Across November & December last year I went back to re-read the entirety of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.
Why would I do such a crazy thing? Well, the 39th Discworld book, Snuff, was out, and I’ve never actually read Discworld in any kind of order. It’s always been a case of what I’ve noticed in the library or picked up at the bookshop. As each novel stands alone as a story that’s never bothered me too much, but none the less I couldn’t help feeling I was missing out on something.
So, 39 books, across 8 or 9 weeks. Good job none of them are too lengthy!
I couldn’t possibly talk about each book in detail (Phew, I hear you say…) – this is much more about the overall impressions I was left with.
The first overwhelming thought is what a marvellous series Discworld is. I’m not aware of any other series with this combination of humour, characterisation, wit and sheer storytelling virtuosity. Really, if you’ve not already read any of the Discworld books, what are you waiting for!
That does bring me to an interesting point though… Where to start? I enjoyed re-reading The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic a great deal, but I’m not convinced they would be the best starting point. The books change an awful lot as they progress – I go on about this more in a moment. Maybe Equal Rites? Guards, Guards? Or possibly even one of the Tiffany Aching books? Hmmm. Really not sure…
Talking more about how the books change; I never really appreciated this before the re-read. There’s a huge, huge difference. The earlier stories were far more affectionate mockery of well-known Fantasy tropes and, indeed, specific works within the genre. It doesn’t take long though before Pratchett has worn these out and seeks instead to use Discworld as a mirror to reflect and explore many of the issues in our own world.
The experience of reading changes dramatically throughout the books too. The earlier stories are light-hearted, absurd fun. As you progress to later stories, the plotting becomes more intricate, the themes a little more complex, the morality more ambiguous… Don’t get me wrong, there’s never going to be a Discworld equivalent of War and Peace (I hope!) – but none the less, this is a series that grows and develops. I guess, to fulfil 39 books – and counting – it really had to.
One thing that hasn’t changed much is the characterisation. A great strength of Discworld has always been the ease with which Pratchett connects the reader with the characters, and aren’t there some memorable characters in there: Death, of course, Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, Rincewind… This isn’t just through long familiarity either; you normally only have to read the first few lines about a character and you’re getting a pretty clear idea what they’re about.
Of course the books aren’t without flaws. Does the series continuity wander around a little lost at times? Are the plots sometimes a little trivial? Do you ever really doubt the “good guys” will prevail in the end? Of course not! But none the less, the sheer enjoyment Discworld provides far, far outweighs any small negatives.
My personal favourite? Hmmm, that’s tough. In the end though I think I’ll have to stick with Night Watch, and as for why, here’s what I wrote in an earlier post:
There’s rarely a Pratchett book you could call bad, nor stupid – he often uses Discworld as an intriguing mirror to our world – but Night Watch reaches true greatness and had far more emotional impact on me than any of his other works. Of course, all the humour is still there, but allied to a fascinating, driven narrative exploring the origins of Sam Vimes’ character. Discworld books have often made me cry with laughter before – this is the first and only episode which had me shedding the odd tear otherwise.
I honestly don’t think there’s a book I’d call a least favourite… I enjoyed all of them! And given there were 39 of them – well, that’s pretty amazing, really.
I’m still not sure where I’d recommend a complete Pratchett newbie start, though. What do you think?