Lord the Witches are shoite.

Mark

Am I the only one who not only rates the Witches as the worst of the continuing themes, (I'm a fan of the Guards and Independent books alá Monsters Regiment) but actively desires their complete annihilation from the annals of Discworld.

I've never really fully enjoyed a Witches novel, but after starting Witches Abroad yesterday this is really taking the shaven fig. Tisn't even funny! Too many of Nanny Oggs jokes seem rehashed and there isn't nearly enough Greebo (who prawned in Maskerade it must be said.) Looking over my DW memories, every new witch book seems to have engaged my interest till about five eights of the way in (particulary acute in Lords and Ladies), whereupon the books seem to go, without exception, downhill. And Witches Abroad hasn't even got a start decent enough to engage my interest in the first place. The only reason I keep buying them now is to complete the collection.

Boo-urns to the lot of them.

Sarky

It's you. Sorry.

TheSonOfBattles

The Rincewind series of books would be my least favourite. I'm not saying they're bad books, I quite like them, I just find that there the weakest of his books in my opinion.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i dunno.. I go through phases.. sometimes the women just annoy the **** out of me and sometimes i let their idiocy slide and just laugh at the jokes.. but yeah, they would be my least favourite characters

OfflerCrocGod

Umm yes they are my least favourite characters. HATED Monstrous Regiment I think we have hit the wall the rest of the DW books will be like all new WoT books and new Simpson episodes:(, it's terrible but it had to happen sometime inspiration runs out on everyone.

Delphi91

Gotta say I'm a great fan of the witches. There's a piece in "Witches Abroad" I think where they talk about rebuilding broom sticks to benefit long distance travel - serving food etc. It's priceless.!!

Finished "Monstrous Regiment" over Xmas. Really enjoyed it. It smacked of Monty Python in so many places.

My only qualm about the Discworld books is the inexplicable disappearance of the luggage! Where'd it go????

Mike

Sarky

"Make me an alligator sandwich... And don't be long!"

Havelock

Not fond of MR, it was readable, but in comparision to Nightwatch, Fee Men and the others it was so weak.

Witches, I quite like them. Want another witches novel to be honest. Preferably set in Lancrh. And bring back Margrat!

The Luggage is in the Sciences of Discworld (both I believe).

AL][EN

Havent actually ever read the witches books, ive herd quite allot of people talk about the witches books and never have i herd anyone say anything bad about them.

there supposed to be very good anyone know which one is the first of the witches books?

TheSonOfBattles

Wyrd Sisters is the first afaik.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

equal rites is the first one to star any of the witches.. granny weatherwax

innit?

passive

yes. yes it in.

(oops clicked edit by mistake - Truckle)

(okay)

ozt9vdujny3srf

I have to say i thing the witches books do have their moment's, anyways i doubt thaed would be too happy with your slamming oif the witch novels. Dont meddle with thaed, or she'll meddle with you .

Sarky

If there is a problem with the witches, it's that Granny has gotten too powerful. She's beaten witches, elves, vampires, and a relatively small god (The dead count in Witches abroad?)

What else is there to test her and make for an interesting novel?

jongore

The witches have their own quirky humour and I enjoyed them. They are very hard to compare with the guards books (Especialy the more recent ones).

Terry characters have a life and will of their own naother withes book would be a huge undertaking but I for one would look forward to it.

Kalina

I'm half way through Wyrd Sisters, reading the books in chronological order. I'm enjoying it so far, I also loved Equal Rites but I haven't read enough of the books to make comparisons!

bozzie

the witches are the weakest line of dw books still like them but not as good as the rest

gotta say monsterous reg was a little poor in places but still a good read.heres for seeing more of de word

smiles

I hate rincewind (just bad bad bad stuff)
I love the guards

The witches are ok

<< Fio >>

Kalina

Granny, Nanny and Magrat did a pretty good job at the end of Wyrd Sisters, looking forward to reading the next witches book.

GreenHell

Carpe Juglam the one with the Witches and reformed Vampires is one of my favour discworld books, never really got into the other witches books.

Nevyn

all of the discworld books are a parody of life as we know it on this not so flat earth.

so you would needto have a certain common frame of refernce to get some of the books.

ie musicals in maskerade,
vampires in carpe jugglum
crime series for the watches books

if you dont get the witches books thne you dont know enough about, witches alternate spirituallity, old cutoms or just women

Seamie

I gotta say, I loved Monstrous Regiment. The humour was less laugh out loud than alot of the discworld books, but I think it worked really well as a serious satire on war. I particularly loved the fact that Death was only in it as a seeming hallucination (despite loving the character). It added a finality to the deaths of the soldiers, and thus an extra seriousness to the situation. I really think Pratchett has grown from a purely humourous writer, taking the piss out of the fantasy genre into a satirist of of almost Swiftian proportions.

echomadman

ie musicals in maskerade,
vampires in carpe jugglum
crime series for the watches books

if you dont get the witches books thne you dont know enough about, witches alternate spirituallity, old cutoms or just women

Lo Thaed, long time no see.

I think i said something similar to this in an older thread.
The witches books may not be as immediately funny as ones that reference more "pop" culture.
I find more funny bits in all the books as i re-read the collection, as my mental reference library get bigger.

article6

The only Witches books I really enjoyed were Carpe Jugulum (brilliant) and Maskerade. They've always seemed more limited than, say, the Guards series with its affirmative action references, or even Rincewind, who at least got to go to Fourecks. "The Sea and Little Fishes" wasn't bad though - maybe they work better in a short story than a novel.

jongore

I have to say I have yet to read a book from Terry which I didn't enjoy.
The witches where the first books I read by Terry and I enjoyed every one of them. They have there own quirky humour and although not as polished as the later guards books they are unfer no circumstances 'shoite'

Macseamusa

i think the witches books are alright, but as some one said Granny is too powerful, whats she gonna do next. Personally i think the rincewind books are great, i think his philosopy of running away is hilarious sometimes and the fact that he learnt one of the most powerful spells on the disc is class. I never liked magrat tho, much preferred nanny

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

it's not that I don't *get* the witches books, it's just that I don't like women..

Chowley

ach the Witch books are awful I cant read them Id rather just read a Guards/wizrdards or one of the other DW books, please never write another witches book again Pratchett

jongore

Terrys next book is about a witch:D,the main character is supposed to be Tiffany Aching from Wee Free Men, I can't wait.

article6

Originally posted by jongore
Terrys next book is about a witch:D,the main character is supposed to be Tiffany Aching from Wee Free Men, I can't wait.

Seriously? I might actually like that one. As long as the Wee Free Men themselves are in it... they were in Carpe Jugulum, after all, so who knows...

Talliesin

Lord and Ladies is by far my favourite Diskworld book; it's the one that's most like real life.

Fysh

I don't think there's any one series that's inferior to the rest overall - I've found that each series has its own dodgy books, although I don't see how any further Watch or Rincewind books could be anything other than crap. Hat Full Of Sky was an interesting new perspective on the witches that worked very well, as far as I'm concerned, but I have the sneaky feeling that the future of Discworld (however much of a one it has left) is in "independent" books a la The Truth, Monstruous Regiment or Going Postal, since Pterry seems to be more into using the DW as a vehicle for his satire/social commentary these days (just compare Monstruous Regiment [which I found interesting first time round, but unreadable for any subsequent attempts] or Going Postal [just finished reading it first time round, we'll see if it stands the test of time] to older "independent" books like Pyramids or Small Gods. Maybe it's just me but the focus seems to have shifted from "story with commentary/satirical aspects" to "commentary and satire with occasional bits of story and just about enough setting to justify calling it a DW novel").

Since I'm too lazy to go and look at L-Space, anyone care to tell me what the next book is and who's in it?

Blitzkrieger

omg that's an old thread.

ozt9vdujny3srf

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Umm yes they are my least favourite characters. HATED Monstrous Regiment I think we have hit the wall the rest of the DW books will be like all new WoT books and new Simpson episodes:(, it's terrible but it had to happen sometime inspiration runs out on everyone.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you, Going postal.

But yes, Monstrous regiment was poor in comparison to most of the other DW books.

OfflerCrocGod

Jay Fit Knot wrote:

Ladies and gentleman, I give you, Going postal.

Umm yes.... it was good but not as good as his best books ( from Men At Arms to The Last Continent ) You see a perfect Pratchett book has a brilliant story and very quirky funny dialog. He had the story but it was a bit dark for the humour to stand out, a good book but not one of the best.

Hogfather:

"Did you check the list?"
YES. TWICE. ARE YOU SURE THAT'S ENOUGH?
"Definitely."
COULDN'T REALLY MAKE HEAD OR TAIL OF IT, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. HOW CAN I TELL IF HE'S BEEN NAUGHTY OR NICE, FOR EXAMPLE?

"They always gives me bath salts," complained Nobby. "And bath soap and bubble bath and herbal bath lumps and tons of bath stuff and I can't think why, 'cos it's not as if I hardly ever has a bath. You'd think they'd take the hint, wouldn't you?"

In short, Death came out of the stove. Exactly how would be difficult to describe without folding the page.

Last Continent:

Rincewind had always been happy to think of himself as a racist. The One Hundred Metres, the Mile, the Marathon -- he'd run them all.

Ridcully flailed at a passing shark. "They won't attack you if you make a lot of noise and splash around," he said.
"I thought that's when they will attack you, sir," Ponder called out.
"Ah, an interesting practical experiment," said the Dean, craining to watch.

I love that kind of writing but Going Postal was, like Nightwatch, darker and more serious then a normal Discworld book. I enjoy the story but I prefer it when it's lighter and weirder

Kain

I thought that the witches were pretty good, i like that they have there own personallites that seem to clash against each other, or rather mainly Nanny ogg's and Granny Weatherwax's.
I didn't like Twoflower in the first to books, he just seemed to be a bit to stupit if you ask me. Although i still did like the first 2 books. I didn't like Pyramids (i'm probably going to be hung by the balls for that!) i just couldn't get with the characters.

ozt9vdujny3srf

Aye offler the style has changed slightly and the books have become darker but i still think saying DW is going the way of the simpsons is a bit much!

OfflerCrocGod

Jay Fit Knot wrote:

Aye offler the style has changed slightly and the books have become darker but i still think saying DW is going the way of the simpsons is a bit much!

Maybe I am panicking a bit

A.S.H.

To through my €0.02 in I found with books 16 - 24 (very roughly guessing) a lot of it was funny but the story would slump and I would maybe even put it down and go to sleep as it was late and I had to be up. However it seems he has gotten his 2nd (3rd,4th maybe even 5th) wind and Going Postal was really well done, I found a little hard to get into to start with but by page 50 was hooked and didn't want to stop. I find the witche's series to be quite like that where often the middle part is quite sloggish or there's a couple of the subplots that are not as interesting. Hat full of sky was a good take on the witches and it's nice to see Granny through Tiffany's eyes. He has certainly grown from writeing jokes with a story to hang onto to writing involving satirical stories with some very witty jokes to lighten it up. I really liked Night Watch and loved how he took Vimes away from being uberpowerfull with so much backup to call on and showing him making it on his own.

Tranzz

My favorite is "Mort" maybe because thats the first one I read but I've read all his books now and I don't think theres any I disliked

Oh yeah and "Wee Free Men" was classsssssssss