Self-deprecation for the win...

[azalaisdep]

Somebody shared this pic on my Facebook wall yesterday, and as a long-time fan of Terry Pratchett (both as an author and as a wonderful, wise and humane human being) I wanted to pass it on as I thought it might raise a chuckle or two

Comments

[engarian]

Oh, that's marvelous. I've been a fan of Terry Pratchett for a long time and friends of mine more involved in cons and personal presentation events have had only good things to say about him and how kind he is to his fans. He's a real class act.

- Erulisse (one L)

[azalaisdep]

He's a star. I'm so glad he's still writing and getting to cons and so on - his Alzheimers seems, thank goodness (albeit it's a very rare kind) to have progressed more slowly and been less disabling so far than we all expected when he originally got the diagnosis. These days I treasure everything he says/writes all the more for having not been sure we'd get it...

[curiouswombat]

Wonderful!

[azalaisdep]

Ain't he just :-)

[just_ann_now]

*claps hands* Wonderful!

I've only just started reading Pratchett this week (I know, I know). Many thanks to all who recommended him so wholeheartedly!

[azalaisdep]

Oh, how fabulous to have the whole of PTerry in front of you! I'm just getting to the point where I think I might try First Small Person (aged 10) on the first Discworld books.

Like any author who's been that prolific over a long time, people argue about whether some books are weaker than others, and he can go through phases where he seems to get an idea and then retread it in two or three different ways - but he's always funny and always worth reading.

And then the later books, particularly those centred on Vimes, get really much more mature and darker and more interesting in terms of philosophy/political thought I think; Thud is possibly my favourite of those later ones, though Night Watch runs it very close. And of the early books I love anything to do with the witches (I aspire to be Granny Weatherwax, basically) so am particularly fond of Witches Abroad and the Shakespeare-parody ones like Lords and Ladies (source of my favourite ever quote about Elves, which you may recognise from frequent icon-use if and when you get that far

[just_ann_now]

Witches Abroad is what I'm reading right now! And I have The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents here on the stack (another friend recommended, in a completely different context.) I'll look for Thud and Night Watch next, thanks!

[azalaisdep]

You might want to read a few of the earlier Ankh-Morpork-centric Discworld books first - things like Guards! Guards! - Vimes is one of those characters who develops wonderfully over time and it might be good to follow that arc. Equally, I do think some of the later Vimes-centred books are some of the best things Terry P has done - dark, rich, layered - whereas the earlier ones are perhaps more one-note comedy.

But perhaps I'm being unfair - it's difficult when you've read a series so many times to imagine coming at it with a fresh eye!

Do let me know what you think of Witches Abroad, it still makes me howl with laughter. ("And no-one talked about The Thing With The Bulls ever, ever again.")

[lady_branwyn]

That is great!

[azalaisdep]

It is :-)