"Terry Pratchett is not a literary genius" - And you are? You fool.

a reply to: Scallywwagg

The first book in the Discworld series is a good "primer" for the entire thing. It is titled "The Colour of Magic."
You will meet Rincewind the "Wizard" and the Tourist, along with The Luggage, and get a good tour yourself of many of Discworlds territories, as well as become a bit familiar with some of the characters along the way.


There are a TON of books though!!! One of my all time faves is "Soul Music" which features DEATH. When you read the series, you will understand why I capitalized DEATH's name. If you enjoy them half as much as I did, you will have a rollicking good time. If, that is, satire in hilariously fantastical wrappings is your kind of thing! If not, well, see what you think anyway...



- AB

a reply to: Gemwolf

He clearly isn't clever enough to understand Pratchettisms.

a reply to: karmicecstasy

a reply to: Scallywwagg

My personal favorite Pratchett book is Nation. Yes, the book's target market is teens, but the message in the book is thought-provokingly profound and I doubt teens will really get it...
But Nation isn't part of the Discworld series... If I were to suggest a "starting point", I'd say Going Postal. Yes, there is a lot of "backstory" to be caught up, but (another) the thing about Pratchett's books is even though they cross reference each other, you can pick up any random book and still be able to follow exactly what's going on. It's not "to be continued" type stuff. Every book has its own story - beginning middle, end and message, irrespective of what happened in any of the other books.

Of all the books - and yes, I've read them all - the only one I didn't enjoy was Raising Steam. 1 disappointment out of 53 (or 72) is not bad IMO.

I read two of his books and they were okay. Kind of inventive in a different sort of way, but not very deep or brilliant by any stretch. Looking back and having watched that remake with the Bilbo actor, I'm even more in the mind set that its just mediocre writing. Some creative parts, some just silly, some just there. I kind of wish they'd made some sequels to " Time Bandits". That was along the same vein but far more entertaining and better written. And " Red Dwarf" is better still.>>> OOPs, that was Douglas Adams. Pratchett did Discworld which I read one of a long time ago. He was okay. Maybe not quite Orson Scott Card or Phillip Jose farmer.

a reply to: Gemwolf

It's a funny world we live in where people feel the need to critique what others appreciate, be it art, music, literature, television, movies, etc. It becomes an even funnier world when people feel personally slighted and take great exception when one of these self proclaimed "review experts" delivers a review unfavorable to their opinion.

Gem, my friend, it truly is easiest at times to simply laugh at someone's ridiculous opinion and treat it with a simple "You didn't appreciate that _______ (fill in the medium) art? Your loss." and go about your business of enjoying it yourself. Unfortunately, that response seems to run opposed to human nature. Instead we either let the opinions of others get our goat or we decide that we're going to widely revile the popular and embrace the widely unpopular, becoming veritable hipsters where our entertainment and leisure is concerned. Maybe man is, at our core, gluttons for punishment because we seen to be infinitely in search of acceptance and shared experiences with the majority of humanity?

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: 3danimator2014

I'd say that a guy who hasn't even read the books he is critiquing has no valid opinion on them, regardless of his experience.

I would agree with you there.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

You are, obviously, quite right. I'm sure you know me well enough to know that criticism doesn't phase me at all.

This situation was just infuriating. It's one thing to kick a man when he's down. But to walk past a wake of a recently deceased and start kicking his body proclaiming that he was an a-hole while you didn't actually know anything about him, other than his name? Surely it shouldn't be a surprise that the mourners are going to have something to say.

I get that some people won't like Terry's books. I don't like Fifty Shades of Grey, yet there are millions of people saying I am dead wrong about its "artistic value"/"literary value". I get that we'll disagree. But to make such a fool of yourself like Mr Jonathan Jones did - I just had to say something.


The thing about Pratchett's books is the value it added to the readers' lives. I can't put it so eloquently, so I'm going to quote my fellow member instead - our dear friend JAK on the topic of Terry Pratchett:

...
Not only were people commenting on how they enjoyed his work but so many were doing so with wonderfully personal recollections which echoed the next in offering that directly personal flavour as they recalled presents for birthdays or Christmas. It was incredibly touching viewing – the sense of deeply felt, personal loving loss was of someone who has been so very present in their lives was palpable.
...
Because for us who lived in the same time there is something extraordinarily beautiful. There were no Pratchett books before him, after him there is unfettered access to his works, but we, those of us so very fortunate to have shared our time with him, we had to wait. There was, for us, a most outrageously wonderful anticipation! We had no choice but to hold in check a gentle yet effervescent excitement which strained so at its reigns. Delayed gratitude can be something which can truly be said to have a beauty of its own; awaiting a new book from Terry Pratchett was in itself an experience; that promise of what was to come. A fortune which no human who didn't have the wonderful luck to experience at the time – all those born before and all those born after that period in time - will ever experience in the same way.
...

I hope he doesn't mind me sharing his personal feelings on this - it's just too beautiful not to share.
It just goes to show that the Pratchett books are (were) much more than just a story, a philosophy, words on pages or something of "artistic value". Could the same thing be said about Dickens or Shakespeare? Has anyone ever read A Tale of Two Cities, finished it and said "I MUST go out and buy me some more Charles Dickens books immediately!" Well, many people said this about Pratchett. Surely you must be a genius writer if you are able to invoke such excitement in the reader...?

So, just to complete the circle: Oh, Mr Jonathan Jones. How wrong you are. And we laughed and we laughed.

What rubbish!
Love Sir Terry's work. Have loved it since I was a teen and read the Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic when they came out. I was first introduced to his works when TLF was exerted in White Dwarf magazine. I read that small sample and went right out to look for the books. It took me a little while to find them here in the US but once I did I introduced them to my best friend and we spent the following many years awaiting the publication of every book. I even got to meet Sir Terry at a convention here in the US so I have signed copies of my favorite books.
Critics are an interesting lot. You get paid to offer your opinion on the work of others. Work that is valued by the opinion of its customers. So follow the logic here. You have a widget, and its value (which is beyond the actual cost to purchase it) is based off the number of customers who approve of it. Someone else comes along and tells everyone. "All you lot are wrong, this thing is worthless" and we are supposed to agree with that one person?
Personally I think Jane Austin is dreck. In fact most "classic literature" is dreck. I suspect most of the works would disappear entirely if it were not for the education system requiring kids to read them. I dont look back fondly on ANY of the classic works that I have read. Take Dracula as an example....PLEASE TAKE IT! Its about 200 pages of good stuff carefully and artfully hidden in several hundred pages of detritus. Lovecraft was hands above better that Stoker only we are just really now seeing his works getting the respect they deserve.
Critics!

a reply to: Gemwolf

I'm guessing the blogger in question is American.

Many Americans don't understand the dry, dark or whimsical British humour, I'm not too familiar with Pratchett but I am very familiar with Douglas Adams.

"what's so unpleasant about being drunk?"

"Ask a glass of water"

Brilliant.

a reply to: Gemwolf

Jeez, Gem. This is the most heartwarming thread on ATS for ages - a fricken LOVE thread!!

The closest he ever came to being populist was writing the Diggers trilogy and that was aimed at kids. What a cheeky bastard to say 'potboilers' off a skim through a few pages. Ignorant too.

The writer's just being a reactionary dick.

what hubris...


if life is so short why rail on a dead author who has done wonderful work you have never read time better spent setting up a dating profile than stroking ones ego.


This article in the OP is not even worth talking about the guys a shill, The thread on the other hand starred and flagged.

So lets convert this thread into a Pratchett praise thread.

I have read many Pratchett books my favourite might have to be Sourcery, Pratchetts prose is fine.

Hehe, Fourecks...jonathan is a lying bastard. another thing I consider important is TP's writings as he went through the stages of Alzheimer's disease. I came across them as a relative of mind was fighting the disease. TP really helped me try to understand what was going on, an I will be forever grateful. Vale.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: Gemwolf

I'm guessing the blogger in question is American.

Many Americans don't understand the dry, dark or whimsical British humour, I'm not too familiar with Pratchett but I am very familiar with Douglas Adams.

"what's so unpleasant about being drunk?"

"Ask a glass of water"

Brilliant.

I'm reading The Hitchhikers Guide at the moment. I do agree with the point about humour. British humour is understood by citizens of the UK, but strangely enough, we Australians also pick up on a lot of it as well. On the whole, I find American humour to be a little crass.

originally posted by: grimfandango

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: Gemwolf

I'm guessing the blogger in question is American.

Many Americans don't understand the dry, dark or whimsical British humour, I'm not too familiar with Pratchett but I am very familiar with Douglas Adams.

"what's so unpleasant about being drunk?"

"Ask a glass of water"

Brilliant.

I'm reading The Hitchhikers Guide at the moment. I do agree with the point about humour. British humour is understood by citizens of the UK, but strangely enough, we Australians also pick up on a lot of it as well. On the whole, I find American humour to be a little crass.

Plenty of Americans get British humor however I think there are a lot of things that we miss because we are not up to speed on Brit pop culture or specific references. Thats just not followed as closely here in the States.
On the whole I agree we are a little more crass and sometimes more vulgar than our friends outside the states.
We do like a good fart joke, although I am always very partial to animals attacking peoples face or the classic kick to the crotch.

a reply to: Gemwolf

I think if a work (be it painting, sculpture, song, dance, novel, or anything) is a work of benevolent creation, then undercutting it in any way or insulting its creator is doing a huge disservice to us all.

Anyone willing to put in the time and effort to create something of positivity in this world should be applauded and encouraged, even if the particular work itself doesn't resonate well with you.

We need more creators on earth, not fewer. There's zero point or benefit towards insulting or demeaning the ones we have.

Despite there being numerous Terry Pratchett threads, this seems like the perfect thread to place this link...........

Terry Pratchett: 50 best quotes

Some humdingers in there, my favourite (in terms of ATS) being:

"The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head".

I also rather like "In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this" - although that may be more to do with being woken up this morning by my cat demanding food by "lovingly" sinking his claws into my head!

ETA:

Also rather like number 15 - "Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages"

a reply to: Flavian

I miss him.His books accompanied and enriched a greater part of my adult life.

I miss him too. I keep holding off reading the last couple books of his I haven't opened yet because I know that when I'm finished, there won't be anymore to look forward to.

Kinda weird, I know.

- AB

a reply to: Gemwolf
He's a scifi writer? Sorry, I've never heard of him. Anyway, it's all subjective. Some people love Dean Koontz. I think he's so so. Almost all his bad guys are the same. The same could be said for the good guys. Some people hate Stephen King. I like his work. You like it so that's all that matters.