Publication order reread 2024

I am rereading the Discworld series in (mostly) publication order and I wondered if anyone was interested in book discussion? (My out of order reading is following along with the 75ers witches group read this year.)

I finished Equal Rites yesterday and picked up The Colour of Magic this evening.

I thought one thread was better than one per book, unless someone prefers one per book.

I'm partway through the Colour of Magic and I have been stopping to read passages to my wife. Some she appreciates and others don't strike her as amusing, but I am over here giggling my fool head off. It's lovely to remember the first time I read this book, in the 80's, and how much richer and funnier it strikes me almost 40 years later. I know Rincewind is not everyone's cup of tea but he is definitely mine!

>2 elorin: Rincewind has always been a favorite of mine. The reluctant hero.

I finished The Colour of Magic in the wee hours last night. Here's my write up from my 75ers thread.
The Colour of Magic 1/11/2024
At home, eating a late dinner after arriving home from traveling
Re-read
The first Discworld book by Terry Pratchett, introducing a host of characters but primarily Rincewind the anti-hero wizzard, Twoflower the Counterweight Continent tourist to Ank Morpork, and the Luggage. My favorite character is and always will be the Luggage with it's determination and singlemindedness.
I love this book and loved re-reading it. I remembered all the things I have loved about the Discworld since the beginning (candied starfish anyone?) that have kept me coming back since I first found my mom's book club editions of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic (my next read).

10. The Light Fantastic 1/14/2024
Book 2, Discworld
There's a red star in the sky and Rincewind is the only one who can save the Discworld. We meet Cohen the barbarian and Trymon the wizard, and revisit Twoflower the Discworld's first tourist and his Luggage of sapient pearwood. I first read The Light Fantastic in the late 1980's and I am still a fan, numerous rereads later.

Reading Mort and to my surprise and delight I encountered Rincewind towards the end. I had forgotten he is in this one. And I love the Librarian.

Mort Discworld book 4
Death is curious and takes an apprentice to free up his time to explore the finer points of life. The young man, Mortimer aptly nicknamed Mort, takes to the scythe with gusto and a bit too much compassion when he rescues the princess Kelli from an assassin.
I've only read Mort a few times but I found myself rooting for him early on as he corrects each and every person and entity who calls him boy (it's Mort), lad (Mort), and any diminutive you think of for an up and coming young man (MORT) in the saddle. I enjoy this novel more each time I read it.

Next up, Sourcery

>7 elorin: I haven't read through Discworld in a few years, and I don't have the reading mojo to try now, but I love reading others thoughts on the experience. Thank you, thank you for sharing. It brings a smile to my face.

Sourcery is proving challenging, or rather life is challenging my reading time! I feel the beginning is a bit slow, but now that I have gotten into the meat of the story it's going like gangbusters. I love Conina and Nigel, and can't get enough of the Luggage.
Sourcery is a novel I have only read once or twice before, so I don't remember as many details as I do from some of the other books. That makes it more of a surprise and delight around every page.

I finished Sourcery with relish. The end is surprising and, to me, gratifying.
The next book is Wyrd Sisters which I am skipping to read with the group, so I started Pyramids

For me Wyrd Sisters is where Terry really started working for me in a big way. Granny Weatherwax with the addition of Nanny Ogg was a match made in heaven and the use of Macbeth, wonderful.

I'm looking forward to reading Wyrd Sisters in March with the group read of the Witches https://www.librarything.com/topic/356333
Meanwhile, Pyramids is a longtime favorite of mine. I wanted to grow up to be an assassin for years.

19. Pyramids Terry Pratchett
Pteppic is up for his run as a full blown Ankh Morpork assassins guild member. Then his dad dies and he has to head home to be king.
Pyramids is one of my favorite Discworld novels. It still makes me snort out loud with amusement every time. I consider Dil and Gern the embalmers and Ptaclusp (and his sons IIa and IIb) the pyramid builders grand old friends. I loved seeing them all again and I look forward to the next time.

20. Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett
This is the introduction of Vimes and the Watch. A dragon starts appearing in Ankh Morpork and Vimes, Colon, Nobby, and Carrot are on the case. Where does it come from and where does it go?

This is a fun story, exciting and full of adventure. I especially love the exploration of the University Library and L-space. Just enough romance to spice things up a tetch.

22. Eric Terry Pratchett
Young Eric has summoned a demon and finds himself facing Rincewind and the Luggage. But to his good luck, Rincewind snaps his fingers and finds himself granting wishes. Live forever, be the ultimate ruler of the universe, meet the most beautiful woman in the world. But having your wishes granted isn't exactly all it's cracked up to be. As Eric quickly learns...

>14 elorin: Ooh, how I love this one! I adore Vimes, and his and Sybil's awkward romance in this is just so wonderful. One of my go to books if I'm having a bad day..

>16 bobbyl: I love that the Discworld characters evolve over time. It's hard to remember Vimes as a drunken sot while reading Snuff but Guards! Guards! brings it all back clearly.

Moving Pictures Terry Pratchett
Holy Wood dreams and calls out to people. People like Victor the perpetual student wizard and Ginger the milkmaid and Gaspode the talking dog. Come to Holy Wood and make it in the clicks and learn what we mean when we call you larger than life.

I have read and re-read Moving Pictures for 30 some years and I am not tired yet of following the starry eyed characters through their paces. This novel brings me a lot of memories and a lot of joy.

>18 elorin: That book, and Soul Music, I've wanted to make a list of all the references to real life counterparts, but I haven't done it. I always feel like I'm missing some of them.

>19 MrsLee: That would make a fun group project.

Reaper Man Terry Pratchett
If Death were given life to live and stepped down from his role, everyone would stop dying. This book is what happens next.

Reaper Man isn't my favorite Discworld novel, but I love it all the same. Windle Poons is possibly the best wizard ever after the Librarian. And the cast of characters from the Fresh Start club tickles my funny bone every time.

There's more than one underlying message to be found here (not the least of which are thoughts on the nature of malls) but nothing stops this from being a fun exploration of a buildup of life force in the meantime.

Small Gods Terry Pratchett
Brutha hears the voice of the Great God Om and his entire life changes. He comes to the attention of Vorbis of the exquisition, travels to Ephebe, and meets Ephebian philosophers along the way. Then he returns home and learns even more.

Small Gods is one of my favorite Discworld novels. I love the growth of Brutha and his relationship with his God. Lu-Tze the history monk with his push broom and bonsai mountains is always fun to encounter, too.

the first pratchett I read after good omens (at the time, was one of the only discworld available in town, alont with soul music) Reread it many times

>21 elorin: Is it wrong that it made me fall slightly in love with DEATH?

>23 cindydavid4: I don't know how many times I have read Small Gods but it is a go-to comfort read for me and I expect I'll reread it many more.

>24 bobbyl: My love of DEATH started with his frustrated pursuit of Rincewind, but Reaper Man and Mort cemented it.

ive reread that many times as well

>25 elorin: Not sure why, but I had a hard time getting through Small Gods the first time and I've never been able to finish a reread of it. It makes me fall asleep. Perhaps because I have very little knowledge of Eastern mysticism and religion? I don't know.

Men at Arms Terry Pratchett
Captain Vimes is getting married, but the Watch is faced with a terrible set of murders. Join Vimes, Carrot, Colon, and Nobby with a batch of new recruits to sleuth the cause of the killing spree.

I'm a fan of Carrot and I love re-watching him come into his own over the course of this novel. This is also where Detritus the troll joins the Night Watch and I have a soft spot for him. This is also where the debate (one of the debates) about royalty versus the Patrician occurs and the pros and cons thereof.

>27 MrsLee: I don't know that Small Gods is about Eastern mysticism but it's definitely about religion and the nature of faith. I know the beginnings are dryer than later in the book, but if you don't enjoy it, no need to keep trying to read it.

Wyrd Sisters
Magrat, Esme, and Gytha get together for a coven meeting. Meanwhile, the king of Lancre has died and become a ghost. The Duke who inherits is not well loved by the country and he hires a playwright to set the historical record straight.

Soul Music
I'm all about Music with Rocks In. Meeting Susan again for the first time, and all that entails. I think she improves as the story moves along.

Soul Music
And so we meet SusanDeath's granddaughter, hear of the listening monks, and see the development of Music with Rocks In. Susan is probably my favorite Discworld character beside Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching (three-way tie). The complications of the Musicians Guild give this novel a bit of edge, and the Librarian's contraption is a delight. A favorite re-read.

Interesting Times is a Rincewind novel and on page 45 of my paperback I came across a very Rincewind quote.
"The root problem, Rincewind had come to believe, was that he suffered from pre-emptive karma. If it even looked as though something nice was going to happen to him in the near future, something bad would happen right now. And it went on happening to him right through the part where the good stuff should be happening, so that he never experienced it. It was as if he always got the indigestion before the meal and felt so dreadful that he never actually managed to eat anything."

Interesting Times Terry Pratchett
The counterweight continent has sent a request for a great wizard and who else but Rincewind should meet the call?! Rincewind's adventures in the Aurient include meeting the Red Army, running into Cohen and his horde, and encountering countless butterflies.

My second favorite Rincewind novel, I love the exploration of ethical leadership and the Machiavellian manipulation by the Grand Vizier.

Feet of Clay
Who is poisoning Vetinari and how? Are there ~gasp~ female dwarves in the Watch? Who is the Earl of Ankh? Are golems things or people? This novel has some funny moments of course but I enjoy the characters finding their identities the most.

ya know I dont really remember reading that one; I wasnt a huge fan of the watch back in the day, tho thats changed over time. Will have to take a look at that again

Hogfather
Death is doing duty as the Hogfather, filling stockings and driving the sleigh. Meanwhile Susan Sto Helit is tracking down the tooth fairies with the help of the oh god of hangovers (temporarily cured).
I love Susan and Death's a close second but I have a really hard time reading this novel. I don't know what it is but I had deep resistance every time I picked it up until about half way and even then it wasn't easy to read. Maybe it's the villain of the story (I really don't like him) or his cronies. It's a good story, just not for me.

>37 elorin: Teatime is indeed one of Pterry's least appealing villains. The presentation of him in the 2006 TV version is downright creepy.

>19 MrsLee:
>20 elorin:

You might be interested in the Annotated Pratchett File, a collaborative effort to gather and annotate the references in Pratchett's oeuvre. It started in the early nineties on the Usenet group alt.fan.pratchett, and the latest (the last?) update appears to be from 2016.

The page for Soul Music specifically is here.

(When I read Soul Music the first time, I was very chuffed to recognize the Dwarven band We're certainly Dwarfs as the Discworld analogue of They Might Be Giants.)

Jingo
What do you do when a lost island rises in the middle of the sea? Claim it for your country! And what if there's counterclaims? Why then you go to war, of course. Vimes, Carrot, Angua, and the entire Watch sign up under Vimes' banner and head to Klatch. Vetinari enlists the help of Colon and Nobby, and Leonard of Squirm brings along his great invention.
I love this book. Nobby explores sexual magnetism, the difference between police and military is explored, and Vetinari tries juggling.
I woke at 3 AM and read it almost in one sitting.

>38 haydninvienna: I haven't watched many of the video presentations of the books but Teatime gives me the heebie-jeebies.

>39 Petroglyph: I will have to check it out. Thank you.

>40 elorin: This ranks as one of my all time favorite DW books. So funny and so true

>40 elorin: I do love Jingo too. Funny, and always relevant sadly. Loved Leonard and 71-Hour Ahmed and the dis-organiser becomes more chilling as things progress.
This one really shows that TP had all the funny, but he had the humanity and anger too at how we treat each other.

>42 cindydavid4: Jingo is fun and serious all in one go. Straight to the heart.
>43 bobbyl: I adore Leonard! The dis-organizer from the other leg of the trousers of time is tragic.

After a diversion to devour Penric and Desdemona, I returned to the Discworld.

The Last Continent
When last we saw Rincewind he was leaving the Counterweight Continent by force of magic. But the spell went wrong and this is where he went.
Terra Incognita. Ecks Ecks Ecks Ecks. The land of koalas and drop bears and Didjabringabeeralong. Where it never rains and Rincewind meets a shady kangaroo.
Meanwhile the faculty of Unseen University find a window propped open that leads to a sunny beach. It seems like the ideal idyll until the window shuts and there's no way home.
My favorite part is making beetles, but my second favorite part is Letitia, Darleen, and Nielette and their new acquisition Trunkie.
Very fun, highly funny, only recommended if you have a taste for Rincewind.

>45 elorin: ...if you have a taste for Rincewind: Or are Australian. Or both.

>46 haydninvienna: I think if you dislike Rincewind being Australian might not be enough to enjoy the book. But you make a good point.

The Fifth Elephant
Vimes got another promotion, and as well as being the Duke of Ankh Morpork he is now an ambassador to Uberwald. With the introduction of the clacks he should be able to stay in touch with the Watch while he visits Bonk for the Low King's coronation. But between the dwarves, the vampires, and the werewolves nothing is as simple as it might seem. Meanwhile back home, Colon is left in charge and he's on the case of the sugar cube bandit.
This novel resonates with me. From Carrot and Angua's storyline to Sybil's surprising soprano solo, there's a lot here about love and sacrifice as well as duty and honor and other kinds of sacrifices. Fun and funny but gut wrenching, too. The thing and the whole of the thing.

>48 elorin: I must reread this one, it's been a while

The Truth
The printing press has come to Ankh Morpork and it is changing everything. William de Worde finds himself feeding the hungry press daily despite the Guild of Engravers, a competing press, and out and out thugs out to get him. His investigation into Lord Vetinari's suspicious arrest leads deep into the Ankh Morpork underground and uncovers startling influences at work in the city.
This onset of the industrial revolution on Discworld seems inevitable but so very different from the Discworld I'm used to. I like the characters, the storyline, even the new technology, and yet, I hate it.

>49 bobbyl: It's a fun one. I love the Watch and this is like taking the Watch out of the city for a while.

>50 elorin: oh thats another one of my favs; reread it awhile back. yeah you can see whats going to happen and theres nothing you can do. Its still disc world after all, with some sharp swipes at our own earth

>52 cindydavid4: I like it a lot, despite it feeling like a slow build to me. Exploring the industrial revolution on the Discworld felt exciting to me but scary that the Disc would change too much.

66. Thief of Time
Two foundlings from Ankh Morpork. A clockmaker and a thief. The clockmaker is hired to make a glass clock. The thief is apprenticed to the History Monks. Death's granddaughter Susan is enlisted to investigate and prevent catastrophe.
This novel is a fun adventure with an unexpected twist. I love love love Susan and can't deny the insights given to a box of chocolates. The concept of paying your debts is explored and the five horsemen of the apocalypse ride out, an expression of embracing old, returned companions.
For me, this book felt much faster than The Truth. Maybe it was the chocolates.

truth time theif and jingo were all around the same time, and loved them all. think it was the apex of his writing. so much fun!