Sir Terry Pratchett died today, age 66 - Page 4

Sweetpea · 03-13-2015, 04:48 AM

I usually don't care about Twitter, but I would like to share this one with you:

https://twitter.com/terryandrob

A great artist has passed away, who will be missed.

Cyberman tM · 03-13-2015, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

I started with Small Gods and that was perfect for me, since it convinced me that Pratchett was a very funny author who had to be taken very seriously.

I agree with that.
Small Gods was my first Discworld book as well, and in hindsight it seems perfect for beginners.
It contains his well-established writing, his typical humour, and yet none of the more widely used characters, so it doesn't matter that you don't know anything about them.

Once you decide to continue, I'd recommend a reading order based on storyline - no use switching from Watch to Witches and back, unless you know what to expect, it'll merely give you whiplash because the characters are suddenly so different.

HarryT · 03-13-2015, 06:44 AM

One of my fondest memories is a train journey I made with Terry Pratchett, Bob Shaw, and Iain Banks (sad to think that all three are now dead) from Warrington (where Bob and I both lived) to an "Eastercon" in Glasgow. Must have been in the mid 1980s, I think, when Terry had published a couple of books but wasn't yet really "famous". He was a truly delightful man.

JSWolf · 03-13-2015, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

The problem is that many people don't seem to enjoy the early books in the series and so stop reading before they get to the really good stuff.

I started with Small Gods and that was perfect for me, since it convinced me that Pratchett was a very funny author who had to be taken very seriously. So I always recommend that one or Death/Susan novels like Reaper Man or Hogfather as starting points. After that, order doesn't matter at all; each novel can stand on its own, and finding out about a character's back story in an earlier book you hadn't read before or following a character's development in chronological order can be equally delightful.

I started from the beginning and I found it a very good experience doing so. The way Terry writes, you get a lot of useful information in the early books that you do want to know when you read past them. Terry doesn't recap and even though the main characters are different, places and background characters aren't always and you see their progression as you read. It's like living in Boston in 1800 and then suddently going to Boston in 1900. You miss everything that's happened in between t the paces and people.

Crowl · 03-13-2015, 11:15 AM

Very sad news, he is an author whose books I have enjoyed for at least a couple of decades by now and was one of the few hardback purchases I would continue to make even after moving onto ebooks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

For those who have not read the Discworld books, the best way to read them (for maximum enjoyment) is to read in published order. On a reread, any order you want is OK.

I agree, all this fussing about reading orders seems pointless, while the first couple of books might be a bit slower to get through for some people they are still very good and establish the series quite nicely.

Nice and cynical response by amazon to his death, most of the kindle editions have gone up by about a quid each from when I last looked at them a couple of weeks ago.

shalym · 03-13-2015, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowl

Nice and cynical response by amazon to his death, most of the kindle editions have gone up by about a quid each from when I last looked at them a couple of weeks ago.

That's odd...they've actually gone down a bit on the Amazon US site.

Shari

HarryT · 03-13-2015, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowl

Nice and cynical response by amazon to his death, most of the kindle editions have gone up by about a quid each from when I last looked at them a couple of weeks ago.

Are you sure it was only a couple of weeks ago, and not a result of the VAT rate change at the start of the year?

DiapDealer · 03-13-2015, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowl

Nice and cynical response by amazon to his death, most of the kindle editions have gone up by about a quid each from when I last looked at them a couple of weeks ago.

Yes.

indeed.

din155 · 03-13-2015, 12:47 PM

Very sad to hear it! I always thought that someday we will see sequel to Good Omens...

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

One of my fondest memories is a train journey I made with Terry Pratchett, Bob Shaw, and Iain Banks (sad to think that all three are now dead) from Warrington (where Bob and I both lived) to an "Eastercon" in Glasgow. Must have been in the mid 1980s, I think, when Terry had published a couple of books but wasn't yet really "famous". He was a truly delightful man.

I have not read anything by Bob Shaw but I envy you.

Witty Username · 03-13-2015, 02:14 PM

Today's xkcd: Terry Pratchett

Cyberman tM · 03-13-2015, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowl

I agree, all this fussing about reading orders seems pointless, while the first couple of books might be a bit slower to get through for some people they are still very good and establish the series quite nicely.

IMO the problem isn't so much that they "might be a bit slower to get through", it's that the style is rather different from the later books.
A new reader that doesn't yet know how brilliant the books are might get turned away from them.
I know that for me, when I read the first books (after having read others) was a rather weird sensation.
As in, they're not bad or anything, but different. Maybe comparable to reading only Watch books and then suddenly reading a Witches book.

badgoodDeb · 03-13-2015, 03:41 PM

As I mentioned, I started at the beginning, assuming that one ALWAYS reads in publication order. I enjoyed the beginning. I collected perhaps 20 of the books. Then I got stuck on the 2nd book or so and couldn't touch them for perhaps 20 years, even though I already had many of the books.

Until I picked up "Clay Feet", completely out of sequence. And discovered a real PLOT and a bit of MORAL too. Wowsers. That's when I got back into Terry Pratchett, and discovered a reading sequence that worked for me. I will eventually read the rest of Rincewind. But not yet.

Ea · 03-13-2015, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

You're not alone in this, That's never happened to me before.

Me, too, and quite unexpected. It's like a light went out and we are poorer for it.

JSWolf · 03-13-2015, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you sure it was only a couple of weeks ago, and not a result of the VAT rate change at the start of the year?

I would think VAT would be the cause of the price hike.

murg · 03-13-2015, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowl

Nice and cynical response by amazon to his death, most of the kindle editions have gone up by about a quid each from when I last looked at them a couple of weeks ago.

Or that the publishers didn't bump the price.

(I'm not sure what level of control the publishers have over pricing in the UK).

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03-13-2015, 04:48 AM	#46
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	I usually don't care about Twitter, but I would like to share this one with you: https://twitter.com/terryandrob A great artist has passed away, who will be missed.

03-13-2015, 06:44 AM	#48
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	One of my fondest memories is a train journey I made with Terry Pratchett, Bob Shaw, and Iain Banks (sad to think that all three are now dead) from Warrington (where Bob and I both lived) to an "Eastercon" in Glasgow. Must have been in the mid 1980s, I think, when Terry had published a couple of books but wasn't yet really "famous". He was a truly delightful man.

03-13-2015, 02:14 PM	#55
Witty Username Addict Posts: 329 Karma: 4702571 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Somerset, England Device: Sony PRS-650, Kobo Touch, Kobo Libra H2O	Today's xkcd: Terry Pratchett

03-13-2015, 03:41 PM	#57
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	As I mentioned, I started at the beginning, assuming that one ALWAYS reads in publication order. I enjoyed the beginning. I collected perhaps 20 of the books. Then I got stuck on the 2nd book or so and couldn't touch them for perhaps 20 years, even though I already had many of the books. Until I picked up "Clay Feet", completely out of sequence. And discovered a real PLOT and a bit of MORAL too. Wowsers. That's when I got back into Terry Pratchett, and discovered a reading sequence that worked for me. I will eventually read the rest of Rincewind. But not yet.

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