Terry Pratchett's Diskworld Series

[Betonhaus]

This series has been an excellent source of information. The Rincewind books are ok and largely serve to build the world, but the other books often pick a real-world topic to discuss in depth. Small Gods dealt with faith, Monstrous Regiment with gender identity, Feet of Clay with the concept of free will, The Truth on journalistic integrity, and so on. When it enters the public domain I could see it being compiled into a singular Holy Book of moral and life lessons.

Are there any books in the series that you've read that struck a chord with you?

 

[CrazyRandomZyn]

I haven't read it but I heard that its witty and the world building is insane. I've seen some books at my local library

 

[Agamemnon Busmalis]

I love Going Postal because it seems my career is an endless sequence of figuring out and resolving problems only to be kicked in the nuts by an even bigger problem.

Moving Pictures is just plain fun. Is there a complete collection for Discworld? I'd like to get them all on my Kindle and start from scratch.

 

[Betonhaus]

I love Going Postal because it seems my career is an endless sequence of figuring out and resolving problems only to be kicked in the nuts by an even bigger problem.

Moving Pictures is just plain fun. Is there a complete collection for Discworld? I'd like to get them all on my Kindle and start from scratch.

there's probably a torrent collection somewhere. I have all the books so i never looked at the ebook versions.

 

[Agamemnon Busmalis]

there's probably a torrent collection somewhere. I have all the books so i never looked at the ebook versions.

I'll probably just buy them, they're pretty cheap and I'd like Terry's estate to get the money. RIP Sir Terry, hard to believe it's been eight years.

 

[Betonhaus]

I'll probably just buy them, they're pretty cheap and I'd like Terry's estate to get the money. RIP Sir Terry, hard to believe it's been eight years.

https://liliputing.com/hands-on-with-the-eonebooks-new-dual-screen-e-ink-manga-reader/

People have made dedicated dual-screen eReaders that will only contain the books they were made with. i would LOVE to get one that had the entire Terry Pratchett collection.

 

[Jason Wynn]

I’ve read all the books up to Carpe Jugulum. They’re good fun. I wouldn’t call it brilliant satire, but I found them entertaining. I think either Jingo, Moving Pictures or Hogfather were my favorites. The Rincewind focused books are great for a laugh as well

 

[glass_houses]

That's 'Discworld' with a C, you subliterate mouthbreather.

I started reading Pratchett in high school when I was twelve. I had a miserable time in high school, and Pratchett and Mercedes Lackey were my favourite authors to escape into. I cried like a little bitch with a skinned knee when Sir Terry died, it was like losing my favourite uncle. I couldn't finish 'Raising Steam' and I doubt I will ever lay a finger on 'Shepherd's Crown'.

Would I have had such a powerful attachment to the Discworld if I hadn't grown up embedded in it, and instead came late? I have utterly no idea. I do know that if I ever get my hands on the mindless woke AIDS ridden scum that ejaculated on top of a shredded copy of 'Guards! Guards!' and called it television, I'm going shove the entire book up their urethra before tearing them limb from limb.

 

[soy_king]

I love the series, though I feel like the later books start getting a bit gay by pushing a message of multiculturalism and progress. Still, theure done in a way that's at least fun and interesting, even if not as irreverent as the earlier books in the series

 

[Replacement Account]

I think that it's one of those series where you're probably best not starting with the first two if you want to get the general feel of the series.

You can always go back to them.

 

[Betonhaus]

I think that it's one of those series where you're probably best not starting with the first two if you want to get the general feel of the series.

You can always go back to them.

Oh yeah, you can read the books in chronological order but a lot of people recommend reading them one protagonist set at a time.
I'm disappointed that Raising Taxes was cancelled, but Terry was at his limit then.

 

[Replacement Account]

Oh yeah, you can read the books in chronological order but a lot of people recommend reading them one protagonist set at a time.
I'm disappointed that Raising Taxes was cancelled, but Terry was at his limit then.

Yeah it's a shame really, but with how the goblins ended up you could sort of tell the embuggerance was getting to him.

If we're talking favourites, I think Night Watch might be best.

 

[Betonhaus]

Yeah it's a shame really, but with how the goblins ended up you could sort of tell the embuggerance was getting to him.

If we're talking favourites, I think Night Watch might be best.

Oh yeah, Vimes was a great character that had a lot of development from a drunkard shell to a terrifying fighter. He, Granny Weatherwax, and Tiffany Aching were really good.

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

I started reading Pratchett in high school when I was twelve. I had a miserable time in high school, and Pratchett and Mercedes Lackey were my favourite authors to escape into. I cried like a little bitch with a skinned knee when Sir Terry died, it was like losing my favourite uncle. I couldn't finish 'Raising Steam' and I doubt I will ever lay a finger on 'Shepherd's Crown'.

Raising Steam is not a good book. It has flashes of good bits, but it is clear that Terry was already far beyond his prime with that one; it feels much more like disjointed scenes/notes than an actual book. Shepherd's Crown feels nowhere as disjointed; even though it was released later I suspect much of it was written earlier, or an editor helped.

I'm disappointed that Raising Taxes was cancelled, but Terry was at his limit then.

Going Postal and Making Money are basically the same story told twice (even though both are good and have their distinct bits), and I feel Pratchett realized this and saw it happening again with Raising Taxes.

The most interesting thing about Pratchett is that *he admits* that the characters grew on him; for example he originally started writing Corporal Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets as a parody of various religious sects; but later came to understand him more and even sympathize with him. You can see this in the reaction the witches have to religion in the earlier vs latter books, for example Mightily Oats.

If we're talking favourites, I think Night Watch might be best.

Samuel Vimes might be the best character Pratchett ever created, and the most detailed; but I have a soft spot for Death and his adventures. I've always felt Death was a bit of Pratchett's self-insert.

Unseen Academicals may be the most foreign of his books, as it is so obviously filled to the brim with soccer references that I suspect many Americans just won't get.

In a cow crossover; I consider Pratchett's work with Hex to be more indicative of artificial intelligence and the directions it will take than anything written on LessWrong.

 

[SirCliveSinclairdabbing]

That's 'Discworld' with a C, you subliterate mouthbreather.

I started reading Pratchett in high school when I was twelve. I had a miserable time in high school, and Pratchett and Mercedes Lackey were my favourite authors to escape into. I cried like a little bitch with a skinned knee when Sir Terry died, it was like losing my favourite uncle. I couldn't finish 'Raising Steam' and I doubt I will ever lay a finger on 'Shepherd's Crown'.

Would I have had such a powerful attachment to the Discworld if I hadn't grown up embedded in it, and instead came late? I have utterly no idea. I do know that if I ever get my hands on the mindless woke AIDS ridden scum that ejaculated on top of a shredded copy of 'Guards! Guards!' and called it television, I'm going shove the entire book up their urethra before tearing them limb from limb.

I've lurked since pre covid and you're the fa-post that got me registering.
I started Pratchett in my 20's around thief of time. Science of discworlds is something you'll think about when reading something years later. I saved Shepherds Crown for a birthday at a special occasion and location. Worth it.
tl;dr? yes you can come into Pratchett at a later age.
I gave my full Pratchett collection to a friends son when he was 10 and don't regret it.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Pratchett started going pretty Woke in the last several novels, which was annoying.

Sam Vimes, Lord Vetinari, The Archchancellor, Greebo, Ponder Stibbons, Lu-Tze, Carrot, Nobby Nobbs, are all excellent characters.
A favourite of mine was Lord Hong.

 

[Betonhaus]

Dorfl the golem was interesting for being an atheist in a world with literal God's that regularly strike him down for denying Thier existence. I liked the perspective that Om provided on how God's get their power in that world.

 

[Cryptojew]

Wee Free Men is probably my favorite book of all time. I recently got the illustated edition, was well worth the $90 it cost me.

 

[Replacement Account]

Pratchett started going pretty Woke in the last several novels, which was annoying.

Sam Vimes, Lord Vetinari, The Archchancellor, Greebo, Ponder Stibbons, Lu-Tze, Carrot, Nobby Nobbs, are all excellent characters.
A favourite of mine was Lord Hong.

I did like Hong as a villain- he was competent, but it was kind of tragic because the only reason that he was as dangerous as he was is because Agatean society is/was crippled by how stagnant and stratified it was.

Carcer might be my favourite villain for the series, though my view is probably influenced by the one audiobook being able to give him a really grating laugh.

Oh, and villain points for Spider I guess, because whilst it's not really an intricate plan, it's kind of spooky when you think about it.

 

[Betonhaus]

Spider was from The Hogfather, right?