The Discworld novels overlap somewhat, given that they are set in the same universe, but are generally grouped into individual sequences that each should be read chronologically. For example, the books about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch start with "Guards! Guards!", and the subsequent books in this sequence tell the continuing story of how the Watch evolves into a (slightly) modern police force. If you start in the middle of this sequence, the payoff won't be as good. Similarly, there's the sequence about the witches ("Equal Rites" etc.), about Rincewind ("The Colour of Magic" etc.), and his…
The main reason for that recommendation is that The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, though fun books and enjoyable fantasy parodies in themselves, are really not representative of what the later Discworld books were to become. When Terry wrote Equal Rites and Mort, he really set out his manifesto for the series as being about this world, reflected in that world, and that theme is what really carries forward. So with the caveat that you need to understand those first two books aren't representative of what the series becomes, you could definitely start at the beginning. Just know…
I've never read any of his books, although I've been meaning to for some time. Can anyone who's read through them comment? According to the Discworld wikipedia article, publication order may not be the best way to go through the series. This[1] page recommends reading a plot/chronological order. Personally I prefer reading books in publication order, since I get to follow the mind of the author. Given that, there are a lot of books here so I'm open to suggestions. [1] http://www.co.uk.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/index... Edit: Thanks for the responses, I had already reserved…
> I picked up Equal Rites soon after it came out when I was eighteen I read Colour of Magic when I was 13 I think. It might have been a year or two later; a friend's mother had heard the Radio 4 "Woman's Hour" reading of Equal Rites and recommended them to me as she knew I liked Douglas Adams. Adams and Pratchett had this in common - they had sufficient layers of jokes in them that they could appeal to both me in my early teens, and a friend's mother in her 40s (roughly). I missed a huge number of gags on the first read through. I like to re-read familiar books, though, and I used to get a…
The Colour of Magic is probably not the best place to start. He hadn't yet hit whatever it is that makes Discworld click for people. There is considerable debate about the best order in which to read Discworld[1]. I know a lot of people who recommend Guards! Guards! as a good place to start, as being good in itself and the beginning of a very popular story arc. (Discworld has a number of running plots, which sometimes interact but can be read independently.) So if you didn't care for Colour of Magic, it might be worth the effort to pick up one of the later books, after he'd worked out his…
I find this whole scenario kinda interesting - I don't expect to be able to explain why anything from Douglas Adams should appeal to someone... they can only read it and see if it clicks for them. It definitely clicks for me. On the other hand, I feel that Terry Pratchet has a similar sense of humor. However, I got all the way through The Colour Of Magic, giving it an honest shot, and deciding that it just wasn't for me. I find his humor to miss the mark, and be more obnoxious than funny. I can't quite put my finger on why I have such a polar reaction to two authors with a seemingly similar…
Discworld was a real joy of mine in my early teens. I think some of my early computing forays including a Discworld mailing list I found on a webring via Yahoo or somewhere. I had the Discworld official map on my wall and used to love getting the editions printed as tiny hardbacks. Probably my favourite sub-series was the Witches and Nanny Ogg. As I caught up to the newer books I found myself enjoying them less because it felt like there was more and more philosophising. Probably what happened was that they got a bit more sophisticated and I was too immature to understand many of the themes…
I know that I'm in minority, but could you tell me what do you find great about Hitchhiker's Guide? I find it ok-ish. It feels overly chaotic for me. Like it really tries to wave the idea of improbability at me and eventually shove it. Of course everything is exaggerated for comedic effects, but for me it's like it tries too hard. The result is very incoherent. It reminds me of a few movies I enjoyed dearly when I was a kid. After a rewatch they seem like a bunch of good gags, that tell a miserable story. If I would judge the scenes by themselves, I would say they are nice. However if you…
Yep. The most jarring changes of style, worldbuilding, themes and characters are in the first four books (Pratchett once responded to a question about whether "the Patrician" in The Colour of Magic was the same man as Vetinari by saying yes, but he wasn't the same writer). The non Alzheimer's explanation for changes in vocabulary around the turn of the century is that he'd started writing Young Adult Discworld books (he'd written for younger audiences before, but in very different worlds) and for better or worse some of the changes bled through to his other works. Of course, that's also…
Bookstores provide a lot of service value, a decent bookstore will allow you to find similar material, allow you to browse as you please (instead of the skimpy sample pages), usually contain an expert that can offer advice and allow you to walk out with your purchase. Additionally it's common to see a heavy effort at investing in the atmosphere. Amazon has succeeded at beating bookstores in none of these categories - but it has succeeded in greatly lowering the difficulty and impediments in case that a customer wants a specific book, the unfortunate thing for bookstores is that that user…