The Nightstar Zoo

Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels seem to be nearly universal fare amongst geeks. Which is your favorite?

EDIT: added the Young Adult novels and The Last Hero. Just for you, Locus. Just for you.

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"Vox populi? Vox humbug!"
- William Tecumseh Sherman

Night Watch is my favorite of the lot. It has all the humor one expects of a Discworld novel, but it mixes it with real drama and pathos. Of all the books in the series, I think this is the one with the deepest underlying message. I loved it. (It also helps that I really like the City Watch books. If I had to list my top five, they'd be Night Watch ,Guards! Guards!, Jingo, Men at Arms, and Monstrous Regiment (okay, that last breaks the pattern, but Vimes, Angua, Buggy and Reg all showed up in it).)

I'd have to say Night Watch also.... s'good

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"To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous." - Confucius

Never heard of 'em.

But then again, I'm proud to be a highly competent non-geek.

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A religion is sometimes a source of happiness and I would not deprive anyone of happiness. But it is a comfort appropriate for the weak.
The great trouble with a religion, any religion, is that a religionist, having accepted certain propositions by faith, cannot thereafter judge those propositions by evidence. One may bask at the warm fires of faith or choose to live in the bleak uncertainty of reason, but one cannot have both.

Robert A Heinlein (As Hartley M Baldwin, in Friday)

What, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents doesn't count as a Discworld novel?

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This is my sig, because it just looks weird not to have one. That said, don't expect any grand enlightenment or side-splitting humor out of it. In fact, I reccommend that you stop reading this sig approximately three sentences ago. Seriously, nothing to see here.

Would that I'd read most of these. Alas.

I voted for Feet of Clay because of the handful I have read it's my favorite.

If you want to vote for the YA novels, go right ahead - I've added them, along with the illustrated fable. Anyone who asks me to add the yearbooks, comics, or stage plays will be answered with Sgt. Detritus's Piecemaker.

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"Vox populi? Vox humbug!"
- William Tecumseh Sherman

Nac Mac Feegle! Ach! Ye can tak' oour lives but ye cannae tak' oour troousers!

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Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

I keep meaning to read those books...

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Any mistakes in my posts are the result of demonic tampering by Titivillus.

Hey, it worked for medieval monks.

IMHO, that was the worst of the Diskworld books, even worse than Reaper Man.

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This is my sig, because it just looks weird not to have one. That said, don't expect any grand enlightenment or side-splitting humor out of it. In fact, I reccommend that you stop reading this sig approximately three sentences ago. Seriously, nothing to see here.

I've only read five of em (Guards!, Small Gods, Colour of Magic, Truth, and Fifth Elephant) and I liked Fifth Elephant the best. Its treatment of the undead mirrors my comic.

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Yes, I'm the wierdo that does <A HREF="http://www.ucrats.com">UC Rats</a>.
And I'm Woap, not Woa, and very not Anne

I liked Fifth Elephant too. I generally prefer the more serious, more philosophical and questioning books over the silly crazy ones.

It definitely made me laugh the hardest.

_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

Have a guess.

There are too many to choose from, I've only read about half of them. Small Gods is great for theological dicussions(especially with bible thumpers), Equal Rites and Monstorous Regiment are feminist(only because I can't really think of a better word.)And they all are a great read.

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Anyone can be a witch with a fancy ritual athame. It takes a real witch to use an apple corer for an athame.
-Terry Prachet
Countess: My dear, I don't think he's as stupid as he seems.
Count: My dear, nobody could be as stupid as he seems.
Doctor Who- City of Death

Small gods is my favourite standalone book. The parts where the god denied ever saying all the stuff as preached by the profits was hilarious

Otherwise, my faves are the Night Watch series. Carrot is hillarious. I just hope he and Anguna get together eventually (even though Anguna is hesitent to do so for some reason). I also wonder if Vimes will be made Patrician, and Carrot his advisor (who really controls everything). It seems that in every book, they both get promoted. I'll bet the Patrician is training his replacement as it were.

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I thought what I'd do is I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes.

Manga Reviewer Not all manga sucks, just some of the ones I've read.
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My favorite is actually 'The Science of Discworld', by the 3 wise guys. Er, wise men. That's what I meant.

Barring that, it's the Truth. Something about the pen being mightier than the sword, and that loverly silver rain, not to mention the Beast Which Must Be Fed Words.

However ya cut it, Pratchett's in my list of favorite authors. YMMV, but if you can't find some joy in the books, I feel sorry for ya.

-John

What's wrong with Reaper Man?

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The only Pratchett I've read is his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens.

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"I remember the first time I got laid. There was nothing but darkness at
first. Then movement, coming in fits and starts. Then I felt a weird
urge, and used my sharp beak to break free of that damnable prison."
—— Karim Rashad, in rec.martial-arts

Same thing that was wrong with the Wee Free Men. Too much magic, not enough funny.

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This is my sig, because it just looks weird not to have one. That said, don't expect any grand enlightenment or side-splitting humor out of it. In fact, I reccommend that you stop reading this sig approximately three sentences ago. Seriously, nothing to see here.

interesting how peoples' definition of "funny" is so different. Wee Free Men had me laughing out loud quite often throughout.

In fact, the idea of a startled-looking cow moving backwards through a field without moving its legs *still* makes me snicker.

_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

I really really liked Monstrous Regiment, but I realized when looking at this poll that it wouldn't have worked as well for me if I hadn't read the Guards books and The Truth

My least favourite Discworld books (although I still like them) are the Rincewind books.

You're making me choose?
Monstrous Regiment, because it's the one most recently obtained.
And Jackrum is great.

But I love them all... even the ones with more magic than funny, because often the magic is funny.

I suppose Carpe Jugulum is high up, though, because of the marvelous vampire quote...
"It is said that there are as many kinds of vampires as there are diseases.*
* Which presumably means that some are virulent and deadly, while others just amek you walk in a funny way and avoid fruit."

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<i>Prrrrrt?</i>

But if I'm going to vote for one of them, it'll be Thief of Time. I really like Susan and Sweeper, what can I say?

However, any of them are excellent in my opinion. I can't honestly think of any duds. And if there would be a person I could follow for absolute power, I suspect it would be Vetinari. But only if he had Vimes and Carrot.

Take care!

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The Crimson Terror

The Sweeper is indeed awesome.

Don't forget Rule 1.

_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.
http://www.fandemonium.org
Friday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)

I just finished Mort and, though it was a bit slow in the middle (many of them are), the ending was freaking magnificent.

And now The Wee Free Men has a sequel.
Hat Full of Sky.

The Nac Mac Feegle are the awesomist little blue men ever.

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<i>Prrrrrt?</i>

That was my first Pratchett as well. Actually ended up reading Jingo just because the library was out of copies of it. Ended up going through almost all of Discworld in about two weeks.

Fovorites have to be any with either Vimes or Susan in them. Ooh Rincewind too. And the librarian, the librarian needs his own novel.

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2+2=4

There is a manster under your bed. But it cannot hurt you if you do not fear it.

Just going through the library system to pick up the Pratchett I haven't read yet. Realized you need to add Going Postal to the list.

it aten't been out long however

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"To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous." - Confucius