Terry Pratchett

[CyBeR]

Copy-paste din blogul meu de pe GameTrailers.com...de asta si limba engleza.

(come on, this guy really better deserves an image like this than a photo of himself making a bald eagle shy)

Terry Pratchett is the man to whom I own my renewed passion for reading.
No, no, nothing as silly as some words of wisdom that got me reading like some male version of that red headed hottie from the Scooby Doo shows.

[center]
(yeah, I know why you were watching the shows...and I understand perfectly)[/center]

Nope, some time earlier this year I ran into one of his works while I was browsing the local English bookstore. I tend to buy books for later reading, even if that later reading is ten years from now but...oh well, I'm not the only one.
Right?
...
RIGHT?
...
Anyway. So I go into the fantasy section, explore the rather sad comic book section and get a glance over the higher shelf where there was a whole collection dedicated to this guy. Even Tolkien didn't have as many books. So, being the curious bastard that I am, I just grab one book from the shelf and start browsing it. Seemed funny at the time so I go and buy it.
It so happens I managed to get 'The colour of magic', the very first Discworld novel, which is also the first Rincewind book. So I start reading one day during one rather boring afternoon and like that I'm hooked. And I read on, during college courses and breaks and whenever I can pullout the book to get a few pages read. Now, English is not my first language (though most teachers have come to terms with the fact that I've got an exceptional grasp on the thing) but with little practice with reading IN English, took some time to get a steady flow.
I finished that one and a friend lent me the next one, 'The light fantastic', after which I got 'The last continent', all part of Rincewind's misadventures.
Three books firing fast and my appetite for reading was ignited like it hadn't been for years. So I start emptying my bookcase at home.
Because of Pratchett I start reading a lot of the people I've kept on the backburner for years: Frank Herbert, J.K. Rowling, Jeffrey Ford, Martin Page, Orson Scott Card and so on.

But what makes that bald eagle up there so enticing?
His writings have all the complexity of a high schooler at times but it's all in the delivery. He narrates with vigor and energy, seems to have fun building his world and sharing everything, taking our attention and pointing it at some random little fun thing that's there, JUST in his world. His humor is both crude and deep at times, his characters are fascinating and fun to read and so on...it's really hard to describe why Terry Pratchett is such a fun writer.

It's a damn shame his candle is nearing it's end. It's been great for over 20 years now but all great things must come to an end. I know I will be among the many that will be greatly saddened by this passing. But it's far away and mustn't be called sooner by such thoughts.

What I've read so far written by him, from his vast collection of books:

• The Colour of Magic
  
• The Light Fantastic
  
• Equal Rites
  
• Mort
  
• Sourcery
  
• Wyrd Sisters
  
• Pyramids
  
• Guards! Guards!
  
• Faust Eric
  
• Moving pictures
  
• Interesting Times
  
• Hogfather
  
• The last continent
  

So, how about it? How many others here are Discworld enthusiasts?
Who's followed the cowardly wizard Rincewind through his treks?
Or the much too sober captain Vimes in his cynical attempts of understanding the world?
Who's read up on how Death tried his best to come to terms with how humanity work and maybe, just maybe, take a small part in it? Anyway, not the part HE usually plays in it.

Post gents, and gals, post.

[Moony691]

Am primit de ziua mea acum cativa ani "O palarie plina de cer". M'am holbat indelung la ea mirata,am multumit nesigura si am pus'o pe un raft.Acolo a ramas cam juma' de an cand,nu mai stiu de ce,m'am apucat de ea."Straniu",mi'am zis "am 11 ani si nu pricep prea multe din ce vrea sa zica nenea."Totusi,am terminat'o si am ramas de pe urma ei doar cu replicile amuzante ale scotidusilor in memorie.

Apoi mai trece o vreme si fac rost de "Scotidusii liberi". O frunzaresc si ma prind ca era prima din serie. "Se mai intampla." Si hai,hai...am terminat'o si pe asta."Mai,ceva tot nu e in regula..."Si uite-asa,simtind ca imi scapa exact esenta,am lasat balta lecturarea mai profunda a lor.


Vara trecuta iau la reducere cele 3 cartulii despre nomi si reusesc sa descopar subiectul serios,de natura filozofica,din spatele povestii pentru copii.Le'am recitit si pe celelalte doua si am ajuns la concluzia ca,in acei ani de dezinteres,am ignorat un om talentat ale carui volume merita,cel putin dupa parerea mea,citite.

[CyBeR]

Recomand cartile lui Terry Pratchett in engleza. Foarte mult din farmecul lor se pierde prin traducerea in limba romana din pacate.

Momentan sunt la a 21-a carte din seria Discworld pe care o citesc si inca nu m-am plictisit. Desi sunt cateva carti prin serie care merg si nu prea, imi pare bine sa vad ca autorul a reusit, chiar si in atat de multe volume, sa aduca mereu cate ceva nou, catusi de mic acolo. Sunt la Feet of Clay acum, din subseria Nightwach... and I'm loving every page.

Eu sincer n-am citit A hat full of sky si nici Wee Free Men, dar am sa ajung si la ele in cele din urma. Incet incet achizitionez intreaga colectie Pratchett...care inca nu m-a dezamagit crunt precum alti autori (la tine ma uit Orson Scott Card, la tine).

[Lia]

Cy, ai dreptate, intr-adevar mult din umorul britanic se pierde in traducere, la fel ca si calitatea scrierii. Unele carti sunt 'facute' sa fie citite in original si cred ca asta e si cazul seriei Discworld.

Nu am rabdarea si nici starea de spirit sa fac o recenzie asupra cartilor pe care le-am citit de Terry Pratchett, au fost unele ca Unseen Academicals si Thief of time care m-au suprins, fiind de fapt si punctul meu de plecare in expeditia Discworld, dar altele care m-au dezamagit, spre exemplu Wyrd Sisters.

Am vrut sa citesc volumele in ordine cronologica, dar pana la urma am ajuns sa le iau la nimereala dupa ce am terminat The colour of magic si The light fantastic; stiu ca era o ordine anume, daca nu ma insel, Sourcery - pe care tocmai am terminat-o acum doua zile- urma dupa cele mentionate antecendent, spre exemplu; nu mai stiu pe unde aveam lista.

Incepusem Equal Rites, dar cumva nu m-a prins indeajuns la momentul respectiv ca sa ajung la mai mult de 12 pagini si am ajuns sa citesc Mort.

Nu pot inca sa-mi formez o parere in ceea ce priveste diferenta de stil intre primele carti si cele scrise mai recent, dar ochiul meu (nu foarte antrenat) a observat ca nu e tocmai la fel. Oricum, cu timpul stilul se poliseaza.

Acum citesc Witches Abroad, care sper sa-mi placa mai mult decat Wyrd Sisters.

[CyBeR]

'Wyrd Sisters' si cu 'Equal rights' intr-adevar nu sunt printre cele mai bune ale lui Pratchett. Dar dupa ce treci de primele carti cu vrajitoarele (cele mai sus mentionate), restul sunt mult mult mai bune. De fapt, 'Lords and Ladies' cred ca e in top 5 pentru mine din intreaga serie.

'Mort' mie nu mi-a prea placut, desi inteleg ca pentru multi oameni e printre cele mai bune a lui Pratchett. Mie mi-a parut un pic prea lenta si plictisitoare pe alocuri. Sunt curios si de impresiile tale pe parcurs.