Is Discworld the best?
- Thread starter author3
- Start date
Boy, that's a great question.
There may be some series that I initially liked better (like Robert Parker's Spenser series or Tony Hillerman's Chee and Leaphorn mysteries) and some may be more fun to read (like Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle series), and some may even be more thought provoking (like Asimov's original Foundation series), but in most of these series the books start off strong and then begin to taper off into formula after awhile, and by the 20th book or so the author almost seems to be phoning it again. Pterry seems to be one of the few authors whose series started off weak and got exponentially better off time and who has mostly maintained his originality and literary mastery nearly forty books later. Maybe it helps that he has a wide variety of characters, locations and themes to work with so no particular 'subseries' is overdone. Whatever it is, I'd say on these terms alone DW could be the best series ever.
There may be some series that I initially liked better (like Robert Parker's Spenser series or Tony Hillerman's Chee and Leaphorn mysteries) and some may be more fun to read (like Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster and Blandings Castle series), and some may even be more thought provoking (like Asimov's original Foundation series), but in most of these series the books start off strong and then begin to taper off into formula after awhile, and by the 20th book or so the author almost seems to be phoning it again. Pterry seems to be one of the few authors whose series started off weak and got exponentially better off time and who has mostly maintained his originality and literary mastery nearly forty books later. Maybe it helps that he has a wide variety of characters, locations and themes to work with so no particular 'subseries' is overdone. Whatever it is, I'd say on these terms alone DW could be the best series ever.
Good question. Discworld is definitely my favourite but I wouldn't like to say whether its necessarily the best in terms of influence or success (I'm afraid Harry bloody Potter might take that title for that).
Other series I have enjoyed are Michael Moorcock's 'Eternal Champion' books, although they became a bit samey (if you know what I mean) and Fritz Leiber's Swords and Sorcery series which Sir Terry lampooned brilliantly in Colour of Magic.
Does H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories count as a series?
Other series I have enjoyed are Michael Moorcock's 'Eternal Champion' books, although they became a bit samey (if you know what I mean) and Fritz Leiber's Swords and Sorcery series which Sir Terry lampooned brilliantly in Colour of Magic.
Does H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories count as a series?
Who's Wee Dug said:
That's what got me to buy the book those many years ago, as soon as I seen that passage about the two unsavoury rogues it made me laugh, I then put it back on the shelf because it had a tiny tear in the dust jacket and it was the last one. 
Sometimes i may find a book (non discworld) that has the 'wow' factor more than a lot of the dw books (for me) but that's mainly because it has a totally different style and i need a break once in a while, and often i forget how good dw books are
I think the DW books are the exact style of books i like to read and so since reading them i haven't found a lot else to suit it.
Another series (actually i'm not quite sure how many there are) i like is Horatio Lyle by Catherine Webb - it's quite young, but a good read
I think the DW books are the exact style of books i like to read and so since reading them i haven't found a lot else to suit it.
Another series (actually i'm not quite sure how many there are) i like is Horatio Lyle by Catherine Webb - it's quite young, but a good read
For me, reading B.TP. was never about the author - if I liked a book, I'd buy the rest if it was a series because I was interested in the story. But with Discworld, it's Sir Terry's style I love and that's why I read his books... it's not even as if DW is a continuous series.
But as series, I really liked the Thurday Next ones, the Bartimaeus-trilogy (which has 4 parts by now ) and the Stravaganza-trilogy (the 5th book came out this year ). And maybe some of you didn't, but I really liked the Potter series...
But as series, I really liked the Thurday Next ones, the Bartimaeus-trilogy (which has 4 parts by now
) and the Stravaganza-trilogy (the 5th book came out this year ). And maybe some of you didn't, but I really liked the Potter series...
I've read a couple of Rankins (they were good, but I don't seem to have got hooked), and about 10 of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, but they're mostly the same book. Harry Potter was good, as were most of the Thursday Next books. But the DW series is almost always very entertaining, so it's definitely my favourite.
Ayup Author3...
It depends I think on what you want from a book, and what you expose yourself to. I LOVE HH for Arthurs Englishness, stupidity, Incredulity and world-weary Sarcasm. I loveTolkien for the whole Damn scope of his Mythos, I love Clive Cussler for Dirk Pitts Historical adventures, and the premises behind them, Leslie Thomas (Virgin Soldiers, etc) for his amazing Stories. I love DW (and Truckers, DSOTS, Maurice etc) for their Worlds themselves, the puns, the Daft Characters, the amazingly named characters, The Librarian, Rincewind, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Teppic, Carrot, Nobby, Brutha, Twoflower, Death, and the mild swearing in the right places that makes me laugh until my sides ache. PLUS the loads of Killer one-Liner putdowns and phrases that NONE of my 'Unread' Idiot friends have ever heard of...
It depends I think on what you want from a book, and what you expose yourself to. I LOVE HH for Arthurs Englishness, stupidity, Incredulity and world-weary Sarcasm. I loveTolkien for the whole Damn scope of his Mythos, I love Clive Cussler for Dirk Pitts Historical adventures, and the premises behind them, Leslie Thomas (Virgin Soldiers, etc) for his amazing Stories. I love DW (and Truckers, DSOTS, Maurice etc) for their Worlds themselves, the puns, the Daft Characters, the amazingly named characters, The Librarian, Rincewind, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Teppic, Carrot, Nobby, Brutha, Twoflower, Death, and the mild swearing in the right places that makes me laugh until my sides ache. PLUS the loads of Killer one-Liner putdowns and phrases that NONE of my 'Unread' Idiot friends have ever heard of...
My girlfriend isn't a huge TP fan (yet), but she's reading Reaper Man at the moment.
Yesterday she suddenly read out to me: ".. were the future flows into the past through the pinch of the now..." and was amazed at this beautiful wording.
This is but one example. Pratchett's work is full of those gems. This is, apart from the humour, one thing I appreciate very much.
Yesterday she suddenly read out to me: ".. were the future flows into the past through the pinch of the now..." and was amazed at this beautiful wording.
This is but one example. Pratchett's work is full of those gems. This is, apart from the humour, one thing I appreciate very much.
Aside from Discworld... hmmm. let me have a quick look on my bookshelf.
One of Terry's favourite authors is George MacDonald Fraser, one of mine too,. The Flashman Papers are really good.
Over the last couple of years I've found the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom. Great historical stuff.
In my spotty teens I discovered the Lensman series for SF, and the Eternal Champion as well as the Conan series for fantasy.
And finally only a trilogy, but a good one, Dream Park, The Barsoom Project, and The California Voodoo Game, by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes.
One of Terry's favourite authors is George MacDonald Fraser, one of mine too,. The Flashman Papers are really good.
Over the last couple of years I've found the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom. Great historical stuff.
In my spotty teens I discovered the Lensman series for SF, and the Eternal Champion as well as the Conan series for fantasy.
And finally only a trilogy, but a good one, Dream Park, The Barsoom Project, and The California Voodoo Game, by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes.
