SPOILERS The Colour of Magic Discussion *Spoilers*

[Cheery]

Plus, the early novels feel very fresh. I don't mean that the later novels feel stale, it's just a different vibe. The later novels are more grown-up, in a way. I read the later novels for feels, action the clever jibes at humanity. And the earlier ones for the colourful, chaotic fun and chuckle-moments.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Hmm ... I thought TLF had a stronger plot than TCoM. TCoM tends to ramble on a bit, but that's OK because Pterry was finding his feet in the Discworld and thinking about where he could go with it.

Some bits (like Cohen the Barbarian) became long-term features that recurred again and again. Others -- like the Wyrmberg -- did not. But they were fun.

 

[Cheery]

I am imagining what different characters would do if they ended up at the Wyrmberg, some possibly very funny scenarios xD

 

[RathDarkblade]

Vetinari would probably:

1. Either get it shut down as a threat to A-M; OR

2. Organise it better. For a start:
a. No uncertainty. Either dragons exist or not.
b. A definite end to the squabbling and infighting.

The rest is up to Vetinari. If he wanted to run Wyrmberg as a classic evil tyrant -- dragon rotas! On Tuesdays, you, you and you fly down to terrorise these villages. On Wednesdays, you, you and you do.

OR, if he wanted to run it for the good of everything -- no dragon flying unless necessary! And dragons can now only be used to start bonfires!
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Carrot would definitely try to arrest everybody, while Vimes would be aghast.
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Moist von Lipwig would boss people around and run the whole thing more efficiently, but with lots of charisma (as he usually does). But then, giving Moist that much power is a frightening thought.
==============================
Nobby and Colon would flee ... and maybe run into some knights on a holy quest. =P
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Rincewind would roll his eyes wearily and say "What, again?" while Twoflower takes pictures busily in the background.

... and so on ...

 

[Cheery]

I love all of those

 

[raisindot]

On the other DW forums I frequent, there seems to be a correlation between favorable opinions of the first two books and how much one likes Rincewind in general. Personally, I find him and the the Rincewind books to be tired repetitive glorified travelogues and Rincewind himself a one-joke character who doesn't develop at all. I'm very glad that the first DW books I read were those in what I call his masterpiece period (for me that period starts with Feet of Clay and ends with Thud!). If I had started with COM I probably would never would have finished it or go on to other books in the series.

 

[Cheery]

There's a good point you're bringing up. I find Rincewind a delightful potato wizard. And the joke doesn't get old for me. But if you don't like Rincewind, then I see that those books really aren't enjoyable. Since he's front and center.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Er, Cheery: what do you mean by "potato wizard"? *curious* Are you referring to his love of potatoes, or do you mean what they call "hedge wizard" (i.e. a wizard who does not specialise in any form of magic - unlike diviners, summoners etc.)?

 

[Cheery]

I am referring to his love of potatoes xD

 

[RathDarkblade]

Aha! Then you might like this, Cheery: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/467459636295320953/

 

[Cheery]

Aha! Then you might like this, Cheery: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/467459636295320953/

You're right, I love that. xD Especially his face. Ready to murder that spud.

 

[Mixa]

Vetinari would probably:

1. Either get it shut down as a threat to A-M; OR

2. Organise it better. For a start:
a. No uncertainty. Either dragons exist or not.
b. A definite end to the squabbling and infighting.

The rest is up to Vetinari. If he wanted to run Wyrmberg as a classic evil tyrant -- dragon rotas! On Tuesdays, you, you and you fly down to terrorise these villages. On Wednesdays, you, you and you do.

OR, if he wanted to run it for the good of everything -- no dragon flying unless necessary! And dragons can now only be used to start bonfires!
==============================
Carrot would definitely try to arrest everybody, while Vimes would be aghast.
==============================
Moist von Lipwig would boss people around and run the whole thing more efficiently, but with lots of charisma (as he usually does). But then, giving Moist that much power is a frightening thought.
==============================
Nobby and Colon would flee ... and maybe run into some knights on a holy quest. =P
==============================
Rincewind would roll his eyes wearily and say "What, again?" while Twoflower takes pictures busily in the background.

... and so on ...

hahaha I'd love to see all of this I actually reread "The colour of magic" a few weeks ago and I didn't remember a thing about Wyrmberg! I totally agree with everything the three of you said... You can actually tell this book is the beginning of someting with a great potential. I'm not a massive fan of Rincewind myself, but, on the other hand, this time I enjoyed it far more than the first time I read it

Mx

 

[Tonyblack]

I'd been a big fan of Anne McCaffery's Dragonrider books before I read Discworld, so the Wyrmberg was a hoot to me.

 

[Cheery]

I've relaunched a "reading all the books in publication order" attempt and I'm currently fascinated with all the worldbuilding tidbits in Colour of Magic. Like the one about the seasons:

Because of the way the sun and the spinning disc interact (which I absolutely cannot visualize, it confuses me completely XD), the Discworld has 8 seasons, 2 of each type. So you get things like Autumn Prime and Winter Secundus. And there's a Hogswatch and a New Hogswatch. And the year is 800 days long.

I think Pterry either never mentioned it again or scrapped the idea, because I don't think there's ever another mention in any of the books.

Or maybe (just hear me out on this) the inhabitants of the Disc went "Ok this whole winter secundus and New Hogswatch thing is stupid. Let's just split the year into two!"

So now functionally, it's "one year", but factually it's half an "astrological year" Like, "a year" is 400 days and an "astrological year" is 800 days.

Some hardcore astrologists still count 2 years as 1 year and confuse everyone in the process.

But yeah, the most likely explanation is that Pterry scrapped it because, while it's a very fun detail, it has almost no bearing on any of the stories.

 

[Molokov]

I think it's mentioned again in one of the spin-off bits of material (either the Almanack or the UU Diary), and it definitely rates a mention in the Companion. But yes, although the academics at UU might treat the full astronomical year as 800 days and have the 8 seasons, the vast majority of people work on the agricultural calendar (plant, grow, harvest, brrrr it's too cold) so that's the generally accepted "year" by most people.

I'm sure the philosophers and wizards can argue it's incorrect, but they're not the ones growing the food, and so in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter

 

[RathDarkblade]

...it doesn't matter

... which reminds me of a very old joke:

What is mind? No matter.
What is matter? Never mind.

I guess that's the farmers' attitude to the 800-day year:

What do wizards know, eh? No matter.
What's the 800-day long year? Never mind.