# Terry Pratchett Interviewed in London



## Who's Wee Dug (Sep 29, 2006)

It was at The Institute of Education,A good sized hall no matter where you sat you had a good view, he was interviewed by the director of the Bath festival, she was quite good and it did not take too long for Terry to get into some stories he was funny.

There was some news about the Hogfather film and possibly 2 more in the pipeline,all in all is was a great evening,at the end he stayed on to sign copies of his new book.


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## Thadlerian (Sep 29, 2006)

Did he say anything about future book releases?


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## Who's Wee Dug (Sep 29, 2006)

Yes, the next Discworld book is " Making Money"  based in Ankh- Morpork, there will be a forth Tiffeny book which will be the last one, with the title "I will dress in Midninght"


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## Thadlerian (Sep 29, 2006)

Pity there'll be only four Tiffany Aching books... those are the quintessence of his talent.


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## Who's Wee Dug (Sep 30, 2006)

I would not quite put like that,but as far as I know they are the ones he had the most fun writing.


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## Sass (Sep 30, 2006)

Thadlerian said:
			
		

> Pity there'll be only four Tiffany Aching books... those are the quintessence of his talent.


 
Oh I agree that they're really good - especially _A Hat Full of Sky_ - _Wintersmith_ wasn't quite as good, but it was still very enjoyable. I'm glad there's going to be a fourth TA book - originally he was only writing three, or so he said at a talk he did for the Oxford Literary Festival a couple of years ago... But I feel he could go on doing the "Junior witches" series... And I could see Tiffany inheriting Granny Weatherwax's mantle.


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## zorcarepublic (Sep 30, 2006)

Ah, so Wintersmith isn't a Discworld book?

Phew, I didn't like the blurb on it at all. Bring on Making Money!


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## Sass (Sep 30, 2006)

zorcarepublic said:
			
		

> Ah, so Wintersmith isn't a Discworld book?


 
YES IT IS !! *scowls*

The Tiffany Aching series is set ON the Discworld (parts take place in or near Lancre), it features recurring Discworld characters (eg. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the Nac Mac Feegle - whom we first met in _Carpe Jugulum_), therefore it is a Discworld series. I'm fed up with having this argument with people - just because the series is marketed by the publishers to young adults, doesn't mean it's not a Discworld series !!


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## Who's Wee Dug (Sep 30, 2006)

Sass said:
			
		

> YES IT IS !! *scowls*
> 
> The Tiffany Aching series is set ON the Discworld (parts take place in or near Lancre), it features recurring Discworld characters (eg. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the Nac Mac Feegle - whom we first met in _Carpe Jugulum_), therefore it is a Discworld series. I'm fed up with having this argument with people - just because the series is marketed by the publishers to young adults, doesn't mean it's not a Discworld series !!


I agree with Sass on that. Its the same as the Feggles are not Scottish they just speak a dialect of Auld(old)Scots and not particularly glaswegian but colloquial as a Scottish lowlander would speak in the vernacular, confused no but you could be Jings crivens help ma boab.


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## Thadlerian (Sep 30, 2006)

I think the Tiffany Aching books are the most intelligent and reflected Pratchett has written. They're coming-of-age books written for a YA audience, and I believe that kind of books to be among the most important of all literature. Most of my favourite writers have books within that genre: Philip Pullman, Ursula Le Guin, Astrid Lindgren and Terry Pratchett.


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## Sass (Sep 30, 2006)

Thadlerian said:
			
		

> I think the Tiffany Aching books are the most intelligent and reflected Pratchett has written. They're coming-of-age books written for a YA audience, and I believe that kind of books to be among the most important of all literature. Most of my favourite writers have books within that genre: Philip Pullman, Ursula Le Guin, Astrid Lindgren and Terry Pratchett.


 
And _A Hat Full of Sky_ is a wonderful meditation on the nature and power of storytelling - beautifully written by a master storyteller...


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## Who's Wee Dug (Oct 1, 2006)

Without delving too deeply they are just a good read,pity there is only going to be one more.

But as the man himself said to me THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.


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## Sass (Oct 1, 2006)

It is a shame there's only one more - but on the other hand, that's one more than Terry originally planned to write. He was at the Oxford Literary Festival a couple of years ago and said that there was going to be a trilogy of Tiffany Aching books...


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## zorcarepublic (Oct 2, 2006)

Sass said:
			
		

> YES IT IS !! *scowls*
> 
> The Tiffany Aching series is set ON the Discworld (parts take place in or near Lancre), it features recurring Discworld characters (eg. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the Nac Mac Feegle - whom we first met in _Carpe Jugulum_), therefore it is a Discworld series. I'm fed up with having this argument with people - just because the series is marketed by the publishers to young adults, doesn't mean it's not a Discworld series !!


Right...

You've got some issues. Sheesh...

I still want Making Money to hurry on, though. Give me a Discworld book to read and Im happy...


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## Sass (Oct 2, 2006)

Yes I do - I have an issue with people treating the "Discworld for younger readers" books as if they're somehow inferior. Some of Terry's very best writing is in the Tiffany Aching series. As more of the best of his writing is in the "Johnny Maxwell" series. There are some really lousy books out there for younger readers, but they're most certainly NOT written by Terry Pratchett...


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## zorcarepublic (Oct 3, 2006)

Okay...

I did not know they were for younger readers. The first impression I got, from you, was that it was a completely different series altogether. I should have remembered from the blurb that it mentioned Granny Weatherwax, but then I was a bit stressed afterwards (Im not comfortable with people, and I had to walk through a crowd of people when I left Waterstones...its a long story).

Plus, Im not that keen on the Lancre sub-series. Don't ask me why, but I've never really been able to laugh at anything set in Lancre. The Watch, Death, the wizards, they're all funny, but nothing really makes me laugh in Lancre. So any series based in or around Lancre, methinks, won't be funny either. I even read all three of the trilogy, but I still didn't laugh.

Anyway, plenty of great Watch books out there...


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## Thadlerian (Oct 3, 2006)

Sass said:
			
		

> Yes I do - I have an issue with people treating the "Discworld for younger readers" books as if they're somehow inferior. Some of Terry's very best writing is in the Tiffany Aching series. As more of the best of his writing is in the "Johnny Maxwell" series. There are some really lousy books out there for younger readers, but they're most certainly NOT written by Terry Pratchett...


Agreed! Especially Only you can save Mankind, that's a great story. And, after all, the Tiffany Aching books seem far more mature than various "adult" Discworld novels, like for instance Equal Rites.


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## Sass (Oct 3, 2006)

zorcarepublic said:
			
		

> Okay...
> 
> I did not know they were for younger readers. The first impression I got, from you, was that it was a completely different series altogether. I should have remembered from the blurb that it mentioned Granny Weatherwax, but then I was a bit stressed afterwards (Im not comfortable with people, and I had to walk through a crowd of people when I left Waterstones...its a long story).
> 
> ...


 
But it's not a Lance sub-series. Tiffany gets sent to a spot near Lancre in order to learn witchcraft from various witches, but the first book takes place entirely on "The Chalk" (a not-so-heavily disguised Wiltshire, specifically the area around The White Horse of Uffington). Why not just give the first one a go - borrow it from the library if you'd rather not buy it - and see how you like it ? Although the second one is definitely the best of the three...


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## Sass (Oct 3, 2006)

Thadlerian said:
			
		

> Agreed! Especially Only you can save Mankind, that's a great story. And, after all, the Tiffany Aching books seem far more mature than various "adult" Discworld novels, like for instance Equal Rites.


 
It is good, but _Johnny and the Dead_ is my favourite of the JM trilogy - the bit just after Tommy Atkins' funeral makes me cry every time I read it - but then I am a history buff (and specialised in WW1 history and literature when I did my degree a few years ago)...

I tend to think of _Equal Rites_ as a "prequel" (of sorts) to the TA series - I even mentioned that in my review of _Wintersmith_...


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## Nesacat (Oct 4, 2006)

Have been reading the Discworld books since they first came out and am rather fond of Death. Alright, I'm very fond of Death. Have recently started liking the Watch more and more and this might have something to do with Moo! Have always liked the Witches especially Granny Weatherwax.

I have the Tiffany Aching books. They were a gift and I've not gotten around to reading them yet. But I must say that everything that has been said here has made me move them up the to-read pile.

I think Terry's books can be read on many different levels and are not necessarily targetted at any particular age group. You could enjoy them as a young adult or as an adult. You might get different things from the tales and see them from different angles but they do have something to say to everyone.


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## Sass (Oct 4, 2006)

Nesacat said:
			
		

> Have been reading the Discworld books since they first came out and am rather fond of Death. Alright, I'm very fond of Death. Have recently started liking the Watch more and more and this might have something to do with Moo! Have always liked the Witches especially Granny Weatherwax.




The Witches books and the Watch books are my favourites. I'm afraid Rincewind's incessant running away stopped being a joke after a while and became simply annoying. I note that TP has now relegated the UU faculty to the stories that occur in the "Science of..." books that he writes with Cohen and Stewart...




			
				Nescat said:
			
		

> I have the Tiffany Aching books. They were a gift and I've not gotten around to reading them yet. But I must say that everything that has been said here has made me move them up the to-read pile.





			
				Nescat said:
			
		

> I think Terry's books can be read on many different levels and are not necessarily targetted at any particular age group. You could enjoy them as a young adult or as an adult. You might get different things from the tales and see them from different angles but they do have something to say to everyone.


 
Quite right. The Discworld books that aren't specifically marketed at younger readers are listed in the front of the books as being "For Adults of All Ages" - and that sums it up nicely...


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## zorcarepublic (Oct 4, 2006)

Sass said:
			
		

> But it's not a Lance sub-series. Tiffany gets sent to a spot near Lancre in order to learn witchcraft from various witches, but the first book takes place entirely on "The Chalk" (a not-so-heavily disguised Wiltshire, specifically the area around The White Horse of Uffington). Why not just give the first one a go - borrow it from the library if you'd rather not buy it - and see how you like it ? Although the second one is definitely the best of the three...


Okay, you've convinced me to have a look at one. Whats the name of the first book?


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## Nesacat (Oct 4, 2006)

Sass ... Rincewind is definitely not my favourite character but he's pretty useful in that he's often used to introduce other characters who turn out to be very interesting. Often feel like flinging Rincewind off the edge and this time without a spell in his head to save him. I do like Luggage though and am always grateful that it at least, knows what is going on.


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## Sass (Oct 4, 2006)

zorcarepublic said:
			
		

> Okay, you've convinced me to have a look at one. Whats the name of the first book?


 
Excellent. The first one is _The Wee Free Men_ (although the second one - _A Hat Full of Sky -_ is definitely the best of the series so far !)


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## Sass (Oct 4, 2006)

Nesacat said:
			
		

> Sass ... Rincewind is definitely not my favourite character but he's pretty useful in that he's often used to introduce other characters who turn out to be very interesting. Often feel like flinging Rincewind off the edge and this time without a spell in his head to save him. I do like Luggage though and am always grateful that it at least, knows what is going on.


 
The fact that he's often used to introduce other, more interesting characters, doesn't really say a lot for him, though, does it ?


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## zorcarepublic (Oct 5, 2006)

Wee Free Men.

Right, I'll look for that as soon as I can...


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## Sass (Oct 5, 2006)

zorcarepublic said:
			
		

> Wee Free Men.
> 
> Right, I'll look for that as soon as I can...


 
Do please let me know what you think of it...


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## zorcarepublic (Oct 6, 2006)

Don't have the chance to read it yet--library's copy is out until 10th October.


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## Sass (Oct 6, 2006)

zorcarepublic said:
			
		

> Don't have the chance to read it yet--library's copy is out until 10th October.


 
That happens to me quite often too !


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