# First book in the series- not so good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 27, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526 "2022-01-27T20:39:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/21 "2022-01-29T05:38:11Z")
Yep. although I found the first two mildly amusing, imho they were Okay. But not as great as many of the later books. ---
**Author:** ![Skunkdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Skunkdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skunkdog)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/22 "2022-01-29T05:47:45Z")
Luckily, I didn’t give up on Pratchett after the first two books. I happened upon the series at a local Waldenbooks and bought several of them (I’d played the computer games). Small Gods, Equal Rites and Reaper Man we’re included in that initial purchase. Agree that if I’d only read the first two, I would have quit the series and been lesser for it. Also agree about The Gunslinger. The first book was a slog, likely since it was a serialized work written over a decade. The following books in the series were more pulpy and written during King’s more prolific period (faster with less prose). ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/23 "2022-01-29T06:05:59Z")
While not my favorite Pterry book by a long shot, The Colour of Magic was good enough to convince me to read more books of his (and I now own pretty much everything he wrote), so I don’t really get the amount of abuse it seems to get. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/24 "2022-01-29T06:57:34Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > But Rincewind is (IMHO, naturally) the least interesting and least likeable of all Pterry’s leading characters. MMV. Rincewind is my favourite Discworld character. > [@commasense](#): > > Vimes, Weatherwax, Ogg, Lipwick, Aching, and Death are much more engaging characters I had a very hard time getting engaged with Moist von Lipwig. He’s way too Marty Stu-ish for me. Rincewind is an Everyman, which none of the others you mentioned are. > [@commasense](#): > > their stories often touch upon more serious issues I think the problem of being disempowered in a world of powerful people is a fairly serious issue, and reflects a serious real-world concern. That’s what Rincewind symbolizes, to me. > [@commasense](#): > > while also generally being funnier and more entertaining I love the later books, but Pratchett has never written a funnier line than “It’s the little doors and windows. It’s a dead giveaway” ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/25 "2022-01-29T08:13:56Z")
I agree the first two Discworld books are not a good representation for the series, though I don’t think they’re bad books. The Rincewind books get better when Pratchett introduces the rest of the Wizards cast in the later books. I’d start with Guards! Guards!, Mort or maybe Small Gods. Eye of the World is pretty mediocre start to the Wheel of Time. The series picks up in the Great Hunt, and becomes a bit less of a generic fantasy. The 2nd, 4th, and the last three books are the series at it’s best. Sundiver is technically the first novel in the Uplift Saga by David Brin, but the 2nd book Startide Rising is a better starting point. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/26 "2022-01-29T15:03:36Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > The Rincewind books get better when Pratchett introduces the rest of the Wizards cast in the later books. Agreed. > [@sohvan](#): > > Sundiver is technically the first novel in the Uplift Saga by David Brin, but the 2nd book Startide Rising is a better starting point. Oooh, good one! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/27 "2022-01-29T15:24:36Z")
_Shards of Honor_ by Lois McMaster Bujold. It’s not bad but later books in the series were a lot better. _Shards of Honor_ was the first book Bujold wrote and you can see she is still developing her skills. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526/28 "2022-01-29T15:43:32Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Storm Front by Jim Butcher isn’t nearly as good as the other Dresden books. I almost gave up on it. I’m not sure I agree with this. Storm Front was good enough to to suck me in and continue with the series, anyway. I really liked the relatively simple Wizard-in-Chicago concept, and the more the series moved away from that and became more about faerie queens and knights and the Nevernever, the less it appealed to me. I haven’t even gotten to the last two books yet (though I probably will eventually). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-book-in-the-series-not-so-good/958526.md?page=1)