Among the many things I love about the Discworld novels are the descriptions of people. Terry Pratchett often manages with a few sentences to paint a picture that is often a bit funny, sometimes slightly weird but always hits the nail right on the head.
As an example, these descriptions of the witches in Lords and Ladies:
“The first one - let us call her the leader - flies sitting bolt upright, in defiance of air resistance, and seems to be winning. She has features that would generally be described as striking, or even handsome, but she couldn’t be called beautiful, at least by anyone who didn’t want their nose to grow by three feet.”
“The second is dumpy and bandy-legged with a face like an apple that’s been left for too long and an expression of near-terminal good nature. She is playing a banjo and, until a better word comes to mind, singing. It is a song about a hedgehog.”
“The third, and definitely the last, broomstick rider is also the youngest. Unlike the other two, who dress like ravens, she wears bright, cheerful clothes which don’t suit her now and probably didn’t even suit her ten years ago. She travels with an air of vague good-natured hopefulness. There are flowers in her hair but they’re wilting slightly, just like her.”
I also found this one in my collection of quotes, but I can’t find out where it is from. Does anyone know? I think it might be my favourite.
“Many people could say things in a cutting way, Nanny knew. But Granny Weatherwax could listen in a cutting way. She could make something sound stupid just by hearing it.”
Do you have more examples?
In my opinion, there are several options:
You could continue the Death series with Soul Music.
If you want to switch it up, you could start either the Watch arc with Guards! Guards! or the Witches arc, I recommend with Wyrd Sisters, since Equal Rites is a bit like a standalone and not as polished. Which one entirely depends on whether you feel more like “cynical man pulls together a ragtag group of misfits to do what needs to be done” or “trio of witches with very different characters and approaches uses a mix of psychology (aka headology) and actual magic to do what needs to be done”.
Or you could read Good Omens, the book Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman wrote together.
I just read them in release order over and over again, takes me about a year each time. You get a good feel for the whole Discworld universe, and it makes me reread the few books I think I don’t like (because I usually do like them, but remember some aspect poorly)
Having said that, I would order the series: Guards > Witches (Weatherwax) > Von Lipwig > DEATH > Tiffany Aching
Thanks for suggestions. Tell me about Good Omens, is it better than Guards Guards. I did read a few pages of that book. How does it compare. Also, If I go with Soul music, is it a nice change from the DEATH books I’ve read, Mort and Reaper Man?
I always find it very hard to rank books I like. Here it’s especially difficult for me, since they are very different. Good Omens isn’t set on the Discworld but in the real world (well, kinda, with angels and demons and hellhounds and stuff). The tone is also a bit different, I guess partly because it’s a collaboration with Neil Gaiman. I would say that it’s weirder (I don’t mean that in a bad way). Or maybe that’s just because I’m more used to the Discworld weirdness since there are more books in that setting.
I’m afraid I can’t really help you with the Soul Music question. It’s been a while since I read the Death books and I don’t feel confident that I wouldn’t get them mixed up.
I hope someone else here can help you.
Appreciate the help. I’ll look into Soul Music and Good Omens. Thanks, Friend.
Soul Music follows on from Mort and Reaper Man (a bit) - it’s one of the few (only?) Discworld books to start with a recap! It helps to get some of the references if you know something about popular music from the 50s to the 90s but it’s not essential.
Oh. Well, I know none of the 90s or 50s popular music from US, which I’m assuming is what you meant. Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra, I’ve heard a few of their songs, although.