justice to the stories but I'm sure it'll happen one day.
That's not obnoxious, he's a hero!
I never minded the character of Rincewind, I just could never get into the somewhat rambling narratives of the earlier books in which he most prominently featured. They're OK reads but didn't really leave a lasting impression; despite having read each at least twice, 'Sorcery', 'Eric' & 'The Last Continent' are all a blur in my mind. Always liked 'Interesting Times' though, which I mostly attribute to Cohen and his Silver Horde.
I almost count Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic and Equal Rites as a separate thing. They all feel so drastically different, almost prototypical of what would follow. The only thing I can equate it to is reading the early "Adventures of Starkiller" drafts of Star Wars. It's all very familiar, but like it leapt out of some parallel universe.
I almost count Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic and Equal Rites as a separate thing. They all feel so drastically different, almost prototypical of what would follow. The only thing I can equate it to is reading the early "Adventures of Starkiller" drafts of Star Wars. It's all very familiar, but like it leapt out of some parallel universe.
I agree that Rincewind is underappreciated. In the Sky TV adaptation of Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, David Jason was hopelessly miscast as Rincewind. I guess Eric Idle, who voice acted Rincewind in the video game, was just too expensive or not available but he would have been ideal. Steve Punt would also have been a better choice (he played Eric Idle very convincingly in Holy Flying Circus).
I've only read Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. I'm reading Mort now and enjoying it. I enjoyed the 1st two even though they were very random and silly. I'm still debating whether to read them in order or randomly as I find them.
Tricky..... Reaperman is amazing. Hogfather is good too. I love novels featuring Death. Or the Witches. My girlfriend played Granny Weatherwax in a version of Maskerade once, so found memories if that one too.
Also, my girlfriend and I spend every Xmas morning having a brunch in our comfortable sleepwear, watching The Hogfather.
Also, my girlfriend and I spend every Xmas morning having a brunch in our comfortable sleepwear, watching The Hogfather.
The only thing I will say about the order is to be careful about skipping entries in the same series. This may sound like a no-brainer but I've known first time readers to be caught out, since the series' are fairly loose with many an overlap, adjunct and addendum.
That said it's still not a huge deal. Each book seems to be written with an eye towards it being somebody's first Discworld book and most of the basic stuff you need to know from previous stories tends to gets covered fairly early on.
Yeah, they're all really good at getting you up to speed, regardless of whether or not you're caught up with the previous entries. Although, it works less well when you go backwards with some of the stuff. (I think I would have enjoyed Equal Rites more had I read it before Wyrd Sisters.)
I couldn't stay awake through the TV version of The Color of Magic. I only saw the end of the TV version of Hogfather but I didn't much care for it either. (I may have to give that one another chance now that I realized that Death's granddaughter is Lady Mary from Downton Abbey.) But I haven't seen the animated ones and I've heard some good things about the Wyrd Sisters movie. For a few of my friends, that was their first exposure to Discworld.
The first book I ever read in the series was Moving Pictures, follwed by Wyrd Sisters. I love the Witches books, especially Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Maskerade, & Carpe Jugulum. Equal Rites is kind of a weak early effort though. And there's too much fantasy plot and not enough humor in Lords & Ladies.
My dream is that, one day, they make a series of live-action Witches movies with Maggie Smith as Granny Weatherwax, Judi Dench as Nanny Ogg, Amy Acker as Magrat Garlick, and Rebel Wilson as Agnes Nitt. (Meanwhile, inside Agnes' head, I think Perdita probably looks like Natalie Portman.)
Other than that, I've read 2 of the other stand-alones--Small Gods and The Truth--and some of the later City Watch books like Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, and Night Watch. I've also got a big stack of other novels that I bought for cheap at used stores. I think I'll get to them eventually (although possibly not until after I've finished my big stack of Doctor Who novels).
As for my favorite books in the series, I'd say Maskerade was my favorite, since it's kind of a pisstake on Phantom of the Opera. Although, I think Small Gods had the most engaging plot. And I love the stuff with the vampire photographer in The Truth.
I couldn't stay awake through the TV version of The Color of Magic. I only saw the end of the TV version of Hogfather but I didn't much care for it either. (I may have to give that one another chance now that I realized that Death's granddaughter is Lady Mary from Downton Abbey.) But I haven't seen the animated ones and I've heard some good things about the Wyrd Sisters movie. For a few of my friends, that was their first exposure to Discworld.
The first book I ever read in the series was Moving Pictures, follwed by Wyrd Sisters. I love the Witches books, especially Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Maskerade, & Carpe Jugulum. Equal Rites is kind of a weak early effort though. And there's too much fantasy plot and not enough humor in Lords & Ladies.
My dream is that, one day, they make a series of live-action Witches movies with Maggie Smith as Granny Weatherwax, Judi Dench as Nanny Ogg, Amy Acker as Magrat Garlick, and Rebel Wilson as Agnes Nitt. (Meanwhile, inside Agnes' head, I think Perdita probably looks like Natalie Portman.)
Other than that, I've read 2 of the other stand-alones--Small Gods and The Truth--and some of the later City Watch books like Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, and Night Watch. I've also got a big stack of other novels that I bought for cheap at used stores. I think I'll get to them eventually (although possibly not until after I've finished my big stack of Doctor Who novels).
As for my favorite books in the series, I'd say Maskerade was my favorite, since it's kind of a pisstake on Phantom of the Opera. Although, I think Small Gods had the most engaging plot. And I love the stuff with the vampire photographer in The Truth.
The nice thing is that while there's no definitive end to the series, the last few books do provide a sense of an ending, as most of the Disc becomes connected to Ankh-Morpork, and the age of magic gives way to an age of machines.
As for the TV versions, I'd agree that David Jason wasn't the best casting for Rincewind, but then they largely happened because of Jason's enthusiasm for the books: he'd been hoping to play Rincewind since the late 80s, and I believe he turned down a lucrative extension to his exclusive contract with ITV because they weren't interested in Discworld, so he wanted to be free to do it somewhere else if the chance came
.
As for the TV versions, I'd agree that David Jason wasn't the best casting for Rincewind, but then they largely happened because of Jason's enthusiasm for the books: he'd been hoping to play Rincewind since the late 80s, and I believe he turned down a lucrative extension to his exclusive contract with ITV because they weren't interested in Discworld, so he wanted to be free to do it somewhere else if the chance came
.
Men at Arms is my favourite. It was right at the point where the city watch characters were still underdogs, but the themes of societal changes and ethnic tensions were coming into play in the series. Also, that novel shows both Vimes and Vetinari at their most fallible.
I'm an advocate for reading them in publication order. Each novel stands well on its own, but the world itself is a character, and the way in which the world evolves is one of the best things about the series. Plus, it allows you to enjoy all the crossovers and references as they occur. You don't have to read the series that way, but if you can then why not?
Yeah, I think I'll read them in order and force myself to be patient for the later, better entries.
Tricky..... Reaperman is amazing. Hogfather is good too. I love novels featuring Death. Or the Witches. My girlfriend played Granny Weatherwax in a version of Maskerade once, so found memories if that one too.
Also, my girlfriend and I spend every Xmas morning having a brunch in our comfortable sleepwear, watching The Hogfather.
Hogfather has to be my favorite because that's the one that fell apart I read it so much
The Truth
Going Postal
Feet of Clay
Moving Pictures
The 5th Elephant
But I love so many of them, and yeah I loved the Ankh-Morpork city watch stories too.
The Truth slays me. Mr Tulip and Mr. Pin having their versions of Jules and Vince Pulp Fiction conversations. Oh man!
“That --ing zombie is going to end up on the end of a couple of --ing handy and versatile kebab skewers,' said Mr Tulip. 'An' then I'm gonna put an edge on this --ing spatula. An' then... then I'm gonna get medieval on his arse.'
There were more pressing problems, but this one intrigued Mr Pin.
'How, exactly?' he said.
'I thought maybe a maypole,' said Mr Tulip reflectively. 'An' then a display of country dancing, land tillage under the three-filed system, several plagues and, if my --ing hand ain't too tired, the invention of the --ing horse collar.”
Well actually that's Marecllus Wallace talking to Butch about Zed, but whatevs.
I'll let you have these quotes for a half dollar, and that's cutting me own throat.
I tried to read Guards! Guards! years ago as my first entry into Discworld, since I thought the City Watch stuff sounded the most interesting, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. Recently I decided to try again, but this time I've decided to just read the books in publication order for the reasons @TheGodBen laid out. I want to see how the world evolves over the course of the series.
So far I've read The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but I haven't dived into Equal Rites yet. I've heard a lot of people say that The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are rather weaker than what comes later, but I enjoyed both of them quite a bit, so that bodes well for what's to come.
So far I've read The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but I haven't dived into Equal Rites yet. I've heard a lot of people say that The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are rather weaker than what comes later, but I enjoyed both of them quite a bit, so that bodes well for what's to come.
My first exposure to Discworld was the comic adaptation in the late 80's - early 90's. The first couple of pages with Great A'Tuin just blew me away as a such a brilliant idea. I immediately bought the first two books, enjoyed them though I felt like they were the fantasy version of "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy".
I went for years thinking those were the only two books written about Discworld and found out later that Pratchett kept on writing....a lot. I picked up, I think, "Guards! Guards!" while in an airport to pass the time, but never got far into it. I have enjoyed, and own the t.v. adaptations of "The Colour Of Magic", "Hogfather", and "Going Postal" (probably my fave) and wish they'd continued to make them.
For me, Discworld is Rincewind, Twoflower and his trunk. One day I'd like to read "Mort" though.
I went for years thinking those were the only two books written about Discworld and found out later that Pratchett kept on writing....a lot. I picked up, I think, "Guards! Guards!" while in an airport to pass the time, but never got far into it. I have enjoyed, and own the t.v. adaptations of "The Colour Of Magic", "Hogfather", and "Going Postal" (probably my fave) and wish they'd continued to make them.
For me, Discworld is Rincewind, Twoflower and his trunk. One day I'd like to read "Mort" though.
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