Discworld Books

The Discworld Graphic Novels: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Turtles and Hertzsprung-Russell Diagrams 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pratchett's Discworld series, HarperCollins has published this hard bound compendium of the first two Discworld novels, "The Color of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic," in their 1991 renditions as graphic novels. Pratchett's writing skills have grown far beyond these early pastiches and satires, but there are real pleasures and genuine belly laughs in these two early books.

The Discworld rides on the backs of four giant elephants, who in turn stand on the back of planet-sized Great a'Tuin, the Star Turtle. "Hertzsprung-Russell Diagrams" are used to classify stars by colors, size and age. The Great a'Tuin is the only turtle to ever appear in a Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. Trust me, if you are an astronomy student, it's a real groaner. But the great part about these stories is that there are puns, jokes and gags enough for everyone and every taste. The home of the quarrelsome, meddlesome gods of the Discworld, for example, is called Dunmanifestin... Ouch.

The drawings add interest. While the characters don't much resemble the pictures in my head, let alone the actors in Sky One's recent movie based on these novels, they aren't bad. Only the beardless Cohen the Barbarian seriously disappoints. Some cherished scenes have been clipped out; it's probably unavoidable, but I did miss Bravrd and Weasel, pastiches of Leiber's Fafhrd and Mouser, the bureaucratic evil of Ymper Trymon, and the very brief flight on TWA. But there's plenty of Pratchett humor left.

The drawings have a distinct charm and consistency. They add to the story, without distorting it. Those old paperback graphic novels, long out of print, are very hard to find; if you want a complete set of Pratchett, this volume is essential.

The madcap punning - persons robbing music shops must be "luters" - and throwaway lines - "We've got a wizard and we're not afraid to use him" - are there, and the drawings make them more fun still. These first two novels didn't have much of a plot but they definitely had their moments. This graphic novel gives you a chance to enjoy those moments again. And those new to Pratchett may find the graphic novels more accessible. Strongly recommended.

Editorial Review:

In a distant and second-hand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly . . .

Imagine a flat world, sitting on the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. The Discworld is a place (and a time) parallel to our own—but also very different. That is the setting for Terry Pratchett's phenomenally successful Discworld series, which now celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.

The Discworld Graphic Novels presents the very first two volumes of this much-loved series in graphic novel form. First published fifteen years ago, these fully illustrated versions are now issued for the first time in hardback. Introduced here are the bizarre misadventures of Twoflower, the Discworld's first ever tourist, and possibly—portentously—its last, and his guide Rincewind, the spectacularly inept wizard. Not to mention the Luggage, which has a mind of its own.

The Wee Free Men (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 95 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching needs magic--fast! Her sticky little brother Wentworth has been spirited away by the evil Queen of faerie, and it's up to her to get him back safely. Having already decided to grow up to be a witch, now all Tiffany has to do is find her power. But she quickly learns that it's not all black cats and broomsticks. According to her witchy mentor Miss Tick, "Witches don't use magic unless they really have to...We do other things. A witch pays attention to everything that's going on...A witch uses her head...A witch always has a piece of string!" Luckily, besides her trusty string, Tiffany's also got the Nac Mac Feegles, or the Wee Free Men on her side. Small, blue, and heavily tattooed, the Feegles love nothing more than a good fight except maybe a drop of strong drink! Tiffany, heavily armed with an iron skillet, the feisty Feegles, and a talking toad on loan from Miss Tick, is a formidable adversary. But the Queen has a few tricks of her own, most of them deadly. Tiffany and the Feegles might get more than they bargained for on the flip side of Faerie! Prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett has served up another delicious helping of his famed Discworld fare. The not-quite-teen set will delight in the Feegles' spicy, irreverent dialogue and Tiffany's salty determination. Novices to Pratchett's prose will find much to like here, and quickly go back to devour the rest of his Discworld offerings. Scrumptiously recommended. (Ages 10 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert

Making Money (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett

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Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Ankh-Morpork Post Office is running like . . . well, not at all like a government office. The mail is delivered promptly; meetings start and end on time; five out of six letters relegated to the Blind Letter Office ultimately wend their way to the correct addresses. Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig, former arch-swindler and confidence man, has exceeded all expectations—including his own. So it's somewhat disconcerting when Lord Vetinari summons Moist to the palace and asks, "Tell me, Mr. Lipwig, would you like to make some real money?"

Vetinari isn't talking about wages, of course. He's referring, rather, to the Royal Mint of Ankh-Morpork, a venerable institution that haas run for centuries on the hereditary employment of the Men of the Sheds and their loyal outworkers, who do make money in their spare time. Unfortunately, it costs more than a penny to make a penny, so the whole process seems somewhat counterintuitive.

Next door, at the Royal Bank, the Glooper, an "analogy machine," has scientifically established that one never has quite as much money at the end of the week as one thinks one should, and the bank's chairman, one elderly Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish, keeps two loaded crossbows at her desk. Oh, and the chief clerk is probably a vampire.

But before Moist has time to fully consider Vetinari's question, fate answers it for him. Now he's not only making money, but enemies too; he's got to spring a prisoner from jail, break into his own bank vault, stop the new manager from licking his face, and, above all, find out where all the gold has gone—otherwise, his life in banking, while very exciting, is going to be really, really short. . . .

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Discworld)

Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 520 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...

The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 78 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A new Discworld story is always an event. Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero is unusually short, a 40,000-word "Discworld Fable" rather than a full novel, but is illustrated throughout in sumptuous color by Paul Kidby.

The 160 pages cover the series' longest and most awesome (but still comic) journey yet, a mission to save all Discworld from a new threat. An old threat, actually. Aged warrior Cohen the Barbarian has decided to go out with a bang and take the gods with him. So, with the remnants of his geriatric Silver Horde, he's climbing to the divine retirement home Dunmanifestin with the Discworld equivalent of a nuke--a fifty-pound keg of Agatean Thunder Clay.

This will, for excellent magical reasons, destroy the world.

It's up to Leonard of Quirm, Discworld's da Vinci, to invent the technology that might just beat Cohen to his goal. His unlikely vessel is powered by dragons, crewed by himself and two popular regular characters, and secretly harbors a stowaway. Before long we hear the Discworld version of "Houston, we have a problem...."

Kidby rises splendidly to the challenge of painting both funny faces and cosmic vistas. As Pratchett puts it, The Last Hero "has an extra dimension: some parts of it are written in paint!" New characters include Evil Dark Lord Harry Dread, who started out with "just two lads and his Shed of Doom," and a god so tiresome that his worshippers are forbidden chocolate, ginger, mushrooms and garlic.

Pratchett's story alone is strong and effective, with several hair-raising frissons contrasting with high comedy; Kidby's paintings make it something very special. Not to be missed. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Wintersmith (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another great Terry Pratchett book 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is another book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle, anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.

In this sequel to A Hat Full of Sky and The Wee Free Men, young Tiffany Aching's apprenticeship in witchcraft get interrupted when she is taken to see the dancing of the Black Morris, and she unwisely joins the dance. The Wintersmith, quite literally Winter himself, is quite taken with this brash young women, and begins the courtship to end all courtships...literally.

This is another great Terry Pratchett book - I must say that I really like the Tiffany Aching books, and really, really like the Nac Mac Feegle. There's some great additions here, including the presence of Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax. So, let me just say that if you are a Discworld fan, you will not be disappointed. If you like good (no, great!) fantasy stories, then read the three Tiffany Aching stories, and have the time of your life. I give this book two thumbs up!

Editorial Review:

When the Spirit of Winter takes a fancy to Tiffany Aching, he wants her to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever. It will take the young witch's skill and cunning, as well as help from the legendary Granny Weatherwax and the irrepressible Wee Free Men, to survive until Spring. Because if Tiffany doesn't make it to Spring—

—Spring won't come.

The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 217 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good, but weak compared to his later works 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It is difficult to make a judgement of how a Pratchett novel compares to the entire library of of his work. It's like declaring a Zappa album "his best" or "worst." I have read a good percentage of Pratchett's work, however, and do consider CoM to be the weakest. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy Pratchett's singular humor, but the depth and complexity of his later plots just isn't there. Actually, that's an understatement, the plot itself just isn't there.

As a collection of four short stories, it's pleasant enough. The characters do not have the endearing qualities of many of Pratchett's later characters, but he does begin to solidify his mythos of modern archetypes which he utilizes with such genius.

In the overall realm of books, CoM probably deserves 4 stars, but my rating is colored by knowing that Pratchett is capable of much more magic. If you intend to read his entire catalogue start with this one. If you are merely "Pratchett-curious", start with "Thud!" or "Small Gods" or "Hogfather" or even the non-discworld "Good Omens".

Editorial Review:

The Colour of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage through the bizarre land of Discworld. His entertaining and witty series has grown to more than 20 books, and this is where it all starts--with the tourist Twoflower and his hapless wizard guide, Rincewind ("All wizards get like that ... it's the quicksilver fumes. Rots their brains. Mushrooms, too."). Pratchett spoofs fantasy clichés--and everything else he can think of--while marshalling a profusion of characters through a madcap adventure. The Colour of Magic is followed by The Light Fantastic. --Blaise Selby

The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The emergence of the storytelling ape 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Try enlivening a party with this question: "What's on your mind?" When the babble has become truly raucous, ask another: "How did it get in there?" This book is about those questions, how we came to consider them, and how we've tried to learn to understand them. Interleaving a fantasy story with analyses of scientific thinking about thinking carries certain risks. In the hands of this trio, however, the balance is successfully achieved. Don't be deceived by the name of Terry Pratchett as lead author of this volume. There are wonderful touches of humour in this book, but the basic theme is a serious question: "Who are we, and how did we get to be this way?"

This book repeats a technique used in The Science of Discworld I - two stories in parallel. Discworld is a mirror of Roundworld. The wizards used the computer Hex to construct Roundworld in SoD I. They were shocked at the many differences. Shape was only a beginning. They were confronted with the many ways in which life evolved on Roundworld. They were also forced to reflect on how illogical it seemed for living things to struggle for survival, only to be snuffed out by natural forces. In this sequel, the most advanced life form is going to be confronted with an extinction threat noted in the first book. How to deal with it? It turns out that the best solution is to ally with a great evil force.

Humanity has a strange and illogical heritage, this book tells us. As our forebears learned to cope with changing conditions on the African savannah [or on lake shores or even in the sea] they learned to stand upright, to grasp tools, and to think. This has always seemed like a long, continuous progression of small improvements over time - a process in the best Darwinian gradualist sense. This trio of authors reminds us that this picture is false for humans. After a good start, our ancestors simply halted in place, keeping social, mental and technological progress at bay. The "pause" went on for a hundred millennia. At some point about fifty thousand years ago, all that changed. We went from the "standing ape" to become "the storytelling ape". Thinking and speaking resulted in story-telling.

In trying to understand ourselves and our surroundings, Pratchett and his colleagues see humans as inventing stories for explanations of nature's mysteries. Magic, allied with the element "narrativium", runs the Discworld. On the Roundworld, magic has to be invented. Narratives are the means to bring it about and spread it around. Every human society forges its own stories which are imparted to children as "Make-A-Human Kits". Each society creates explanations which become legends which become religions as one example. While we might dispute whether we've "progressed" argue the authors, there's no question that once the process started, humans changed rapidly resulting in what we see around us today. This "advance", they argue, was not inevitable. While we may not yet understand what prompted this change, we can list alternatives and reject the impossible or implausible. That's why the Discworld parallel story comprises part of this book. It teaches you how to recognise the difference.

To long-standing Discworld fans, this book will be a serious challenge. Unlike the "laugh per page" of Pratchett's other works, he and his colleagues confront the most serious of issues: "where do we come from?" and "where are we going?". Cohen and Stewart, who have dealt these questions elsewhere, and Terry Pratchett, who posits them with every book, have produced a significant contribution in attempting an answer. The use of the parallel story line offers great opportunities for the reader to "step outside the box" and consider life and beliefs from a detached view. Pratchett has long confronted us with ourselves. Adding Cohen and Stewart's scientific and cognitive abilities to his imagination results in a compelling and informative read. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Editorial Review:

The sequel to the bestselling Science of Discworld.

The acclaimed Science of Discworld centered around an original Pratchett story about the Wizards of Discworld. In it, they accidentally witness the creation and evolution of our universe in a plot interwoven with a Cohen & Stewart non-fiction narrative about Big Science. In The Globe, the same structure applies, only this time the themes are Human Science: History, Origins of Language, Archaeology, Anthropology, Evolutionary Psychology and, overall, the importance of Story to our culture (and of course to all Pratchett fans). There is a well-known theory that there are only seven stories known to man. The Elves of Discworld have discovered an eighth – a story of awesome power – which they play out on Roundworld (Earth) in their attempt to defeat the Witches of Discworld.

Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (Discworld Series)

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Compliation of Nanny Ogg Clips, Suggested Use 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If you have read all of Terry Pratchett's Disc World series, particularly those books that deal with Granny Weatherwax and her sometimes sidekick Nanny Ogg, you will not find anything new here. This is due to publishers coming up with new ways to market old material. This is not wrong if they would 'fess up when they do this. However, if you like Nanny Ogg, then you might enjoy this collection of her sayings and recipes which are very humorous.

One suggested use for this book is to keep it in the kitchen next to the real cookbooks and the next time you have a guest bothering you while you are trying to cook you can pretend to be using this cookbook. Note down some arcane ingredient and then ask them to get it from the grocery store on the other side of town. By the time they have given up, you can have the real dinner ready.

Editorial Review:

Nanny Ogg, one of Discworld's most famous witches, here passes on some of her huge collection of tasty and interesting recipes. In addition to such dishes as Nobby's Mum's Distressed Pudding, Mrs. Ogg imparts her thoughts on such matters as life, death, and courtship.

Science of Discworld

Terry Pratchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

But I'm a Pratchett fan - really 3 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is really two great books. The first is a wizard's experiment gone wrong at the Unseen University. A chain reaction in their squash court (sound familiar?) has released an unprecedented amount of thaumic energy. Before it could be channeled safely, it materializes a world, in fact a whole star system. But this world isn't a disc, it's round --

The second book is a witty, well informed scientific commentary on many things, but especially on the history of life on earth. (I only noticed one mis-step in the real science, a statement about the stability of a an oxygen isotope. They probably slid that error in to make nitpickers like me feel smug.)

The problem is, this is just one book, not two. Chapters alternate in odd-even pairs, Discworld fantasy and Ourworld fact. I probably should have read the book twice, all the odd chapters then all the even ones. As it was, I found my attention whipsawed between the two. The total was distractingly less than the sum of the parts.

It's clever, amusing and informative. The back-and-forth style just didn't work for me, though.

//wiredweird

Editorial Review:

"In the high-energy magic facility of Unseen University, the wizards have created a miniature cosmos that includes Roundworld, known to us as Earth. As they bicker over the meaning of this - to them - unfeasible and bizarre planet, we go on a tour of Big Science. From astrophysics to quantum mechanics, the interleaved chapters give us a briefing on the history and the present state of play of our scientific learning, while stressing alway the limits of our knowledge--. The tone is intelligent and humorous (think Horizon with laughs) and demands an intellectual engagement on the part of the reader. The result is a book in which the hard science is as gripping as the fiction--one for anyone with an interest in where science comes from and where it is going." - The Times