The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, by Terry
Pratchett.
Pratchett was for many years one of the greatest fantasy
writers in my lifetime, and I was introduced to his work completely by
accident. I was in the Science Fiction Book Club, and if you forgot to cancel
the monthly selections, they sent them to you automatically. “Colour” (which we
jokingly called ‘Kull-oor’) wasn’t done any favors by the somewhat generic book
club cover art, but I dutifully gave it a shot and to my delight found it
a-chock with chuckles. When “Light” came out I was ready to get it on purpose,
and this time the budget had extended to a Josh Kirby cover. Thus began a
decades-long run of books that only became better and better and ever more
popular. It’s odd to look back at these two (I never got any other or better
copies) and think of a time when this was all there was of Discworld. Made into
a BBC TV series and a graphic novel. “Often through scatter-brainedness,
laziness, or just plain being unable to get hold of a stamp I would miss the Science
Fiction Book Club deadline and get a couple of unasked-for volumes. Well, I
would try them out, and if I liked them, okay, and if not, I would sell them or
pass them on to people who did want them. Terry Pratchett was one of my
fortuitous finds and getting The Colour Of Magic was one of
the few times my disorganization actually worked in my favor. I've got many
more Pratchett books in paperback, but since the hardback editions have become
more available I always get them now, because I know I'll want them in more
durable form and because I can't wait to read them.” – Power of Babel.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Novels. Hardback.
Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett.
The Discworld version of Santa is missing, and Death must
take his place if the sun is going to rise on another day of Discworld as we
know it. A hilarious, wise look at ritual, traditions, and belief; when I found
this hardback copy, I had to have it. Has been made into a BBC TV series.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.
After years of getting Pratchett in paperback I finally lost
patience and started getting them in hardback. The paperback covers were
getting too abstract, anyway. Just in time to be introduced to Moist Lipwig,
the ex-conman who helps ushers in what may be termed the Victorian age of
Discworld, with postage stamps, paper money, and steam engine travel (Going
Postal, Making Money, Raising Steam). Thud! has Vimes of the Watch examining
the origin of the ancient war between Dwarfs and Trolls and trying to prevent a
new outbreak. Having already pretty well rehabilitated the image of Trolls in
fantasy literature, Pratchett now works on Orcs and Goblins (Unseen
Academicals, Snuff). Pratchett kept up the inventiveness and quality of the
Discworld books until the end, although I think the last few books could have
used an editorial pass and a bit of tightening to reach his usual standard. But
then the man was suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.
The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall
Wear Midnight, and The Shepherd’s Crown, by Terry Pratchett.
A series of Discworld “juveniles”, featuring Tiffany Aching,
her developing career as a witch, and her protectorate of the Chalk, the hills
of her sheepherding home. The first book introduces the Nac Mac Feegle, a race
of semi-Scottish gnomes (Pictsies) of great strength and crude manners who
befriend the girl and are her staunchest allies throughout the series. Through
Tiffany’s growing career she learns from a variety of Discworld witches, and
even earns the respect of Granny Weatherwax, who leaves her steading to the
girl when her long-expected passing occurs. The Shepherd’s Crown is “the last
book written by Terry Pratchett before his death in March 2015.
It is the 41st novel in the Discworld series[b1] . In early June 2015, the custodian of the late author's works,
his daughter Rhianna Pratchett, announced that The
Shepherd's Crown would be the last Discworld novel,
and that no further works or books of unfinished work would be authorised for
publication … In the afterword, Rob Wilkins states that Pratchett wrote The
Shepherd's Crown's "pivotal scenes while he was still
writing Raising
Steam", and
that "it was, still, not quite finished as he would have liked when he
died" and that "he would almost certainly have written more of this
book". Neil Gaiman has said that Pratchett had
originally planned to end the book with the revelation that Granny Weatherwax
had temporarily placed her consciousness within You the cat, and that Death
would only collect her in the epilogue, after she says "I am leaving on my
own terms now;" however, Pratchett's health deteriorated too quickly for
him to be able to write this scene.”
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardbacks.
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Mrs. Bradshaw’s
Handbook (To Travelling Upon the Ank-Morpork & Sto Plains Hygienic Railway),
Miss Felicity Beedle’s The World of Poo, Where’s My Cow?, The Discworld
Almanak: The Year of the Prawn (with Bernard Pearson), The 2015 Discworld
Diary: First and Last Aid, by Terry Pratchett.
“Maurice” is another Discworld “juvenile” novel; the rest are
works that are more or less feigned to be books that actually exist inside the
series itself. “Cow” was introduced and plays a pivotal part in “Thud!” as the
book that Samuel Vimes must read to his son every day; Miss Felicity Beedle is
a children’s author in “Snuff”; and the railway is introduced in “Raising
Steam”. “Almanack” and “Diary” are daily diaries full of illustrations and
supplemental material for the series. Illustrators: Melvyn Grant (“Cow”); Peter
Dennis (“Poo” and “Bradshaw” and “2015”); Paul Kidby (“Almanack”). There are
plenty of other Diaries I don’t have, but I understand that pertinent
information from them went into the Companion. And now I see they are going to
be collected into a new volume of their own, “The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume
I”: “Completely revamped and redesigned, this full-colour book contains
material from Discworld Diaries across the decades.” – Amazon.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Hardbacks. Diaries. Juveniles.
The Last Hero, by Terry Pratchett
A supersized Discworld novel profusely illustrated by Paul
Kidby. The fabled, elderly barbarian warrior Cohen wants to go out with a bang,
so he decides to return fire to the Gods. Taking along his horde of aged
cronies and a kidnapped bard to record his deeds, he starts a trek that could very
well end in the destruction of the Disc. To stop this from happening, the
Patrician and Archchancellor send Rincewind, Carrot, and Leonard da Quirm in a
steam-punk spaceship to head them off. A tale of heroism, revenge, and a
meditation on the old sword-and-sorcery fantasy books.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Copiously Illustrated Fantasy Novel. Hardback.
The Illustrated Eric, by Terry Pratchett
Illustrated by Josh Kirby and bought on clearance. Kirby is,
of course, one of the two artists most closely associated with Discworld.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Hardback.
Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs.
“A Useful and Improving Almanack of Information including
Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.” Illustrated by Paul
Kidby. Being a social and culinary guide to the fantasy world as filtered
through the mind of Lancre’s most relaxed witch. Also an actual cookbook, which
makes it the second in my library connected to imaginary milieus. With some
surprising lore about scarecrows.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy. Guide. Softcover. Cookbook.
The Discworld Graphic Novels: The Colour of Magic & The
Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett.
Illustrated by Stephen Ross. Adapted by Scott Rockwell. I
have very little attachment to this book. I don’t even like its graphic style.
But it’s Discworld …
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Graphic Novel. Fantasy. Hardback.
The Josh Kirby Discworld Portfolio, by Josh Kirby.
His Discworld covers, his illustrations from ‘Eric’, his
non-Discworld Pratchett covers. The earlier Discworld artist; thanks to my mixed-brain
echo-association, I always have to stop and think about the difference between
Kirby and Kidby, the other artist.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Art Portfolio. Fantasy. Softcover.
The Art of Discworld, by Terry Pratchett and Paul Kidby.
Text by Pratchett, and fabulous art by Kidby, renowned for
his book covers, calendar art, and illustrations. With Kidby his work is like a
collateral theme; he goes much to help envisioning the mix of medieval fantasy
and Victorian setting that the novels came to invoke.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Art Book. Hardback.
The Folklore of Discworld, by Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline
Simpson.
“In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with
leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to give an irreverent yet
illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated
and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.”
– Terry Pratchett Books. With illustrations by Paul Kidby.
Ranking: Essential.
File Codes: Folklore. Softcover.
Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion … so far, by Terry
Pratchett and Stephen Briggs.
“Fully Updated and up to Snuff!” The third edition of
the Companion. Illustrations by Stephen Briggs. Briggs admits that some of the
lesser entries have been bumped to make room for new information so … I have to
keep the older editions as well. Perhaps we can look forward to one more new
edition to cover the few books published after ‘Snuff’. Also explains how to
play ‘Cripple Mr. Onion’.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Reference. Fantasy. Hardback.
“Favorite Quotations from the Famous Discworld Universe, as
filtered somewhat erratically through the mind of the Distinguished Scholar and
Scribe T. Pratchett, Esq.” Up to “Making Money”. A good browser if you don’t
necessarily want to read an entire book, but which might very well inspire you
to do so.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Quotations. Fantasy. Hardback.
The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day, by Terry
Pratchett, with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen.
Not so much a look at Science versus Religion through the
lens of Discworld as Scientism (a philosophy) versus Religion and argued by
people who don’t quite understand the difference. It seems to me that it’s not
exactly fair that they don’t have an expert like Edward Feser or John Lennox to
give their arguments, but that’s not the point of this book, I suspect. It is
their monologue about their ‘faith’.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Philosophy. Fantasy. Hardback.
The Unadulterated Cat (Illustrated by Gray Jolliffe); The
Carpet People (Illustrated by Terry Pratchett); Strata (ex-library); The
Bromeliad Trilogy; The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy; Nation; Dodger; Dodger’s Guide
to London (Illustrations by Paul Kidby), by Terry Pratchett.
Many of Pratchett’s non-Discworld books, some from before he
created his great franchise, and some from close to the end of his career.
“Johnny and the Dead”, one of the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, certainly is a precursor
to Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book”; “Dodger” reminds me of one of Tim Powers’
historical fantasies with its use of real personages as characters. I’m not
saying he’s copied it, but it’s certainly in the tradition. All are good reads,
except maybe “Nation”. I just couldn’t get into it.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Fantasy/Science Fiction. Novels. Hardbacks.
Dragons at Crumbling Castle and other tales (Illustrations by
Mark Beech), Hardcover. The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner and other stories, by Terry
Pratchett (Illustrations by Mark Beech), Hardcover. Father Christmas’s Fake Beard,
by Terry Pratchett (Illustrations by Mark Beech), Softcover.
When Pratchett was only seventeen, he wrote many short
stories for the newspaper he was working at. These are collections of that
work, and they already show his incredible talent in the germs of the ideas and
humor that he would later elaborate in his mature work. There is a third book,
“Father Christmas’s Fake Beard”, that I still need to get. [Which I now have,
as of August 1st, part of my birthday loot.]
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Anthology. Fantasy. Hardback and Softcover [as
indicated].
A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction (with a
Foreword by A. S. Byatt); A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfiction (with a
Foreword by Neil Gaiman), by Terry Pratchett.
‘Blink’ finally collects all those Discworld short stories that
I chased for years over the internet, among many other tales. ‘Slip’ collects
Pratchett’s essays, addresses, articles, and opinions on all his interests,
especially (for me) fantasy, its joys and limitations. Like sitting down and
having a conversation with a witty and entertainingly opinionated fellow-fan.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Anthology. Hardback.
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