SPOILERS Eric Discussion **Spoilers**

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=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
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That's terrible! It totally changes the mood of the end! At the very least, Sir Terry's agent should be informed of the unauthorized edit.
 
Re:

Quatermass said:
Speaking of which, does the name Vassenego actually mean anything in Italian?

In Italian I don't know but in German, pronounced in native German tongue, it slightly sounds like "Wassen Ego!", literally translated "What an ego!" (I don't know if there is a similar cry of despair in English), meaning somebody with a very very big self-confidence who wants to climb the ladder very very fast (and often also may be very selfish, an egoist).

So this name to me at least always has been a telling name, if Terry has been conscious about this or not. :laugh:
 
Jul 27, 2008
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UnseenAcademical88 said:
Tonyblack said:
Bouncy Castle said:
Try emailing Lynsey Dalladay at Transworld?

Or contact her on Twitter, which I believe she's on?
As UA88 pointed out, Bouncy - Eric isn't published by Transworld. ;)
According to Amazon, Eric was originally published by a publisher called Gollancz. I'm not sure if they published a lot of the early Discworld books or not before Transworld started doing it.
UA, Gollancz was a big independant publisher in London before it was sold to Orion Books they published all the Discworld books up to Jingo and the last Hero after Colin Smythe stopped, and they are doing The Discworld Collector’s Library but only up to Jingo.
 

pip

Sergeant-at-Arms
Sep 3, 2010
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I liked Eric as well. First time round I read it in the non illustrated format and found it to be an enjoyable shortish book.
 
Nov 28, 2014
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Who knew a book discussion would focus so heavily on formatting issues? :laugh:

It's a strange one for me. I enjoy it a lot but it comes off the back of three GREAT novels. It's difficult not to read it in one sitting.

I get the impression it was an idea that tickled Terry and he just ran with it as a bit of fun. It's an enjoyable book, but nowhere near the standard of Guards! Guards! or Moving Pictures to come.

I've more thoughts on it here if you are stuck in the office and bored as hell. I know I am!
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
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pratchettjob said:
I get the impression it was an idea that tickled Terry and he just ran with it as a bit of fun. It's an enjoyable book, but nowhere near the standard of Guards! Guards! or Moving Pictures to come.

I've more thoughts on it here if you are stuck in the office and bored as hell. I know I am!
If I recall correctly, Eric was said to have been done mostly to give Josh Kirby a chance to do more than just a cover picture. Still, I think there was a bit more than that to it. If nothing else, it fits nicely into the UK tradition of panto, even using some of the catchphrases. It also manage to pick up many of the Disc's creation myths.
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
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Eric does another thing, fairly subtly. It follows the Octavo's confusion about what came first in the process of creating the Discworld - there's a big hiss, another hiss, an egg, a musical twang, a second musical twang, the spells themselves, and so on. That part can be meta-read as a description of the process of creative writing as well, even to the question of which bit to change, and where there might be a bit of ropy filling-in.
 

RathDarkblade

Moderator
City Watch
Mar 24, 2015
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I'm not sure why anyone else hasn't mentioned it, but I found the part about the Tezuman Empire to be a riot. Then again, I must confess to be something of an "amateur expert" on pre-Columbian (or, to be more precise, pre-Cortesian) Mesoamerican cultures. So. ;)

I always loved this bit:

Terry Pratchett said:
"I'm going to complain about this, demon," moaned Eric. "You just wait till my mother finds out. My parents have got influence, you know."

"Oh, good," said Rincewind weakly. "Why don't you tell the high priest that if he cuts your heart out, she'll be right down to the school tomorrow to complain."
Not to mention Quezovercoatl. What a pun! :doh: :laugh:

The parody of the Trojan war is also well done, and I like the bit about "living forever". However, the highlight for me is the trip through hell. All in all, a fairly enjoyable (if short) book - but I can understand that, with three other books coming out in the same year, Pterry presumably didn't have time to devote his full attention to this one. Oh well! :whistle:

By the way, this one gains enormously from Stephen Briggs's adaptation on audiobook (as do them all, but particularly this one). I consider Stephen's adaptation to be far superior to Tony Robinson's, mainly because Tony's adaptations are always cut heavily to fit on three CDs, which means that a lot of funny material is cut. However, the early books (read by Nigel Planer) are also very well done, and usually much more whimsical. Despite this, Stephen brings some much-needed gravitas to his portrayal of Vetinari and Death - whereas Nigel's Death sounds vaguely like a parody of Himself, with lots of echo. ;)

Anyway, that's my (relatively) short review of Eric! :)
 

RathDarkblade

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Mar 24, 2015
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Re: the Trojan Horse (Explanation) plus other things!

“Tonyblack“ said:
I must admit that the story of the Trojan Horse never made a lot of sense to me either. Terry’s version works much better. :laugh:
It’s 6 years later, but I believe I can explain this because I’ve done A LOT of reading about the Trojan Wars etc. :)

The mythological explanation, in short, is that the Trojans worshipped Poseidon. As well as being the god of the sea, Poseidon was also the god of horses. So when the Greeks “left” and left behind a giant wooden horse, the Trojans considered it to be a peace offering - which is why they brought it inside their city, to celebrate. “We won the war! Yay!” :p

The more prosaic (but also more interesting) explanation comes from military technology. It’s possible that the Trojan Horse was a reference to the battering ram, a siege weapon. This was basically a long and thick wooden pole, long enough to be grasped by 5 or 6 people, and swung against wooden doors to bash them in. The end of the ram was usually decorated with iron animal heads - normally a ram (which is why it’s called a battering ram), but it could be a horse or anything else. Here’s what it (may have) looked like:

Number 1
Number 2
Number 3

Please note, of course, that no battering ram in history ever looked like Grond. :p
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Incidentally, earlier today I had a “facepalm” moment. At one point during Eric, the parrot tells Rincewind that Eric’s grandfather always tried to conjure up a succubus, but that “it never worked; all he ever got was a Neuralger.” (It’s a demon that comes and has a headache at you).

For years, the name “Neuralger” bugged me because I was sure that I’d heard it before, and was never sure where. I finally figured it out... it’s a reference to neuralgia, isn’t it? ;)

Groan... *headdesks* ;)
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RathDarkblade

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Mar 24, 2015
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I have a question! :) (Don't worry, it's short). ;)

I recently re-read "The Capture of Cerberus" (from "The Labours of Hercules", by Agatha Christie). In the short story, Poirot has to go to a nightclub called "Hell", created by his good friend, Vera Rossakoff. So, the following 'bit' reminds me of "Eric" ...

At eleven that evening Hercule Poirot passed through a doorway over which a Neon sign discreetly showed one letter at a time.

A gentleman in red tails received him and took from him his coat.

A gesture directed him to a flight of wide shallow stairs leading downwards.
On each step a phrase was written.

The first one ran: "I meant well."

The second: "Wipe the slate clean and start afresh."

The third: "I can give it up any time I like."

"The good intentions that pave the way to Hell," Hercule Poirot murmured appreciatively. "C'est bien imaginé, ça!"
Sounds familiar? Near the end of "Eric", Rincewind and Eric observe the steps-with-good-intentions when they come out of Hell. ;)

Maybe Terry "borrowed" the idea, or maybe it came to him on its own. What do you think, hmm? :)
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
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Jul 25, 2008
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I think the saying "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" outdates Christie, so maybe it's a case of both Christie and Terry using this saying. It certainly is a pretty obvious pune for a writer to use.
 

RathDarkblade

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Mar 24, 2015
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The saying definitely predates Christie, but I don't think I saw this pune recreated literally - except in "Eric" and in Christie. :)

That's why I thought that IF (that's a big if) Terry didn't think of it on his own, he may have "borrowed" the idea. But there's no shame in that. Writers borrow ideas all the time. ;)
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
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2,900
Do not underestimate the creativity of writers. I once read three novels, published in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s respectively, that all had the same premise. Different authors, totally different treatment, not famous books at all, and vanishingly unlikely to have influenced each other.
 

RathDarkblade

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City Watch
Mar 24, 2015
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A question here about this book - specifically, about this quote from "Eric" (the speakers are, respectively, Astfgl and Vassenego):

"And carpets? I mean, wall to wall--?"

"The walls have had to be moved apart especially to accommodate them all, sire. And thick pile, sire? Whole tribes of pygmies are wondering why the light stays on at night, sire!"
Sorry, I don't get it. :( It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know what this means?
 

raisindot

Sergeant-at-Arms
Oct 1, 2009
5,125
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Boston, MA USA
A question here about this book - specifically, about this quote from "Eric" (the speakers are, respectively, Astfgl and Vassenego):



Sorry, I don't get it. :( It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know what this means?
Without seeing more of the quoted conversation, my guess is that it's a joke about static electricity. Thick pile rugs would generic more static electricity, perhaps enough to power a light indefinitely?
 

RathDarkblade

Moderator
City Watch
Mar 24, 2015
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Hmm. Astfgl has just been promoted to Supreme Executive Life President of Hell (basically, kicked upstairs where he can't interfere or do any damage). ;)

There's nothing more in the conversation about the carpets, though -- although it's mentioned earlier in Eric that Astfgl has been making very unpopular changes in Hell, like (fake) potted plants, coffee machines that make coffee that tastes like cat's pee, etc. The most noticeable change is the lack of any fires or physical tortures (because souls don't have any nerves and so can't feel physical pain), and the introduction of mental torture (e.g. a demon showing souls endless boring pictures of itself on holiday, and commenting on them in an endless monotone voice). ;)
 

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