Gaiman and Pratchett Recommendations?
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2011-05-12 08:22 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
The first book in the Discworld series is The Colour of Magic (yes, color is intentionally misspelled. Dang Brits can't spell words good no more 
).
Pratchett's DW books in order:
The Colour of Magic
The Light Fantastic
Equal Rites
Mort
Sourcery
Wyrd Sisters
Pyramids
Guard! Guards!
Eric
Moving Pictures
Reaper Man
Witches Abroad
Small Gods
Lords and Ladies
Men at Arms
Soul Music
Interesting Times
Maskerade
Feet of Clay
Hogfather
Jingo
The Last Continent
Carpe Jugularum
The Fifth Elephant
The Truth
Thief of Time
Night Watch
Monstrous Regiment
Going Postal
Thud!
Unseen Academicals
Gaiman's American Gods is solid work that touches on many of the themes that interest him (and Gaiman's a local boy, having settled in Minnesota some years ago).
I assume you've read Good Omens by Gaiman AND Pratchett. The discussion has to start there. American Gods is one of my favorites, as well.
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I's start with Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! They are some of the betters ones of 'Early' Pratchett, i.e. the ones with the not quite settled writing style
From Dark Ones list, I'd say Reaper Man onwards (with the exception of Small Gods...never got that one myself) are the best. In fact, yeah, from Reaper Man on I can't find a single 'bad' one (bad being a non starter here...'Less Good'? )
And Pyramids is good, if a little bit of a one off. But still fun.
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
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Seriously, it took this long for someone to mention Good Omens? My gods, people.|
Originally Posted by PuceNonagon
I assume you've read Good Omens by Gaiman AND Pratchett. The discussion has to start there. American Gods is one of my favorites, as well.
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"Good Omens" was a hysterical read (still my wife's go-to book when she's in a bad mood), and American Gods is probably the my most favorite out of Gaiman's novel work. Stardust comes in as a very close second, if not equal. Some of his short stories are quite excellent (e.g., Monarch of the Glen is a novella sequel to "Gods").
The Graveyard Book is also an engaging read. For young adults, but Gaiman's approach isn't to dumb down good fiction for kids. It's to make it more accessible to kids. You'll appreciate that distinction in GB and Coraline.
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I'd agree with that. IMHO The Witches series and The City Watch series are the better ones in Discworld so starting with them makes sense.
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Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
I's start with Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! They are some of the betters ones of 'Early' Pratchett, i.e. the ones with the not quite settled writing style
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Disagree, at least with the Witches. Those are, IMO, the worst of the lot. They are way too dry and I'm not really a fan of the characters involved, other than Nanny Ogg.|
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
I'd agree with that. IMHO The Witches series and The City Watch series are the better ones in Discworld so starting with them makes sense.
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To divide the books up into the various storylines (in order of publication):
Rincewind the Wizzard
The Colour of Magic
The Light Fantastic
Sourcery
Eric
Interesting Times
The Last Continent
The Witches
Equal Rites
Wyrd Sisters
Witches Abroad
Lords and Ladies
Maskerade
Carpe Jugularum
Death
Mort
Reaper Man
Soul Music
Hogfather
Thief of Time
The Watch
Guards! Guards!
Men at Arms
Feet of Clay
Jingo
The Fifth Elephant
Night Watch
Thud!
Moist von Lipwig
Going Postal
Making Money
Miscellaneous/One Shots
Pyramids
Moving Pictures
Small Gods
The Truth
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (goes between Thief of Time and Night Watch)
Monstrous Regiment
Unseen Academicals
Edit ^ 2 - A suggested reading path.
as for neil. i love almost all of his work, check his short story collections. smoke and mirrors and fragile things. also he did a collaboration with the final fantasy artist, yoshitaka amano called sandman: book of dreams, a nice mix of a Japanese story and neail's sandman universe. really amazing art as well.
also supporting coraline and graveyard book, they are technically "childrens books" but neil goes for the oldschool childrens story mindset of making them sufficiently forboding and dark. one other thing that i found worth reading was a collection of short stories inspired by the sandman mythos called. " The sandman:book of dreams" (yeah, i know, original naming there guys)which is very well written and MAY have been responsible for the retconning of a joke character of mine into one of my favorite bios in game.
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Pratchett is English. We English spell colour with a U, therefore the title of The Colour of Magic IS spelled correctly, so ner! |
Originally Posted by Dark One
The first book in the Discworld series is The Colour of Magic (yes, color is intentionally misspelled. Dang Brits can't spell words good no more
). |
@FloatingFatMan
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My experience is that people either love the Witches books or hate them. They are a somewhat different style from the other series which some people don't enjoy.
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Originally Posted by Dark One
Disagree, at least with the Witches. Those are, IMO, the worst of the lot. They are way too dry and I'm not really a fan of the characters involved, other than Nanny Ogg.
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Ya, and Brits also think everything should be boiled. Like toast and cookies. That doesn't mean it's right.|
Originally Posted by FloatingFatMan
Pratchett is English. We English spell colour with a U, therefore the title of The Colour of Magic IS spelled correctly, so ner!
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Dark One ain't wrong.
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Originally Posted by Dark One
Ya, and Brits also think everything should be boiled. Like toast and cookies. That doesn't mean it's right.
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Webster rules, Queen's English drools! |
Originally Posted by Turgenev
Dark One ain't wrong.
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Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Going to grab Good Omens and American Gods, and pick away at the rest as best I can. That Pratchett boy has written a few books!
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Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Going to grab Good Omens and American Gods, and pick away at the rest as best I can. That Pratchett boy has written a few books!
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I was also surprised at how long it took Good Omens to surface in this thread. Speaking of which - it's apparently being adapted into a 4 part tv series.
Warning:
The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.
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Yeah, when I read Stardust and saw the movie it was based on, I somehow heard he lived in Minnesota (and seems to like it a lot, from comments he has made). Woo! Now if I can only make it as a writer...|
Originally Posted by TrueGentleman
Gaiman's American Gods is solid work that touches on many of the themes that interest him (and Gaiman's a local boy, having settled in Minnesota some years ago).
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For anyone that likes Gaiman and wants to see his fairly humorous response to a Republican in the Minnesota State Senate calling him a "pencil-necked weasel," check out these two links. Minnesota has an arts fund drawn from local taxes and those funds MUST be spent on the arts, and some legislator got annoyed that some of those funds were used to pay Gaiman to speak at a local library. Even though... that's what those funds are supposed to be spent on (and he even donated them to a few different needy places).
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
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You, sir, should be fried. Like a fish.|
Originally Posted by Dark One
Ya, and Brits also think everything should be boiled. Like toast and cookies. That doesn't mean it's right.
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And salted D=<
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
|
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
|
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Well...you are what you eat...|
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
You, sir, should be fried. Like a fish.
And salted D=< |
And can you deny that English cuisine consists of boiling stuff till all the flavor runs out?
Sandman (easy to get in TPB form) is Gaiman's magnum opus.
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Here's a good graphic representation of the Pratchett canon. I'd say start with Guards Guards, Going Postal, or maybe The Truth. |
Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
I am a pretty heavy reader, but I am in need of some lighter fare to go along with my readings of Dostoevsky, Beowulf, etc. I have wanted to dig into Neil Gaiman's and Terry Pratchett's works more, but I haven't been quite sure where to start. Luckily, I have a forum of fellow geeks to help me.
So that's where you come in. What should I read of these two authors? A few things to help out: I do like fantasy and sci-fi (I like Tolkien and Robert Jordan, Orson Scott Card and Timothy Zahn), but I'm not as much of a horror fan (though I can enjoy thrillers and some Stephen King). I think Gaiman has some in this category, but let me know if I'm wrong. Also, I did read Gaiman's Stardust, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I know Pratchett's Discworld stuff are things I should read, but I wasn't at all sure where to start. Is there a book that begins it all best? Also not sure if he has other books that are worth getting into. I know both are pretty prolific, so even an idea of their best or places to start would be helpful. |
http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-...r-guide-20.jpg
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Its actually interesting to read Gaiman and Pratchett tackle essentially the same premise in their own way in American Gods and Small Gods.|
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
with the exception of Small Gods...never got that one myself
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Each in their own way tends to tell stories with big ideas: Gaiman presents them to you bundled in a dense mythology while Pratchett tends to introduce them (at least initially) in a slightly more sneaky manner.
My guess is that the most accessible of Gaiman's works targeted at adults is The Books of Magic limited series, although I think his run on Sandman is ultimately his best work taken in total. I think American Gods is his best novel, although I personally have an affinity for Neverwhere.
The Discworld novels I like the most are ones that balance big themes with dynamic stories that don't get bogged down in too much sidetracking, which does tend to happen often with Pratchett. Reaper Man, Small Gods, Feet of Clay are my personal favorites, but I think the best place to start is either at the beginning: The Colour of Magic or the one I think has the best balance of Discworld mythology, characters plot, and DRAMA, Reaper Man.
The thing about Pratchett is that he tends to write these huge interweaving stories that come to a conclusion, and sometimes the big conclusion misses for me (The Fifth Elephant) and sometimes I get completely lost in the story before I get there (The Last Continent). But there are these scenes in Pratchett that stand out in my memory as being the most powerful in the Discworld, and interestingly they aren't always in my favorite novels. One of the most powerful scenes in all the Discworld novels I think is the scene where Vimes' dis-organizer is telling him what was scheduled to happen in an alternate timeline in Jingo. It still gives me a slight chill when I think about it. Because of that, while I recommend certain Pratchett books, there aren't any I recommend *not* reading, because its really hard to tell what will connect with what reader. I like Soul Music, but many people I know think its one of the weaker novels, for example.
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Gaiman is wonderful, but I've never read much Pratchett. My initial impression was that he was a poor man's Piers Anthony, what with the hyuk-yuk-yuk comedy and the punning in a fantasy setting. What should I read to disabuse me of this notion?
Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a *real* useful invention. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...t-sarcasm.html
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It's comedy, yes. But it's basically a parody of every fantasy type setting ever. For example, no one ever talks about what happens to barbarian adventurers when they get old (presuming they are in fact good enough to GET old). Pratchett tackles that with Cohen the Barbarian...a geriatric still out there adventuring when he should be in a rest home eating a mildly steamed carrot.|
Originally Posted by Yomo_Kimyata
Gaiman is wonderful, but I've never read much Pratchett. My initial impression was that he was a poor man's Piers Anthony, what with the hyuk-yuk-yuk comedy and the punning in a fantasy setting. What should I read to disabuse me of this notion?
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To me, the Watch books are the best of the bunch. But the Moist von Lipwig ones, Small Gods, and Pyramids are right up there.
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The three I mentioned above as my favorites: Reaper Man, Small Gods, Feet of Clay. All three have humor, but all three are about very deep ideas.|
Originally Posted by Yomo_Kimyata
Gaiman is wonderful, but I've never read much Pratchett. My initial impression was that he was a poor man's Piers Anthony, what with the hyuk-yuk-yuk comedy and the punning in a fantasy setting. What should I read to disabuse me of this notion?
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Thanks folks, I put in a few holds at my library on some of the Pratchett works based on your recommendations. I hope that they will be better than the Anthony "Xanth" series which I really enjoyed for the first few, twenty odd years ago. Then I got really bored with them, so hopefully this won't happen.
When I read Good Omens, it seemed to be pretty easy to tell when Gaiman was writing and when Pratchett was writing, so I'm looking forward to reading some of Pratchett's finest!
Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a *real* useful invention. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...t-sarcasm.html
I am a pretty heavy reader, but I am in need of some lighter fare to go along with my readings of Dostoevsky, Beowulf, etc. I have wanted to dig into Neil Gaiman's and Terry Pratchett's works more, but I haven't been quite sure where to start. Luckily, I have a forum of fellow geeks to help me.
So that's where you come in. What should I read of these two authors? A few things to help out: I do like fantasy and sci-fi (I like Tolkien and Robert Jordan, Orson Scott Card and Timothy Zahn), but I'm not as much of a horror fan (though I can enjoy thrillers and some Stephen King). I think Gaiman has some in this category, but let me know if I'm wrong. Also, I did read Gaiman's Stardust, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I know Pratchett's Discworld stuff are things I should read, but I wasn't at all sure where to start. Is there a book that begins it all best? Also not sure if he has other books that are worth getting into.
I know both are pretty prolific, so even an idea of their best or places to start would be helpful.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory