Terry Pratchett is an absolute legend (or was -- he left us in 2015). He left a legacy of dozens of hugely popular books, notably the 40-odd volume Discworld series, of which
The Colour of Magic is the first volume. My main exposure to Pratchett's work has been watching the gorgeous
Good Omens, a collaboration with Neil Gaiman, which I must admit I mainly watched for David Tennant and Michael Sheen. However, there's been so much love for Discworld and Pratchett that I thought I should dive in -- after all, if I ended up loving it, there were 39 more books to discover.
Okay, well, I didn't fall in love. Maybe the very first novel in the series wasn't, paradoxically, the best place to start. The Colour of Magic was certainly inventive and moderately amusing, but it seemed a little like, as the kids say, 2 dollar shop Douglas Adams. There was also a striking lack of female characters. It all seemed quite blokey? Not in an objectionable way, but I just didn't feel I was quite on the same wavelength.
So, I admire Terry Pratchett, I mourn Terry Pratchett, and I still love Good Omens, but maybe Discworld isn't quite for me.
Don't give up. The first two aren't the best. He really got into his stride with the books featuring the witches, especially Granny Weatherwax; and the books featuring Captain Vimes and the city guard. In a forty book series, it's not surprising that some of them are weaker than others - some of the later ones definitely show signs of running out of steam. The witches start with Equal Rites (though that's not the best of them) and the Vimes stories start with Guards! Guards! The YA ones featuring Tiffany are also very good.
ReplyDeleteI did suspect that might be the case. Okay, I won't give up quite yet :) I might check out one of the Tiffany Aching books, they sound more appealing! Which would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of them. They start with the Wee Free Men, and the second one A Hatful Of Sky is very good. Often with Pratchett it's the second or third book about a character that is very good, as if he's starting to get to really know them.
ReplyDeleteOkay, maybe I'll try Wee Free Men. Thanks, Ann!
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