Discworld

[Maya]

Would everyone mind just giving their opinions about the Discworld series? it seems to have been touched on several other discussions but it could just be me and i might have missed the discussion. if so could you direct me to the place where it was talked about? thanks

 

[FitzChivalry]

I don't like the discworld books, too much puns and slapstick humor, not my idea of funny.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was very funny though, but i suspect it was more because of Gaiman than becasuse of Pratchett

 

[Shadowen]

I absolutely love the Discworld series! I think they're very funny and am a huge fan, so much so, that when Thief of Time came out I took a days leave from work so I could spend all day reading it!

Ok, I'm sad...

 

[Barbarossa]

The discworld series is not so much one series, as a bunch of several sub-series, and stand-alone novels. It also chanched quite a bit in style over the years. If you didn't like the early books that doesn't mean you won't like the later volumes, which have a more subtle humor and a lot of plot besides.

The subseries are:
about the "inept wizard Rincewind":

"color of magic", "light fantastic", "Sorcery", "Eric", "interesting times", "the last continent", this is my least favorite one, the oldest and most slapstick like. The exception is "Interesting times" actually my favorite discworld book of them all.

The books about the witch granny Weatherwax and her coven:

"Equal rights", "wyrd sisters", "witches abroad", "Lords and Ladies", "Masquerade", and "carpe Jugulum".
These are pretty good for the most part, start with equal rights, but Witches abroad I like best. "wyrd sisters" and "Lords and ladies" are loosly based on Shakespeare (Macbeth and Midsummernight's dream).

The citywatch novels:
"Guards Guards", "men at arms", "feet of clay", "Jingo" and "the fifth elephant"
Among my favorites: They combine classical whodunnits, hardboiled detective stories like Chandler's or Hammet's with fantasy and humor.

The death novels:
"Mort", "Reaper man", "Soul Music", "Hogfather".
Death who "ALWAYS TALKS IN CAPITALS" is actually the only character to appear in every discworld novel. The ones he starrs in are in the middle of discworld novels quality-wise.

Stand alones:
"Pyramids", "small gods",, "moving pictures",
"The truth", "the Thief of time".
Especially "small gods" is another favorite of mine. I haven't read the last two yet, since they aren't available as paperbacks yet.

All in all I would reccomend the discworld very much, good books to start would be Equal rights, Guards Guards or small gods.

 

[jimmy the hand]

strange really i mean i read them but who is sad enough to invent a character who has wizard on his hat

 

[Shadowen]

It's 'Wizzard' actually...

 

[lior]

Discworld is a trully unique series in fantasy. after reading about 10 discworld novels I can say it is recommended, though non of the books are bad, they are uneven, and some (I prefer the early ones) are better than others.
oddly enough, pratchett is hardly known or popular in the states as he is in britain.
anybody knows why?

so, when you aquaint your self with Discworld, you will come to know strange creatures (a crate with legs), odd, exotic places (the vanishing university, Ank Morpork, the most vile city in the universe) and general good natured mayhem.
Pratchet's humor is not liked by everyone. but I find it sometimes amusing, sometimes really funny, but never boring and always creative.(so far).

 

[e-Morgana]

I can't say I'm a huge Pratchett fan (too slapstick and silly for me as well) but I have read some and had a few chuckles. I tried to read the ?Death Omnibus once but found I just couldn't stay interested for three books. I do enjoy reading one now and again though just for a change of pace.

We actually had a Discworld cartoon on TV here (in Australia) a few months ago and the kids seemed to enjoy Death and all his other sidekicks. I never got to watch it myself as it was always on when I was just going to work.

 

[Cannon Fodder]

I'm as huge fan of Pratchett. I've read all the Discworld books, owning about two thirds of them. I recently got a copy of The Thief of Time for my birthday, but I won't be reading it till I've done a whole pile of essays for uni. I would say that there is more to the humour of Pratchett than slapstick and puns, certainly in the later ones, such as copious amounts of satire and references, to pop culture and otherwise. I don't see how anyone couldn't like Discworld, but I'm obviously biased, and humour is extremely subjective.

 

[Aleya]

I'm not really big on humourous fantasy, but I thought I'd give Discworld a try about a year ago.

I read 'The Colour of Magic' (the first one), and thought it was rubbish. A few months later I read 'Mort' and really quite liked it. A few months later a friend recommended 'Pyramids' to me, but I read about half way and put it down. I thought it was worse than the first one

Oh, I also read his short in the 'Legends' anthology and really really liked it. Granny Weatherwax is very funny

My tuppence.

Aleya - http://silver-oak.com

 

[Loki]

SLAPSTICK!?!?!?!
slapstick is what the three stooges do
Terry pratchet has a sense of humour for example that god beggining with Z, the god of slight breezes
and Theodora thingy from moving pictures where it has "i come from a town youve probably never heard of"
The best are easily moving pictures, small gds and the truth.

 

[Nobby Nobbs]

HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE PRATCHET? His mad genius is hillarious and a bit disturbing because it all makes a bit of sense.He has lampooned everything from Conan the Barbarian(who is now a 90 year old man named Cohen) to Death (WHO ONCE SAT IN FOR SANTA CLAUSE) The books are a riot for anyone esp. readers of science fiction and fantasy!

 

[Rocket Sheep]

But Nobby, Terry really was throwing off at sf writers taking themselves too seriously when he wrote Colour of Magic. It wasn't until he realised that we liked it, that he took himself seriously and got really funny.

Some are better than others.

 

[Pozzo]

Pratchett Has won the CANEGY MEDAL!!!

Pratchett Has won the CANEGY MEDAL!!!...I think Pratchett's Discworld is really good, it can seem from outside as "slapstick humour" but it has some really subtle and sharp, although funny, comments...politics, human nature, everything.

 

[ally]

Great books! Perfect if you are sick of the heavy, war filled fantasy tales. The books arent too long so you dont have to spend a week reading the one story. Very funny and very enjoyable. The way the characters develop right in front of you is done very cleverly and altogther makes for a great read.