a few more thoughts on Terry Pratchett

[lolmac]

GNU Terry Pratchett

I've spent a good deal of time the last several days with Twitter open on a "Terry Pratchett" search, following a lot of links, reading many tributes, looking at fanart, occasionally posting things of my own.

Or, to put it another way, I've been participating in the global wake.  Because that's what it is.

Comments

[jackwabbit]

I haven't been on Twitter much lately, though I agree with it being amazing as a global platform. I should remedy that, but alas, my Twitter use comes in spurts and this is apparently a low time for me. Generally, though, that means my "real life," such as it is, is busy, and that's not a bad thing, so I'll take it.

But more importantly and more to the point of this comment, I am largely Pratchett illiterate. This I will remedy, and therein lies a huge difference.

Love you, Beth.

[lolmac]

*squishes you a lot*

I know you don't read many full-length novels, so I truly hope you find it worthwhile!

One of the many topics given much discussion over the last four days has been various Discophiles sharing our favourite starting points. In your case, given your fondness for Gender Is Bullshit, I would recommend Monstrous Regiment. It's a standalone -- although quite a few background characters in the book are lead characters in other Discworld novels, the focus is on an entirely new group with their own story to tell. You don't need any of the others under your belt; they're nice to have if you want to go on. It's one of the later books, which means it's fucking brilliant.

If you do audiobooks at all, the audiobook versions of all Pratchett's novels are another bucket of pure gold. The same guy (Stephen Briggs) does them all, with consistent character voices across the mutliple sub-series.

[jackwabbit]

*squishes you back*

And "don't read many full-length novels" is being kind...but I do read some, and your opinions I trust, so...yeah, here we are.

Thanks for the rec. I'll check it out.

I've only ever tried audiobooks once. Well, twice. I listened to the Stargate ones Pauly did. (Because Pauly.) And I did one longer novel on a car trip. I find that I don't pay close enough attention to them to know what's going on. It's weird. They just talk at me, not to me, like a lecture in school, and I nod off and then have no idea what's happening. *shrug*

Might work better now that I'm older? I dunno. I hear a lot of people do them when they run...not sure I wouldn't have the same problem?

[thothmes]

We who know, know. We glory in the delicious wit, the thinky thoughts, the quotable quotes. And in a way, that's enough, because although Sir Terry deserved the accolades due to his talent in life, now that he is gone, a delay before he achieves his due is just dormancy, a bulb waiting for the right conditions to sprout and bloom in glory

[a_phoenixdragon]

Sir Terry will likely be one of those that recieves more praise after he is gone, than he did whilst alive!!

You know, you are one of the reasons I started to read Discworld. Your praise was high and I knew I had to start soon. I'd heard such good things - and you are correct!! He is excellent!

This man will definitely be missed...

*HUGS*

[lolmac]

*hugs back*

I've had the great joy of reccing him a lot. Which books have you read so far? (I currently have, urm, three in progress and another half-dozen queued up . . . )

[a_phoenixdragon]

I had only gotten as far as halfway through Discworld #1...and then stopped because Life. Arrrghhh. I have that to read, tapes to make, long overdue posts to catch up on...wish life would settle for two seconds, lol!!

[catsittingstill]

He was nominated for a Hugo, and twice for a Nebula, but declined the nominations, saying they would be more important to a younger author, whose career was not yet well-established. He was a real gentleman.

I saw someone comparing him to Shakespeare, quite seriously.

I wrote a couple of songs for him. I have the tune up for one (inspired by what's going on at Reddit, actually.) I will get the other up, but probably not today; I have too much other stuff to do that I can't put off.

[lolmac]

Yes, exactly. One nomination, in 2005. It's ridiculous. I assume you've seen Jim Hines' joke about Gaiman getting a Hugo for doing the Times crossword?

The fact that Sir Terry recused himself with grace and not bitterness is one of the most telling stories about him.

[catsittingstill]

Sir Terry was indeed a very classy guy. He also had an OBE by then and may have felt further recognition would be redundant.

Neil Gaiman has been nominated for Hugo awards for several of his works; the ones I am familiar with did not seem to me to be playing out of their league. There is a cooperative (in the chemical sense) effect of Hugo awards; once someone has been nominated, later nominations come more easily, perhaps because they come more easily to mind among those who pay attention to the Hugos.

[lolmac]

That's actually not the point I was trying to make, but never mind.

[lost_spook]

♥

There's also been GNU Terry Pratchett on Tumblr, too.

[lolmac]

♥