From: foresthouse	Date: March 13th, 2008 05:45 pm (UTC)		(current file)

Oh, Terry = LOVE. He is so, so awesome, as are his books. If you need any recs for where to start, I'll be glad to try and help. Once you get into one of his books, it goes very quickly.

You know I'm Vice Chair of a 2009 convention to honor him and Discworld, right? (Also, he has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, which is what prompted his donation. It makes me so very sad.)

What are you reading by Neil? Neil also = LOVE and awesomeness. :)

	From: library_of_sex	Date: March 13th, 2008 05:58 pm (UTC)		(current file)

I'm reading American Gods, which started off kinda slow and extremely bizarre (at least to me) but has gotten more exciting as it's continued.

I'll definitely read some Pratchett soon since you sound so enthusiastic! What do you recommend as a starter?

	From: foresthouse	Date: March 13th, 2008 06:43 pm (UTC)		(current file)

Re: Neil, yes, American Gods starts slow and then gets more interesting. :) You should also check out Neverwhere, and some of his short stories.

Re: Terry - well, there are a variety of ways to approach the series. They are a series but also stand alone as individual books. I think the first book where to really love it you have to have read prior books is probably Night Watch.

You can start at the beginning (The Colour of Magic) which is a good book but is not his most developed or polished - more a straight parody of fantasy stories (It was published 25 years ago, so not surprising that the books have developed since then!). Most fans don't recommend new people start there *because* it's not quite as representative of his complete talent, but it is a fun book. You can start with the first of the Death-related books, which is Mort - Death decides to get an apprentice - it's short, and a favorite of mine from early in the series. You can start with the first of the City Watch books - Guards, Guards - which features My Favorite Character Ever I Love Him Liek Whoa, Samuel Vimes. Or there's always Small Gods - a Discworld book that fits in the series but isn't in any "group" like the wizards, witches, Watch, or Death books - that is a very interesting and funny take on religion. OR (finally) you can start with Soul Music, which is the first one I ever picked up. It worked for me; maybe it will work for you! Heh. I've heard tell that whatever works for one person as a starter doesn't always work for another, but...those are some good ones to try. I'd also recommend any of the later Granny Weatherwax/witches books, but the best of those are from the latter part of the series. Some of my absolute favorites are from the tail-end (Night Watch, Carpe Jugulum, The Fifth Elephant, The Truth, Thud, etc.) but since they *are* from the tail-end, they might assume the reader knows a bit more about the characters.

Enjoy!

	From: library_of_sex	Date: March 13th, 2008 07:54 pm (UTC)		(current file)

I think I'll check out The Colour of Magic, then. I just wanna start from the beginning of the series because that's just the kinda lady I am. Thanks so much for all that info!

	From: foresthouse	Date: March 18th, 2008 06:05 pm (UTC)		(current file)

Have fun! :)