"Some books are to be tasted, other to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." (Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett in general)

Member Name: ILoveJackDaniels

Product:	Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett in general
Date:	05/04/02 (264 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic Characters, Exhilarating Stories

Disadvantages: There aren't enough of them

Even at the tender age of eight, I was addicted to reading about magical fantasy worlds, populated by mythical creatures, witches and occasionally the odd barbarian. I had the standard introduction to this kind of fiction - The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings series, Dune and The Hitchhiker's Guide all spring to mind as prime examples of the kind of Worlds and writing that interested me. Over years, I assumed, I would grow out of reading fantasy type books and settle into a sort of Wilbur Smith/Tom Clancy old person reading hobby. I was wrong.

I distinctly remember in my teenage years a friend of mine asking me if I'd heard of Terry Pratchett. I hadn't, and borrowed a book on his recommendation. Fortunately for me, it was the first in the Discworld series - The Colour of Magic. Since then, I have been addicted to these books, and haven't missed one yet. Now you should probably be aware that this review is going to be very long, so I highly recommend you make a cup of tea, or get yourself another beer before you get into the opinion itself...


##### Introduction #####

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is a loosely connected set of books set on, predictably, the Discworld. A flat world, carried through space on the back of 4 great elephants, in turn supported by a giant turtle (Great A'Tuin), it is a world in which quite literally anything can happen. Many of the stories focus on one particular area of the Disc itself - Ankh Morpork - a city whose river is less liquid than an ashtray and whose ruler's philosophy is that if you make everything legal, you get less crime.

There is a cast of characters, to a certain extent, that appear frequently throughout the series, though each book can be read as a unique piece. As with every series of books, it is always better to read a book and be able to understand the in-jokes and references to earlier books, but in this case it is by no means essential.

>Each book has its own little idiosyncrasies and is amusing in its own way. Death riding a horse called 'Binky', Cut-me-own-throat Dibbler's dubious 'sausage-ina-bun's, Granny Weatherwax's attitude (reminds me of Margaret Thatcher) and a Librarian who is actually an Orang-utan only capable of saying 'Oooook!', but managing to convey every possible emotion with just that word, are all symbolic of the style Terry Pratchett uses, and all make me laugh constantly. I'm actually chuckling to myself while writing this, just through thinking about the Librarian!

The books are not all focussed by any means on any one area of the disk. As well as Ankh Morpork, there are books set around Witches in the Ramtop mountains and Exquisitors with a tortoise in Ephebe to name just a couple of examples.

Terry Pratchett has a superb ability to make each reader feel emotions for every character, and the look of each is easy to imagine. His style is descriptive enough to allow the reader to visualise their own image of each character, while on the other hand making sure that the character still fits with the story.


##### The Books #####

There are simply too many books to review each to any useful degree, so instead of writing about each in no detail, I have decided to focus on a selection of the very best of them, and write enough to actually give you an idea of what they are like! Opinions on each book in the series may well follow in the coming months.


--- The Colour of Magic

The first in the series, The Colour of Magic focuses on Rincewind, an incompetent wizard and utter coward; Twoflower, a tourist from a strange continent where gold is as common as, well, muck; and the luggage - a ferocious but loyal walking suitcase. Sound strange? It is.

Aside from introducing the Discworld itself, and telling the reader about this strange place and its various quirks and charms, the book g
ives potential Pratchett fans their first taste of Rincewind the Wizzard (intentional spelling), who has one of the eight great spells of the disc embedded in his brain, and is consequently unable to memorise a single other spell. Magic might not be his strong point, but cowardice certainly is, his ability to run from the slightest hazard being well documented and envied by the fastest sprinters.

The book itself is divided into four distinct stories, each following on from the previous one, and each unique in it's own right. The first of these, The Colour of Magic, introduces Ankh Morpork, Rincewind and Twoflower, as they meet and set off on their grand adventure. The Sending of Eight allows us to meet the indomitable Hrun the Barbarian, and gives us our first taste of demons, in the form of Bel-Shamharoth. The Lure of the Wyrm is up next, and is very reminiscent of the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, being full of dragons, dragonriders and cities in the sky. Finally, we have Close to the Edge, where out anti-heroes reach the Circumference, the edge of the disc itself.

It is a superb tale, both memorable and a touch surreal, and the writing style is pure Pratchett - distinctive, ironic and funny all at the same time. There are a huge number of fantasy clichés that are played on and toyed with by the author, and they improve the story, making it unpredictable and amusing. Very highly recommended.


--- Mort

Death is a strange character, while always being entertaining. Unfortunately, he has gone a little strange, and has hired himself an apprentice. As Death becomes more and more unlike the Usherer of Souls, he finds himself becoming more and more intrigued by humans and their culture, even trying a curry!

His apprentice, on the other hand, with Death missing, is left to perform the Duty, and takes it on himself to save a young maiden who was due to pass on. Reality starts to unravel, with strange an
d amusing consequences.

A shorter book that most of the rest, Mort is a great read. It is a tongue-in-cheek look at Life and Death, and best of all, it is almost an entire book about Death himself, who is one of the funniest members of the Discworld cast.


--- Soul Music

Soul Music could be described to a certain extent as a sequel to Mort, with Death's granddaughter being orphaned by an accident, and discovering who Grandfather really is. It is focussed less on Death than on Susan (the granddaughter) and Music with Rocks In, a new breed of music. Imp Y Celyn (translates as Bud of the Holly), along with a horn-blowing dwarf and a rock-bashing troll, have started a band. Little do they know that their unique brand of music is more than just a good beat - it's alive, and it's here to stay.

I feel Soul Music is a touch slower paced than other Discworld books, but that certainly doesn't stop it being a damn fine read. It spends a lot of time with the faculty of the Unseen University (the magic university), a bizarre group whose antics are some of my favourite, and I always enjoy reading about.


--- Guards! Guards! & Men at Arms

I have included these together because they include the same selection of characters and more or less follow on from each other. The night watch of Ankh Morpork is a strange collection of individuals: Nobby, disqualified from the human race for shoving; Sergeant Colon, born to be just that and destined to never rise in the ranks; Corporal Carrot, a man brought up by dwarves, who can dwarf most men; Captain Vimes, an alcoholic but with a good heart; and Angua, a well developed young lady and part time werewolf.

Guards! Guards! tells of dire times in Ankh Morpork, a huge dragon summoned by a small, deranged and lately very crispy cult takes over Ankh Morpork, and it's up to the night watch to save the say. As with all of Pratchett's novels, it is entertai
ning and very memorable, and beaten only by Men at Arms.

Men at Arms introduces a few new members to the night watch - Lance Constables Cuddy (a dwarf) and Detritus (a troll). Dwarves and Trolls hate each other with vengeance, and for good reason. Dwarves spend most of their time mining rocks for diamonds, and trolls are, by their very make-up, big rocks containing diamonds.

The dwarves and Trolls of Ankh Morpork are on the verge of all out war, a mysterious string of murders connected to each other only by a small card with the with 'Gonne' written on it, a talking dog called Gaspode and the talking Gargoyles are only a small portion of what the watch must face in their attempt to clean up the city.

Men at Arms is a fast-paced, action-packed, tongue in cheek tale of heroism and courage, of love, friendship and corruption, and is quite simply the very beat of all of the Discworld books, bar none. People say books can be "un-put-down-able", but rarely mean it. This is, without a shadow of doubt, just that. I have not yet read it in 2 or more sittings, and have no doubt that next time I read it, I will finish it in one sitting and be late for work the next day, as usual.


##### Conclusion #####

If you enjoy reading fantasy fiction books, have a half-decent sense of humour and irony, and love good writing, then the Discworld series is for you. Although I recommend starting with The Colour of Magic and working your way through the series one book at a time, starting your Discworld journey with any of the books I've mentioned above that grab your attention would not hurt, and anything that can get you reading this superb selection is a good thing!

I will carry on reading Discworld books for years to come, simply because I love them. I've never known a series of books of which I can say so certainly that I like every single one of them, with the exception of the Discworld books. As usual,
I'll leave you with a few quotes - some that I found while looking for a title and some from the books themselves.



(Title quote by Sir Francis Bacon)

"Never read a book that is not a year old." - Ralph Emerson

"One always tends to overpraise a long book because one has got through it." - E. M. Forster

"If you want to read about love and marriage you've got to buy two separate books." - Alan King

"She was a witch. That was quite acceptable in the Ramtops, and no one had a bad word to say about witches. At least, not if he wanted to wake up in the morning the same shape as he went to bed." - Equal Rites

"'Luck is my middle name,' said Rincewind, indistinctly. 'Mind you, my first name is Bad.'" - Interesting Times

"Somehow, trying to get Granny Weatherwax and 'panty raid' into the same sentence is beyond me." - Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett

"Nanny Ogg looked under her bed in case there was a man there. Well, you never knew your luck." - Lords and Ladies

"Death thought about it. 'CATS,' he said eventually, 'CATS ARE NICE.'" - Sourcery (Note: Death always talks LIKE THIS)

"Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the yard and shot it." - Truman Capote

"The river Ankh is probably the only river in the universe on which the investigators can chalk the outline of the corpse." - Men at Arms

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