Any Questions?

[Tonyblack]

Thanks Mole! I really don't trust Babelfish with these things.

 

[TheMole]

when I had been reading "Witches Abroad" for the first time, I was looking forward to each new Nanny´s postcard...they are hilarious, I enjoyed them soo much !!

 

[Dotsie]

Thanks Mole, that Nanny is a star isn't she? I especially liked the postcard telling how they'd been locked up - "I have put an X where we are, which is inside"

 

[TheMole]

I especially love the most NannyOggian bit of all - "Dear Jason and all at No. 21, No. 34, No. 15, No. 87 and No. 61 but not at No. 18 until she gives back the bowl she definitly borrowed whatever she says"

 

[Tonyblack]

well, for one, I don´t know what is "Wagga Hay - It´s the Rye Grass" from the Last Continent supposed to mean - could somebody help?

I can't actually remember that bit - do you have the page or the context the sentence is used in?

oh, I´m sorry - it´s on p. 156 in my Corgi paperback:

Something similar had happened with the kangaroos. There were the pointy ears and they definitely had snouts, but now they were leaning on the bar drinking this thin, strange beer. One of them was wearing a stained vest with the legend 'Wagga Hay – it's the Rye Grass!' just visible under the dirt.

I've been trying to find out more about this and asked on another forum. Thanks Demdike for this link about Ryegrass Staggers, a problem to cattle (and kangaroos) that feed off ryegrass that is infected with a fungus. I'm pretty sure this fungus is Ergot which can have a marked affect on both humans and animals when eaten. Some people now believe that cases of 'possession' and 'witchcraft' were actually cases of ergot poisoning and the victims were in fact 'high' rather than possessed.

The first link is to a NZ site, but both Wagga (Wagga) and Hay are towns in New South Wales, Australia and I can only assume they have had this problem there with apparently drunken kangas.

 

[TheMole]

thanks! well, as they say, one has still to learn...

 

[TheMole]

by the way - what is the correct pronunciation of "Pratchett"?
I just want to be sure, if I´d meet him accidentally

 

[Tonyblack]

Pratt (as in hat) - ch (as in chew) -ett (as in set)

Put it all together and it would rhyme with 'hachet'.

Hope that helps.

 

[Tonyblack]

Don't know if this will work from your country Mole - sometimes these BBC items will only work in the UK. HERE'S a recent interview with Terry on video where the interviewer uses his name right at the start.


Edit to capitalise the C in BBC.

 

[TheMole]

Thanks so much - and by the way, the video works all right

 

[RayScollen]

I have only one question. But before I ask it I would like it known that I am a great Pratchett fan having read everything he has written including Dark side of the Sun. However, to my question and I hope it doesn't upset anyone .... who the hell wrote Making Money???? :

 

[Tonyblack]

There were times when I thought the same thing Ray. I'm hoping that, as is the case with most Pratchett books, that I'll enjoy it a whole lot more on the second reading.

 

[Jason]

I enjoyed making money a lot more on the second read. I guess everyone has favourites, I could have sworn that The Last Continent couldn't have been written by Terry. But that is just because I don't really like that one.

 

[Tonyblack]

It definitely pays to read the books and then reread them. I know a lot of people who hated Monstrous Regiment on the first reading, but on the second they really got into it. There's usually depth in Terry's books that isn't always obvious when you first read them.

 

[Colin]

Monstrous Regiment is the one that still gives most me problems, followed by The Last Continent ... but, in principle, I agree that second readings are essential ... followed by third, fourth, many & lots ...

 

[Jarmara]

I liked Making Money. I still get the giggles when I think of Mr Fusspot buzzing across the room with his new toy.

Monstrous Regiment is not a favourite though.

 

[Dotsie]

I think Making Money had a lot of brilliant ideas, just not as many jokes as usual (although Mr Fusspot with his toy was very funny, I agree). But I'll definitely have a re-read, even though I've never been able to pick up Moving Pictures and Thief of Time again. But there's bits in both books I'm glad I know about (such as procrastinators for example).

 

[Tonyblack]

I think Moving Pictures suffers from the fact that it is nearly all jokes and movie references - there's not a great deal of depth to it. A joke is only funny so many times and hidden references, once you've found them, lose their attraction.

Terry's books are moving away from lots of obvious humour and more into satirical humour and that sort of humour and observation lasts. It lasts because human nature is such that they will keep setting up situations that Terry's writing seems to fit. That's because Terry's satire is about humans, not about events. I'm reading Thud! at the moment and it's truly an incredible look at human nature that I suspect will still be relevant in 300 years time in much the way that Jonathon Swift's satire is still relevant today.

 

[TheMole]

Terry's books are moving away from lots of obvious humour and more into satirical humour

Few days ago, I was discussing with my Czech friends exactly this Terry´s moving; and quite a lot of them were regretting this fact - they liked his books more when they were full of obvious humour and so on. On the other side, I feel that his books are better with passing years and the simplicity of his earlier books is somehow sad; Terry´s genius is far more exhibited in his more complicated books like Hogfather, Thief of Time, etc.

 

[Tonyblack]

Terry's books are moving away from lots of obvious humour and more into satirical humour

Few days ago, I was discussing with my Czech friends exactly this Terry´s moving; and quite a lot of them were regretting this fact - they liked his books more when they were full of obvious humour and so on. On the other side, I feel that his books are better with passing years and the simplicity of his earlier books is somehow sad; Terry´s genius is far more exhibited in his more complicated books like Hogfather, Thief of Time, etc.

I completely agree! I've been running a Discworld discussion group on another board for the last few years - we've been doing a book a month and reading and discussing them in order.

Unlike a lot of authors, Terry has got better as he's written more. We are discussing Thud! on Monday and the month after that Making Money. It's been a long haul, but an enjoyable one seeing the evolution of the Disc and Terry's writing.