new discworld book - Raising Steam, out Oct

There was a time a new Discworld book would have me first in line for even the hardback, but like many others my enthusiasm has waned given how much weaker the recent stuff has been.I simply find Discworld too familiar, too safe and too small a location now.

There was a time much of the Disc still felt like a complete mystery; an unknown land, and it wasn't always clear who might live or die. Heck even Ankh Morpork felt like a sprawling, dangerous quantity. Now everything's mapped and categorised thanks to marketing and fandom, with each book a parade of the same characters - Ankh feels more like a village now; I certainly expect all the usual crowd to turn up in Moist's (sigh) latest adventure.

On the other hand, having only recently read his co-work with Stephen Baxter, The Long Earth, I'd love to see more non-Discworld material. I know this isn't the forum for talking such heresy, but it was such a fresh, breezily written book, with plenty of Pratchett's old spark and wisdom behind the big ideas. I found myself genuinely wondering whether he enjoyed writing that more than the contractual Discworld material - because it kinda came out in the writing.

gufnork wrote: »

Oh my! I can't remember how far I got into The Long Earth but I know it wasn't even half way. I found what I did read of it to be mind-numbingly tedious and struggled to get as far as I did. Maybe it picked up later but I saw nothing that would lead me to really believe that.

I'll admit not a lot conventionally happens in the book - it's more like a journal from a scientific expedition than a standard novel - but I would definitely argue though it had bags more charm, wit and coherence than the more recent Discworld novels.

I actually found Snuff mildy depressing to read tbh; the prose had a rambling quality that hinted Pratchett's unfortunate condition (or maybe that was just me reading too much into it). The Long Earth didn't seem to have that at all, it practically crackled in places. Again, perhaps it was just the liberation that comes with an author able to try something new, unshackled from the expected obligations of writing yet another Discworld novel.

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

Just had a thought - Discworld goes steampunk?? :eek:

Wasn't it always though? Not literally of course, but I always presumed the mid to later works had a certain Victorian-folly element that ticked most of the Steampunk boxes. Things like Hex, the inventions from Moving Pictures etc.: they all seemed to come from the same genetic lineage as Steampunk...

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

Good point. Discworld needs some danger - an expedition to the Dungeon Dimensions would be cool.

Again, more heresy, but perhaps they should look to kill off some main characters. Not maliciously - I don't want any GRR Martin in my Discworld thanks - but the lack of inherent danger in the world is palpable now. It's particularly galling in the Watch novels, where new constables have become the series' Red Shirts, so Pratchett can avoid harm befalling the main cast. I had honestly thought he was going to bump Vimes off in Night Watch, it felt like it was building to it, but I guess he baulked at the end; one doesn't kill the golden goose...