Absolutely no relation to NLK
Oh, I hated Teatime. Not as a character, but as a person, he's one of the most personally despicable people in the series for me.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Humans inferior. Ultron superior.
Thief of Time is actually my least favourite Death/Susan book. Normally stories involving timey-wimey stuff are my favourite, but Susan's character started to rub me the wrong way in this book (I liked her just fine in Soul Music and Hogfather), and I found the resolution of the "Time's Son" subplot not very satisfying (Jeremy's character got the shaft the moment the glass clock struck, he wasn't even conscious when Lobsang met him, and post-merge Jeremy were effectively erased as a dinstinct individual/personality).
Bite my shiny metal ass.
it's a living
Yeah, that's why I liked him as a villain, because he was so fascinatingly *thorough* in how horrible Pterry made him. A lot of Discworld villains are cold, pragmatic, amoral egoists, but not many are quite as singularly devoid of redeeming human qualities as Jonathan Teatime. Most Discworld villains have some grand ambition, but...Teatime wants to assassinate the Disc's version of Santa Claus. And to have that be his goal, for him to still be one of the most monstrous of all the Big Bads Discworld's ever had, there's a real accomplishment in that.
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
Pratchett was very good at writing memorable villains: Carcer, the Firm of Mr Pin and Mr Tulip, and of course Teatime - but the best Pratchett villain, for me, is Vorbis from Small Gods. He's such an interesting character, all the way to the ultimate resolution of his arc.
edited 1st Sep '17 2:55:21 AM by BestOf
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
it's a living
Vorbis is the peak achievement in a number of Discworld villains with a particular mad-on for tidiness and order: Dios, Lord Hong, others I'm forgetting, even Mr Clete and Vetinari to a certain degree.
edited 1st Sep '17 6:35:57 PM by Unsung
Absolutely no relation to NLK
I particularly liked how they put Vorbis' fanaticism in context. All along, the voice of God he believed he heard in his head was just the echoes of his own thoughts.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
World's Cutest Direwolf
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Honorable mention to the Auditors for being that on a cosmic scale and, bringing it back to Hogsfather, giving us this wonderfully chilling quote:
Jeremy's in kind of a weird narrative space where I'm not sure how villainous we're supposed to view him have. He's unwittingly aiding the Auditors, but he's not being malicious about it, but there's that Pratchettly oblique reference to him doing something violent to that fellow who set his watch fast. So I'm not sure if being subsumed into Lobsang is intended to be his just desserts or what.
Visiting from the Hoag Galaxy
I got the impression that Jeremey didn't really have much of a personality. He had an obsession with clocks. He was raised by clockmakers and ended up so hyper-focused on one thing for his whole life that when the fusion dance happened, there wasn't much there. Lobsang, on the other hand, had a way more varied life and was taught, first by the thieves and later by the Time Monks, to look at things from multiple angles. Lobsang is a more complete person by the time the fusion dance happens while Jeremy is a borderline unhinged man who's entire life revolves around one thing that doesn't change.
The only non-clock obsessed part of Jeremy's personality we see, and that might be there at all, was his infatuation with Myria, and even then, he expresses it almost entirely through working with clocks.
I think there really is supposed to be an element of tragedy to it. Lobsang proves that if Jeremy had had a different upbringing, he wouldn't have been so...limited.
Not Three Laws compliant.
For those in the UK, there is an exhibition at Salisury Museum
dedicated to Sir Terry.
edited 15th Sep '17 9:43:08 AM by SebastianGray
Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well
So, someone told me they had a few books I might like to have, since they were clearing out a bookshelf.
To my surprise I ended up getting a massive box filled with 22 Discworld novels. Including 16 hardcovers!
Plus I've only read up to Lords and Ladies, and aside from one or two books they're all from the back half of the series.
So I've had a good day today for sure.
edited 9th May '18 6:01:53 PM by 32ndfreeze
"But if that happened, Melia might actually be happy. We can't have that." - Handsome Rob
Humans inferior. Ultron superior.
Aww, that's awesome! Congrats on your new journey to Discworld! If there's anything you want to discuss here, feel free to!
Bite my shiny metal ass.
Some interesting news from the Discworld Monthly Newsletter that I receive.
New Punk Rock Thriller is Based on Sir Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" Novels
New York - October 30, 2018 - On the heels of hit series Killing Eve and the introduction of the first female Doctor on Doctor Who, BBC AMERICA announced today the greenlight of the new original scripted series, The Watch, based on Sir Terry Pratchett's wildly popular "Discworld" novels, which have sold more than 90 million books worldwide. The (8 x 60) series is produced by BBC Studios for BBC AMERICA. The Watch is distributed by BBC Studios.
The Watch is a punk rock thriller inspired by the legendary 'City Watch' subset of "Discworld" novels. This disruptive, character-driven thriller centers on Terry Pratchett's misfit cops as they fight to save a ramshackle city of normalized wrongness, from both the past and future in a perilous quest. Modern and inclusive, The Watch features many famous "Discworld" creations including City Watch Captain Sam Vimes, the last scion of nobility Lady Sybil Ramkin, the naive but heroic Carrot, the mysterious Angua and the ingenious non-binary forensics expert Cheery together with Terry Pratchett's iconic characterization of Death. The Watch was commissioned for BBC AMERICA by President and GM Sarah Barnett, and Nena Rodrigue, EVP of Original Programming, Acquisitions and Production. Co-produced with Narrativia and written by Simon Allen (The Musketeers, Das Boot and New Tricks) , The Watch is executive produced by Hilary Salmon (Luther, Silent Witness and Three Girls) , Ben Donald for BBC Studios and Rob Wilkins for Narrativia. Phil Collinson (Doctor Who) also joins the team as executive producer.
"The Watch has been startlingly reimagined for television by writer Simon Allen, while still cleaving to the humor, heart and ingenuity of Terry Pratchett's incomparably original work," commented BBC AMERICA President, Sarah Barnett. "BBC AMERICA embraces what's fresh and exhilarating in TV; we believe The Watch will astonish audiences."
Writer Simon Allen said: "With events in our own world making the insanity of 'Discworld' seem outrageously familiar, there couldn't be a better time to bring Terry's fun, fire and fury back to the small screen or a better place than BBC AMERICA. I'm grateful to them, BBC Studios and especially Rob Wilkins at Narrativia who has been a constant source of inspiration on this epic and emotional journey."
Hilary Salmon, Executive Producer and Head of BBC Studios Drama Production London, said: "The Watch is a distinctly British but defiantly global exhilarating, thriller that is disruptive in its approach to the fantasy genre and also big on the themes of mortality, inclusion, alternative facts and justice. It's a dizzying riot of hope, joy, suspense and audaciously dark humor. We can't wait to work with BBC AMERICA to bring it all to life for existing fans and brand new audiences."
Rob Wilkins, Executive Producer and Managing Director of Narrativia, said: "Many years ago Terry made the brave decision to allow brand new Watch stories to be told with his existing characters. It's taken a long time for anything to happen because we guard these characters with our very lives! So many of Terry's biggest ideas seem more vital and urgent now than ever before and I am thrilled to be working with Simon and such a talented team, who understand the unique genius of their creator. They have really keyed into the subversive qualities of Terry's voice and they clearly adore 'Discworld' as much as I and millions of fans around the world do."
The new series joins an outstanding offering of original scripted programming at BBC AMERICA including the Emmy-nominated Killing Eve starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, the iconic series Doctor Who starring Jodie Whittaker, and the Golden Globe-winning Luther starring Idris Elba.
BBC Studios produces multi-award-winning dramas loved by audiences around the world, including Doctor Who, Luther and War and Peace. It works with the best established and new drama talent, from writers and directors to on-screen talent, to create original, bold and ambitious British drama. BBC Studios is also making Good Omens, based on the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman novel, co-produced with Narrativia, The Blank Corporation and Amazon.
Here is a link to the press release
They have been talking about a watch TV series for years, hopefully this will finally go ahead.
Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well
It's the "Punk rock" element that intrigues - I think a direct lift of the novels would be ruddy hard; but if it's a series at least we then end up with characters portrayed by the same actors in each story (Something which irritated the hell out of me every time the did an adaptation...)
I miss Vetinari.
Never trust anyone who uses "degenerate" as an insult.
it's a living
(sigh) Yeah... Me too.
Do we have any clue where in the timeline this series will fit in regards to Sam Vimes?
Looking at the text quote above, I imagine that it's likely in its own timeline.
Specifically, they say that "The Watch has been startlingly reimagined for television ...".
That doesn't necessarily mean that it's in its own continuity, but it does suggest to me the distinct possibility.
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Jun 9th 2019 at 1:17:42 PM
My Games & Writing
Too old for this
Would that mean it will contain original characters only, with the possible cameo of some from the books?
I mean, I could understand why they would want to start with a clean slate, but there are some characters I'd have loved to see on screen. Hope it will not be a cast of expies either.
EDIT: Actually I took the time to reread the news quoted above and realised it answered my question. Please disregard.
Edited by C105 on Jun 10th 2019 at 12:10:35 PM
Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
Mr E
All of Sir Pterry's books are still an absolute pleasure to read again and again*, picked up Colour of Magic roughly a week before Light Fantastic and was hooked. From Men at Arms they were a yearly Christmas present (in hardback) from my brother.
(*Though maybe a long time before I read Shepherds Crown again, sorry just some dust in my eye).
Questioning my reality
Yeah they are. I'm slowly working through them, I started about two years or so ago with Monstrous Regiment (I wanted to start with a standalone to see if I like it and damn was I blown away)* - currently I'm at Snuff, having also read the Death arc (Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, Thief of Time), two of Moist's (Going Postal, Making Money), The Truth, Thud, The Fifth Elephant, Small Gods, Pyramids, and Witches Abroad. Still a looong way to walk the Disc.
- Though strictly speaking the first P Terry book I read was Good Omens. Damn, good times.
Too old for this
I'm currently in the process of re-reading all of my Pratchett books in a row (which means I'm reading some Discworld books for the fourth or fifth time and don't mind at all, although it is the first time I'm doing this with a complete collection...). So I've started with The Carpet People and am currently finishing Soul Music, and it is still as enjoyable as ever.
Whatever your favourite work is, there is a Vocal Minority that considers it the Worst. Whatever. Ever!.
There is a new Discworld animated film coming: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a children’s fantasy by Sir Terry Pratchett, published by Doubleday in 2001. It was the 28th novel in the Discworld series but the first written for children. The Amazing Maurice is a lively and entertaining adventure inspired by the German fairy tale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and a parody of the folk tale genre. Pratchett won the annual Carnegie Medal for the book – children’s literature’s highest award. Despite many other awards, honorary degrees and the knighthood that followed, Sir Terry Pratchett always emphasized that this was the award of which he was most proud.
Maurice, a streetwise cat, has the perfect money-making scam. He’s found a dumb-looking kid who plays a pipe, and his very own horde of rats – rats who are strangely educated, and literate, so Maurice can no longer think of them as “lunch”. And everyone knows the stories about rats and pipers... However, when Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, their little con goes down the drain. For someone there is playing a different tune. A dark, shadowy tune. Something very, very bad is waiting in the cellars. It’s not a game anymore. It’s a rat-eat-rat world down there and the educated rats must learn a new word...EVIL.
Emely Christians, Producer and CEO of Ulysses Filmproduktion commented: “’If you don’t turn your life into a story, you become part of someone else’s story,’ says Melissa, the young female lead in The Amazing Maurice. I loved the way Melissa presented her attitude to life in this one sentence. When I read it, I knew we had to turn this amazing novel into an amazing film. The Amazing Maurice will be the first animated feature film ever made from a Terry Pratchett novel. It will get Ulysses’ complete focus and attention to detail to fulfil our promise: to make a wonderful movie from this very funny, unique, strong and awesome story.”
Andrew Baker, Producer and CEO of Cantilever Media, said: “As a lifelong Pratchett fan, bringing to the screen one of his most cherished novels is going to be immensely exciting. Terry Rossio’s screenplay twists and turns and produces an unexpected yet heart-warming ending, with Carter Goodrich’s designs bringing these characters to life in their own unique style, which I’m sure audiences will love”.
Rob Wilkins, Executive Producer and Managing Director of Narrativia, said: “At some point in the late nineties I sat at the polished bar in the Palace Hotel San Francisco enjoying a bottle of local beer with Terry Pratchett. It had been a long day and neither of us had yet eaten and we were less than interested in the baseball game playing loudly on the TV hanging above us. However, we were both very interested in the sixteen foot wide Maxfield Parrish painting of the Pied Piper of Hamelin hanging proudly behind the bar, where it had been on display since 1909. “He does beautiful skies,” said Terry. And, yes, he really did and I agreed, but Terry seemed lost in the painting and so I finished my beer and ordered another. By the time it arrived Terry had sketched out the plot for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and had played it directly into my brain like a mini movie. They were indeed broad strokes, but the story was there and he had already named Malicia, Peaches, Sardines and – to his great delight – Darktan. That was the genius of Terry Pratchett; he could see stories everywhere. And now he would be delighted with the character designs of Carter Goodrich. Bringing this story to life was so important to Terry and it upsets me that he won’t get to see the finished film, but the teams at Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media are honouring his vision and I am absolutely delighted”.
Roddy Mc Manus and Robert Chandler are attached as Executive Producers. The Amazing Maurice is produced by Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media, with animation studios Studio Rakete and Squeeze Animation. The Amazing Maurice is produced by Emely Christians and Andrew Baker, and directed by Toby Genkel.
Absolutely no relation to NLK
So, I just finished The Truth. Maybe it's weird, but I found myself not liking William much at all. He's clearly presented as arrogant and stuck-up despite consciously trying to distance himself from his father, and maybe it's something as simple as him going against Vimes and the Watch. Or maybe I'm not as sympathetic towards journalism as I thought. But I had a feeling throughout the book that he'd eventually come around and I'd start liking him and it... never happened. Which kinda took me out of the book a bit because, even if the antagonists are clearly despicable, not having a protagonist I want to root for does hinder my enjoyment of the story. Overall, not my favorite Discworld book — I found Goodmountain wasn't as much a character as a plot device, and the whole plot ends up as a bit of a wet fart — hell, it gets resolved by Sacharissa (another character I can't really pin down) going into the de Worde manor and just happening to find the chained-up impostor and get caught by Pin and Tulip. Who are great as The Heavy and overall did a lot more for my enjoyment of the book than the heroes did. I dunno, there was something about it that just didn't satisfy me — usually Discworld books are page-turners for me, but I dragged out this one a lot just because I didn't care much about the main characters.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Don't feel to bad. That one made almost no impression on me. To this day, I have never felt any desire to reread it. On the rare occasions it enters my awareness, it is pretty much limited to "Wasn't that the one about the newspaper?"
I'm not sad. I would've loved to have read those stories, but if he didn't feel that they were good enough or true to the world he had created, I'm sure he knew better than anyone else ever would. I'm not a big fan of having another author finish someone's works unless the dying author specifically appointed that person for that job. The only one I can think of who could've completed Pratchett's stuff was probably Neil Gaiman, and even if he happened to be willing and able to do it, if Pterry thought it's best to get rid of them, that's the end of that.
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.