What fantasy/science fiction book are you reading RIGHT NOW?

[Cameraman Jenn]

Dust of Dreams, about half way through.

[Orlion]

Still on Dust of Dreams...I blame school

[I'm Murrin]

I was just thinking and realised that over the course of 2011 I will have read: Against All Things Ending, The Crippled God, White-Luck Warrior, and A Dance with Dragons - quite a year for me and epic fantasy!

I'm gonna have to find some really incomprehensible pomo stuff to balance things out. Oh, I still have Only Revolutions on my pile...

[Avatar]

The Crippled God.

Always sad approaching the ending of a great series.

--A

[Orlion]

The Crippled God.

Always sad approaching the ending of a great series.

--A

I wish I could approach the end of this series....

[Avatar]

And it's done. Finished TCG last night.

Think I need to read a few non-fantasy books right now.

--A

[Cameraman Jenn]

Just started TCG today. About Dust of Dreams though.... HOLY CRAP!

[Cambo]

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. First Pratchett I've read, my sister is a fiend for his work. Hugely enjoying it so far.

[Avatar]

One of my absolute favourites. The author I mean. The books just get better and better, and you can actually see his characters develop. If you can read them in order, do so. I think I have every Discworld book.

--A

[Cambo]

I'll do my best to find them in order- I got The Light Fantastic from my sister as well, so on track. We watched the screen adaptation of Going Postal last week- I thought it was great, but hadn't read the book, which I prefer to do first. Have you seen any of the screen versions, Av?

[Avatar]

Seen TCoM and TLF screen versions, with Jason Alexander as Rincewind. They were pretty good. I've got HogFather somewhere, but haven't watched it yet.

It's not essential to have them in order, but it helps keeping the overall storyline straight. It's also hard to read the more developed characters, then go back to when they were flatter.

--A

[TheFallen]

Cambo!!! Welcome to the Pratchett fold!

Like Avatar, I'd suggest reading the books in the suggested order, because a) although starting brilliantly, the series keeps on getting better and you'd avoid any disappointment in returning to an earlier book once you've read a few later ones and b) as Av says, given that the novels are variously based on sets of characters - Rincewind and the wizards, Granny Weatherwax and the witches, Vimes and The City Watch, Susan and Death and latterly, Moist von Lipwig - it's good to see how they develop.

As to film & TV adaptations, here in the UK, Sky (aka Fox) has commissioned and screened big budget adaptations of The Hogfather, The Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic (made as one continuous series), and most recently Going Postal. Not a bad stab, but I'd read the books first - Pratchett's so much about wordplay that it'd be a shame not to.

My personal faves? Very hard to pick, because there are so many, but Thief Of Time, Reaper Man, The Night Watch, Thud, The Fifth Elephant and Carpe Jugulum spring to mind.

I also have everything Pratchett's ever written - Av, do you have "Once More With Footnotes", an anthology of TP's short stories, including a few Discworld ones? If not, here are some links (Pratchett's allowed free publication of the following two on the web, but if you do some web searching, you can also find Troll Bridge, The Sea And Little Fishes and A Collegiate Casting Out Of Devilish Devices):-

Death And What Comes Next - featuring GUESS WHO

Theatre Of Cruelty - featuring Carrot Ironfoundersson

Both of these come from the magnificent Pratchett fansite L Space, which you can spend months browsing over. (You'll find out what L Space is, once you encounter the Librarian and he comes into his own as a character... make sure you have a banana handy).

I am actually hugely envious of you, Cambo, because you've still got THIRTY THREE more Discworld Pratchetts to discover for the very first time - or 37 if you add in the Maurice/Tiffany Aching books. Pratchett is an absolute genius - he's one of the very few authors who have made me laugh out loud.

[Cambo]

You guys, combined with how much I am enjoying TCOM, are making me very excited about this series.

I am actually hugely envious of you, because you've still got THIRTY THREE more Discworld Pratchetts to discover for the very first time - or 37 if you add in the Maurice/Tiffany Aching books. Pratchett is an absolute genius - he's one of the very few authors who have made me laugh out loud.

Me as well! I love humourous authors, but they rarely make me do more than grin or chuckle. TCOM has had me in stitches! Echo-Gnomics!

I recently introduced a friend to TCoTC, and felt the same way as she worked through them, meeting Foamfollower for the first time, witnessing the Celebration of Spring, Mhoram.... Bittersweet, as I will never get that first experience again, but I get to share it with other people as many times as I can convince them to read it.

[Avatar]

Thanks for the links. I've got or read a couple of the short stories, but not the ones you posted there, so hooray for me. New Pratchett.

I do include the Tiffany books and Maurice, but not Diggers etc. Strata or Dark Side of the Sun. (I've read them, but I don't have them. Just the Discworld.)

Think my favourite has eventually become the Guards story-line, and my all-time favourite is probably Night Watch. (Which sorta grew outta Thief of Time.)

Not a huge fan of 5th Elephant or Carpe Jugulum myself. They're good, but not great IMO.

--A

[pat5150]

With GRRM's ADWD coming out in a few short weeks, I finally read A Feast for Crows! The worse ASOIAF volume, to be sure, but not as bad as many made it sound to be.

Check out the blog for the full review.

Patrick
www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[stonemaybe]

Me as well! I love humourous authors, but they rarely make me do more than grin or chuckle. TCOM has had me in stitches! Echo-Gnomics!

Don't you mean reflected-sound-of-underground-spirits? I seem to remember that had me in stitches too.

My favourite is Light Fantastic, which should be next on your list. The Moist von Lipwig books are probably my next favourites - Going Postal, Making Money(or something like that).

[Cambo]

Me as well! I love humourous authors, but they rarely make me do more than grin or chuckle. TCOM has had me in stitches! Echo-Gnomics!

Don't you mean reflected-sound-of-underground-spirits? I seem to remember that had me in stitches too.

My favourite is Light Fantastic, which should be next on your list. The Moist von Lipwig books are probably my next favourites - Going Postal, Making Money(or something like that).

Yeah, all the tourist translations are priceless. Bout 3/4 through Light Fantastic now. Loving it. I feel compelled to share one of my favourite moments:

She wore the air of one who, if asked to consider what sort of events might occur after being rescued from a virgin sacrifice by a hero with a white charger, would probably not have mentioned linament, but who, now linament was apparently what did happent to you after all, was determined to be good at it.

[stonemaybe]

Cambo, I envy you - you're in for months of hilarity! Make sure you continue sharing it

Just started the first Night Watch book, and I'm hooked. Good job I was lent all 4!

[TheFallen]

Cambo, I envy you - you're in for months of hilarity! Make sure you continue sharing it

Just started the first Night Watch book, and I'm hooked. Good job I was lent all 4!

Four? FOUR??? You've been short-changed - at least seven Discworld novels have Vimes and the City Watch as central protagonists. Go borrowing some more, Stone!

Guards! Guards!
Men At Arms
Feet Of Clay
Jingo
The Fifth Elephant
Night Watch
Thud

[stonemaybe]

Sorry I meant I've just started the Russian Night Watch books - didn't mean the Pratchett ones!