I cannot read too many of them in a row, but when I need something different, a Discworld novel is the perfect metaphorical palate refresher. The characters have fantasy aspects, but they illustrate many universal truths of human nature. The humor is wrapped around serious themes. Terry Pratchett does a wonderful job of maintaining the integrity of his absurd world and his characters while keeping everything fresh and creative. You can trust Terry Pratchett to not be too linear and to not be very predictable. Having said that, I read Wee Free Men first, and it made me a fan. There are charts on the internet that will show you the groupings. It is best if you start from the beginning of a grouping and work your way through, otherwise you’ll miss a lot of inside jokes, references, etc. Each book focuses on one of them, although they cross over and pop up in each others’ books all the time. The Discworld novels fall into different categories: Tiffany Aching, Rincewind, the three witches, Sam Vines and the guards, and Death. Once again, Terry Pratchett demonstrates how he is the master of a fantasy sub-genre that probably belongs to him alone. It should be impossible to write such pure nonsense that ends up making great sense. The pace is mad cap, the language is full of puns, the heroes are unlikely, the settings and sidekicks are even more unlikely, and the fun is nonstop. Just kidding! Its Terry Pratchett and Discworld and there is nothing traditional about any of it. Terry Pratchett has written a classic tale of heroes on a quest to save the world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |