Terry Pratchett Interviewed in London

[Who's Wee Dug]

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.

 

[Thadlerian]

Did he say anything about future book releases?

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

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"

 

[Thadlerian]

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

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

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

 

[Sass]

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.

 

[zorcarepublic]

Ah, so Wintersmith isn't a Discworld book?

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

 

[Sass]

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 !!

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

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.

 

[Thadlerian]

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.

 

[Sass]

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...

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

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.

 

[Sass]

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...

 

[zorcarepublic]

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...

 

[Sass]

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...

 

[zorcarepublic]

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...

 

[Thadlerian]

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.

 

[Sass]

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...

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...

 

[Sass]

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...

 

[Nesacat]

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.