So Which Discworld Characters Don't You Like?

[Tonyblack]

Agnes/Perdita does get a mention in a later book, but I won't say which.

Also, I'd say that Christine was supposed to be annoying - it was a comment on looks versus talent.

 

[DaveC]

It's perfectly simple, feanor. The Shepherd's Crown is a book that has only been out for less than a week. Lots of people have still to read it and don't want spoilers. And I'm not talking about "gold-sheathed Limited editions and read a sentence a day". A lot of the members haven't even got the hardback yet. This doesn't just go for The Shepherd's Crown, it goes for every Pratchett book when it has first been released. Put yourself in the position of others. If you had been waiting to watch a film or read a book and you wanted to watch or read it without spoilers - and someone then told you a series of major plot-lines, you would, quite rightly be miffed.

Also - quit with the snarky comments. We are all perfectly aware that Terry is dead and won't come back. We are not stupid. We will "read it and enjoy it" and some of us may shed a tear, but we'll enjoy it a lot more if you don't go around the site posting spoilers without warning.

In addition I'd say there are others who may be waiting for the paperback or so to read as the may have either no space or no money for a hardback - TSC is only the third ever hardback novel I've bought, all the rest are paperbacks due to space and budget....so there may be others out there like I used to be to whom spoilers aren't through taking ages tot read but waiting for other reasons. Similar to me not having been to the cinema this year due to parenthood and stuff...

 

[=Tamar]

Which Discworld character do I not like? That's a toughie. [snip] I don't like Anagramma because she's so immature - which makes me admire Tiffany even more, because she puts up with Anagramma's nonsense

I am fairly simplistic about it. I dislike Anagramma because she can't admit it when she's wrong. That's a strong witchy trait (one Granny shares) and theoretically a good thing in moderation, but she hasn't earned the right to it yet. If TIffany were a Ramtops witch, I could imagine her becoming nanny to Anagramma's granny, but that isn't happening.

I wonder what happened to Perdita after CJ. We never see her again after that, I think. Any ideas?

We do see her, though sometimes it's hard to find. Tiny spoiler, really:

Spoiler

She's in The Sea and Little Fishes as well as CJ.

=Tamar

 

[RathDarkblade]

We see Perdita after CJ? I've read CJ. I was wondering what happened to her after that. Yay!!!

*rushes off to read TSaLF again........ I read it a looooooooooooooooong time ago*

By the way, about Christine from Maskerade... I wouldn't mind her so much if she had some redeeming factors. But she doesn't except for her looks.

Anagramma is very annoying because she can't admit that she's wrong... but

Spoiler

in later books she redeems herself a little, at least to Tiffany.

That makes it impossible for me to dislike her.

 

[=Tamar]

Well, I could be wrong about the order of the stories.

Spoiler

TSALF

is kind of an outlier, and could be either before or after CJ.

 

[JamesW]

Nutt. Couldn't stand him.

 

[Antiq]

I really thought about this, but I can't think of ANY character I dislike. I love all of them, good guys, bad guys, all species. I mean, I can dislike the villainy of a villain, but I still like the character. I used to be a bit ho-hum about Rincewind, but he grew on me.
I can't help it, I love everything pTerry ever wrote :happy-cheerleaderkid: I totally lack my normal discrimination there

 

[mirandashell]

Nutt? Remind me?

 

[JamesW]

Nutt, he's the Orc from Unseen Academicals. "Do I have worth?" Is his most asked question.
Hope that helps Miranda.

 

[mirandashell]

Oh yes of course. Why didn't you like him?

 

[JamesW]

I don't know really. He seemed to grate on me, got on my nerves. He seemed to be good at everything he did. I didn't connect with him as a character to any degree.

Maybe if I read the book again I might feel differently.

 

[mirandashell]

Ah, bit too much of a Mary Sue? That's not how I remember him but I do remember that's not my favourite PTerry either.

 

[=Tamar]

I'd say he's more of a Harry Potter, obgu fhcre-areq naq fhcre-wbpx. He's too symbolic. Luckily, like most official protagonists in Pratchett, he's also kind of beside the point. The real heroes are Glenda and Pepe.

 

[RathDarkblade]

"obgu fhcre-areq naq fhcre-wbpx"??? IDGI.

Consider what Nutt had been through:

Spoiler

his family murdered, chained to an anvil, bullied from birth, and having to even disavow and suppress any hint of his orc nature.

Now I've had to put up with a lot of bullying in school (for being somewhat bookish, and also for understanding Shakespeare quicker than the other kids - again, because I was bookish). I also had to put up with some bullying at work (because the new boss was a moron who promoted her own family to positions of power, and who couldn't agree to anything without arguing about it for hours, etc. etc.) But even I can't imagine what Nutt must have gone through: his spirit thoroughly broken, a shell of an orc, no confidence at all. Some might have called him pathetic or sniveling for asking whether he has worth - but then consider what he had been through, and then ask yourself: the Discworld views orcs as monstrous, but who is the real monster? The orcs - or the humans that did this to Nutt?

From this point of view, I think that Unseen Academicals is a powerful and searing indictment of what bullying can lead to. Hopefully it would be studied in schools, so that no-one would be bullied again.

 

[JamesW]

Very good point RathDarkblade. I hadn't thought about it in those terms. I should have really. I was bullied when I was younger and it knocked my confidence for many years.

When I next read UA I will view Mr Nutt with different eyes.

 

[=Tamar]

"obgu fhcre-areq naq fhcre-wbpx"??? IDGI.

Sorry, I forgot that we use spoiler tags instead of ROT13 here.

Spoiler

both super-nerd and super-jock

=Tamar

 

[MrsWizzard]

I can tell you who I used to dislike.

When I first read through them when I was younger (12-15 thereabouts), I really didn't care much for the witches, William deWorde, Tiffany Aching (Feegles included), or Moist von Lipwig. For the witches, I changed my mind after Carpe Jugulum. I didn't really care for the others until I reread their books a couple years later and I began to really like them. Older and new eyes, sorta thing I guess. (I also think I based my dislike of the witches off the fact that they weren't the wizards.)

I don't think there are any main characters I really dislike. I'm kind of disinterested by Victor and Ginger in Moving Pictures. Though I'm sure I could name a few side characters that never really grew on me given time. Off the top of my head, A.E. Pessimal and Angua's family.

I also used to hate the ending of Monstrous Regiment:

Spoiler

When you find out Jackrum is a woman. I thought it was a bit over the top and it boggled me a bit too much.

But I even grew to like that after a reread. I suppose I'm initially really shallow?

 

[Tonyblack]

My opinion has changed through re-readings. I used to really dislike Nanny Ogg, but then I got to appreciate the fact that she was there to keep Granny from getting bored. I didn't like Monstrous Regiment and Small Gods when I first read them - now they are two of my favourites.

 

[Penfold]

To be honest, I had never even considered the bullying aspect of UA until you mentioned it and I think you make a very good point. I will certainly consider this more on my next read through. That is the real beauty of Terry's writing and something not always considered by the critics; there are always so many layers to his work that there is always some new aspect to discover or consider.

I still think someone should send a copy of Small Gods to the Vatican and find out whether the Pope has a sense of humour.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

To be honest, I had never even considered the bullying aspect of UA until you mentioned it and I think you make a very good point. I will certainly consider this more on my next read through. That is the real beauty of Terry's writing and something not always considered by the critics; there are always so many layers to his work that there is always some new aspect to discover or consider.

I still think someone should send a copy of Small Gods to the Vatican and find out whether the Pope has a sense of humour. [/quotE
Penners they already have a copy, they get get a copy of all books to check them out to see what they contain, There was even a vatican priest at the Worldcon his location on the members list said Vatican kin killjjoys just want to see what they can try and ban next, I noticed through history what they can't control/dominate they try to destroy. :twisted: