I wouldn't recommend starting with any of the first, oh, 6 books....I'm one of the readers who didn't care as much for the early books, and who adores the later ones
I'm there with you -- I still haven't read the first two, I think, and I don't much care for Rincewind -- I started with Night Watch, which I bought in hardcover and drew me in completely, and then dashed out to get Everything Else, although I think I'm rather a Witch person than a Watch person (ha, sort of like blue and green racing colors in the Byzantine empire). I agree Men at Arms is a really good starting point, although if I want to gobsmack someone, I'll lend them Night Watch (which then leads to the disturbing fact they now want to borrow all my other Pratchetts as well).
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
That sounds right to me -- I was in the latter camp (w/o conventional religion) as well, and so it didn't seem as wonderful as The Truth or Thief of Time or other books I loved whole-heartedly. Which isn't to say it's bad, just....fell a little flat for some readers, I suppose.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-09-26 07:27 pm (UTC)I'm there with you -- I still haven't read the first two, I think, and I don't much care for Rincewind -- I started with Night Watch, which I bought in hardcover and drew me in completely, and then dashed out to get Everything Else, although I think I'm rather a Witch person than a Watch person (ha, sort of like blue and green racing colors in the Byzantine empire). I agree Men at Arms is a really good starting point, although if I want to gobsmack someone, I'll lend them Night Watch (which then leads to the disturbing fact they now want to borrow all my other Pratchetts as well).
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
That sounds right to me -- I was in the latter camp (w/o conventional religion) as well, and so it didn't seem as wonderful as The Truth or Thief of Time or other books I loved whole-heartedly. Which isn't to say it's bad, just....fell a little flat for some readers, I suppose.