# If I WERE to read Terry Pratchett... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288 "2003-01-08T13:27:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/41 "2003-01-09T14:16:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilt-wearin’ man \* > \*\*BTW, Pratchett fans don’t tend to be “whacked out groupies”. This isn’t Star Trek, after all - nobody shows up at conventions (or for jury duty) dressed as Rincewind. \*\* I was at a convention last April, where Pterry was one of the guests. A fan showed up with a GIANT turtle (stuffed animal pillow, not a real creature), probably four feet long. So the fan was wearing the turtle on his head – where else could he put it? – and had his photo taken with Pterry. As I recall, Pterry was very amused by the turtle. And **Kilt** , wearing a costume at a con is no more whacked out than people going to a pro football game dressed in a team jersey and face paint. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/42 "2003-01-09T19:23:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\* > Zber yvxryl, vg jnf gur zhfvp znxvat uvz vagrerfgvat. Jvgu gur zhfvp tbar, ur jnf whfg gur thl jub jbexrq qbja gur puvc fubc. > \*\* True enough, but he was still cute. Doesn’t cute count for anything? Well, maybe not with Susan. ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/43 "2003-01-09T21:39:28Z")
I guess this is slightly off-topic, but I feel a bit weird having read all of his books and not having any idea why you call him Pterry… Something at the back of my mind is trying to tell me it´s derived from one of the books, but then again, if I´d listen to everything the little voices in my head say… maybe it´s just a convenient back-to-front abbreviation of his name? well, thanks a lot anyway 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/44 "2003-01-09T21:51:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by universe.zip \* > \*\*I guess this is slightly off-topic, but I feel a bit weird having read all of his books and not having any idea why you call him Pterry… maybe it´s just a convenient back-to-front abbreviation of his name? > \*\* All I can say to that is … read Pyramids. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/45 "2003-01-09T22:03:30Z")
Evil Death, how can it be that you’ve read the Nac Mac Feegle story already? ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/46 "2003-01-09T22:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*All I can say to that is … read Pyramids. \*\* oh, that´s what it was… thought it rang a bell - but it´s been _ages_ since I read that book. this thread made me want to re-read most of them anyway, so I might as well start with that… thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/47 "2003-01-09T22:22:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*Evil Death, how can it be that you’ve read the Nac Mac Feegle story already? \*\* Normally I’d just cackle gleefully and leave you to stew. OTOH, I’m feeling nice today and so I’ll tell you. Pterry performed a reading of the first chapter at the Discworld Convention 2002 back in August. There was also a reading from Night Watch by Stephen Briggs (who does the audiobooks), a two-hour original lecture by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen (of Science of Discworld fame) and an original dramatic performance of The Sea and Little Fishes. It’s a tradition of the Discworld Conventions that those of us crazed enough to descend on a hotel for four days in August to hear about books get to hear things that nobody else does. With that in mind, I expect to see membership of DWCon 2004 rising sharply. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/48 "2003-01-09T22:44:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I would recommend against starting with the Rincewind books… as previously mentioned, Pratchett was really just starting out with those, and they really aren’t as… um… “rollicking” as his style would later become. I agree. I read ‘The Color of Magic’ and ‘Light Fantastic’ first and I still haven’t found a Pratchett book as good (of course, I haven’t read too many after that ;)). I didn’t consider ‘Small Gods’ as good as some people think and ‘Equal Rites’ was fairly boring. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/49 "2003-01-10T09:15:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*With that in mind, I expect to see membership of DWCon 2004 rising sharply. \*\* Sigh… I would love to get to a DWCon, but I’m never able to make the time (or money) to do it ☹ I did make it to the very first proto-Con at Clarecraft’s offices/factory in Ipswich - that was a fun day, with many weird and wonderful costumes. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288/50 "2003-01-10T10:18:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShadowWarrior \* > \*\*Sigh… I would love to get to a DWCon, but I’m never able to make the time (or money) to do it ☹ \*\* You have 18 months to save, and it’s not much more than £130 plus lunches to turn up for three days. Factor in, say £100 for souvenirs, books, hedgehogs, posters, jewellery etc, and you can get to the Con setting aside about £3 a week. Resistance is futile. You _will_ attend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-were-to-read-terry-pratchett/147288.md?page=2)