Terry Pratchett

[Kathy Li]

Did just want to mention that we're coming up close on the hardcover release (October 6) of the next Discworld novel, Unseen Academicals (which I believe is about football/sports...) The Librarian as goalie.

Is it wrong to be excited about this mostly because it means he's now working on the last(?) Tiffany Aching, I Shall Wear Midnight? I went to a signing a few years ago where he'd intimated that after this one, she'll be old enough to appear in the adult Discworld novels.

[Cinnamon Wind]

I didn't know he was writing another Tiffany book! That's so cool! Can't wait! Any idea when it's going to be published or is that going to be in a verrrry long time from now?
You know he has Alzheimers? Does that not utterly SUCK? Like, of all authors... not to say that an awful writer deserves it more, but why, why?
Not enough that Douglas Adams is no longer in a position to be writing... anyone read And Another Thing, by the way?
But, luckily, Terry Pratchett is still writing and is on some kind of experimental treatment... so here's hoping.

[Crawl]

I Shall Wear Midnight I am fairly sure is set to release some time in September, if it does not get delayed. Fingers crossed! I Can't wait to read Unseen Academics but I'm already reading two books right now. As for And Another Thing while I do love Eion Colfer and the clever title, he is no Douglas Adams I don't know if I will be able to read it knowing Eion Colfer's writing style is somewhat goofy. I've read several of his books but the comedy in them was a less mature light-heartedness than I've come to expect from the hitchiker's series.

[Lazy Leopard]

Terry Pratchett's "I Shall Wear Midnight" (NO SPOILERS!)

I just got myself a copy of "I Shall Wear Midnight", the latest in the Tifany Aching series. I started reading it in a shoe shop a couple of days back whilst my sister-in-law was choosing a new pair of boots. It's my bed-time read for the moment, to spin the pleasure out for a week or two. Anyone else had their hands on a copy yet?

(Please, no spoilers!)

[dorotheia]

An Long-winded Review of "And Another Thing"

Okay, so this is off-topic but someone did ask about this book...

Yeah, I read And Another ThingMostly Harmless. (Though frankly, I don't see how anyone can be... Except, well, we're getting another author's vision how could the story could end. It's not like how it was. If that would just ruin it, like I said, don't bother.)
Don't expect too much, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Hope someone found something worth reading here! Despite the sinking feeling I have that this is stuff everyone already knows...

[Kathy Li]

I just got myself a copy of "I Shall Wear Midnight", the latest in the Tifany Aching series.

Correction. LAST in the Tiffany Aching series. Pratchett, the last I heard, said that now that Tiffany is 16, she's old enough to appear in the Discworld series proper, rather than in her own YA series.

God, I loved I Shall Wear Midnight. So very wonderful.

[Lazy Leopard]

Correction. LAST in the Tiffany Aching series. Pratchett, the last I heard, said that now that Tiffany is 16, she's old enough to appear in the Discworld series proper, rather than in her own YA series.

God, I loved I Shall Wear Midnight. So very wonderful.

Yep, he said "last" at the Discworld Con, but I didn't catch his reason for so saying, and not knowing how the book ended, I wasn't sure whether saying "last" might be considered a spoiler, so I went with something a little less definite.

[Daisy]

The only one of Terry Pratchett's books that I've read is Nation. I've heard his other books are good, though I haven't read any of them. Well I actually got the first Disk world book from the library a few years ago, though I never ended up reading it. What are they about? Are they any good?

[Kathy Li]

..., I wasn't sure whether saying "last" might be considered a spoiler, so I went with something a little less definite.

Oh. Yeah. I should probably go back and edit the opening post on this thread. Except it's already been sitting there for about a year.

The only one of Terry Pratchett's books that I've read is Nation. I've heard his other books are good, though I haven't read any of them. Well I actually got the first Disk world book from the library a few years ago, though I never ended up reading it. What are they about? Are they any good?

Well, if you liked Nation, chances are good you'll like the Discworld books, too. The Discworld books are about just about everything you can think of, and those of us who love them really really love them. I do agree that the first book of the series, The Colour of Magick might not be enough to get you hooked on the series at first.

I'd actually recommend starting with the Tiffany Aching YA series, which is set in the Discworld. Those will give you a good taste of what the Discworld books are like. The first one in the series is Wee Free Men, followed by A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight.

[Lazy Leopard]

Oh. Yeah. I should probably go back and edit the opening post on this thread. Except it's already been sitting there for about a year.

Oh so it has.

He said at DWCon that it was the last, but I didn't catch the "because she's now old enough" explanation. I guess that means that she may well appear in other books, but this particular series is now done and dusted.

His bedtime story at DWCon was a reading from his next book, due out some time next year.

[Kathy Li]

I suppose I should also mention that on Neil Gaiman's blog a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned having a meal with Terry Pratchett about something they can't tell us about yet.

Terry Pratchett and I met for Sushi in Cardiff the following evening, for Mysterious Reasons That We Are Not Announcing Yet. This is a photograph of us toasting Something Unexplained with champagne.

Given that this was in Cardiff, while Neil was working on his Doctor Who episode has me wishing heartily that this means they'd be working together on a Who episode, but that's probably just sheer coincidence. I do not even breathe the thought of a Good Omens sequel. But I do muse that it would be just like them to actually be working on a book called Something Unexplained.

[Lazy Leopard]

It'll be interesting to hear what Neil and Terry are up to. Collaboration seems to be a theme with Terry at present. Stephen Baxter was at the DWCon, as he and Terry are also working together on something.

[Lazy Leopard]

...and in other random cool things, Ansible mentioned that the College of Arms has granted Sir Terry Pratchett's coat of arms. Scroll down a little way through the newsletter, or peek here.

[Kathy Li]

Oh man, I love that.

[Lazy Leopard]

I particularly liked the motto, which is just absolutely perfect for Terry.

In fact, all in all, it's one of the best recent coats of arms I've seen. Plain and un-cluttered, and absolutely packed with personal symbolism.

My own family's coat, by way of comparison, is over-ornate, fussy, and generally all-together an example of how not to do heraldry. Jealous? Me?