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RathDarkblade

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City Watch
Mar 24, 2015
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Melbourne, Victoria
#4
Interesting and funny. Thanks, Dug! :)

I don't have a favourite Discworld novel. If I had to pick one (or five), I'd pick:

- Maskerade. I've done about 7 years of (light) opera, and I've met my fair share of Senor Basilicas and Christines. That, in itself, is enough to make me laugh and laugh throughout this entire book.

There are also powerful Tear-Jerker scenes here, like Granny's card game with Death, or Nanny's scenes with Walter Plinge below the stage. But it also has some of the funniest scenes in the entire canon, like Granny and Nanny buying "something nobby" for the opera, or Nanny 'arranging' for Granny to accompany her to Ankh-Morpork. And that luncheon scene!!! :mrgreen: With the chocolate pudding - and extra sauce ... :mrgreen:

- Feet of Clay. It's the book that defines golems. And uses a Hebraic font for them. Being Jewish, I love that. Plus Dorfl's defining moment. NO MASTER! =D Plus, Dorfl saves the day. WORDS IN THE HEART CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY. :cry: But they rebuild him. They have the pottery.

Add lots of funny stuff, too. "Slab: jus' say nonononononopleasepleaseAGH."

- The Last Hero. A lot of people don't like Rincewind, but I do. There's something endearing about his haplessness saving the day, if only by accident. He is the antithesis of all those all-powerful magician-types, like Gandalf and Dumbledore, etc., that have their origins with Odin.

Besides, I really like the idea of a not-very-strong-or-smart protagonist. Too many fantasy adventures, up until Discworld, featured an over-muscled-but-not-very-bright warrior-type (Conan, anyone?) as the protagonist. It's nice to see an Everyman as the hero, someone you can root for, someone who doesn't give up despite not being either a strong warrior or a wise mystical wizard. ;) Sure, Tolkien did it first with Bilbo and Frodo, but so what? Why can't Rincewind be part of that tradition?

Throw in Cohen and the Silver Horde, and there's a recipe for a good - nay, great - book.

- The Wee Free Men. The book that introduced us to Tiffany Aching and all those marvellous Feegles. This book is worth it just for No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock ... his introduction scene to Tiffany cracked me up so much. ;)

Just one left??? Um, OK.

- Small Gods. I don't really have to say why, do I? :)
 
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