Read one of Discworld involving a bunch of professors from Unseen Univeristy (SCARILY accurate portrayal), a time-traveling suitcase, and random rainstorms. Any particular books of his you'd recommend for starting out?
I wouldn't recommend starting with any of the first, oh, 6 books, although some people feel that MORT is a good starting book. Death is always a bit player, but MORT is pretty much about Death.
I'm one of the readers who didn't care as much for the early books, and who adores the later ones. I started, oddly enough, with the second of the Watch books -- Men At Arms. There's nothing in it that isn't accessible -- there couldn't have been, or I wouldn't have been lost -- but it's also one of the strongest of the books, imho. Everyone has an opinion, otoh, about Pratchett.
For instance, there are some people who love the Witches; I like them, and read them, but I love the Watch. And Moist von Lipwig, the new character in GOING POSTAL, about whom I'll refrain from saying anything else. After I'd read Men at Arms, I continued to read the books -- but GUARDS, GUARDS was, at the time, out of print in North America, so I didn't get to read it until JINGO had been published.
So... I'd start with MEN AT ARMS.
I know that a lot of people recommend SMALL GODS: I'm one of a handful who didn't love it, or at any rate, didn't think it was his Best Book Ever. I've noted that there's some minor division that falls along the "raised with religion" and "not raised with religion" camp. I'm in the latter, so the lampooning of religion seemed... less new and wonderful to me. There is always something to love in a Pratchett novel, so SMALL GODS does have the usual and expected moments of Pratchett brilliance, but MAA is more indicative of the tone and feel of the rest of his books.
THE TRUTH is a decent place to start (as someone else mentioned); so is GOING POSTAL, which is fabulous.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-09-26 06:21 pm (UTC)I wouldn't recommend starting with any of the first, oh, 6 books, although some people feel that MORT is a good starting book. Death is always a bit player, but MORT is pretty much about Death.
I'm one of the readers who didn't care as much for the early books, and who adores the later ones. I started, oddly enough, with the second of the Watch books -- Men At Arms. There's nothing in it that isn't accessible -- there couldn't have been, or I wouldn't have been lost -- but it's also one of the strongest of the books, imho. Everyone has an opinion, otoh, about Pratchett.
For instance, there are some people who love the Witches; I like them, and read them, but I love the Watch. And Moist von Lipwig, the new character in GOING POSTAL, about whom I'll refrain from saying anything else. After I'd read Men at Arms, I continued to read the books -- but GUARDS, GUARDS was, at the time, out of print in North America, so I didn't get to read it until JINGO had been published.
So... I'd start with MEN AT ARMS.
I know that a lot of people recommend SMALL GODS: I'm one of a handful who didn't love it, or at any rate, didn't think it was his Best Book Ever. I've noted that there's some minor division that falls along the "raised with religion" and "not raised with religion" camp. I'm in the latter, so the lampooning of religion seemed... less new and wonderful to me. There is always something to love in a Pratchett novel, so SMALL GODS does have the usual and expected moments of Pratchett brilliance, but MAA is more indicative of the tone and feel of the rest of his books.
THE TRUTH is a decent place to start (as someone else mentioned); so is GOING POSTAL, which is fabulous.