# Which Pratchett Characters Didn't Work For You? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857 "2015-07-22T04:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/21 "2015-07-22T13:58:04Z")
Rincewind. A one-note character (“It’s funny because he runs away!”) that just kept coming back. Indeed, I find that too much of any character starts to get on my nerves as Pratchett felt the need to keep developing them in significant ways, and the more we see them the more powerful they get. It’s like D&D in a not-good way. The worst of these was Sam Vimes who started out as a barely competent alcoholic police captain and ended up a Duke/Blackboard Monitor with superpowers. Frankly I was rather relieved when we stopped getting Witches books (although “The Shepherd’s Crown” will be all witchedy goodness, I see) as Granny was also turning into a superhero. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/22 "2015-07-22T14:00:53Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > 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. Tortured puns were the _whole_ point of Soul Music. Including the glorious shaggy dog pun at the end [“There’s a boy down at the chip shop, I think he’s Elvish”.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSivxy4rCQk) I like the Pratchett books where “our” reality seeps into the Discworld to the bemusement of the occupants more than the later industrial revolution books. Which is why Moist von Lipwig never did much for me. I also liked Vimes more before he became so damn competent. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/23 "2015-07-22T14:02:31Z")
I’ve read the witches’ books out of order. Starting from the Tiffany Aching books, Granny Weatherwax is venerable, wise, and powerful in a subtle and practical way (“it’s still magic even if you know how it’s done.”) But I just started reading Wyrd Systers, where Granny is just kind of cranky and ineffective. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/24 "2015-07-22T14:26:43Z")
Tiffany Aching was always a bit of a Mary Sue, but \*I Shall Wear Midnight \*just pushed it over the edge into pure, unadulterated Mary Sue fan fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/25 "2015-07-22T14:32:35Z")
The orc in Unseen Academicals. C.M.O.T Dibbler ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/26 "2015-07-22T14:39:30Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Tortured puns were the _whole_ point of Soul Music. Including the glorious shaggy dog pun at the end [“There’s a boy down at the chip shop, I think he’s Elvish”.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSivxy4rCQk) I’m a huge Kirsty MacColl fan, and totally missed that one - possibly because I tend to skim all the stupid “Music wit rocks in” bits of that book, concentrating on the Susan bits. Also, the part with the wizards of Unseen University becoming screaming teenage fangirls here was nearly (but not quite) as stupid as them all becoming soccer hooligans in _Unseen Academicals_. > [@Chimera](#): > > Tiffany Aching was always a bit of a Mary Sue, but \*I Shall Wear Midnight \*just pushed it over the edge into pure, unadulterated Mary Sue fan fiction. Our mileage varies. _I Shall Wear Midnight_ has some of the finest writing in his entire body of work, particularly the _Rough Music_ chapter. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/27 "2015-07-22T16:15:59Z")
Can’t think of a single one. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/28 "2015-07-22T16:42:43Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Our mileage varies. _I Shall Wear Midnight_ has some of the finest writing in his entire body of work, particularly the _Rough Music_ chapter. I found that chapter particularly jarring in a “young adult” novel. I’d happily give any of the other Tiffany Aching books to a twelve year old, but that chapter was just ugly in theme and content. i guess if I wanted that much reality in my fantasy novels, I’d go read Game of Thrones again. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/29 "2015-07-22T17:07:26Z")
Teatime. Partly because of the stupid alternative pronunciation that jarred me everytime I had to read the name and decide how to mentally pronounce it, and partly because the character seemed so entirely artificial. But, honestly, there are so few of Pratchett’s characters I do like. To me, the novels come across like a Punch and Judy show. They’re fun, light, comedic entertainment, yes, but they are populated by marionettes, not people. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/30 "2015-07-22T17:24:30Z")
I absolutely hated Granny Weatherwax…until the end of Masquerade. The “I guess I have time, now” scene finally sold the character to me. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/31 "2015-07-22T17:40:45Z")
The witches are a waste of words. They are written _very_ poorly. Very stock, unoriginal stuff. Almost all the wizards are also quite pointless. The less of them, the better the story. Only the Librarian and Ponder Stibbons have any sort of worthwhile personality. I have read many of the Discworld books quite a few times, but any that focus on those two groups are “read once”. CMOT Dibbler appears _way_ too often for the needs of the story. The Ankh-Morpork-type “city” vampires are mostly okay (except the more evil/lawyer types). The “rural” ones are, again, unoriginal and trite. Depth of character requires … depth. The City Watch people has too many weak characters, esp. Colon and Nobbs. I’ve tried reading some of the Tiffany Aching stuff. I know it’s for young readers, but egad. What horrible, horrible stuff. The Nac Mac Feegles are portrayed in an astonishingly racist way, even by Discworld standards. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/32 "2015-07-22T19:10:20Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I found that chapter particularly jarring in a “young adult” novel. I’d happily give any of the other Tiffany Aching books to a twelve year old, but that chapter was just ugly in theme and content. i guess if I wanted that much reality in my fantasy novels, I’d go read Game of Thrones again. Really? It’s not extreme compared to bits of the Harry Potter books, or to the His Dark Materials trilogy. Yes, it was dark, but a twelve year old is more than old enough to be aware of the ugliness that sometimes goes on behind closed doors, and that somebody has to take responsibility. And yes, I thought it was some of the best writing of his career, up there with the best of Vonnegut. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/33 "2015-07-22T20:00:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Can’t think of a single one. This was my initial response, but then I remembered that I didn’t like orcs at all, and hated the goblins until parts of _Raising Steam_. Actually, it isn’t just the orcs. I hated _Unseen Academicals_ completely and totally. Stupid plot, stupid characters, stupid game. And **dracoi** , you are so very, very wrong. As are everybody who disses _Soul Music_. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/34 "2015-07-22T20:27:36Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Really? It’s not extreme compared to bits of the Harry Potter books, or to the His Dark Materials trilogy. > > Yes, it was dark, but a twelve year old is more than old enough to be aware of the ugliness that sometimes goes on behind closed doors, and that somebody has to take responsibility. And yes, I thought it was some of the best writing of his career, up there with the best of Vonnegut. It’s on par for many young adult books, but it’s a lot more extreme than anything else up to that point in the Tiffany Aching series. I’d give “Wee Free Men” (and probably the next two books) to any child capable of reading it. Tangentially, IMO the weakest part of “I Shall Wear Midnight” is all of the unnecessary appearances of all every damned resident of Ankh-Morpork that Pratchett ever named. It really reinforces how so many are one-note caricatures, and it doesn’t do any favors to the characters that are well-developed in other books. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/35 "2015-07-22T21:55:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This was my initial response, but then I remembered that I didn’t like orcs at all, and hated the goblins until parts of _Raising Steam_. Loved Mr Nutt, loved the goblins, especially the ungue pots thing. > [@](#): > > Actually, it isn’t just the orcs. I hated _Unseen Academicals_ completely and totally. Stupid plot, stupid characters, stupid game. Loved _UA_, especially around my third go-round. And I’m not a huge football fan. What I love most is the barely-sketched backstory about the Evil Empire. I’ve never come across a single Pratchett book I didn’t like, and all his characters work towards making that so. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/36 "2015-07-22T22:14:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’ve never come across a single Pratchett book I didn’t like, and all his characters work towards making that so. I’ll admit he has a better batting average with me than most authors, especially his characters. But _UA_ and _Monstrous Regiment_ were klunkers. On the other hand, _Nightwatch_ was pure Literature. On the gripping hand, I also love the puns and band riffs of _Soul Music_, and think _Moving Pictures_ is a work of genius. You know he’s good when millions of people can tell you reams about CMOT Dibbler, or Harga, or Nobby, or Lord Hong, or a myriad of other “secondary” characters. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/37 "2015-07-22T22:29:39Z")
UA, Pyramids, Moving Pictures, and Eric were my least favourite stories. Generally, I don’t care for the one-off evil characters, but the bad guys aren’t supposed to be likable, are they? Sure, some characters were annoying, but in every group, aren’t there some people who annoy you? I like the way the characters of the Archchancellor and Patriarch changed once Terry got the series going. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857/38 "2015-07-23T14:49:02Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I like the way the characters of the Archchancellor and Patriarch changed once Terry got the series going. ?Patrician? Ridcully only became Archancellor with _Moving Pictures_. So, different character, indeed, before that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pratchett-characters-didnt-work-for-you/725857.md?page=1)