I just finished Night Watch for the second time, and I had to share a few thoughts:
A: Isn’t Terry Pratchett the coolest person ever? He has to be, because nobody else would be able to write books THAT cool…
[spoiler] B(and now it get’s complicated): While reading the book it occured to me that while Vimes was John Keel, he still acted pretty much like himself.
But Vimes behaved like he remembered Keel behaving during the rebellion. So, how much of the Vimes we now (and love) wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for John Keel?
C: Would he have been able to impersonate Keel if the man hadn’t made such an impression on young Vimesy? He certainly seems to have adapted A LOT of his behavior…
And, last but not least, D: What does it say about your ego when you actually hero-worship yourself? ;-)[/spoiler]
Excuse my rambling if it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s 3:30 am here. I probably missed the point anyway.
Yes, stuff like that is actually keeping me awake at night.
Maybe I should try getting one of these lives my friends always talk about. Anybody know where I can download one?
Has anybody read “Science of the Discworld II: The Globe” ?
Went to see if I could find any missing Terry books to complete my collection, couldn’t find any apart from this. I’ve read the first “Science of the Discworld”, and I considered it nice enough, although a tad difficult, especially when you read Pratchett to have a nice evening. Is the sequel harder ?
Oh, forgot to mention, I’m another Pratchett dedicated fan, although I envy you lucky bastards… It’s been months since Night Watch was published, and I still haven’t seen it in a bookstore in Greece. Fat chance for Wee Free Men, too… I guess I’ll have to order it from the net.
/off to find somebody willing to give away his credit card…
The story written by Pterry about the wizards is a bit… un-inspired, I guess. The chapters on science are OK, but seem rushed. got a feeling that they were sorting muddling through it, without a goal. They start on one theme, which is, or isn’t, interesting, depening on your POV, but soon get sidetracked and follow a tangent for two or three pages, before coming back to the original. I have the hardcover and there are quite a few proof reading errors, adding to the feel of a rush job.
Still, I don’t regret buying it. The science has some interesting stuff in it, but I understand that people more savy than I, in science, have some issues with the accuracy. And of course, the story about the wizards sort of furthers that arc a bit.
Wait a while and look for the paperback on sale or 2nd hand. And the science part, while not harder than the first, is a bit timeconsuming to get through, since the writing is not very inspired.
I am saddened to see how little love there is for Rincewind. While I am a big fan of the Watch, I love Rincey. Sure, he is a coward, but the WAY he is a coward and the depths he is a coward are facinating to me. I simply love the idea of a hero that does his heroing by running away or avoiding conflict as best is possible.
I wish Terry would hurry up with another Rincewind book!
Well, the paperback is priced 12 euros here, regular price, and since it’s english version, I doubt that I’ll ever find it in second-hand bookstores. I’ll buy it for completeness, though I expect I won’t enjoy it as much as Pterry’s regular books. Still, I want a book for the summer, and it will fit the bill (bought Gaiman’s “Coraline” yesterday, only one I could find, but it’s very short, I’ll probably finish it in a couple of days).
One of these days I’m gonna try Amazon for Wee Free Men, Amazing Maurice and Wings, since the first is new and not due to come here for many months, while the other two I haven’t been able to find for as long as I remember looking for them.
Me too. I like Rincewind. As with Pterry’s books, he’s gotten better over the years. His first books were not really outstanding, but then, neither was Terry. Interesting Times and The Last Continent has given him depth and a very humanitarian outlook. His speeches to the Liberation Army is very good. And even though he wants to be a coward, in reality, he isn’t.
jtull: Run, don’t walk, and get Maurice. It’s one of his five best.
And I like Rincewind enough…he’s possibly my least favorite main character in the series, but I thoroughly enjoy reading about him.
Hmm, let me put that another way. Rincewind is great, but he’s been in some real stinkers (relatively speaking, you understand) of Pterry’s. I only read Sourcery twice and Eric once, and considering how many times I’ve read the other books, well…
But there was The Last Hero, where Rincewind is at his Rincey best, I think. I love the scene where he doesn’t volunteer to be on the crew. I can’t remember the quote exactly, but I think it is “I know how my life goes, sir. I’ve been living it for some time.”
And I think I said this somewhere above, but I really do adore that picture of Vetinari and Rincewind staring at each other. V looks somewhere at the end of his patience, all predatory flamingo, while Rincewind looks like he’s going to soil his robe (or, if possible, dash away like a rabbit if V moves a muscle).
“Science of the Discworld”? I hadn’t heard of this (let alone the sequel) and quickly found out why: It doesn’t exist on Amazon.com! However, it shows up right away on Amazon.co.uk; looks like I’ll have to order them from there and pay the overseas shipping. Won’t be the first time I’ve done it … Thanks for the mention, now I’ve got something to look forward to!
As in the recommendation for the Straight Dope? That’s how I found this place about four years ago! Have been lurking (mostly) ever since. Just one more thing I have to thank Pratchett for. My Gran gave me Pyramids, Guards! Guards! and Witches Abroad for my eighth birthday and I haven’t stopped since! One of my most treasured possessions is a signed Josh Kirby print from shortly before the artist’s death - it’s his cover for the Discworld Companion, which features most of the important themes from the books. Poor old Josh, I was so upset when he died.
I think the best thing about Pratchett (Does anyone else find the nickname ‘Pterry’ a bit too cutesy?) is that he shows that fantasy as a genre need not be predictable, boring or badly written. It can be smart, multilayered and even (dare I say it?) literary. If only he were on my Eng Lit degree syllabus (although they did use a quote from Reaper Man in the course booklet, which is a step in the right direction).
I’m halfway through “Science of the Discworld II”…
and yes, the story seems a little un-inspired, but it doesn’t spoil anything, since the book’s primary target is to discuss science.
The scientific part tends to get a little carried away from time to time, but I’m enjoying reading it. It’s nice stuff (can’t say if it’s accurate though), and well-written.
No proof reading errors until now (paperback edition). Interesting Times is a fantastic story, especially the bits based on Cohen and his Horde. They’re so full of life! I think the story starts off as Rinso-based, but it turns to face the Horde later, which suits me fine. The bit I always try to finish off quickly in this book is where Rinso finds the Red Army, and it gets so descriptive, in contrast with the many dialogs all around it.
