Unseen, but not forgotten

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Unseen, but not forgotten - on the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

I wanted to pay tribute in some small way with a post in honour of the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett.  The title is not a very good pun, or play on words (certainly not rivalling any of Sir Terry's own word-smithing).  But I'm obliquely referring to Sir Pratchett's Discworld.  With its twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, its magical Ramtop mountains and most specifically its Unseen University.  (Get it, now?)

I discovered the Discworld series of books either late in my 1st or early in my 2nd year of university, I believe.  And I've been a firm, never wavering fan ever since.

The series has been like a companion, a friend made at uni with whom I occasionally lose touch for a bit; but who I'll never allow too much time to pass, before seeking them out again.

I fondly recall long, lazy spring / summer days spent sprawling on the grass in the sunny park with a paperback.  I'd be buried in and utterly absorbed by my latest book of the series.  (Often while I should've been doing something else, like studying or coursework!)

As author Patrick Ness says in this Guardian item (good item actually, well worth a quick read):

"My comfort read

Discworld by Terry Pratchett. I am always at some point through the cycle ... They’re not only gloriously funny, they’re humane in a way that makes you actually feel seen and forgiven, with all your faults. He was a one-off, Sir Terry."

(https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/14/patrick-ness-terry-pratchett-makes-you-feel-seen-and-forgiven)

I, too, am almost always at some point through the Discworld series.  Sometimes I too put down the last one when finished and then pick up the first again.  Other times, I mix things up by reading them in 'sets' (of my own defining).  For example, I might read all the Ramtop witches ones together, or all the Unseen University wizards, or all the Ankh Morpork city watch.  Or, all the Death stories.

And then there are just a few which represent a dilemma, such as Equal Rites.  Does it come under the heading of the witches, or the wizards?

📖 I'm unable to narrow down my favourite book to just one, so I've 2.  Reaper Man and Night Watch.

The former is classic Discworld and also
really evokes, for me, my favourite season of the year, the autumn.  I've taken to reading it every autumn (along with  Hogfather every December).  Reaper Man focuses on a protagonist who is my favourite Discworld character: Death (as you might guess from the title).

The Death of the Discworld is not quite the dark spectre you might imagine, especially in this story.  He is in many ways more humane than many humans.  And a cat-lover, so it's little wonder he's my favourite character.

The latter story, Night Watch, is in many ways more frightening by far, believe it or not, than a book with Death as the main character.  😱

Night Watch has more maturity than much of the earlier Discworld stuff (without wishing to disparage the earlier books in any way).  It heavily features political machinations & intrigue, and touches on issues of abuses of power & authority.  And of what it takes to have the courage & integrity to stand up in the face of a corrupted system. But it still has the signature Terry Pratchett humour and page-turner readability.

Other favourite characters of mine besides Death are:  Archchancellor of Unseen University Mustrum Ridcully; the UU librarian who is (latterly) an orang-utan; history monk Lu Tze; The Luggage; and finally two of the younger Ramtop witches Magrat and Agnes/Perdita (yes, this is where the inspiration for my handle of PerditaPickle comes from).

If you're new to the Discworld series, I personally recommend starting from the beginning with The Colour of Magic.  Or you could get away with starting with the 2nd book, The Light Fantastic.  A lot of folks don't feel it's necessary to start there, and it's not.  But I feel that you get a good grounding in the Discworld from these first two novels in the series.

These first two are largely straight up parodies (or parody-homages, you might say) of the fantasy fiction genre.  But there's something really Lovecraftian about the magical situation of the Disc with its ever present Dungeon Dimensions.  And these two first stories really illustrate this.  So for me, this is the place to start.

If, however, you try The Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic and don't feel you're getting on with them, please don't give up on Discworld.  These two books, while fun and good background for the Disc, they're admittedly somewhat less 'meaty' than the later novels.  Therefore, if that's your experience, then instead go straight to any of the following:

• Equal Rites (as mentioned, this is both a witches story and also a wizards one)
  
• Mort (a story with Death in)
  
• Sourcery (a wizards book)
• Wyrd Sisters (a witches tale, in which cultural references, liberally utilised by Pratchett, really start to become key features)
• Guards! Guards! (a city watch romp, with a dragon in it)

I feel sure any fantasy fiction fan should get something out of any -or all- of the above.  🐉

From there you can go almost anywhere in the series you like.  For me, however, I would recommend reading them in order.  Again, you don't have to.  You can get away with reading most of them as stand-alone stories.  But by reading them in chronological order, not only do you get introduced to all the main characters as they appear, but you can really get a sense of the development of the Discworld series.  And of the development of the Disc itself, with its march toward a version of an industrial revolution.

If, however, you find you don't really resonate with one of the stories then, again, don't give up.  But just pass over that one this time around.  Pick up the next, instead; you may very likely find that the next set of characters does provide a tickle to your funny bone.

If Pyramids doesn't speak to you, try Faust Eric;  if Eric doesn't then try Moving Pictures or Small Gods.  If those stories still don't draw you in, try any of the next 14 books.  Still not converted to a Discworld fan?  Before giving up, try The Truth, Night Watch or Monstrous Regiment.  Or, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky or Wintersmith (you do really need to read Wintersmith before I Shall Wear Midnight).

The Truth, Night Watch and and Monstrous Regiment have a smidge more maturity, as mentioned in relation to Night Watch earlier.  The latter three as well, (four if you include I Shall Wear Midnight) featuring a character called Tiffany Aching.  They're set on the Disc, but have something of a different tone (though retaining much humour, largely provided by the comical Nac Mac Feegle clan).  By I Shall Wear Midnight there are some elements which are borderline dark.  No, make that straight-up dark in places.

Alternatively, if you're familiar with the series already &/or don't fancy my suggested reading order above, do an internet search for 'Discworld reading order' and you'll get a selection of hits with differing suggestions.  💻

🔢 You may wonder how the likes of myself and Patrick Ness can re-read something this many times without tiring of it (besides trying out different reading orders periodically).

Well, not only is the writing style so compelling, with frequent nuggets of just supremely artful word-crafting.  Not only that, but almost every time you re-read one you notice something else.  It may be the way something is expressed, that catches your imagination this time around when it didn't the last.

Or it may be one of the many, many cultural references with which you weren't previously familiar.  There's a feeling of 'jackpot' when you ultimately spot one which you'd never noticed before.  Like when I finally figured out what the Ankh Morpork city watch motto in Guards! Guards! actually reads (not what Sargeant Colon claims it reads).

I must actually confess, at the time of writing I've yet to read the last book in the series, The Shepherd's Crown.  I do this often with TV series I really enjoy.  I get to within one or sometimes two episodes of the last, and I end up taking a massive long hiatus, sometimes of years.  (Then I need to re-watch the whole thing before I can see how it ends.)

I think this quirk is a neurotic thing.  There's a chance I may never read The Shepherd's Crown (or, not for a long time).  I feel sure I'll enjoy it as much as all the rest.  But take account of my enormous fondness for Discworld, the huge place it's had in my life, Sir Pratchett's untimely passing and my neurosis.  Because of this combination of factors, I'm not sure whether I can bring myself to finish.  In fact, my eyes are actually filling with tears as I write this.  (I'm just an ol' soppy really!)

Anyway, I hope I've tempted a few
people to experience the Discworld for themselves, or to revisit it if it's been a while.  It's wonderful escapism.  And believe it or not, it's not just for fantasy fiction fans; I'm certain you can get something out of it if you're a literary type, too.  Oh, and if you're pagan.  Try any of the following in particular, and I think you might see what I mean:

• Wyrd Sisters
• Witches Abroad
• Lords and Ladies
  And even Masquerade, for a bit of pop-culture, too.
  

Image credits (all photos from Unsplash):

Turtle by Kris Mikael Krister;  eagle image, from www.terrypratchettbooks.com (artwork, I believe, possibly, by Paul Kidby);  university building by Bharath Reddy;  cosy blanket by Jon Tyson;  park by Jan Canty;  book image, also from www.terrypratchettbooks.com;  (witch hat was a gift from my spouse);  raven/crow by Valentin Petkov;  cat by Alexander Possingham;  lantern by Marko Blažević;  orang utan by Erik-Jan Leusink;  domed building by Muzammil Soorma;  chest by Daniel Tuttle;  library by j zamora;  elephants x 4 by Geran de Klerk (quadrupled by me using Paint);  books by Jaredd Craig;  pyramids by Leonardo Ramos;  dark place by Jez Timms;  sunset tower by Daniel Olah;  Globe Theatre by Hulki Okan Tabbak (sepia tone added by me);  crown by Pro Church Media;  tower by Nathan Dumlao;  and faded London by Benjamin Davies (faded by me using Photos on Windows, please see here for original).

Bonus tree photos:  Jan Canty;  and Muzammil Soorma.

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Intermission

 

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air-head.

Intermission

Possible forthcoming topics (though I make no promises)

Q	Questing for fantasy
R	Reincarnation -- my theory
S	Searching for a cure-all  [was going to be titled Snake Oil, but thought better of it]
T	Travel
U	'Unseen, but not forgotten'  -  this is actually being uploaded  out of sequence, on 25 May 2021.

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Finally...

I'm still currently trying to generate extra publicity for this GoFundMe campaign; please visit the site, read about & share it (and consider donating) -- thank you, very much, on behalf of the fundraiser.

And I'm now also trying to promote this Social Fund campaign.  Again, please visit the site, read and consider donating if you can.  Thank you, again, on behalf of this fundraiser.

Photo credits: Markus Spiske on Unsplash (notebook); Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash (pencil); Google/Blogger (screenshot); Markus Winkler (list); Steve Johnson (cash).

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.