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David McK (3194 KP) rated Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes in Books
Mar 31, 2023
I don't often read non-fiction - I had enough of that during my school/university days - preferring instead a 'good story'.
I was also going to say that I don't often read biographies.
Except that, truth be told, this is actually the first one that I've ever read (despite attempting, in the past, to start some and then getting bored senseless within about the first 10 pages or so ...)
And also, truth be told, it wasn't one that I was really going out of my way to look forward, except that the late, great Terry Pratchett is/was one of my favourites and that I saw this on sale for something like 99p.
Written by long-term assistant Rob Wilkins, this has been compiled - I think that's the right word - from 'official' notes/memories as provided by Pratchett himself (before his untimely death, in 2015, to a rare form of Alzheimer's) and from personal recollections of Rob himself, covering Pratchett's entire life story from his childhood) where he was told by his headmaster he would never amount to anything and hated reading), right on through to his diagnosis and eventual (unassisted) death.
The last part, in particular, is particularly moving.
I was also going to say that I don't often read biographies.
Except that, truth be told, this is actually the first one that I've ever read (despite attempting, in the past, to start some and then getting bored senseless within about the first 10 pages or so ...)
And also, truth be told, it wasn't one that I was really going out of my way to look forward, except that the late, great Terry Pratchett is/was one of my favourites and that I saw this on sale for something like 99p.
Written by long-term assistant Rob Wilkins, this has been compiled - I think that's the right word - from 'official' notes/memories as provided by Pratchett himself (before his untimely death, in 2015, to a rare form of Alzheimer's) and from personal recollections of Rob himself, covering Pratchett's entire life story from his childhood) where he was told by his headmaster he would never amount to anything and hated reading), right on through to his diagnosis and eventual (unassisted) death.
The last part, in particular, is particularly moving.
David McK (3194 KP) rated American Gods in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I don't get it: what's all the fuss about?
Written by an English-man now living in America, I'm aware that this has won numerous awards and is on the top of many peoples favourite reads, but for me? Not so much.
I found it tedious, dull, and un-involving, with the idea of new and old Gods fighting it out itself done better (and more enjoyably) elsewhere.
I'm sorry, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who asked for a Neil Gaiman book, pointing them instead towards the far superior (IMO) [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328433738s/16793.jpg|3166179] or (even better!) [b:Good Omens|12067|Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Terry Pratchett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392528568s/12067.jpg|4110990].
Written by an English-man now living in America, I'm aware that this has won numerous awards and is on the top of many peoples favourite reads, but for me? Not so much.
I found it tedious, dull, and un-involving, with the idea of new and old Gods fighting it out itself done better (and more enjoyably) elsewhere.
I'm sorry, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who asked for a Neil Gaiman book, pointing them instead towards the far superior (IMO) [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328433738s/16793.jpg|3166179] or (even better!) [b:Good Omens|12067|Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Terry Pratchett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392528568s/12067.jpg|4110990].
The Mysterious World of Cats: The Ultimate Gift Book for People Who are Bonkers About Their Cat
Book
'In ancient times cats were worshipped a gods; they have not forgotten this.' Terry Pratchett Herbie...
David McK (3194 KP) rated Sourcery: Discworld: The Unseen University Collection in Books
Nov 27, 2022
One of the earliest Discworld (#5) books by the late, great, Sir Terry Pratchett, and it shows.
At this point the series was still very much in its infancy; very much still a parody of classic 'Sword and Sorcery' (especially where Rincewind is concerned) instead of the exploration of the human character it would later become.
Everybody has their own favourite 'subseries' of Discworld novels - The Witches, Stand-alones, Industrial Revolution, City Guards, Death - for me, personally, the Rincewind series has also fallen towards the bottom of that ranking (although they do get better around about the time of Interesting Times).
Having said that, it's still interesting to see the beginnings of Pratchett's evolution of the Discworld here - like any great symphony, they all need to start somewhere!
At this point the series was still very much in its infancy; very much still a parody of classic 'Sword and Sorcery' (especially where Rincewind is concerned) instead of the exploration of the human character it would later become.
Everybody has their own favourite 'subseries' of Discworld novels - The Witches, Stand-alones, Industrial Revolution, City Guards, Death - for me, personally, the Rincewind series has also fallen towards the bottom of that ranking (although they do get better around about the time of Interesting Times).
Having said that, it's still interesting to see the beginnings of Pratchett's evolution of the Discworld here - like any great symphony, they all need to start somewhere!
Mothergamer (1514 KP) rated Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8) in Books
Apr 3, 2019
I recently finished reading Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett, the latest book in the Discworld series. The wizards at Unseen University discover a law that states that they must participate in city football games (soccer), but the catch is they can't use any magic. The assistant candle dribbler, Mr. Nutt is brought in to coach this humorous seemingly hopeless team of over the hill wizards. Mr. Nutt is a little odd and seems to be a goblin, but he can't really remember himself. He befriends his candle dribbler boss Trevor Likely whose father was a famous footballer and they strike up an unlikely, but endearing friendship.
I loved this book. The friendship between Mr. Nutt and Trevor makes you smile and even laugh at certain points in the story. Terry Pratchett introduces some new characters like Juliette, Trevor's love interest and assistant cook and Glenda, her supervisor who warns her all the time about men and their ways. There are even cameo appearances by old favorites like Rincewind, the librarian, DEATH, the watch, and even Lord Vetinari.
The pacing starts off a little slow, but it finds its groove and we are told a great story about football, the fans, and the players. We are also shown how wonderful it is when you have friends and loved ones, that see the good in you and because they believe in you, it brings out the best in you. There are also the funny jokes, wit, and social commentary that comes with a Discworld book, overall making it quite an enjoyable read.
If you haven't read Unseen Academicals yet and you are a Discworld fan, I suggest you do. It's a great story and you will find yourself chuckling at various moments.
I loved this book. The friendship between Mr. Nutt and Trevor makes you smile and even laugh at certain points in the story. Terry Pratchett introduces some new characters like Juliette, Trevor's love interest and assistant cook and Glenda, her supervisor who warns her all the time about men and their ways. There are even cameo appearances by old favorites like Rincewind, the librarian, DEATH, the watch, and even Lord Vetinari.
The pacing starts off a little slow, but it finds its groove and we are told a great story about football, the fans, and the players. We are also shown how wonderful it is when you have friends and loved ones, that see the good in you and because they believe in you, it brings out the best in you. There are also the funny jokes, wit, and social commentary that comes with a Discworld book, overall making it quite an enjoyable read.
If you haven't read Unseen Academicals yet and you are a Discworld fan, I suggest you do. It's a great story and you will find yourself chuckling at various moments.
I Shall Wear Midnight: (Discworld Novel 38)
Terry Pratchett and Paul Kidby
7.7
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Book
A man with no eyes. No eyes at all. Two tunnels in his head ...It's not easy being a witch, and it's...
Bex Heber (5 KP) rated Good Omens in TV
Jul 12, 2019 (Updated Jul 13, 2019)
I'm a long time Terry Pratchett fan and whilst I haven't read the book, David Tennant and Micheal Sheen were enough of a selling point. They did not dissapoint; the dynamic they have throughout is both entertaining and endearing. However I think this is in large part a credit to the actors rather than the show.
The writing often missed the mark for me, sometimes only by hair but many of the characters never really managed to find their stride. What surprised me most, is that where this was most felt was in dialogue taken directly from the book. Even watching as someone who hadnt read the book I found it noticable and then later confirmed it by reading The Guardian's review. It appears Neil Gaiman was reluctant to take too many artistic liberties, perhaps in tribute to Prattchett but it seemed to hurt the show as a result.
It worked in places, the opening narration felt distinctly and enjoyably Pratchett-esque but even in this case the narration began to become over bearing as it continued to feature heavily in later episodes.
Saying this, I can't pretend I didn't enjoy the show, watching David and Micheal caper around with ridiculous CGI and yellow contacts to boot was always going to be entertaining and there are moments of brilliance, but given the potential of such a ridiculous plot and ensemble, I found the whole thing mostly forgettable.
The writing often missed the mark for me, sometimes only by hair but many of the characters never really managed to find their stride. What surprised me most, is that where this was most felt was in dialogue taken directly from the book. Even watching as someone who hadnt read the book I found it noticable and then later confirmed it by reading The Guardian's review. It appears Neil Gaiman was reluctant to take too many artistic liberties, perhaps in tribute to Prattchett but it seemed to hurt the show as a result.
It worked in places, the opening narration felt distinctly and enjoyably Pratchett-esque but even in this case the narration began to become over bearing as it continued to feature heavily in later episodes.
Saying this, I can't pretend I didn't enjoy the show, watching David and Micheal caper around with ridiculous CGI and yellow contacts to boot was always going to be entertaining and there are moments of brilliance, but given the potential of such a ridiculous plot and ensemble, I found the whole thing mostly forgettable.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction in Books
Nov 8, 2019
For someone who was as prolific at writing novels as Terry Pratchett he didn't write much in the way of short stories. As he himself comments in this collection of his work this is because 'they cost blood' to write and he wondered how others such as Neil Gaiman could write so many short stories. This is all the more surprising given his grounding in journalism, something that demands producing a story withing a set number of words.
The basis for this seems to be that the nugget of an idea behind a Pratchett book was rarely simple enough to be encapsulated neatly in the short story form; his characters and ideas took time to develop and that's before the addition of the amusing footnotes and his skill at producing pastiche, parody and satire of many different things without the narrative stumbling or swerving.
This collection shows that although relatively few in number, the Pratchett short story was just as fine as could be expected. Sometimes they could be a little rushed to get to the point before the end (best seen in his tale of a gnome from the country that finds other gnomes in a department store - the story that was later rewritten fully as Truckers)
This is also a somewhat eclectic mix. There is the first story that he was paid for about the devil wanting to promote hell, which he wrote at school but it is clear that he already had the flair for writing even then. A few science fiction stories including the prescient and dark #ifdefDEBUG "world/enough" "time" about someone retreating to a virtual reality world. There is the story that formed the first ideas that would eventually become The Long Earth and of course some Diskworld shorts and related notes.
Taken together they show that over a long span of time Pratchett was coming up with great ideas. There is a little uneveness but part of this is due to his writing style being different between Diskworld and his more science fiction based stories (something that confused a lot of Diskworld readers when they read The Long Earth, but goes back even to The Dark Side of the Sun and Strata both of which are very different to Diskworld in tone.
To this end the editors have been wise to have the Diskworld stories as the second half with the 'other' stories at the beginning. This avoids the tone changing too much between stories.
This sounds like it might be for the Pratchett 'completist', like one of those greatest hits albums that comes out with just one or two rare tracks, but really this is a great collection of short stories by any measure. A couple of these are fairly well known - Troll Bridge and Theatre of Cruelty - but there is nothing gratuitous here. And of course there are plenty of laughs and subtle takes on society and humanity.
The basis for this seems to be that the nugget of an idea behind a Pratchett book was rarely simple enough to be encapsulated neatly in the short story form; his characters and ideas took time to develop and that's before the addition of the amusing footnotes and his skill at producing pastiche, parody and satire of many different things without the narrative stumbling or swerving.
This collection shows that although relatively few in number, the Pratchett short story was just as fine as could be expected. Sometimes they could be a little rushed to get to the point before the end (best seen in his tale of a gnome from the country that finds other gnomes in a department store - the story that was later rewritten fully as Truckers)
This is also a somewhat eclectic mix. There is the first story that he was paid for about the devil wanting to promote hell, which he wrote at school but it is clear that he already had the flair for writing even then. A few science fiction stories including the prescient and dark #ifdefDEBUG "world/enough" "time" about someone retreating to a virtual reality world. There is the story that formed the first ideas that would eventually become The Long Earth and of course some Diskworld shorts and related notes.
Taken together they show that over a long span of time Pratchett was coming up with great ideas. There is a little uneveness but part of this is due to his writing style being different between Diskworld and his more science fiction based stories (something that confused a lot of Diskworld readers when they read The Long Earth, but goes back even to The Dark Side of the Sun and Strata both of which are very different to Diskworld in tone.
To this end the editors have been wise to have the Diskworld stories as the second half with the 'other' stories at the beginning. This avoids the tone changing too much between stories.
This sounds like it might be for the Pratchett 'completist', like one of those greatest hits albums that comes out with just one or two rare tracks, but really this is a great collection of short stories by any measure. A couple of these are fairly well known - Troll Bridge and Theatre of Cruelty - but there is nothing gratuitous here. And of course there are plenty of laughs and subtle takes on society and humanity.
Rachel (48 KP) rated Small Gods in Books
May 24, 2017
Funny (4 more)
Philosophy
Fantasy
Terry Pratchett
Excellent fiction
The 13th Discworld book
Small God's is the 13th book in the Discworld series. You do not have to have read any of the other books to understand this one as it features characters that (mostly) only appear in this book.
As with all of Pratchett's work it is a subtle blend of humour and humanity. It uses amazing characters and situations to highlight the hypocrisy and insanity of real life.
This book focuses on Brutha; a 'slow', ordinary monk for the God Om. It is the biggest, and most ruthless, religion in this part of the Discworld.
Brutha is gardening, as he always is (not much use for anything else) when a tortoise literally drops into his life and changes his world......
This book questions the hierarchy of religion, the wisdom of power, philosophy, the righteousness of war and whether a tortoise really does make good eating.
As with all of Pratchett's work it is a subtle blend of humour and humanity. It uses amazing characters and situations to highlight the hypocrisy and insanity of real life.
This book focuses on Brutha; a 'slow', ordinary monk for the God Om. It is the biggest, and most ruthless, religion in this part of the Discworld.
Brutha is gardening, as he always is (not much use for anything else) when a tortoise literally drops into his life and changes his world......
This book questions the hierarchy of religion, the wisdom of power, philosophy, the righteousness of war and whether a tortoise really does make good eating.
Cinnamon
Neil Gaiman and Divya Srinivasan
8.0
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In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess...