While overall Pratchett was a genius at creating fully-rounded characters who nonetheless developed compellingly over time, with such a large cast there were bound to be a few misfires. Gaspode the Wonder Dog never did that much for me, and nor did Agnes/Perdita Nitt, who was dangerously close to being a fat girl joke. Actually I don’t think any of the younger Witches worked that well up until Tiffany Aching: Magrat was too, well, wet, and once she’d overcome her neuroses she just wasn’t that interesting a character and was faded out. None of the Wizards - with the possible exception of the later Ponder Stibbons - worked well for me; once you got past the idea that they were greedy, pompous and argumentative, there isn’t a whole lot left to their characters. And Rincewind should have been quietly forgotten.
Imp Y Celyn. Mostly because of the fact that his name is a tortured pun, but the whole music part of Soul Music falls flat in general.
I loved Agnes and Magrat! But about the wizards, I agree. I still cant keep them apart, except for rincewind.
Soul Music is like that Discworld book people who don’t like Pratchett imagine Discworld books are all like, stupid puns, strained anachronisms and feeble fantasy parody. See also Moving Pictures.
Harry King started off as a one note Alan Sugar parody, but as he got more book time he just got more annoying.
Tiffany Aching. People love the TA books but I can’t figure out why.
Igor
Any of the Vampire characters, both genuine and pretend, and even the nice ones like Otto. They all represent a one-note joke, which gets repeated over and over.
I find the Igors exactly the same.
How about Archchancellor Ridcully? He started our pretty one-note, sure, but he developed into a much more nuanced character.
Hmm.
I must say, I don’t really like the newest races too much (gnolls and one orc).
It’s just…
Yes, they’re smelly, but make beautiful harp muysic, and they can teach us more about humanity than the accumulated knowledge and experience of our own little species.
The moralising (or whatever it is) is a bit heavy.
I feel that way about all vampires, not just in Pratchett.
Goblins, but yes. The books felt really preachy.
Of the wizards, obviously Ridcully has a strong characterisation all of his own, and to some extent so does the Dean (fat idiot who permanently pisses off Ridcully), while the Bursar (barking mad) and Ponder Stibbons (earnest young techno-geek) work really well. I couldn’t tell you much about the Lecturer in Recent Runes or the Senior Wrangler though, and I’ve actually forgotten the name of the guy with the skull ring.
D’oh!
The Chair of Indefinite Studies? Isn’t he the one really sweet on Mrs Whitlow?
Beign in academia, I really like the later wizards, even as mostly interchangeable arguing figures. Feels very true to life…
Duck Man (what duck?) and the “Millenium hand and shrimp” guy.
I find he’s more interesting if I visualize him as a British Teddy Roosevelt.
I never really felt that the whole running joke about Nobby worked for me. In a city watch populated with dwarves, trolls, werewolves and all manner of other species, it just seems bizarre to harp on and on and on about this one guy who conceivably might not be 100% human. Maybe there’s some kind of social commentary there, but if so it’s not particularly well constructed and I’d still rate it below average.
It’s because he’s short enough to be a dwarf, but yet he isn’t one. It’s nothing to do with his unsavoury habits or perceived low intelligence.
I really found it impossible to get into Pratchett for those reasons, despite everyone telling me how good they are. The goofy names just put me off.
I always imagine him played by Stephen Fry in General Melchett mode (and in his calmer moments, just as Stephen Fry).
Stephen Fry with a huge beard? I fully endorse this.
I never was very fond of the witches. Granny is a downright bitch sometimes. I think of Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne “Sometimes bein’ a bitch is all a woman’s got,” but the fact is I like Dolores way better and understood her motivations way better.