Anyone else a little concerned...

[paranoid marvin]

that they won't like the next Discworld novel ' Unseen Academicals'?
I like football , I love Discworld... so it's a sure fire winner then? Mmm, I'm not so sure. 4 of the last 5 novels I've enjoyed immensely , with only Monstrous Regiment a huge disappointment for me, so that's a good sign; I'm just not sure that sport+comedy+Discworld will be a great mix. No doubt I'll buy it on first day of release , how it will rank against my favourite stories , we'll just have to wait and see,,

 

[Pyan]

Not concerned in the slightest, PM - IMHO, there's no such thing as a bad Discworld novel, just degrees of excellence...

Why didn't you like Monstrous Regiment, btw? I admit, it was a different sort of story, and I wasn't that keen at first, but I found that re-reading it changed my opinion of it...

 

[The Ace]

I always thought he wrote MR with his __ing foot but I've enjoyed the others.

His sniping at journalism, diplomacy, religion, little englanders ( those who think people from other countries are being foreign just to spite them ) and war has always been excellent.

'Jingo,' could very easily have caused offence and turned out as a disaster instead of the triumph it was

I'll suck it and see but I'll probably enjoy it.

 

[chopper]

discworld has changed over time - as you'd expect - and so have i. but i don't see why i won't enjoy it.

 

[AE35Unit]

Not concerned in the slightest, PM - IMHO, there's no such thing as a bad Discworld novel,

Oh there is!
My other half hated Monstrous Regiment, and twice I've tried to read Interesting Times and failed.
This new one about football? Well, thats a turn off for a start, tho I will no doubt give it a spin anyway.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I've read all the Discworld novels - and love them all bar Thief Of Time and Monstrous Regiment. MR for me was a single-joke tale spread out over an entire novel , with a punchline obvious from about halfway through. TOT was too confusing to be funny or entertaing.

Obviously all a matter of opinion , as I know many rate these two as some of his best.

My favourite by a long , long way is Night Guard - it really rewards the reader for having read all (well most) of the DW novels to that point , and is one of the few I would hestitate to recommend to a Discworld virgin without them reading at least two other Vimes-based books.

Getting back to TP's latest , I just dont think comedy and sport mix very well - in any form of media (with the possible exception of the film Caddyshack!). However , if anyone can pull off a winning combination , it's Terry.

 

[Lenny]

I'm extremely excited about, not least because the last true Wizards book there was (The Last Hero is just Rincewind) was in 1998 - The Last Continent. Sure, they've popped up here and there, but they've not been the main cast for over a decade (the Science of Discworld books are just too short for a good story to fold out in, so I usually don't bother with them)!

Since about Night Watch (maybe Thief of Time to a lesser degree), they've been getting darker and darker. They're good books, but I wouldn't mind something a bit lighter, and short of thug culture burning the UU down, I can't see a Wizards book taking that dark turn... hopefully.

---

As for the comedy/sport duo - imagine Rincewind as a ref, or Mustrum Ridcully as a striker running across the pitch with his robes hitched up with one hand whilst the other clutches his hat. And let's not forget the librarian, who'll be more than happy to hang from the goalposts with one arm and eat a banana (by the way, I call dibs on all three scenarios, so if they do happen to be right, I called 'em! ).

I could also see teams being set up by the different Guilds, their playing styles obviously dictated by their nature (Assassin's Guild! Eeep).

Actually, scratch Rincewind as ref - Dibbler! Or Carrot.

Someone might complain to Lord Vetinari... and so on. I'll stop now.

 

[chopper]

carrot as ref, certainly.

Vetinari and match-fixing seem to go together, somehow....

 

[Allegra]

I'm just not sure that sport+comedy+Discworld will be a great mix.

Oh I think it'll be a great mix - I can't see anything that won't mix with discworld, just like with ours. It's about time Sir pTerry poke some serious fun at football, and the Librarian is certainly the best cast for goalkeeper! I already love it.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I'm extremely excited about, not least because the last true Wizards book there was (The Last Hero is just Rincewind) was in 1998 - The Last Continent. Sure, they've popped up here and there, but they've not been the main cast for over a decade (the Science of Discworld books are just too short for a good story to fold out in, so I usually don't bother with them)!

Since about Night Watch (maybe Thief of Time to a lesser degree), they've been getting darker and darker. They're good books, but I wouldn't mind something a bit lighter, and short of thug culture burning the UU down, I can't see a Wizards book taking that dark turn... hopefully.

---

As for the comedy/sport duo - imagine Rincewind as a ref, or Mustrum Ridcully as a striker running across the pitch with his robes hitched up with one hand whilst the other clutches his hat. And let's not forget the librarian, who'll be more than happy to hang from the goalposts with one arm and eat a banana (by the way, I call dibs on all three scenarios, so if they do happen to be right, I called 'em! ).

I could also see teams being set up by the different Guilds, their playing styles obviously dictated by their nature (Assassin's Guild! Eeep).

Actually, scratch Rincewind as ref - Dibbler! Or Carrot.

Someone might complain to Lord Vetinari... and so on. I'll stop now.

Shouldn't wizards be playing Quidditch?

 

[Marky Lazer]

Not concerned about anything like that. For example, I know next to nothing about and don't like opera; the DW about opera, on the other hand, was very enjoyable!

 

[Trebuchet]

Shouldn't wizards be playing Quidditch?

*twitch*


I actually like pretty much all the books. Even MR. I agree it was better on re reading it though. And I loved TOT. and IT. On the other hand, I'm a history nerd minoring in science, so I was basically familiar with a lot of what he was talking about in those books.

I do think a lot of the enjoyment of them, on an increasing scale, is based around knowing a little of what he is parodying. You used to just have to know fantasy books, now you have to know everything from quantum to minute historical details (and everything inbetween in some cases).

I do learn a hell of a lot from them though. The crazier the fact, the more likely it is to be true, I find.

 

[Marky Lazer]

I even like MR? Do you mean Monstrous Regiment? What was not to like during the first read?

 

[Trebuchet]

Yes, Monstrous Regiment.

I don't really know why I didn't like it the first time. I think I didn't really like his characterisations of the women. They didn't read true for me.

 

[Octarine Lantern]

I am not concerned. I think it should be good fun. I too miss the old Rincewind days.

The only DW I didn't like was Wyrd Sisters (spelling?) and I think that is because I was in a really foul mood when I read it. A re-read would probably change my mind.