About three months ago I found "The Colour of Magic" sitting in a gutter. I'd heard about Pratchett and the Discworld but never got around to reading his work.
Now I'm a rabid, raving, fanatic. All hail Pratchett!
Of the books I've read so far, here are some brief comments:
The Colour of Magic: Easily a "classic" but since you've already read it, there's not much point recommending it.
Sourcery: Although dealing with Rincewind, sourcery, the wizards and Cohen the Barbarian's daughter, and having a lot of laughs, I can't say it was the best book. I'd skip this one unless you want to know what happened to all the wizards and why Rincewind is... err... where he is.
Eric: This is a no-brainer. Don't bother. It has the feel of a Terry Pratchett rip-off, as if someone else wrote it (someone else did). It simply doesn't have that Terry Pratchett wit and style. I mean, even the worst of Terry's books I'd still read due to his style but this one I couldn't get past the first half of it.
The Light Fantastic: I think this is the correct title. It's the second in the series and follows on from the first book in a way that it could almost be considered a sequel. Personally, I didn't find it as good as the first one, however it definitely has its moments. It also lays a foundation for future books, like providing information about the Luggage and Rincewind and the council of Unseen University. Therefore I'd say it's a definite must read.
Mort: Good but not great, it does however provide some interesting and exceptionally funny moments, especially when Death becomes a short order cook... It also explains a lot about some things that may be confusing if you read later books, like the origins of Susan (IIRC), Deaths granddaughter.
Reaper Man: If found this one to be a bit confusing. I think he was trying a different writing style. He tends to announce things and then later explain them which leaves you wondering what the hell has happened for a chapter or two, which I found really annoying. That said, I liked the book overall, especially the birth of the Mall
Again, it features Death as a main character, so if you like him, then it's a good one to read.
Jingo: Again, not a great book but it features my favourite character, Vimes. If you like books about the Watch, then this is a definite must read. Some nice little mysteries that get solved and a lotta laughs (71-hour Ahmed... ahh, if only he'd waited one more hour
), but overall a bit disappointing (I find his endings to be mostly anti-climactic and this one is a downer for me). This one also features the Patrician in a more active role, which I love. ("You were chosen for your... special talents," ROFL). You said you've got this one but I realized that if you want to gauge my other comments, you need a reference.
The Fifth Elephant: I really liked this one. Again, featuring my favourite character, Vimes, it also has some great scenes, like Detritus cranking his 2000lb pull crossbow and loading up a volley of bolts which... well, I won't tell you what happens, just suffice it to say that Detritus is one of my other favourite characters
This one features some of the coolest characters so there are a lotta laughs to be had. Detritus, Vimes, Carrot, Corporal Littlebottom and Angua, to name a few.
The Truth: This was actually one of my favourites so if you thought it was "Eh", then we're probably on different wavelengths. I thought it was very funny simply because of all the parallels to modern society and the function of the news and newsreporters in it. DOG BITES MAN! MAN BITES DOG! Lol.
The Thief of Time: This one features one of my absolute favourite characters, Lu Tze ("Always remember, rule number 1!", ROFL) and some of the situations are friggin' hilarious. It also has Susan (Death's granddaughter) in a very active role and the Auditors who are always good for a laugh. That said, again I found the ending to be anti-climactic and a bit of a let down. Still, a definite must read in my opinion and also his latest book and the last book (I think) that you will see Kidby's illustrations, since he died (
) a couple of months ago.
The Wyrd Sisters: The witches I can, for the most part, leave or take. They have their moments (A wizards staff has a knob on the end), but overall I think they're a bit dull. Headology isn't as much fun as rapant fireballing and arguing over which spell should be used to fricassee an enemy, whilst it's charging towards you. If you're on a budget, I hate to say it, but I'd skip this one.
Equal Rites: Again with the witches. This one's a bit better, I think, than Wyrd Sisters, but even then I found it to be somewhat dull. Maybe it's just because the characters are less interesting to me than other characters in the series. Having said that, it's still an ok read and has a few laughs worthy of note... not that I can remember any right now.
Moving Pictures: Bizarre! Although I liked it, at the end of the day, I don't think this is the best one. I think The Truth did a better job of ridiculing the news than this did of ridiculing the film industry (I haven't read Soul Music so I can't say, but Mark's comments hold true with me too. It does, however, feature Ridcully and his merry band, whom I always find very amusing, and it also mentions the origins of Ponder Stibbons, although it's hardly worth getting it for that.
The Hogfather: How do you kill a metaphorical, anthropomorphic personification? Ask the Tooth Fairy! Although a lotta laughs, and also featuring Death and Susan, I'd pass on this one if you're on a budget. I felt it was a little slow however that could be just because I'd read three Pratchett's in two days and was suffering from Pratchettitis. It does have Ridcully and the rest in it though; again I always find them good value.
Guards! Guards!: I'm biased towards liking this one because it features the origins of Vimes, my favourite character. It also has Carrot in it, who simply rocks! The Patrician and Colon and Nobby also make this a worthwhile read. The dragon, and the ensuing relationship between Vimes and the dragonlady, Sybil, also make this worth reading. I'd rate this as a must read.
Carpe Jugulem: In my opinion, this was the most enjoyable of the books involving the witches.
Carpe Jugulem: Seize the Throat! If you haven't read the previous witch books, things might be a little confusing seeing as it features the witches after they've gone through several changes and after you know who's who in the witch business. But, that said, I'd still recommend it above the other witch books, if only for the introduction of Agnes
The Last Continent: This book, although anti-climactic and a bit slow, I found to be one of the funniest. However, I'm guessing that you'd probably miss out on a lot of the humour in it seeing as it's Australio-centric. That said, if you know a bit about Australia, then this is perhaps the funniest book he's ever written. I suggest that if you know why my nickname is funny, then you'll find this book worth reading.
Pyramids (currently reading): Currently 1/4 through so I really can't comment. So far, it's not a huge winner with me though.
