Terry Pratchett.......love him or.......

[firebreather]

I could not pick a favourite at all. I love them all. I do have a liking for the guards and a real soft spot for good old sam vimes......then I do like nanny ogg.......not forgetting the ultimate bushcraft accessory.......LUGGAGE Gotta love them all.
I have just finished Nation and I dont think its up to his usual standard but then again it was written during the period he found out he has dementia. So it was hardly going to be full of laughs. Saying that I did enjoy it and fully expect it to get better with each reading. I will return to it again in 12 months as I always have at least one of his books on the go.

Greg

 

[Andy2112]

Terry Pratchett is THE man. I have read almost all his books and even got a signed hardback of one, the title escapes me though. He takes me to another place away from the real world, it like buahcraft really. Hail Terry.

 

[locum76]

i like most of his stuff, wee free men especially. if you've ever had to look after sheep you'd like this book. whats happenning to him though? I've had my head in bubble recently because i've moved house...

 

[a12jpm]

Never read one but I think i may now. Which one should I start with?

 

[John Fenna]

Start at the beginning and work your way onwards to get the best of the in-jokes...

 

[bob_the_bomb]

I enjoyed "Maurice and his Amazing Rodents" especially forr the image of a rat going out tooled up to clear booby traps...!

 

[Wallenstein]

My faves are Jingo and Small Gods.

Jingo punctures the nonsense of "patriotism" and the daft notion of "national pride", and resonates just as much now (the "war" on terror) as it did when it was published (in the heat of the first Iraq war).

Small Gods shows that dogmatism (of any stripe, religious or political) will always lose to an open mind and a caring, courageous heart.

Apart from that, anything with the Witches or Faculty of Unseen University will have me in stitches.

 

[Cobweb]

I really like all of his books, Wintersmith was a pretty girlie book, I liked it

I can't believe he's got alzheimer's

 

[maddave]

Got all the books. One of my fave authors... As for a favourite I like Guards Guards (perhaps that's the ex squaddie in me)

 

[Scally]

two book shelves devoted to him ( wife read them as a kid ) so when i add my shoulder rebuilt i purchased and read alll of the back catolouge then every new one since then fav character as got to be death and his lovely daughter!!

 

[Tadpole]

Any book with Captain Sam Vimes in has to be my favourites. I have spent many years walking dark and empty streets on permanent nightshift reading the books on refs.

 

[sam_acw]

I loved the city watch series and am enjoying both the Moist Von Lipwig ones and the young witch series. Not so keen on anything involving Rincewind - they don't have the same satirical punch for me.

 

[ArkAngel]

Not an author i have ever read to be honest.

Could someone tell me just how many Pratchett books there are?

I seem to think it's the massive amount of reading and keeping the order that put me off.

 

[hedgepig]

Favourite? Tough call. Probably the last one I read .

Incidentally the last one I read was Night Watch and the one before that was Monstrous Regiment.

Here's what I think is so brilliant about Pratchett - he writes for both kids and adults at the same time. One day the kids, who are enjoying the stories now, will re-read or remember the books and think "Aha! Now I understand!". Of course many of them may well understand right now.

His books are a great mixture of a study on the nature of humans, philosophy, politics and so on. There is also an acute sense of timing in many of his books. "Making Money" for example, I don't think was a co-incidence. For quite some time there has been a significant undercurrent of people who have been waking up to the fraudulent nature of our money system. Books like "The Mystery of Banking" by Murray N Rothbard have been in the public domain for at least the past 15 years.

Genuinely hard to pick a favourite.

 

[preacherman]

Discworld novels make me smile all the way through the book and more often than not I will laugh out loud while reading.

I have learned to ignore strangers thinking I am a bit odd, reading books with cartoon characters on the cover, at, 37 years of age !!!

I will miss not having any more news from Discworld.

Terry Pratchett :You_Rock_

 

[AJB]

I wish I could get the pleasure you all get from him, but I really, really don't like his work - my loss I guess

 

[silvergirl]

Just finished Hatfull of Sky - I didn't even realise his Tiffany stories were aimed at Kids till my niece pointed it out.
They are certainly no poorer for it.

Maurice and his educated rodents is brilliant (another supposedly aimed at a younger age group).

I'd like to think I could aspire to Esme Weatherwax when I'm old. I love all the witches books.

His book carry so many references to phillosophy, history, science, folk lore etc, that you can re-read them at any stage and get something new. His observations on society are brilliant and not always particularly comfortable.

I've been fortunate enough to be at a couple of events that Terry has been at and he does just radiate this aura of intelligence and wit.

I'll be very sorry when he does stop writing.

 

[Mesquite]

Could someone tell me just how many Pratchett books there are?

I seem to think it's the massive amount of reading and keeping the order that put me off.

1. The Colour of Magic 1983
2. The Light Fantastic 1986
3. Equal Rites 1987
4. Mort 1987
5. Sourcery 1988
6. Wyrd Sisters 1988
7. Pyramids 1989
8. Guards! Guards! 1989
9. Faust Eric 1990
10. Moving Pictures 1990
11. Reaper Man 1991 Death,
12. Witches Abroad 1991
13. Small Gods 1992
14. Lords and Ladies 1992
15. Men at Arms 1993
16. Soul Music 1994
17. Interesting Times 1994
18. Maskerade 1995
19. Feet of Clay 1996
20. Hogfather 1996
21. Jingo 1997
22. The Last Continent 1998
23. Carpe Jugulum 1998 The Witches Vampires, existentialism
24. The Fifth Elephant 1999
25. The Truth 2000
26. Thief of Time 2001
27. The Last Hero 2001
28. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents 2001
29. Night Watch 2002
30. The Wee Free Men 2003
31. Monstrous Regiment 2003
32. A Hat Full of Sky 2004
33. Going Postal 2004
34. Thud! 2005
35. Wintersmith 2006
36. Making Money 2007

I think that's just about all of them apart from his science of discworld books, mapps of discworld etc etc.

What did folks think of the television adaptations of The Hogfather and The Colour Of Magic?

 

[jojo]

My favourite books have to be the ones with Esme Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. They are absolutely wonderful characters. The least favourite book has to be Small Gods. I don't know why but I couldn't get into this one and I still haven't finished it.
Dementia is an evil illness and I hope it will take a long time before he finally stops writing.

 

[British Red]

Just finished Hatfull of Sky - I didn't even realise his Tiffany stories were aimed at Kids till my niece pointed it out.
They are certainly no poorer for it.

I love Hatful of Sky - I found his emotion of the land that I live on (the chalk downs) touched me deeply. We do have "ships" and chalkand, rabbits and indeed I regularly sit beside (though never on) a bronze age wind swept barrow. The shepherds huts on wheels are still here too - I promise you a guided tour if you are ever in the area Silvergirl.

Red