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| Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels | |
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| Topic Started: 17 Sep 2007, 20:14 (158 Views) | |
| Jedikatie | 17 Sep 2007, 20:14 Post #1 |
Moderate you, I will...
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This is another favorite series of mine. For those who don't know, Discworld is exactly that: a flat world, carried on the backs of four elephants who are standing on top of a giant space-going turtle named A'Tuin. Discworld's sun is only about 10 miles across, and it orbits the world, rather than the other way around. Ankh-Morpork is the largest city on the Disc, and is home to Unseen University. It's a rather unusual city, in that everything has a guild--even guilds for thieves and assassins, among many others. This was done by the present Patrician (the ruler of the city), Lord Vetinari, who rules the city with an iron fist. He's an extremely attentive listener, and all the guilds (even the assassins) are wary of him. There's an assortment of mini-series within the overall whole of the Discworld. 1. Rincewind (and/or the Wizards of Discworld) novels, which primarily star the Wizards of Unseen University or Rincewind, the world's worst wizard, and his Luggage (which has a nasty tendency to eat people and will follow Rincewind no matter where he goes). Rincewind excels at running away... though he can't cast a single spell thanks to one of the Eight Great spells from the Octavo having got stuck in his head as a student. Though it's gone now, he's still unable to actually do any magic unless some outside force is acting through him. 2. The witches -- basically the witch novels star Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, and while the wizards in their novels tend to be comic relief, the ladies are far more practical when it comes to magic. 3. The Night Watch books deal with Ankh-Morpork's (not-so) finest, led by Sam Vimes, a sort of Dirty Harry-type of cop with a drinking problem, and Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson, an over 6-foot tall "dwarf" (he was adopted by dwarves as an infant and considers himself to be one in spite of evidence that he's actually human). Carrot can persuade anyone to believe or do what he says even if you have no idea why you're going along with him. There's also Sgt. Fred Colon and Corp. Nobby Nobbs, Sgt. Angua (a werewolf), Constable Dorfl (a golem), Constable Reg Shoe (a zombie), Sgt. Detritus (a troll), and an assortment of others. 4. The Death books deal with Death (who goes for the whole scythe-carrying skeleton in a robe deal), his trusted servant Albert, and (depending on which book in the series you're reading) either his adopted daughter, Ysabel (who eventually marries Death's apprentice, Mort), or his granddaughter Susan who has inherited her granddad's particular talents and finds them coming out whenever she needs to take Death's place for a bit. Death always talks LIKE THIS IN THE BOOKS, and he makes brief appearances in a number of the books. There's also some stand-alones, like Moving Pictures or Small Gods, in which some of the characters from the other books appear, but aren't the main protagonists of the story. Terry Pratchett has done a wonderful job of creating a world that is medieval in nature yet echoes our own society. |
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| Jedikatie | 16 Nov 2007, 09:32 Post #2 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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Oooo... neat. They're going to show the miniseries of Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (which is Discworld's equivalent of Christmas) on American cable TV this year on Nov. 25th, according to this story on Sci Fi Wire today... Terry Pratchett has cameo in Hogfather Now I just need to see if we get some channel called "ION" (which I've never heard of)... or else pester my brother to see if he has that channel so I can see it. Oh, and Hogfather is one of the novels starring Death and his granddaugther Susan. Though I know at least a couple of the Night Watch guards (Fred and Nobby), as well as the Librarian from Unseen University (who is an orangutan), were in it as well... |
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| Reanok | 16 Nov 2007, 09:54 Post #3 |
Vice Admiral
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I get the Ion channel it's part of the cable channel package I get. |
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| Jedikatie | 20 Nov 2008, 07:01 Post #4 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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Hmm... apparently they've adapted the first two books in Pratchett's Discworld series (The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic) into a four hour miniseries which airs this weekend on a channel called ION. Pity it's not a channel that's available on my cable. :( They did a pretty good job of adapting Hogfather (I've got it on DVD), so it ought to be interesting to see how they adapt Rincewind's first adventures to TV (in which he's acting as a guide for Twoflower, Discworld's first tourist). ETA: I can't wait to see how they handle bringing The Luggage to life... especially with its homicidal tendencies whenever someone attacks its owner (and providing freshly cleaned clothes or whatever else Twoflower might need immediately after devouring someone). Edited by Jedikatie, 20 Nov 2008, 07:35.
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11:24 AM Jan 7