it is easy to dismiss terry pratchett as just another fantasy author. (after all, what else can he be if he writes about a world that travels through space on the backs of four elephants that stand on the back of a giant turtle?) this guy is a bloody genius, that's what he is. he is a master storyteller, with an intensely creative imagination (where does this guy get his ideas? i want to drink whatever he's drinking!), and magical way with words.
he is regarded as one of the most significant contemporary english-language satirists, pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an officer of the british empire “for services to literature” in 1998, and has received four honorary doctorates. his acclaimed novels have sold more than 45 million copies (give or take a few) and have been translated into 33 languages. only j.k. rowling has outsold him, but pratchett still holds the record for being the most shoplifted author in the u.k.
his books are funny, they make you laugh out loud. everytime i read one, i start to question why i bother reading other books at all! (ok, well, there's no blood and gore in his books so maybe that's why.) and i annoy everyone around me by quoting entire passages to them. hehehehe (in other words if you see me holding a pratchett book, run for your life!) but what i really like most about them is that i actually learn so much! more than just fantasy books, they are actually satires about real world issues like politics, religion, economics, war, and everything in between. why, i even learned everything about banking systems in the novel "making money" that my professor of economics at UP failed to make me understand! seriously.
but most of all, he uses words like he loves them. he's brilliant writer and i wish he could keep writing. sadly, he has been diagnosed with early-onset alzheimer's disease. which is only the worst thing that can happen to a mind like his. already i am mourning the fact that there will only be 38 discworld novels. (oh, did i mention he's also very prolific?)
these are my favorite titles in no particular order (out of all that i have read):
1. night watch (about politics, social justice, rule of law)
2. thud (about prejudice, and doing what's right)
3. wytches abroad (a parody of all fairy tales)
4. the light fantastic
5. the amazing maurice and his educated rodents (a must-read)
6. thief of time
7. hogfather (this was made into a movie. saw the film. loved it too. it's the best argument for letting kids believe in fantasies like santa claus and the tooth fairy.)
some of the characters appear in more than one book, and i have also come to love them like they were my friends. =)
*** that shelf full of discworld novels is sadly, not mine. one day, i'll own them all.
24 comments:
Twelve of them are here where you left them (for safekeeping,he he he).
Thank you. It is so difficult to find new authors that you'll end up enjoying and loving. Now I would be brave next time to pick up his works and with a brilliant review from you, I am assured that I will be getting more.
In the new age of commercial promotions and product positioning, it's a treasure to find very true endorsements of books and authors such as your post without any commercial strings attached to it. Thank you for introducing me to this author. I can safely check this author out rather than being lost in NY Times' best seller's list.
Pat, do you have an ereader? If you have Sony's reader touch, you can own his books for free. In fact, I just downloaded some of his books so I can check it out.
hehehe, don't you dare give them away! =) i still hope to get the entire collection.
ohhhh...i want to try this one out...i haven't been reading for a long while...
my first encounter with pratchett was the book good omens, which he co-wrote with neil gaiman. i really loved his humor! it's so british! so i looked for anything else he wrote and discovered he had written dozens of books! i borrowed as much as i could from the library but they were always on loan and had to place a reservation just so i could get a hold of one.
oh, if you like british humor, you are sure to love him! =) i have lots of favorites -- from tolkien, anne rice, zafon, gaiman, clancy, etc, -- but pratchett is my all-time fave. and i reach for one of his books when i need a dose of happy juice. =)
oh, sadly, i don't! but that's ok, i prefer the old-fashioned printed variety. preferably with the new book smell. =) if they can make e-readers smell like a new book, then i'd probably buy one. hahahaha!
i can't survive the week unless i have 3-4 books on my shelf! lucky i can just borrow from the library. =) national bookstore has a good selection of terry pratchett books meann. i bought 12 titles when i was there. heheh.
oh, and another thing i like about his books, he has so many funny asides pretending to be footnotes! hahahahah! like this witch who couldn't spell right, so she cursed this king so that everything he touches turns to GLOD. who happens to be a dwarf. who got more and more annoyed as copies of him kept sprouting up all over the kingdom. so years later the kingdom was full of rather short, extremely bad-tempred people. ehehhehehehehe.
Pat likes his sense of humor - quite the British tongue in cheek.i
I think Diego brought one. But maybe that was the one you gave him for graduation.
yes, i gave him a copy of good omens.
British people have a great sense of humor, very quick-witted.
I enjoy materials done by Michael Palin and John Cleese in Monty Python. Michael Palin has become one of my favorites even in his travel books and TV shows.
Nakaka inggit ang collection mo!!!! Jeff and I were just daydreaming about our future family room/library with floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall bookshelves. Terry Pratchett's books will definitely fill up several of those shelves...para happy ang life ko.
I thought you left them there for me??? Sabi mo yon!!!
for you to borrow! not to give to you! =P
i just said that is not my shelf! hahhahahah! wish ko din yun! i only have 12 of his books. but yes, i also dream of several shelves full of terry pratchett's books!!!
Wahahaha! Mahirap talaga mag basa while two boys are climbing on top of you. They think I am a tree.
Methinks a shelf full of Pratchett's books will be very therapeutic for those days when you feel blue...your magical escape from the ugliness and insanity of this world.
korek! i agree wholeheartedly. i don't want to read anything with pathos anymore. the world is already very depressing, why will i read depressing books too? i read to escape reality, not intensify it.
thank you for this Pat, i have never read Terry Pratchett so i am quite intrigued by this. i will hunt for his books the next time i visit the bookstore. =D
if you can find the book hogfather, or thief of time, get it! =)
oki doki! =D
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