Terry Pratchett
Amazon Price: $10.17
List Price: $14.95
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Harper Paperbacks
Amazon Marketplace: 41
new & used starting at $8.76
|
Buy at Amazon.com
|
Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> History & Criticism -> Criticism & Theory -> General
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> History & Criticism -> Criticism & Theory -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16
Average rating: 3.5 of 5
A Re-hash 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
This is just a compilation of discworld quotes, etc. Nothing original, which is fine if that's what you're looking for.
Making Money [fom the fans!] 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
I should say up front that this is not a real review since I haven't actually *read* that book! All I have done is leafed through it at my local bookstore, but that was enough to form a strong opinion on it.
The quotes are nicely reprinted and they are (as of 2007...) current, since all books up to Making Money are included. I did notice (like others have pointed out already) that many "fan favorites" are missing - the omission of the "we're on a mission from Glod" quote being a glaring example. Maybe Stephen Briggs wanted to save space to include some of the lesser-known quotes? It's an interesting approach - which would aim this book at dedicated Discworld fans who already know the famous quotes by heart.
What bothers me a lot though is that MOST OF THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK IS ALREADY IN PUBLIC DOMAIN! I am of course referring to the PQF (Pratchett Quote File) and APF (Annotated Pratchett File) available on the L-Space Web (any Discworld fan knows that URL, right? Otherwise, Google is your friend!) These files have been compiled, discussed and edited over the years by loyal Discworld readers. I didn't contribute personally to them, but I strongly feel that Stephen Briggs has literally stolen that work of love to Make Money from it. I appreciate a lot of his Discworld work (such as the awesome Mapps and the stage plays) but with this book Stephen Briggs has crossed a moral line!
So, what do I think overall of this book?
It's a great book for the CASUAL Discworld fan. It would also make a perfect gift to introduce a friend to the Pratchett sense of humor.
I would not recommend it to the SERIOUS Discworld collector though. There is just not enough substance in that book. The The New Discworld Companion (Gollancz) would be a much better choice (I'm aware that it has a completely different content, it's just an example of more thoughful Discworld by-product).
As for the FANATIC Discworldian - well, he's going to buy this book no matter what the reviews say anyway!
* 5 stars for the quotes themselves
Well, duh. The best quotes from the Master himself!
* 3 stars for content and presentation
Someone having such a direct access to Terry Pratchett himself could and should have done better - how about comments from PTerry on particular quotes? A study of the evolution of the quotes since the early books?
* 1 star for the total lack of respect to the Discworld fans.
See above.
Total using arcane fuzzy maths including "gut feeling": 2 stars.
Editorial Review:
A flat planet traveling through space carried by four elephants balancing on the back of a giant turtle; a world populated by (mostly inept) wizards, dwarfs, despots, policemen, assassins, aged barbarians, vampires, thieves, witches, and civil servants; a place where technology, per se, is nonexistent but magic works . . . except when it doesn't.
Gleaned from more than two decades' worth of Discworld tales, here is an essential compendium of insightful musings, witty commentary, and sagacious observations by New York Times bestselling author Terry Pratchett, compiled by Pratchett expert Stephen Briggs.
