I read some more books by Pratchett

[pretty_plant]

So after a break from Pratchett, I decided to continue to read some more of his Discworld novels. I think I have forgotten basically everything about the previous because I have a bad memory. However, Discworld novels are standalone books anyway so remembering doesn't matter too much anyway.

I just finished reading "Thief of time". Before I started reading, I was not too thrilled about reading another book about Death and Susan because I did not want to read a rehashed plot but I was pleasantly surprised. In this book, Death and Susan do not take center stage and the protagonist are Lobsang and Jeremy. Lu-Tze and Lobsang have interesting interactions and complement each other well so in my opinion, the parts with them are the best parts of the book.

One issue I have with this book is definitely the uninteresting romance between Lobsang and Susan if that can be called romance. Maybe it should be called vaguely romantic interaction or something. It really comes out of nowhere and feels unnecessary to the plot. In Soul Music, Susan has a sudden crush on a boy that leads to nothing but she is very young in that book so it makes sense. In Thief of Time, it doesn't.

Besides that, I definitely like the book. I still believe the best book featuring Death is Reaper Man but this is probably the second best. However, I might change my mind later when I read the next Death book.

Comments

[regshoe]

Discworld books are so good for dipping into one at a time like that! It's been ages since I've read Thief of Time, though I do remember I also thought the romance wasn't very interesting.

I think it's the last Death book, going in order—but have you read Hogfather? That's definitely a good one (as is Reaper Man, of course <3).

[pretty_plant]

Besides the first few books I read, I actually read by the order of publication so I have read all the previous books in the series (excluding the short stories in between). So I did read Hogfather. I do remember that Teatime is an interesting villain but Reaper Man stands out more for me because Death seems most vulnerable in that book. The book seems a mess at times but it feels more poignant than a lot of other Discworld books. However, Reaper Man is earlier in the series so I read it before many Discworld books so that might make my opinion biased (the books you read first tend to leave the most impression).

[regshoe]

Heh, I suppose it is a bit of a mess in plot and tone—the two halves of the book, one this zany comedy with the wizards and the shopping mall satire, the other a profound philosophical exploration of life and death and Death the character, seem to sit a bit oddly alongside each other. But the Death sections are amazing (that image of the cornfield, 'what can the harvest hope for'... argh, my heart <3).

Ooh, and if you're reading in order and you've just got to Thief of Time then there are some really good ones coming up soon—Night Watch, Monstrous Regiment and The Wee Free Men all together, then the Moist books (though you may have read some of those already!).

[pretty_plant]

Yes, I did read the first Moist book, it was one of the first Discworld books that I have read.

I have heard about those other books you mention so I have much expectation for them.