Dragons & Jetpacks discussion

Many times I have heard how Terry Pratchett has some really great books and I have tried to read his novels a few times, but I just can't get into them. I've tried the first discworld novel and I just tried again with Guards!!! Guards!!! It seems like he has some really good ideas but his writing style is just way to silly for me, I prefer a more serious tone than what his novels contain. Has anyone else experienced this or is he well liked by most everyone in the group?

I'm afraid I'm a fan ;)

I love the silly style. He's built up this huuuuuge world, which a lot of authors don't do, yet he's retained that wonderful, quirky sense of humour.

I haven't read LOADS of his books though, I guess I've kind of lost track over the years. I also haven't read any of his Discworld stuff in a while. My favourite though, is Mort. :)

I've read nearly every single thing Pratchett has written—lots of them several times. I love his style. Also his facility with language and subtle, funny references to nearly everything. (The reference to "Copperhead Road" in "Carpe Jugulum," for example is just a tiny thing but wonderful. I didn't even notice it the first three times I read the book. Maybe because I hadn't listened to a lot of Steve Earle until just before the fourth.)

I'm a Pratchett fan too ;)

I started with his younger readers Tiffany Aching Discworld series, but that might be too silly for you too... I think the thing about Pratchett is that he isn't serious, he pokes fun at so many things :) Making Money is still in his vein of humour but is a reflection of the banking system etc.

I have read the first 34 or 35 of the Discworld series, and loved all of them, but my particular favourites are the Night watch series.

They need not be read in order, and this is quite useful:

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

I am also a member of this FB group too: https://www.facebook.com/groups/discw...

I'm with Roger. I don't like His writing style at all. I read three of his books to give him a fair chance but needed up giving them away.
I think his ideas are good but his writing style just does nothing for me - drives me mad. He is one of the few authors I actively stay away from.

Definitely a fan.
I know some people can't takwe to his style but personally i love it.He has a wonderful wit and a cheeky approach that I really enjoy.
I have quite the collection with every DW book plus most of the rest with quite a few of them collectible.
Its sad that he is suffering Alzheimer's and won't have many more years of writing in him.

I think it takes a bit of a change in perspective to really appreciate Pratchett's style. I had spent years just looking at his books in a disdainful way, because to me fantasy was about "serious" adventures and topics, and somehow when I saw this satirical approach it made me feel upset...

Then about three months ago, after having realized just how cool it is to read books that can make you cry from laughing, I saw a hardback edition of Soul Music and thought:"well, let's give it a shot"... and then I ended up reading some ten Discworld novels in two months and a half (and I read Mort and Small Gods twice already). But I do understand that it might be difficult for people to accept his writing style, since I also found hard until recently ;)

I avoided the books way back but once I gave in to a friends insistence I realises its not just the humour and wit that makes his style. Theres a wide knowledge base to pratchett, and he actually has some interesting social commentary and takes on the big subjects mixed in with it all. He tackles,politics, organised religion, war, racism and other hard hitting subjects in a very interesting ways. I do think his very early Discworld books lacked this, being more of a parody of other fantasy but once he hit his stride from Mort on its well worth it.

And yes Amanda I loved Soul Music too.,Have you seen the cartoon series of it from the 90s. Buddy has a wonderful Welsh accent.

No I haven't, I'll look fo it ;) and yes, I was amazed at the social insights that he makes in his books. You feel like you start questioning things you always took for granted. But I think it helped me to start with a random book and not the first one. It made it much more interesting that way.

I agree with you. I started with Thief of Time and loved it straight away. When I went back eventually and read Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic I was quite sure I wouldn't have been drawn in as much to the series if I started with them.

It's Gollancz Fest!

Test your knowledge on the Discworld covers tweet your scores to @Gollancz and you could win the entire Discworld Library!

21 out of 21 but I've read them all about ten times.

Good work :D I got 17/21 - i've read two of them, but I seem familiar with the titles!

I really need to get on and read them!

I started early ;-)

I got 15 :)

Well done.
I really like the new covers but I have a copy of all of them already except Equal Rites. Still tempted

I got 15 and I've never read any of these :)

R.I.P.

I still need to read more Discworld novels.

I think I'll be rereading a few

I get 15 right. I re read Guards! Guards! last year, and remembered exactly why I loved it in the first place.

It is my intention to re read all of them in the next 18 months

I love starting with Guards Guards and working my way through the watch books. I think Night Watch is one of my favourite books ever.

I recently bought a couple more from charity shops so I am slowly but surely collecting them! :D

With the multitude of covers you can get a nice mixed collection :-)

I have to say that I love Paul Kidby's illustrations over Kirby's, but I have a mix of the two really

I'm a much bigger fan of Kidby as well although Marc Simonetti who has done the french translation art and a few of the Calendars rins Kkidby pretty close. I have a first edition of Colour of Magic which has Artwork by neither but is a blue with a scifi looking picture of Great Atuin .

Thought that this tribute was lovely:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

Ahh beautiful and so very true :)

Saw this and had to share
http://panel.kinguin.net/media/wysiwy...

Another great tribute to pTerry:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

A wood carver did a few one off pieces in Pratchetts memory and I won this one on the Terry Pratchett forum

Also finally reframed this , from Soul Music and of course signed by the great man

They are great paul

I'm quite happy with them

News on Pratchett's final Discworld Novel

You beat me to it Kirsty ;-)
Nice to see the date has been brought forward

Has anyone seem this mural that has been done in tribute:

http://www.endoftheline.co/terry-prat...

Truly brilliant

It is fabulous. Some of the iconic Josh Kirby covers done very well.

For any interested , and because the final book out later this year is a fifth Tiffany Aching I want to do a reread of the set starting with Wee Free Men . Anyone interested in a buddy read from maybe early May for that book or even yhe set let me know and I'll set one up.

Here is a high res image of the one I mentioned earlier:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/5361949...

They really did capture it well. While overall I prefer Kidbys art there is something Iconic about Kirbys stuff

That is incredible! Thanks Paul :)

Kirsty wrote: "It's Gollancz Fest!

Test your knowledge on the Discworld covers tweet your scores to @Gollancz and you could win the entire Discworld Library!"

I so wish that they could just get the rights to the back half of the series, or that whoever owns the rest would hire the same artists. Some of those covers are truly gorgeous (and clever, and appropriate).

I'm doing what everyone recommends not to do for their first Discworld book (just started it today) and I'm starting with the very first one - Colour of Magic.

I'm hoping to enjoy them for the humor, the fantasy and the writing.

But we'll see

That is the one i started with. But he hadn't written many others at that point!

A really good guide to Discworld from io9 . Very nicely put together http://tinyurl.com/nczhtxb

I'd suggest Guards! Guards! Claire

Mort was always my fave, I think that works well too :)

Paul wrote: "A really good guide to Discworld from io9 . Very nicely put together http://tinyurl.com/nczhtxb"

That was a great article Paul. The other one to consider is Small Gods Claire