Introducing my kids to Pratchett: which book first?

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes, it is written to be read in published order which is also chronological order.In this case, I will say that you are 100% wrong!

Jon has spoken and so this discussion has now ended. To hell with the author's recommendations. We must listen to Jon.

[Rizla]

Start with The Light Fantastic or The Colour of Magic, whichever is first. Like most brilliant ideas, they get weaker as the series goes on, if it goes on too long. Mort was a hilarious. "I don't know about you, but I could murder a curry." Do non-British readers get all the jokes?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Start with The Light Fantastic or The Colour of Magic, whichever is first. Like most brilliant ideas, they get weaker as the series goes on, if it goes on too long. Mort was a hilarious. "I don't know about you, but I could murder a curry." Do non-British readers get all the jokes?

I get the jokes and I even share with my wife things written that you would a never read in other books. But then, I do know a lot about UKisms.

[AlexBell]

I don't think that The Diskworld Books are anything remotely like a series because there are so many subseries - the Guards, the witches, Susan, Unseen University, etc etc which might mention each other or not, and are often different in style and tone.

If I had my time over I would probably want to start with Guards, Guards. Or perhaps Mort. Or maybe Going Postal.

I'm as sure as I can be that different books are different, and will appeal to different readers. If I was asked where to start I'd mention my favourites, but stress that they are so different and that I think different people will like different books.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

I am one of those people turned off Pratchett after reading The Colour of Magic (can't remember if I even finished it). So I have always thought of him as overrated, but I am willing to give him another go, starting with Small Gods I think; I assume I do not need much prior knowledge of Discworld?

Need I say more? :

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Even Terry Pratchett doesn't think you should start with Colour of Magic/The Light Fantastic (from his non-fiction book of essays:

http://i.imgur.com/lXfLgER.jpg

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/232...st-publisher-i

“My first novel was published by the first publisher I sent it to. And so I’ve been learning as I go, and I find it now rather embarrassing that people beginning the Discworld series start with The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, which I don’t think are some of the best books to start with. This is the author saying this, folks. Do not start at the beginning with Discworld.”

Thanks! -- wasn't aware that he was on record as saying this.

This is now high (well, more toward the beginning than the end ) on my list of Pratchett quotes.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hatgirl

I love the Discworld series, but I also love Pratchett's non-Discworld books. Have you considered starting them with "Truckers" or "Only You Can Save Mankind?"

The only non-Discworld book of his that I have read is Good Omens.
I have no idea whether the rest are good or bad, they simply didn't happen to strike my interest via the synopses.

How do they compare?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes, it is written to be read in published order which is also chronological order.

That chart is 100% crap for first time Discworld readers. I've seen way too many people say "go ahead, use that chart, it's OK to spoil/ruin the series and here is my recommendation on how to spoil what would otherwise be a very good read".

Yes, you get different main characters in different books. But what you don't get is that you get a progression of place and other characters that are not the main focus. Terry does not recap. And yes, some are newer book are spoilers for earlier books.

The best way to handle Discworld (for the first time) is to take that chart and ignore it. Don't even look at it. It's a bad idea. You don't want to find out something about say a recurrent background character that you are not supposed to know because you've read out of order. Also, some of the jokes are not so funny when you don't get them because you've not read the book you need to to get the jokes.

Terry has written Discworld to be read in published order. There is no other proper order unless it's a reread.

In this case, I will say that you are 100% wrong!

According to Pratchett himself, he did not write the Discworld to be read in published order. According to your own metric (WordOfGod) you are wrong. According to my metric (my opinion) you are wrong.

You have no leg to stand on regarding authority.... so it is down to your opinion. And in that case, you will need some actual compelling reasons to back you up.

Please, provide data for your assertions that:

• There is a chronological progression of places/characters
• there are no recaps of anything necessary to get a joke
• jokes that require reading previous books according to the publication order, which the chart messes up

Your experience has utterly failed to match my own, and I doubt I am unusual in that regard.


The chart was specifically charted in order to provide a logical progression of ideas.

I read the books for the first time out of order (hint: I did NOT read them in publication order, or I might still not have read them ).

[Teknikal]

I set out to read them all in order once myself I got up to "Moving Pictures" and then lost interest completely about half way through it. No idea really why.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

Ooh that map is great, actually Equal rites is also a good starting point for my daughter.

That map is an abomination!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I don't think that The Diskworld Books are anything remotely like a series because there are so many subseries - the Guards, the witches, Susan, Unseen University, etc etc which might mention each other or not, and are often different in style and tone.

If I had my time over I would probably want to start with Guards, Guards. Or perhaps Mort. Or maybe Going Postal.

I'm as sure as I can be that different books are different, and will appeal to different readers. If I was asked where to start I'd mention my favourites, but stress that they are so different and that I think different people will like different books.

It is a true series and you will spoil it if you read out of order. Yes, the main characters are not always the same, but in a lot of cases, the secondary characters and places are the same and you get to see how they progress. By reading out of order, you do spoil this aspect of the series. By starting with The Colour of Magic, you learn about Rincewind and the luggage. Starting with some other book, you lose that and some things are just not as easy to understand.

[gmw]

I fall somewhere in between JSWolf's always adamant insistence on reading in published order and the read whatever takes your fancy. I think Jon's right to a certain extent, in some books you do sometimes briefly meet characters in passing that you would know better if you had read the books in order, in which case the full impact of the scene may not be achieved. But, unlike Jon, I don't think this is crucial to the enjoyment of the books.

Yes, the first books, The Colour of Money and The Light Fantastic, are the weakest of the Discworld series, but they are in some respects also the simplest and most easily accessible to younger readers (at least until you hit the books written specifically for younger readers), so as starting points for kids getting involved I think you could do worse. (And, as a bonus, you get most of the key details you need to know where you are, whatever book you pick up next.)

(And what follows gives no hint of their publication order, just the order they came to mind...)

If you're not insistent on Discworld, I also thoroughly recommend Pratchett's books written for younger readers, they're great fun whatever your age. The Johnny books: Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny and the Dead, Johnny and the Bomb are all good fun and short easy reads. And "The Nome Trilogy", sometimes sold as an omnibus these days as The Bromeliad, but originally: Truckers, Diggers and Wings. I love that little series, like a miniature epic and great fun. Nation is very good but much more serious in nature. I enjoy The Carpet People too, but it's not among his best.

I really like Good Omens but probably not the best starting place for getting to know Pratchett. Strata is an interesting read - an early SciFi version of the Discworld. Dodger I found less enjoyable than most, but I've only been through it once and I will probably revisit to see if it was just a mood thing.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by gmw

I fall somewhere in between JSWolf's always adamant insistence on reading in published order and the read whatever takes your fancy. I think Jon's right to a certain extent, in some books you do sometimes briefly meet characters in passing that you would know better if you had read the books in order, in which case the full impact of the scene may not be achieved. But, unlike Jon, I don't think this is crucial to the enjoyment of the books.

Well, yes -- for series' that have one long storyline, you should read in the right order. To do otherwise is just silly.

Outside that... eh, the whole thing is just silly. The author went to great lengths to make the book stand on its own, who gives a flaming pile of monkey poo whether you get all the in jokes first time or first reread? To be brutally honest -- I think it would be best in that regard to not read ANY of them until you have read all the others -- an obvious impossibility.

My $0.02, for what little it is worth (considering the OP has made up his/her mind and anyone reading this thread has already read them all anyway...)

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Thanks! -- wasn't aware that he was on record as saying this.

An author is not always the best judge of their own work...

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by gmw

Yes, the first books, The Colour of Money and The Light Fantastic, are the weakest of the Discworld series

! Am I only the only one here who found them the best? They are the first explosive creation, the inspirational start. Guards, Guards, for example, seems labored to me. TBH, the joke got old for me quite quickly. I am not a Pratchett aficionado or completionist. I take what I find to be the best in any area, and leave the rest.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Rizla

An author is not always the best judge of their own work...

When the author's judgment agrees with everyone else's assessment, then I feel justified in saying the author is correct.

Originally Posted by Rizla

! Am I only the only one here who found them the best?

Clearly you are.