So, you've discovered Discworld...

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Alanz

Sergeant
Oct 18, 2012
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I got fed up with not finding any second hand Terry Pratchett books ( I intend to save the Paperbacks so i can read them again) so i bought myself 4 new ones today,from Waterstones they were on offer buy one get one half price,£ 7.99 Now my Missus has just told me that the same books are on Amazon for half the price i think the most for a Paperback is £3.00, so i'm ordering lots more :dance: The books that i got today are Hogfather Snuff (which i've just started reading) Men at Arms and The Fith Elephant. :laugh:
 

mark

New Member
Oct 26, 2012
6
1,650
1. Someone on an un-related forum recommended them after i asked for advice on finding an author that wrote books similar to the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
2. The Colour of magic
3. Yes, i want to read all of them, preferably in order (see below)
4. Mort
5. Not applicable

Can i ask is it that important to read them all in order i cannot find a copy of Mort, i can borrow one from the local library but it will take weeks to get, in the meanwhile if i read thew next one "Sourcery" i think, then came back to Mort would that cause an issue

Thanks
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,966
3,650
Cardiff, Wales
Hi mark and welcome to the site! :)

I would say that generally it's not important to read the books in order. Most people on this thread would agree - which was part of the reason for the thread in the first place. ;)
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
12,918
2,900
mark said:
Can i ask is it that important to read them all in order i cannot find a copy of Mort, {snip} if i read the next one "Sourcery" i think, then came back to Mort would that cause an issue
No issue at all, even if you don't find a copy of Mort until much later. Each book gives you enough back story to go on with.
 

Alanz

Sergeant
Oct 18, 2012
1,326
2,100
42
My last three Discworld books that i read were Jingo then Snuff and now i'm reading Wyrd sisters,It will be fun reading them in order as i collect them (Paperback versions) As when i'm not on Night shift when i have been known to read a whole book in 12 hours,When i am on days off I read before i go to sleep and i only manage about 4 or 5 pages per night then don't touch it again till the next night so tend to go back a few pages to get into the plot again :laugh:
 
Mar 30, 2011
70
2,150
Southeast Iowa
1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?
I had a wonderful job that was very manual, requiring not a lot of brain engagement, so I took to listening to audiobooks on my mp3 player at work. My small-town library was short on variety, but the cover art to The Truth caught my eye, so I checked it out. Over the next couple of days, my co-workers would look strangely at me when I would let a bubble of laughter escape. They never asked. I was dismayed to learn the library only had 4 other discworld books in audio. In those days, it wasn't difficult to find and download bootleg audios, so I found a few that way. Then my library enrolled in a free audiobook download program that had several more. By then I had a Kindle, so I started buying and reading them in order.
2. What was your first Discworld book?
The Truth. I knew nothing about the series or the author at the time, so now I recall very little of it, and look forward to re-reading it when I get to that point in the series.
3. Will you read more?
Forever.
4. Which one do you intend to read next?
I'm there! The Truth is next on my list.
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?
The first book or two I was still getting a feel for the Discworld and Pratchett's gifted writing, but I never felt I was missing something I needed to go look up in an earlier book. I just decided I wanted to read them in the order Terry wrote them, so I went to Colour of Magic.
 

Alanz

Sergeant
Oct 18, 2012
1,326
2,100
42
I've had a really good month in my quest to collect Paperbacks this month i managed to collect 6 Paperbacks which swelled my collection no end so dead chuffed i keep looking. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 

LokisMum

New Member
Nov 23, 2012
7
2,150
52
Cornwall, UK
Tonyblack said:
So - a few questions for new readers:

1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?
2. What was your first Discworld book?
3. Will you read more?
4. Which one do you intend to read next?
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?

not a new reader but new to here
1. my brother bought me a copy of light fantastic for Christmas because he " saw the cover and thought of me"
2. see above
3. i will read anything that the amazing Mr Pratchett chooses to publish!
4. Dodger
5. i have read them in order and out of order again and again i love them all easy funny smart and totally time consuming each and every book stands alone and fits in every where

to Mr Pratchett i say you sir are gifted and amazing
xxx
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
12,918
2,900
The Mad Collector said:
Guards Guards.... to people who hadn't read any of Terry's work before. :laugh: That should work........
It might, but it might not. I recently met someone who can't get past the way he switches from one character to another at the beginning of the books. He does it even in really short books like Eric. So I recommended Dodger because that one sticks to one person's point of view, which she seems to need.
 

konnichiwa

Lance-Constable
Dec 4, 2012
25
1,650
31
Finland
Tonyblack said:
1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?
2. What was your first Discworld book?
3. Will you read more?
4. Which one do you intend to read next?
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?
1. I think it was because the Color of Magic came on TV, and I was like "This movie was funny, the books must be funny also..." so yeah, I usually read books first then watch movies but in Finland I think Terry Pratchett has become very popular just lately...

2. The Color of Magic ^^

3. I have read more and will read more and will buy more of them once I get more money.

4. I'm not sure since I have other book series to read atm, but maybe Soul Music, since I've read books from here & there not in the correct order.
 
May 1, 2013
6
1,650
Tonyblack said:
1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?
I was re-reading a Christopher Moore book, probably Lamb or A Dirty Job at work and got into a conversation with a customer about him. It reached the point where I bemoaned that he can't write them as fast as I can read them and was looking for another author with a large body of work (I then to find authors I like, read everything and then whine when I run out). The customer mentioned Discworld. [continued under the next question.]
Tonyblack said:
2. What was your first Discworld book?
I eventually picked up Moving Pictures and thought it was OK, but wasn't ready to give up on the series, figuring it might have been a weak one. [continued again]
Tonyblack said:
3. Will you read more?
I have. I decided to read them from the beginning. [further continuation]
Tonyblack said:
4. Which one do you intend to read next?
Right now, I'm reading Interesting Times. [and still more continuation]
Tonyblack said:
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 would recommend reading them in order. The plots don't suffer but the infodumps can't give the richness one gets from being really familiar with the world and its denizens.
 

Antiq

Sergeant
Nov 23, 2010
1,103
2,600
68
Ireland
Well I'm not a new member, but I do remember when I first discovered Sir Terry (thanks to my daughter, I wonder if she understands what a gift she gave me). It goes down as one of the highlights of my life. Years later I'm still reading him and still in love and in delight. My first book was Reaper Man, which was an utterly charming way to start :laugh:
 

Kat

New Member
Jun 11, 2013
4
1,650
1. How did you come to read your first Discworld book?

Several years ago, I saw an ad for the Hogfather TV series, mentioning that it was written by Terry Pratchett. I didn’t watch it, but later when I started looking for some new authors, for some reason Terry Prachett popped into my head, as I had thought Hogfather looked interesting. The only Discworld books my library had were Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, and the Rinceworld set. I picked the first two. :)

2. What was your first Discworld book? Going Postal.

3. Will you read more? Yes. I think I’m probably halfway through the Discworld series now. I like it because it’s humorous yet makes some serious points as well. It also helped me through a difficult time in my life, and so I have a soft spot for the series for that reason.

4. Which one do you intend to read next? Feet of Clay (going through a Watch obsession now), and then probably The Last Continent.

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? Fairly easy. Going Postal didn’t give a lot of background, but I didn’t find the story hard to follow without it.

I think my favorites so far are Soul Music, Jingo, and the Fifth Elephant. Can’t really decide, though.
 

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