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Started by Cain, March 14, 2007, 01:30:49 PM

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Triple Zero

i think Thief of Time is my favourite Discworld novel. i really i should read it again.

the "eternal state of surprise" as a way of enlightenment sort of resonates with discordian ideas as well.
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Cain

Yeah, the fifth element.  Lu-Tze has to be a saint of some sort.

P3nT4gR4m

Quote from: Cain on March 16, 2007, 01:47:08 PM
Truth.  He does have a wicked sense of humour that sits well with our sort of people.

His ability to squeeze so many jokes and one-liners, between ridiculous scenarios and paradigms, every single paragraph always made me think of him as a kinda Douglas Adams on brain steroids.

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"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

Cain

Not to mention his ability to parody is very well developed.

Rankin is another author in that vein, though his humour is much darker in many ways.  Armageddon the Musical and The Garden of Unearthly Delights are great books to have.

LMNO

Do you have to read the Discworld series in order, and if so, which one is first?

Cain

Each book generally stands alone.  However, there are a few sub series in them.  So, for example, if you want to know about the Ankh-Morpork city watch, reading Guards Guards! first is a good idea, though not necessary.  I would go with the Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic, as his first two novels.  They introduce the scenery, as it were, as well as one of the main characters, Rincewind.

P3nT4gR4m

There are also a lot of running jokes which you might miss if you don't read in order but TBH there is so much in there you'd still enjoy them immensely regardless.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

Cain

Yeah.

As far as I can tell, the main "series" within the books are the following

Rincewind - the worst wizard in the world (as in, not very good at it).  Gifted linguist, absolute coward.

The Night Watch - Mostly Sam Vimes and others, charting the change of the city watch from just another gang into an actual policing force for what is almost an ungovernable city.

Weatherwax/Lancre - witchery, a backwards country far too similar to Scotland  and assorted things.

The Unseen University - usually in conjunction with Rincewind, the only college for the study of magic on the planet and its rather inept faculty.

The Grim Reaper - death himself, the anthropomorphic personification with a soft spot for humanity.

And there are a fair few one off novels.  I'd say most were to do with the City watch series, because Pratchett himself says its hard to write about anything happening in Ankh-Morpork without them getting involved.

Triple Zero

there's also the Gods and the egyptian-sort-of-stuff, but those are mostly one-off as well. the counterweight continent ...

ah i should really just simply start over reading again :)

or maybe just better pick a few up at random, yeah.

*thinks very hard if he knows somebody he can borrow Thief of Time from, before i leave for the weekend*

Quote from: SillyCybin on March 16, 2007, 01:53:18 PMHis ability to squeeze so many jokes and one-liners, between ridiculous scenarios and paradigms, every single paragraph always made me think of him as a kinda Douglas Adams on brain steroids.

while Douglas Adams was legendary, he only did it once (or six times, if you count all the HHGTTG books, Dirk Gently was .. nice, but not amazing) where Terry Pratchett really pulls it off in every Discworld episode.

while on the subject there's also Pratchett's co-op with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, really good one, that too. mix of Pratchett and Gaiman, what more can you ask for ;-)
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Cain

Also, that chick who played Susan in The Hogfather is hawt.  This is important information.

Triple Zero

Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Cain

http://wegotshows.com/movies/the_hogfather.html

Incidentally, this one of the best ones dealing with the character of Death.  Not the best, but pretty good.

Triple Zero

swote. bookmarked for some time latenight viewing!
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

P3nT4gR4m

I think there's an inherent problem faced by anyone trying to portray pratchett's death in a movie or miniseries, namely the fact that death talks in capital letters. Srlsly this might not sound particularly funny but wait'll you read Mort, IMHO it's one of his best gags but it doesn't translate to screen. Also the fact that he doesn't talk out loud he kinda changes the past so you remember him saying it. I honestly don't think they'll ever do him justice on screen.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

That One Guy

I loves me some Pratchett. I gobble up these books as fast as the man can write them.

Thief of Time is excellent (I would definitely second a nomination of the Sweeper for Discordian Sainthood - we need a copy of his notebook!) and I'm also very partial to Night Watch, a great satire on revolution. Small Gods satirizes philosophy and religion wonderfully as well. He does a great job of poking fun at whatever he feels like without slamming his point over your head like a brick to the face - and makes you laugh while he's doing it. Highly recommended.

You Brits are lucky to get the tv shows in addition to the books over there - I can't wait to check out that Hogfather stuff. I'm definitely curious to see how an ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION gets portrayed - who knows, maybe they pull it off. :D
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