The Discworld Thread

Skip Snuff and Raising Steam. Just read up to Unseen Academicals.

@Misuki: I can assure you that I personally found Raising Steam to be a great addition to the series.

edited 7th Apr '14 8:34:36 PM by lrrose

Snuff was just eh, but Raising Steam had some really good concepts in it.

Good concept horrible execution, further ruined by the presence of the Goblins, who are just terrible in every possible way.

I liked the conceprt of "Jerkass natives who live in the margins of society and aren't especially nice people, but who are people nonetheless and should be treated as such rather than vermin". There are several such cultures in Real Life, and it certainly is an improvement over the pure Woobie treatment they got in Snuff.

But yeah, structurally, that book is a freaking mess.

edited 8th Apr '14 2:32:32 AM by TheHandle

You should read Snuff because it introduces some things and events that are mentioned in Raising Steam but Snuff is the Discworld book I like the least. Raising Steam was pretty good, if you ask me.

@1030 Goblins might have been tolerable if that was how they were actually portrayed. In actuality basically everyone who interacts with them breaks character to exalt the wonders of the Goblin race, even while the book goes out of its way to emphasize how poor and helpless and pathetic and deserving of pity the Goblins are.

edited 8th Apr '14 10:37:02 AM by Eagal

Outright break character? Can you provide example of this Anti-Sue situation?

Vimes immediately jumping to throw around his political weight in Snuff.

Moist, a man who takes pride in having never resorted to violence in his life, punching a guard who makes a racist comment about Goblins in Raising Steam.

For Moist it sort of makes sense because by then he's very fed up with the gap between the reality of goblins and the perception; and in any case he's been changing (or growing) as a person through all the books he's been in.

I thought Vimes was poorly portrayed in Snuff. The bit where he challenges that blacksmith or barkeep or whatever and sort of bets everything on it is just plain stupid, and very out of character for me.

edited 29th Apr '14 4:07:35 AM by BestOf

I have a library nearby. I just renewed my card as a matter of fact. I don't know if the library by my house would have Raising Steam, since it's a fairly recent release. I might have to go to the big library downtown. It's a bit of a bus ride there, but I suppose that's fine. We do what we have to, right?

I suppose I could borrow Snuff too, since it's been out a while.

If I don't lose money, I suppose it won't be too bad. But Vimes being out of character sounds like a major turn-off.

I'll still give it a chance though, I suppose.

I borrowed Monstrous Regiment, and I think I want to borrow it again so that I remember what happened. I think I speed read that one, so I probably didn't comprehend it as well.

If the two libraries are part of the same system you should be able to go to the one near you and ask them to have the one downtown to send the book to your local library.

Yeah, they're both part of the San Antonio Public Library system. I think the city-run one is the only library branch we have, besides the ones in community colleges and universities.

edited 12th Apr '14 4:14:34 PM by Misuki

No jokes on L-space?

A missed opportunity.

edited 13th Apr '14 11:08:15 AM by BestOf

Well, just pop into your local library, find the appropriate doorway and take the opportunity when you originally posted. ;P

I've actually worked (as a temp) at two different libraries (in two different library systems) but unfortunately my L-Space-fu isn't anywhere near strong enough. Maybe if I can manage more experience working in libraries, preferably in different countries, I'll eventually learn it.

Hi!

I've just spent a hour reading this thread from probably halfway along... very entertaining and interesting!

Several observations. The thing about the name "Lobsang" that will need interpreting for non-British readers (and even for younger British readers...). The reason Terry uses the name, I suspect, is that it appeals to his sense of the absurd. Back in the 1950's, there was a series of pulp-mystical novels purporting to be about the life of a Tibetan monk and the spiritual lessons Tibetan Llamas could teach we materialist westerners. These developed a cult following. They purported to be the work of a Tibetan monk called T. Lobsang Rampa and among other things, mentioned the usual Fortean sort of stuff - Hidden Masters in Shambala steering the fate of the world, tunnels under the earth allowing fast movement between nations, and so on.

Unfortunately, it was revealed that they were written as imaginative fiction by a plumber from Plympton called Cyril Henry Hoskin, who'd never been anywhere near Tibet... (the "T" in T. Lobsang Rampa stood for "Tuesday", apparently)

This is so Discworldian and has such overtures of Dibbler's form of commercial spirituality that I guess Terry had to use it!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Rampa

Also, I have to disclose that I'm one of the more prolific commentators on the Terry Pratchett L-Space Wiki. I'm even a site admin there... I read the did-they-or-didn't-they? debate on Ponder Stibbons and Lucy/Diamanda with great interest and a certain red-faced realisation.

I have to say - I'm the man who wrote those few lines of misleading speculation based largely on bringing together two known facts from "Lords and Ladies". Yes, Ponder did ask Ridcully if he could stay on in Lancre to do field research. Yes, Granny Weatherwax did make a gnomic comment about Lucy being fit to convalesce after her injuries, and that something or nothing might come of it.

At the time it wasn't unreasonable to speculate that history was about to repeat itself and the cycle would begin again - a young Wizard would spend a summer (un)successfully pursuing a young witch. This is certainly one interpretation. But you are right - we just don't know, as nothing is said about this at any subsequent point. The entry needs to be revisited, I think.

We strive for scrupulous accuracy and if something is speculation and unsupported by the evidence, it doesn't go on the main entry page - it gets debated on the Talk page, as that's what the talk page is for. For instance, we removed an assertion that Lucy Tockley went to the Quirm Academy for Young Ladies. It's certainly possible, even probable: one witch, Miss Tick, is a QAYL graduate. But all we reasonably know is the line that Lucy had been sent away to school. Nothing more than this. So the QAYL bit had to go.

I like to think we manage 90% accuracy in all we compile and we are a reliable source. The remaining plus or minus 10% - well, we're continually checking and revising and updating. Why not join us, we're a friendly bunch!

http://disc.osiris-web.com/mediawiki/index.php/Special:RecentChanges

Criticism taken into account. I've rewritten the article on Ponder Stibbons in a way that addresses the issues raised. Comments?

http://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Ponder_Stibbons

edited to renew broken link, 3/12/14

edited 3rd Dec '14 2:17:26 AM by AgProv

I've been reading a lot of Discworld books recently. Sadly, my Barnes and Noble doesn't have the whole series, so I may need to get some on Kindle instead.

Thus far, I'd say my favorite theme so far is the Watch. Vimes is such an interesting character to follow, and I love seeing the Watch grow and adapt, especially considering its extremely low beginnings in Guards! Guards!

Eh, guards are third for me. Mostly because of Vimes. I do enjoy him, yeah, but he's just getting TO big, the latter guards books I've read are less about the Watch, then about Vimes, with the Watch along as supporting cast.

Best ones are the Death books.

I'm kind of okay with that, mostly because I quite like Vimes's internal conflicts.

That being said, I did spend much of Night Watch missing Carrot and Angua and Detrius and such.

Yeah really not looking forward to the book for hat reason...

Yeah I love Vimes and he is a great character, but I just wish we'd get some more focus on all the OTHER great character in the Watch as well. He's not bad, just over used.

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN CARROT'S HEAD.