Quote:
Originally Posted by thrawn_aj
[...]Blatant exaggeration. You'll miss out on a few in-jokes at worst.
This warning makes it seem that it's a fairly linear series in terms of plot and it just isn't. The chart should make that quite clear. [...]
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+1.
I'm a fan, I read them from start to finish in publication order, and then repeat every few years. I do the same with his books for younger readers (all right, kids books, I don't care I think they're great, I just love the way he writes). I've often wondered how different the books would have seemed if I'd found them later and read them in a different order, but too late for me to find out.
But ... I do know people that have just picked a book at random and enjoyed themselves, and this has gradually led them into the rest of the books. Different people do seem to relate to some threads more than others (I'm a fan of Granny Weatherwax (Witches) and also Commander Vimes (Watch) - fabricati diem). But the point is that even picking a book in the middle of one of these story-lines doesn't seem to be a hindrance to the enjoyment of new readers. If in doubt pick one of the (mostly) stand-alone books: Pyramids, Small Gods, The Truth, Monstrous Regiment, Going Postal (well it was stand-alone, now has a sequel, Making Money). In my opinion this brief list includes some excellent highlights from the collection, if you don't like them there's a good chance you just don't like Pratchett's style ... and that's okay, no one's perfect.
