Scroll down to the audio interviews section.
Okay, I’m going to give some minor spoilers for A Hatful of Sky below, but I don’t think I’m going to describe the scene Pterry talked about, mainly because I don’t think I could do justice. Anyway, A Hatful of Sky is going to involve Tiffany growing older and learning to be a witch, and Granny Weatherwax is going to have a bigger part in it than she did in The Wee Free Men. Pterry also said that it was a very difficult book to write because both Tiffany and Granny go through some truly horrendous things (Though I’d really like to know what can hurt Granny). He said that it was fun, though, writing Granny from Tiffany’s perspective because Tiffany basically sees this old woman living all by herself out in the woods.
None of that, I don’t think, is anything you won’t be able to find out from the bookjacket. And it’s already been sent out to the publisher. Oh, and he’s already started on Going Postal, the next adult-level Discworld. Yay.
All I have to say about Monstrous Regiment is Woooo! It is truly fantastic. I shan’t post any spoilers here, but the twists he puts in are so true to form, I was in hysterics. Unless of course, we want to put spoilers in and discuss it?
I loved it. It’s definitely in the top 5 along with
**Guards! Guards!
Lords and Ladies
Mort
The Fifth Elephant
Men at Arms
The Light Fantastic
Wyrd Sisters
Small Gods
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
and Soul Music.**
Okay, I know, but I’ve never read one of his books I didn’t like and it’s like the Beatles; there’s so much to choose from that’s good and which ones I favor on any given day are dependent on my mood.
Almost forgot…
Buggy Swires! What a great addition to the regular cast.
What a hideous cover! I am so ordering this one from Canada.
Is A Hatful of Sky an “adult” Discworld novel, or a “young adult” one?
Not that any answer will stop me from getting it… 
I think it’s a “young adult” book, but, like you that certainly wouldn’t stop me buying it.
What was everyone’s favourite bit? I liked all of it, really, but I loved the part where the troll explains to the vampire what the swear word means.
“It when a mommy troll and a daddy troll…”
giggles
I loved the bit when Maladict finally got some coffee.
Otherwise the best part was when the male was revealed to be a female. You know, that guy.
I loved the bit when Maladict finally got some coffee.
Otherwise the best part was when the male was revealed to be a female. You know, that guy.
I thought that best part happened a bit too much. Okay, in the VERY last case it was excellent.
[spoiler]
I was disappointed when Maladict turned out to be Maladicta. Would have much preferred if there had been at least ONE male member of the Monstrous Regiment who was okay with female soldiers but didn’t make a big deal of it. Maybe this wasn’t Pratchett’s intention, but I felt like one of the message of the book was, “The only people who understand you are people in the same situation.” As far as I can remember, Blouse was the only guy who was okay with the girls (I don’t count him as a member of the Regiment). It seemed to sell guys short, cultural ideals notwithstanding.
I felt like some bits were a bit rushed or insufficiently fleshed out - Maladict(a)'s hallucinations, Shufti’s personality, the Watch and Truth presences in Borogravia. I was very proud of myself for spotting de Worde’s listing of “werewolf” among the other members of the Monstrous Regiment. It was disappointing that that didn’t turn out to be something more.
This makes it sound like I didn’t like the book, which isn’t the case at all! I thought it was fabulous. No “Night Watch,” but pretty damn good. [/spoiler]
Great ending, though.
I liked it when,
right at the end, when the Sergeant turns out to be a woman as well. Genius, shear, utter, brilliant genius.
Wait a minute, doesn’t Vimes have a kid at home to be taking care of at this point?
Yes, at one point he says something about how he’s sure everyone would rather be home taking care of their kids, just like he would. But I think that’s the only mention.
Just finished M.R. last night. I’ll agree with the majority here, that it was good, but not his best.
By the end, though,
I was rolling my eyes at the whole, “oh…he’s a woman, too?” shtick. I almost expected to find out that Vimes’ first name was really Samantha.
Sheesh.
You missed that happening in the afterword?
Why? WHY?
WHY? did I have to look at those spoilers!
Is anyone still male? Vimes? Tell me vimes is still male!
Turns out Igors (and Igorinas) are quite adept at sex change operations. :eek:
Yeah, I guess I’ll offer a dissenting view of the ending…
[spoiler]Why did everyone have to be a woman? Pterry is capable of better than this juvenalia. I mean, I guess this book would fit in well with feminist literature, but I prefer to live in a post-feminist world where men can actually accept that women can be good at their jobs. Maybe I’m deluded or something.
Really, it wouldn’t have been hard to fix. Just one or two major characters’ genders being switched would have been enough. Personally, I’d nominate either the General or Sergeant Jackrum. Jackrum would have worked because we could have found a male character who was sympathetic to the feminist cause. He provided for and looked after the Regiment even when he knew they were women. If he had turned out to be an actual he, it would have made a positive statement. As it was, he was just looking after his own.
The General would have been another good choice for a major male character. In fact, he’d have been even better than Jackrum, because here we could have had a man whose views changed in the course of the book. He could have presided over the closed-door meeting, realized that all these people whom he trusted were women, and understood that women could function just as well or better than a man in any given situation. But no , we were again just left with a woman covering her own butt.
I guess what really gets my goat about the end of this book is that nothing gets changed. Oh, sure, Polly and Maladicta (another character whose lack of gender change would have made a world of difference) go back to soljerin’, but even they seem to know that it’s more of a honor guard-y thing than actual soldiering. All the other characters whose sex has been hidden remain in hiding. It’s still a man’s army, even though they’re all women. We know Pterry is capable of more because he made a much more effective feminist statement as recently as the introduction of Cheery Littlebottom to the Watch and as far back as Equal Rites[/spoiler]
Like I said, I was just… Disappointed to the point of annoyance.