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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Loved Mr Nutt, loved the goblins, especially the ungue pots thing.
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.
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.
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.