Least favourite Discworld book
- Thread starter bikkit
- Start date
Hmmm....just searched through this thread and since nobody else has nominated what I consider the most frustrating DW book for me so far, I feel like I might put a few noses out of joint when I say I didn't much like Reaper Man.
Snowglobes hatching into shopping trolleys and a giant mall appearing in the middle of Ankh Morpork? Really?
I love Pratchett's satire otherwise I wouldn't be here but this seemed to be just plain wrong and it actually wasn't funny. The Windle Poons storyline started off so promisingly too, and I loved the scene with the Wizards trying to make him die with no success. But it petered out very badly.
If it were just a bad book about sentient shopping trolleys I wouldn't have been half as annoyed with it as I was though. The thing is, this bad idea punctuates and interrupts the quite brilliant tale of Death and Mrs Flitworth. It feels like someone's sewn the pages of a pretty terrible kid's story into a touching, well-crafted novel, it really does. And the touching, well-crafted novel - the one I cared about - is damaged because of this.
I think I needed to get that off my chest. It really is, so far, the only DW novel I've not liked. That's pretty good going really, considering I'm halfway through the series.
Snowglobes hatching into shopping trolleys and a giant mall appearing in the middle of Ankh Morpork? Really?
I love Pratchett's satire otherwise I wouldn't be here but this seemed to be just plain wrong and it actually wasn't funny. The Windle Poons storyline started off so promisingly too, and I loved the scene with the Wizards trying to make him die with no success. But it petered out very badly.If it were just a bad book about sentient shopping trolleys I wouldn't have been half as annoyed with it as I was though. The thing is, this bad idea punctuates and interrupts the quite brilliant tale of Death and Mrs Flitworth. It feels like someone's sewn the pages of a pretty terrible kid's story into a touching, well-crafted novel, it really does. And the touching, well-crafted novel - the one I cared about - is damaged because of this.
I think I needed to get that off my chest. It really is, so far, the only DW novel I've not liked.
That's pretty good going really, considering I'm halfway through the series.
I was really surprised to read that a lot of you didn't care for Lords and Ladies. I thought Pratchett's conception of elves was really interesting... how their glamour is a weapon against human self-esteem. And the scenes featuring Granny and Ridcully together are priceless IMHO.
My least favourite Discworld book is definitely Small Gods. I know it has a cult following but I just can't get excited about it...
My least favourite Discworld book is definitely Small Gods. I know it has a cult following but I just can't get excited about it...
least favourite?
Carpe Jugulum which I read once, and haven't been back to. I didn't spot the piece about it being a repeat of Lords and Ladies, but I can see the point.
Thief of Time, which I really couldn't get into. Another once-only book. The History Monks really aren't a good enough joke for a whole book
Lost Continent, another once-only which seemed particularly disjointed.
I Shall Wear Midnight, which appears to have a dose of Niven-itis ( trying to hard to join up things which were originally quite unconnected ) and the Feegles/ Wee Mad Arthur joke is overdone.
Another vote for Reaper Man, where the Windle Poons/ shopping trolley subplot seemed to have no connection with the much better "Death and Miss Flitworth" plot. Death, Miss Flitworth and the Crowned Death is really a good enough plot to stand alone.
I'm not a great fan of the Tiffany Aching books, although the rescue from fairyland is good - the elves are always worth an appearance for me.
I read the "nomes" books when I was younger and liked them at the time, so enough said. Nation doesn't work at all for me. I've never read Dark Side of the Sun etc and I doubt they would work for me at this stage.
Personally, I like Pyramids, it's several good jokes rolled into one, especially the sub-plot about the innumerable contradictory gods, and the quite ingenious time-paradox sub-plots involving Dios, the building contractor and the indefinitely-undying kings in their pyramids.
Maskerade is another favourite, again not really a Discworld book in some ways but very funny.
Carpe Jugulum which I read once, and haven't been back to. I didn't spot the piece about it being a repeat of Lords and Ladies, but I can see the point.
Thief of Time, which I really couldn't get into. Another once-only book. The History Monks really aren't a good enough joke for a whole book
Lost Continent, another once-only which seemed particularly disjointed.
I Shall Wear Midnight, which appears to have a dose of Niven-itis ( trying to hard to join up things which were originally quite unconnected ) and the Feegles/ Wee Mad Arthur joke is overdone.
Another vote for Reaper Man, where the Windle Poons/ shopping trolley subplot seemed to have no connection with the much better "Death and Miss Flitworth" plot. Death, Miss Flitworth and the Crowned Death is really a good enough plot to stand alone.
I'm not a great fan of the Tiffany Aching books, although the rescue from fairyland is good - the elves are always worth an appearance for me.
I read the "nomes" books when I was younger and liked them at the time, so enough said. Nation doesn't work at all for me. I've never read Dark Side of the Sun etc and I doubt they would work for me at this stage.
Personally, I like Pyramids, it's several good jokes rolled into one, especially the sub-plot about the innumerable contradictory gods, and the quite ingenious time-paradox sub-plots involving Dios, the building contractor and the indefinitely-undying kings in their pyramids.
Maskerade is another favourite, again not really a Discworld book in some ways but very funny.
