The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchet

[Spacejock]

A couple of days ago my daughter told me she was about to give up on Pratchett. I asked her what she was reading and she said 'Colour of Magic'. So, I handed her a different Pratchett book and the next time I saw her she was much happier.

Sometimes it's easy to forget authors aren't machines pumping out a string of identical cookies. Plus every overnight success spent years getting there.

[rogue_librarian]

True. If you want to read a nice stand-alone Pratchett give "Small Gods" a chance.

[David Munch]

What reading order would you guys suggest then?

[DixieGal]

Seriously, i suggest muddling through 1 and 2, then following in chronological order, just because things come up again. The list is in wikipedia, just google for it. I just finished The Last Continent a few days ago. It is the wizards, and Rincewind is delightful. As the series progresses, he becomes more and more of an accidental hero.

Now i am on Carpe Jugulum and it is the witches again.

Moving Pictures is also a good stand-alone.

[thrawn_aj]

Originally Posted by David Munch

What reading order would you guys suggest then?

I find this beautifully drawn chart quite useful: http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-...r-guide-20.jpg
Sorry about the size, but it would be useless if diminished.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AndrewH

The whole Discworld series is on my TBR list, but from comments I've read Guards! Guards! is a much better place to start if one is new to Discworld.

Oh hell no. The only way to read Discworld is in published order or you spoil it big time.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by leebase

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchet is the first in the vast series of Discworld books. I listened to the audible version of the book. I must say that I found the book kind of bizarre and couldn't quite figure out if I was bored to tears or being entertained. Not that some parts were boring and some entertaining, but I couldn't determine if I was or was not enjoying ANY of the book.

The books is completely silly. I think folks either "get it" or don't. It will be either very funny or not. There is no reason or rhyme to it. It's like one big trip through Alice in Wonderland minus any thought of plot. It's an unending stream of wonder/strangeness.

I've enjoyed the book more than any other book I've hated. Is that a strange thing to say? It could very well have been a line in the book.

I usually enjoy audible versions of books, but I'm not sure the reader was up to the task of inventing interesting voices for the myriad characters in the book. It would have been a challenge for anyone. Too many of the characters just did not have an interesting "voice". They really needed a talented cartoon voice person to do this book justice.

I may read more books in the series, but I'm certainly not hopping right on the task. I absolutely hated this book more than any other book I've loved.

Lee

Discworld is not a series to listen to. It's one to read. You need to be able to use your imagination while reading and not someone else's. Try reading Colour of Magic and forget all about the audio version. You may find you like it better.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Spacejock

A couple of days ago my daughter told me she was about to give up on Pratchett. I asked her what she was reading and she said 'Colour of Magic'. So, I handed her a different Pratchett book and the next time I saw her she was much happier.

Sometimes it's easy to forget authors aren't machines pumping out a string of identical cookies. Plus every overnight success spent years getting there.

Did you hand her The Light Fantastic pr did you hand her a different book and maybe spoil things for her?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

True. If you want to read a nice stand-alone Pratchett give "Small Gods" a chance.

Again NO! Small Gods is not standalone. One of the previous books introduces us to Cohan and without that, this book is not nearly as good as it is. So read in order to get up to it and you'll enjoy it more.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by thrawn_aj

I find this beautifully drawn chart quite useful:

Series ruining crappy chart deleted cause it's 100% wrong.

The only way to really enjoy Discworld is to read in in the order it was written. Terry does NOT recap. So what you don't know, you won't know and he writes it so you should know. If you read later books, you can easily spoil earlier books. For example, Interesting Times mentions things that have happened in previous books and you'll not have a clue. Also, if you then read the earlier books referenced, you've spoiled them. So really, just edit your post, delete the chart, remove the link and be happy to read in written order.

That useless chart is a way to get many people to screw up what would otherwise be a very enjoyable series.

And one last comment on that chart... It's seriously way too large. I suggest you delete it just because it's too big. I have a 1600x1200 screen and it's even still too large. The laptop is 1280x800 and even worse. The iPad is 1204x768 and yet even worse still. So please delete it.

[WT Sharpe]

This is a bit , but have there been any recent updates on Terry Pratchet's condition and how it may be affecting his work? Last I heard, he was still continuing to write.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Spacejock

A c

Sometimes it's easy to forget authors aren't machines pumping out a string of identical cookies. Plus every overnight success spent years getting there.

Yes they are, and you are way behind, Mister. Where's Hal #6? I'm waiting here for it ...

No wait, i'm still waiting for #5. Let's call it "Clearing the Leftovers"

[thrawn_aj]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Series ruining crappy chart deleted cause it's 100% wrong.

No. Read the edit for the correct reason. And get over it.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So really, just edit your post, delete the chart, remove the link and be happy to read in written order.

Boo hoo . Supplicants are supposed to ask nicely. Again, get over it. And calm the frak down.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That useless chart is a way to get many people to screw up what would otherwise be a very enjoyable series.

The chart is NOT a reading order (hint: a reading order would have a single sequence, like the one you're advocating). It's a GUIDE, to help people figure out what sort of stories they might be interested in. I don't find every single "group" interesting. And I doubt that anyone but a hardcore fan would, either. At least this way, people can find something that they find entertaining, instead of being put off by some random dude's demand that they be "read in written order and be happy with it".

Pratchett's writing is good enough to supply enough context wherever necessary that the entire life history of a particular character is unnecessary to enjoy the story (of course, it enhances the enjoyment, but is far from necessary). Only mediocre writers write so linearly that you have to read it as written or miss huge parts of the plot. Pratchett is definitely not mediocre. Any reader with a non-zero imagination can figure out the context quite easily.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And one last comment on that chart... It's seriously way too large. I suggest you delete it just because it's too big. I have a 1600x1200 screen and it's even still too large. The laptop is 1280x800 and even worse. The iPad is 1204x768 and yet even worse still. So please delete it.

You're belaboring the point. Excruciatingly so. My apologies for the large image. I was in two minds about embedding it (as the line accompanying it made clear). In retrospect, I should have just stuck with the link. Tom has removed the embedded image (with his usual grace. Thanks Tom ). Now how about stopping the multiple-post spamming? That's just as annoying, if not more so. 5 posts at once? Jeez. How abominably rude.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

1+ for Pernicious' analysis. Mort is indeed a turning point and a mindblowing book at his own.

agreed.

My introduction to Discworld was with the BBC radio play version of "Mort". This was a full cast play and not a single voice reading. Its an excellent production. I've heard others from the BBC that were also very good.

I've since started reading the books. I recently read the first, "Color of Magic". I enjoyed it, but it is not of the same caliber as "Guards, Guards" or "Mort".

[JSWolf]

I know the chart is a suggestion, but from what I've read so far, even reading your favorite characters isn't a guarantee of a book you'll enjoy. And even if you've read a book and didn't enjoy it, reading the next book with the same main characters might be enjoyable.

For example, I've read and enjoyed the books on the witches. But when I came to Maskerade, I iddn't enjoy it that much. I found it flat and not a single LOL. There was a few smiles here and there, but overall, not his best.

Also, if you start by using that chart as a suggestion and follow it, how do you know what to read if you've not read enough? So really, the chart is only any good if you've read the series and know what you may want to reread.