This was another hilarious entry in the Discworld universe with a pretentious turtle and a funny novice Brutha that get into all kinds of trouble and This was another hilarious entry in the Discworld universe with a pretentious turtle and a funny novice Brutha that get into all kinds of trouble and naturally save the world at the end. I liked the whole Omnia religion that Pratchett created and the fact that all the gods exist simply because people believe in them. What really works here is how the physical comedy does have a deeper context in Terry's acidic critique on organized religion and the idiocy of conflicts over religious differences ("my god is better than yours!") and that is just so refreshing. This is one of the rare Discworld books that is not part of a subseries so it can be read out of order or as a standalone and I think that along with The Color of Magic, this might be one of my favorite in the series so far (I am on book 15 now)....more
One of the most endearing characters created by Pratchett is definitely Death who gets an unexpected (and undesired!) retirement. Things - as always -One of the most endearing characters created by Pratchett is definitely Death who gets an unexpected (and undesired!) retirement. Things - as always - go horribly wrong with the interference of the Unseen University and a host of minor characters. I prefer the Rincewind and Luggage stories, but Death makes for some light entertainment and this one does not disappoint!...more
This was a hilarious adventure in the Witches sub-series of Discworld. It borrows broadly from a number of fairy tales making it both recognizable andThis was a hilarious adventure in the Witches sub-series of Discworld. It borrows broadly from a number of fairy tales making it both recognizable and hilarious from beginning to end. I am still annoyed by the lack of chapters and I can't quite understand exactly why it annoys me as much as it does. However, once I suck it up and just read these books, they are quite enjoyable....more
This is the 4th book in the Witches subseries and the direct sequel to Witches Abroad. The "Lords and Ladies" referred to in the title are elves and tThis is the 4th book in the Witches subseries and the direct sequel to Witches Abroad. The "Lords and Ladies" referred to in the title are elves and they are NOT the blond gods of Tolkein here but something far more sinister and malevolent. I don't know if it was that or just the silliness of Verence, but I liked this one a little less than many of the other Discworld books. I think it was also rather confusing how Pratchett tries to describe the parallel universe of the elves and the hive mind and maybe I'd have to read it again to fully appreciate it. I did think that Magrat and Nanny Ogg were fun and the two side romances were cute, but I felt the narrative was a bit too complex for this particular story. ...more
This was a funny parody of Hollywood by the always entertaining Pratchett. I liked crossing (however briefly) one of the Night Guards and the whole paThis was a funny parody of Hollywood by the always entertaining Pratchett. I liked crossing (however briefly) one of the Night Guards and the whole parallel universes thing was particularly well-done. I am enjoying these Discworld books although it still feels disturbing never to have chapters. ...more
This was a funny romp based a bit on The Sourcerers Apprentice trope where we get to meet the City Watch for the first time. I enjoyed the quirky humoThis was a funny romp based a bit on The Sourcerers Apprentice trope where we get to meet the City Watch for the first time. I enjoyed the quirky humor once again and all the zaniness that I have come to expect in Pratchett's novels. The dragons were pretty funny, particularly at the end of the book. Now, on to Moving Pictures!...more
One again, Pratchett takes a laugh at the expense of Faust here and gives us another adventure with Rincewind and some overly ambitious wizards. This One again, Pratchett takes a laugh at the expense of Faust here and gives us another adventure with Rincewind and some overly ambitious wizards. This is a tiny little novel, but funny and witty as we have come to expect from Discworld. An entertaining 30 minutes!...more
This is a rare one-off story for Hamilton, better known for his door-stopped duologies and trilogies set in the Commonwealth or the Confederation. TheThis is a rare one-off story for Hamilton, better known for his door-stopped duologies and trilogies set in the Commonwealth or the Confederation. The world here becomes a bit like that of the Commonwealth towards the end. As usual with Hamilton, the female characters tend to be pretty sexualized and less developed than the male characters. The action and tech are fun and there is plenty of action. I also appreciated the not-so-subtle critique of colonialism and late-20th century capitalism that was completely unexpected based on the previous books I read of Hamilton. This would have been a 4- or 5-star read, but I felt that the titular dragon was barely described and only got the stage at the very end of the book. The conclusion felt truly rushed (maybe his editor was pressuring him on page count?) and it just spoiled the overall effect for me....more
As usual, a pleasant and humorous romp by Pratchett, here taking shots at Central American and Egyptian mythology with a rambunctious story of a wannaAs usual, a pleasant and humorous romp by Pratchett, here taking shots at Central American and Egyptian mythology with a rambunctious story of a wannabe tyrant and a few unexpected heroes. There are plenty of low-brow antics and moments of hilarity throughout. This one won the BSFA in 1989, the year that C J Cherry grabbed the Hugo and Locus with Cyteen. Pyramids was definitely more fun to read while Cyteen was a lot more of hard sci-fi. Choose your poison!...more
Always humorous, I enjoyed this Discworld book and its playfulness in the parody of Shakespeare. Despite being mostly tongue-in-cheek and facetious, tAlways humorous, I enjoyed this Discworld book and its playfulness in the parody of Shakespeare. Despite being mostly tongue-in-cheek and facetious, there are passages that Pratchett writes the fuck out of like this one:
That's us down there, she thought. Everyone knows who we really are, but the things down there are what they'll remember-three gibbering old baggages in pointy hats. All we've ever done, all we've ever been, won't exist anymore. She looked at the ghost of the king. Well, hed been no worse than any other king. Oh, he might burn down the odd cottage every now and again, in a sort of absent-minded way, but only when he was really angry about something, and he could give it up any time he liked. Where he wounded the world, he left the kind of wounds that healed. Whoever wrote this Theater knew about the uses of magic. Even I believe what's happening, and I know there's no truth in it. This is Art holding a Mirror up to Life. That's why everything is exactly the wrong way around. We've lost. There is nothing we can do against this without becoming exactly what we aren't. pp. 306
I liked this Pratchett a little less as the plot felt a little too Harry Potter to me (was Rowling inspired by this one?) The bad guy wasn't all that I liked this Pratchett a little less as the plot felt a little too Harry Potter to me (was Rowling inspired by this one?) The bad guy wasn't all that scary and the adventures of Rincewind and Luggage, though funny, felt a little disjointed like in The Colour of Magic. I mean, it is still a Discworld novel, just not my favorite one....more
The apprenticeship to be an assistant to Death is a pretty dangerous thing to choose at a job fair, well unless there isn't anything else. These are tThe apprenticeship to be an assistant to Death is a pretty dangerous thing to choose at a job fair, well unless there isn't anything else. These are the rocambulesque adventures of Mort(imer) as his fate is in, and out, of Death's hands. Prepare to die laughing ;-)...more
This was a cute book about breaking the male stranglehold on all of wizardry on Discworld. I found it light but funny reading, on par for the PratchetThis was a cute book about breaking the male stranglehold on all of wizardry on Discworld. I found it light but funny reading, on par for the Pratchett Discworld books so far....more
I enjoyed these short stories set in the Confederation universe of Hamilton's Night's Dawn. They illuminate various parts of the rich world-building oI enjoyed these short stories set in the Confederation universe of Hamilton's Night's Dawn. They illuminate various parts of the rich world-building of the Edenists and Adamists. I thought the title story was the strongest. I also felt that some of Hamilton's greatest weaknesses as a writer (impossible page counts, plethora of characters, sexism in his portrayal of women) were far less present here allowing me to focus on the narrative and appreciate the setup each time. This book is rather similar to Galactic North from Alastair Reynolds actually where both give some fascinating backstory to incidents and sub-cultures in the respective universes....more
I found this story to be far more coherent than the first Discworld book, The Color of Magic. The humor and antics of our protagonists, Rincewind, TwoI found this story to be far more coherent than the first Discworld book, The Color of Magic. The humor and antics of our protagonists, Rincewind, Twoflower and Luggage are entertaining and the narrative picks up immediately following its predecessor. It is a short romp and easy read as I suppose that most of these books will be. I am still on the fence about exhaustively reading all of them or skipping to the award-winning ones. This episode has a bit more of a sci-fi bent as the existence of Discworld is threatened by a rapidly approaching star. I found the rock-based computing funny as well as Cohen the Barbarian. This is definitely more of a belly-laugh book than a nailbiter or headscratcher....more
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