Terra's World
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Terra, which Neil Gaiman said reminded him of Douglas Adams,Terry Pratchett and Roald Dahl, launched...
Black Dog
Book
A special illustrated edition of Black Dog by bestselling storytelling legend, Neil Gaiman. This...
The Science of Discworld
Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen
8.5
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This is the fantastic first book in the Sunday Times bestselling Science of Discworld series. When a...
Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Stories
9.0
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Focus on a planet revolving in space ...Focus in on a small country in the northern hemisphere -...
The Monarch of the Glen
8.0
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A special illustrated edition of The Monarch of the Glen by bestselling storytelling legend, Neil...
David McK (3194 KP) rated Maskerade (Discworld, #18; Witches #5) in Books
Mar 28, 2021 (Updated Aug 19, 2023)
So, around the time of the likes of 'Lords and Ladies, 'Small Gods', and this one, in other words.
(and I've just realised that 2/3rds of those books quoted concern The Witches Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax)
In this one, and following Magrat marriage to King Verence, the Witches find themselves down to a duo instead of a trio, and - since you can't have a coven of two ("When shall we ... two ... meet again ....") - are in need of a replacement (well, so Nanny Ogg thinks).
Said replacement is the first appearance of Agnes Nitt who, unfortunately (from their perspective) has moved to the city of Ankh-Morpork and joined the Opera.
Cue Pratchett's take on 'The Phantom of the Opera' (which, when I first read this, I'd never actually seen) ...
David McK (3194 KP) rated Johnny and the Dead (Johnny Maxwell #2) in Books
May 27, 2023
Which, primarily albeit not exclusively, are aimed towards a more adult audience.
However, during the 1990's, he also wrote a trilogy of novels that were aimed at the younger audience, starting with Only You Can Save Mankind and ending with Johnny and the Bomb, with this one tucked away nicely in the middle. These novels have become known as the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, following the same core characters as Johnny Maxwell (obviously) and his friends Yo-less, Wobbler and Big Mac.
In this one, Johnny learns that the local cemetery is about to be demolished, which comes as news to the residents of said cemetery (who only Johnny is able to see - I kept waiting for the 'I see dead people' gag, before realising this was released before the movie 'The Sixth Sense'), and leading to a local outcry over the same.
It hits different now, 30 years on from when I first read it (due to life events).
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction
9.0
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The View from the Cheap Seats draws together myriad non-fiction writing by international phenomenon...
David McK (3194 KP) rated Equal Rites: Discworld Novel 3 in Books
Oct 17, 2021
It's also somewhat obvious that Pratchett is still settling into his groove here; still finding his feet as an author, and still expanding upon the actual Discworld itself - there's little, here, in the way of the footnotes that some of the later entries have in abundance, while there are also aspects of Unseen University and of the races that live on the Disc that, shall we say, 'mutate' in those later entries - this is well before the time of, say, Mustrum Ridcully, with the UU itself and the wizards who inhabit it come across very different than they do later.
That, by the by, is not a knock - more of an observation.
The plot in this one involves Granny Weatherwaxes first student, Eskarina Smith, who - due t0 a mixup at birth - is destined to become the Discs first female Wizard - a profession previously only practiced by those of the male sex.
But, you know what they say (apparently), 'nary a slip twixt cup and lip' ...