So, you've discovered Discworld...

[Mary Skater]

Well, I have made a start (again) on Jingo. I know that part of Terry's stock-in-trade is making a joke of human failings, just to emphasise that they are failings. And mostly I'm fine with that. The kind of sexism mentioned above by eternalmetal comes down to authority vs individual, and gives the individual a chance to triumph over authority by proving that they are capable, after all. I think most of us like the "underdog bites back" scenario.

I think my problem with Jingo is that there is no underdog. The people on both sides of the argument are equally wrong, so there's nobody to cheer for. Lord Vetinari does at one point neatly express how symmetrical the situation is. I just keep seeing the expressed attitudes as a poison inherent in human nature, and that jolts me back into the real world, when normally I read Discworld to escape from that.

I think now I'll just have to accept that there are things in the book I don't like, and focus on the plot and the characters who are trying to find a sane solution to the problem.

Mary

 

[RathDarkblade]

Oh, Vimes is good for that (finding a sane solution, that is).

I think there actually is an underdog in Jingo, and his name is Sam Vimes (and by extension, the Watch). Huzzah! Three cheers for the Watch! :twisted:

Please keep reading to the end, and you'll see what I mean...

 

[owenmahamilton]

I have a question if it's ok to post it here, if not please advise where I should post it, thanks. I do have most of the books in either hardback or paperback but since I was bedridden a few years ago I got an iPad so I could read books in bed, I have been slowly buying all the Discworld novels and have got up to Thief Of Time but The Last Hero is apparently not available on the iBooks store but all the rest are, so my question is does anybody know if there are any plans to make it available through iBooks? A strange thing is on the main website where all the books are listed, if you open the website on an iPad then click on The Last Hero it shows 3 ways of buying it, one of which is iBooks UK, when I clicked on this link it opened the iBooks store and a message came up saying it's not available in the UK, I've been waiting for a while to see if it becomes available and have been checking now and again and I am sure that at one point it was but as I am reading them all in order I decided to wait until I was ready to purchase it. I've sent an email to newbooks@transworld-publishers.co.uk (it wasn't easy to find a contact email) but have yet to receive a reply. Thanks.

 

[Tonyblack]

I've not heard anything about any plans for an eBook version in the UK. It might be worth contacting Paul Kidby, and see if he knows anything. Let us know if you find out.

 

[owenmahamilton]

Thanks for the reply, I will do that and will report back if I hear anything.

 

[RathDarkblade]

I've not heard anything about any plans for an eBook version in the UK. It might be worth contacting Paul Kidby, and see if he knows anything. Let us know if you find out.

Hmm. Now that I know how to contact Paul, I have a sudden weird fancy to write him a snail-mail letter of appreciation, just to see what would happen.

 

[owenmahamilton]

Just got a reply back from Paul Kidby which said that he didn't know of any plans to publish The Last Hero as an ebook but did say it was up to the publishers and he wasn't involved in that side of things. I did email the publishers a couple of days ago at the email address I gave in my original post but have not heard back yet. I'm not even sure that was the correct email address to use.

 

[Tonyblack]

Just got a reply back from Paul Kidby which said that he didn't know of any plans to publish The Last Hero as an ebook but did say it was up to the publishers and he wasn't involved in that side of things. I did email the publishers a couple of days ago at the email address I gave in my original post but have not heard back yet. I'm not even sure that was the correct email address to use.

Thanks for trying. I've managed to find an email address for one of the people at Transworld and I have sent an email to her about this. I'll let you know what the reply is.

 

[owenmahamilton]

Just got a reply back from Paul Kidby which said that he didn't know of any plans to publish The Last Hero as an ebook but did say it was up to the publishers and he wasn't involved in that side of things. I did email the publishers a couple of days ago at the email address I gave in my original post but have not heard back yet. I'm not even sure that was the correct email address to use.

Thanks for trying. I've managed to find an email address for one of the people at Transworld and I have sent an email to her about this. I'll let you know what the reply is.

That's great, thank you.

 

[simmonds91]

I love this forum, people are so helpful hope things work out for you owenmahamilton.

 

[Mixa]

Besides, we all know that some characters - Sgt Colon or Lord Rust - are biased, and can be boorish. But they always get their richly-deserved comeuppance in the end, which is very satisfying. In real life, racist and sexist people are not always punished, so it is good to see - in fiction at least - that such people don't get away with their bad behaviour. Also, by the end of Jingo, Sgt Colon grows as a character, when

Spoiler

he admits that at least one group of people aren't all that bad.

To be honest, I think that Sgt Colon only has a biased attitude because he is ignorant. He never grew up with dwarves and trolls etc., so he never learned about them. Lord Rust and his cronies, on the other hand, are biased because... well, to borrow an internet expression - "for the lolz". We see this when he is a guest at one of Lady Ramkin's drinks parties in Men at Arms, and again in Jingo. It helps a little that we see why he is so stupid - because his family is one of the most aristocratic in Ankh-Morpork, and he has been used to status and privilege for so long that he can't think why anyone else's opinion should matter. As unpleasant as Lord Rust is, though, he is nowhere near as vile as

Spoiler

his son

, who we meet in Snuff.

I do not, however, believe that we should shut our eyes to Terry's books because characters like Colon and Rust exist in them. If we cannot confront unpleasantness in fiction, how can we hope to do so in real life?

Ooh Rath! That’s an amazing answer!! I couldn’t agree more!

Welcome everyone, guys! I can only recommend you to keep on discovering the series because it only gets better! :dance:

Oh, and I totally agree with you, simmonds91!

Mx

 

[Dingleberry]

Hi Tony and others, I'm new to Discworld having discovered it only in the past month thanks to the Folio Society having produced their two editions of Mort, a limited edition facsimile (in black leather with 'Mort' blocked on the spine in gold, exactly as described on the last page of the book where Death hands Mort the book of his life) and a standard edition (bound in black velveteen cloth). The illustrations for the editions (the same in both) by Omar Rayyam are fantastic and convinced me to get the books (I got one of each as I'm a sucker for Folio editions) and read Mort. I loved the story and completely see what all the Discworld fuss is now! Pratchett's creative imagination, humour and wicked satire are exhilarating. I can't wait to read more in the series. I doubt I'll be able to wait until the Folio Society publishes further editions, so will likely get paperback copies in the meantime. If Folio Society keep Omar Kayyam as illustrator for more in their Discworld series, then I'll definitely get whatever they produce.

Having read Mort, is it best for me to continue with the Death series (so Reaper Man then Soul Music next) or to go to The Colour of Magic and the Rincewind novels?

 

[Penfold]

My personal preference would be to suggest ignoring the story arcs (the Witches, the Guards, Death, etc.) and just read the books in their chronological order. That way you get the pleasure of watching the Discworld evolve as a place and Terry evolve as a writer. It's not necessary to do it this way but just my opinion that this is the best way. Whatever you decide, you're in for a real treat.

 

[Tonyblack]

I'd read the books chronologically if possible. There is a good deal of character development over the various story arcs.

 

[Dingleberry]

Thanks Penfold and Tony, that sounds like sound advice. I'll go back to The Colour of Magic and proceed chronologically from there. I agree it makes sense to see Discworld unfold, and to follow Pratchett's development as a writer, as it all happened.

 

[RathDarkblade]

I agree that it's best to read chronologically. It's not absolutely essential - e.g. I started with Interesting Times, and then went back - but it's probably the best.

And welcome to the forums, Dingleberry! Now I'm curious - you don't hear the word "dingleberry" very often these days. Are you, by any chance, a fan of George Carlin?

Another word you don't hear too often is 'dingleberies.' You know? You never hear it on "Meet the Press." I think it's because 'dingleberries' is one of those words you don't say too much past your tenth birthday. It's not a grown-ups' word; it's a kid's word. 'Dingleberries!' It always sounded kind of Christmassy to me. Don't you think it has a holiday ring to it? Dingleberries!

"John, you might want to hang some dingleberries over the front door! Then when Mary Anne comes over, she can kiss you under the dingleberries!"

"It is to be devoutly wished that she would kiss me... under the dingleberries." :twisted:

 

[raisindot]

Having read Mort, is it best for me to continue with the Death series (so Reaper Man then Soul Music next) or to go to The Colour of Magic and the Rincewind novels?

If you do start from the beginning, don't get discouraged if you don't like what you read. To me, everything Pterry wrote before Mort represented his attempts to be the Douglas Adams of fantasy. Mort represented a huge step forward in making the series more than just genre parody.

 

[The Mad Collector]

If you do start from the beginning, don't get discouraged if you don't like what you read. To me, everything Pterry wrote before Mort represented his attempts to be the Douglas Adams of fantasy. Mort represented a huge step forward in making the series more than just genre parody.

Totally agree, I usually recommend that people start with Mort, read a few books, get to understand what is going on then go back to the first 3

 

[Mixa]

Welcome Dingleberry! You have no idea of what an exciting adventure awaits you reading Discworld! :dance:

As you can see, there’s not a unique way of enjoying the series and therefore a thousand reactions to the books! I personally like following the arch stories, especially now that I’m rereading them, because I can clearly see the evolution of characters, otherwise you get lots of other stories on the way that keeps you from having it all fresh in your mind, but as I said, you’ll just have to try and find which strategy fits you best!

Lots of luck!

Mx

 

[AuditorOfReality]

1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?

I first found out about Discworld and Sir Terry some six years ago (I was in the eight grade of elementary school at that time) while browsing a fantasy forum. Of course I loved it and over time my appreciation of his books just grew.

2. What was your first Discworld book?

It was Guards! Guards! and it's still my favourite (though you can never really choose one as favourite naturally ).

3. Will you read more?

Yes of course, one day I will also have them all in my personal collection hopefully.

4. Which one do you intend to read next?

Either do a reread of Pyramids or buy a new one (The Truth or Thief of Time).

5. If you didn't start with Colour of Magic, how easily did you find it to get into Discworld? Did you feel that some background knowledge was necessary?

I was kind of introduced to it over the internet so it wasn't a problem.