Most Serious book

BlitzKrieg

This might look stupid for a discworld forum


BUT


Which of his many books do you feel had the most serious of themes. Now i know the content of all the books runs along a very non serious content But there are messages of a serious (kinda theme) there. Most dealing with assumptions we have in life (fairy tales, hollywood, transelvania etc)

I've read all the gaurds gaurds series (xcept the new one). Pyrimids, Moving Pictures, all of rincewinds and Death books. The last hero and most of the other stand alones (thief of time, the truth.)


And i have to say that Small Gods passes of as the most serious of the discworld novels. The theme of Gods needing us comes across very strong, makes sense and even the content though still funny is a notch down from his other works i feel.


Would you agree or do you think another of his books is the most serious?

jongore

Jingo, on the absurdity of war is a pretty serious theme. (Very funny book though, I still shudder at the thoughts of 'Beti')

Havelock

There is a sort of moral to each of his storys (Usually at face value its: Don't drown kittens, or big dragons are girls). Personaly I'd say all the books deal with serious issues, Small Gods is just the most focused, Pyrimids deals with tradititions and cultural change. Lords and Ladies (being a cross between Macbeth/Midsummer's Night Dream if William had been on a wierd LSD trip) is greed and murder. Nightwatch, hum... I'd say revenge and second chances. Hard to say, if you were to threaten me with a gonne, I'd say the one with Windel Poons, the whole unacepted memebers of public.

echomadman

All the books are suffused with layers of themes and analogys, Small Gods analysis of religion in its varoius guises is overt, but all the books deal with some aspect of modern life/society.

The layering means that each book is instantly accessable but as you progress through your life, you learn more and suddenely whole chunks of a pratchett book will fall into place.

This has happened to me a good few times, especially when
watching the history channel.

Hence some peoples dislike of the witches, the jokes and references are that bit more obscure, but anyone raised on a diet of folklore (me) or interested in the craft (/me tips hat to thaed.) should find them as gripping and funny as the guards series



Some books > Soul Music and Moving pictures run parallel with the relatively recent histories of Rock/pop music and the film industry, as such I generally reccomend these to people who want to know what book to read first, as the "in-jokes" are easier to get thanks to our Movie/popstar worshipping society.

er, as for most serious....
I cant say. I find them all equally insightful, and I know I'm still not getting all the refeerences



I use this arguement regarding the simpsons aswell

Sarky

I was reading Reaper Man for the third time, when I suddenly picked up on the whole thing about shopping centres being like parasites of cities. That's a fairly clear point he makes, they latch on to the outside of the city and drain the life from the centre.

I found The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents had a very serious message about darkness and hatred and death. Probably because it was "aimed at children":)

I thought Pyramids was an interesting one too. What I gathered from it was that rigid adherence to tradition or dogma was a bad thing for people, as it stifles progress and imagination.

There's a very interesting or serious point made in the core of all Pratchett's books. The man must be the most humanitarian person alive!

OfflerCrocGod

Gotta agree all of the Discworld books have a moral , it's my opinion that it's the blend of seriousness/morals with his unique/off the wall/humourous way of getting the message across that makes him so enjoyable. You can get the humour and ignore the morals or you can get both , either way there is this layering for diffrent ppl to get diffrent things from the books.

Anyway back to the question I would say Night Watch is the most serious or should I say Darkest book in the series... of course thats my opinion, you are all free to disagree... but consider ure soul MINE in the next world HAAAA:D (hint check me name);)

froodie

If there was nothing at all serious about the Discworld, the books would be nowhere near as popular as they are today.
Pratchett uses the Discworld to get us to look at our own world at a skewed angle, so that we can understand it better. And he still manages to make us think that it's comedy.

He does it in such a way that you (well, i anyway) don't feel patronised or preached at, but sort of enlightened... (kinda)

I think that the books are getting more deep and serious as they go along, and it's great. So, evidently, i think the most serious one was the last one

The Beer Baron

Agreed with Night Watch and Small Gods.


I also think, for some reason, The Hogfather was very dark in places. Carpe Jugulm, too, with some of the things Magpyre said about humans being cattle. A veiled political appraisal of our current socialogical condition?

Pratchett's sucess is due as much to his inventive humour as it is to his effortless comprehension of the human condition.
Therefore almost every one he writes has a serious theme, albiet one he permeates with his human insight and humour.

That's why we love him I suppose, he does, as Eric Idle advises, to always look on the bright side of life. (And Death too!)