Worst Discworld Books?

The_Minister · 09-09-2012 1:44pm #1

Worst: Moving Pictures

Second: Snuff

Third: Making Money

Sonics2k · 09-09-2012 1:46pm

What was wrong with Moving Pictures? It introduced us to Gaspode!

That alone made it fantastic.

I'd never say a worst book, but Monstrous Regiment was probably my least liked.

gufnork · 09-09-2012 7:51pm

Snuff is definitely the worst so far. Unseen Academicals wasn't the greatest either to be honest, which is a crying shame since the wizards have always been some of my favourite characters. His earlier stuff is a world apart.

gufnork · 09-09-2012 7:53pm

The_Minister wrote: »

Worst: Moving Pictures

Second: Snuff

Third: Making Money

Actually quite liked these two though...

TrueDub · 15-09-2012 6:22pm

I'm not a fan of the Tiffany Aching books, but my least favourite "adult" discworld book would be Hogfather.

johnnyskeleton · 15-09-2012 7:02pm

The_Minister wrote: »

Worst: Moving Pictures

Second: Snuff

Third: Making Money

Looking to be banned, are you?

If I could phrase it slightly differently, the three that I am least likely to re-read are Unseen Academicals, Witches Abroad and the Last Hero.

I though Unseen Academicals was a bit all over the place, Witches Abroad was quite dull and the Last Hero as a picture book isn't worth going back to really (come to think about it, the where's my cows of this world probably fit into this category).

Snuff wasn't great but it wasn't bad, and anything with Vimes gets bonus points. Likewise while Making Money was a little bit of a rehash of Going Postal (my favourite of the recent ones), it wasn't too bad and I think I have re-read it.

But moving pictures was great, it's up there with Soul Music and Small Gods as one of the great satirical discworlds.

Stevonicus · 18-09-2012 7:44pm

The two Moist von Lipwig books are pretty poor in my opinion. I just find Moist irritating.

As for Moving Pictures and Monstrous Regiment, are you taking the mickey? Moving Pictures is my favourite standalone and Monstrous Regiment is an outstanding piece of satire. Even the title is a brilliant joke in and of itself.

The_Minister · 19-09-2012 12:45am

I loved The Last Hero - it sat unread in my closet for 9 months, a forgotten Christmas present, until I pulled it out and read it in a day; it's one of my favourites for length-enjoyment ratio.

Though it reuses jokes. But then, Pratchett often does.

And I stand by Moving Pictures as the worst Discworld novel.

And I loved the Hogfather.

endacl · 19-09-2012 12:50am

Worst?!? I don't understand the question.

Did you mean 'less brilliant', OP?

Gaspode · 12-10-2012 9:41pm

Sonics2k wrote: »

What was wrong with Moving Pictures? It introduced us to Gaspode!

That alone made it fantastic.

So true!
Cant agree with any of the ones you've listed OP, I've enjoyed them all tbh.
Got a kindle recently with the complete set of Discworld books on it, so I've gone back to the start and am making my way through them all again.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 13-10-2012 9:57am

worst: monstrous regiment

maybe I need to re-read it but I couldnt find a single thing that was worthwhile about this book when I read it originally

second... I guess most of the recent books tie for this spot. none of them were very good at all....
snuff was kinda ok, making money and going postal were .... decent I guess but the quality has slipped massively recently, for obvious and tragic reasons.

gufnork · 13-10-2012 11:13am

TrueDub wrote: »

... but my least favourite "adult" discworld book would be Hogfather.

Oh my word! Least favourite? Hogfather? You're joking of course. This is up there with the very best of them. Have re-read this many times. My wife re-reads it every Christmas too. It's brilliant.

smcgiff · 13-10-2012 11:32am

Has to be small gods by a distance - followed by pyramids.

Off topic:- was snuff the first "adult" book not to feature DEATH?

gufnork · 13-10-2012 2:33pm

smcgiff wrote: »

Has to be small gods by a distance - followed by pyramids.

Off topic:- was snuff the first "adult" book not to feature DEATH?

If by adult you mean discworld then yes. The only other book he doesn't appear in as far as I know is Wee free men.

Daith · 07-11-2012 6:37pm

Having just re read all the Watch books I´m going for Snuff. None of the characters came across right for some reason. Plus I prefer when the Watch books are about Ankh-Morpork to some degree also.

Also

Vimes with super powers? The hell? Did we really need that?

Not a big fan of Equal Rites, Making Money, Soul Music and Sourcery either.

Slutmonkey57b · 08-11-2012 2:25pm

Unseen Academicals was easily the worst for its complete reversal of the patrician's character. All of the recent vimes books have been on a downward cliff and snuff would have been better with a different character in his role.

Overall, Pratchett is a much more heavy handed writer nowadays, and things which were revealed with implication and subtlety are now boldly spelled out. I suppose that's fair enough for someone writing through a brain condition and someone else's help.

Nonetheless, his characters have suffered as a result, and the characters (even once offs like teppic) were always what held the books together.

gufnork · 08-11-2012 2:31pm

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

Unseen Academicals was easily the worst for its complete reversal of the patrician's character. All of the recent vimes books have been on a downward cliff and snuff would have been better with a different character in his role.

Overall, Pratchett is a much more heavy handed writer nowadays, and things which were revealed with implication and subtlety are now boldly spelled out. I suppose that's fair enough for someone writing through a brain condition and someone else's help.

Nonetheless, his characters have suffered as a result, and the characters (even once offs like teppic) were always what held the books together.

Yeah it's such a shame. Unseen academicals and Snuff were both terribly disappointing. I almost wish I could go back to before I read them and not read them, they were that bad!

BostonB · 25-01-2013 6:27pm

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

worst: monstrous regiment

maybe I need to re-read it but I couldnt find a single thing that was worthwhile about this book when I read it originally

second... I guess most of the recent books tie for this spot. none of them were very good at all....
snuff was kinda ok, making money and going postal were .... decent I guess but the quality has slipped massively recently, for obvious and tragic reasons.

I like monstrous regiment. A combination of The Guards and Hammer Horror films for me!

BostonB · 25-01-2013 6:29pm

smcgiff wrote: »

Has to be small gods by a distance - followed by pyramids.

Off topic:- was snuff the first "adult" book not to feature DEATH?

Didn't like Small gods. I'm not that fond of anything with the witches tbh.

Snuff I thought was ok. But then I mainly like the Guards and Vimes.

longhalloween · 25-01-2013 6:32pm

Daith wrote: »

Also
Vimes with super powers? The hell? Did we really need that?

That really annoyed me. It was OKish in Thud, since he was down in the mines but I never thought it would appear in a subsequent book.

Worst for me?

Soul Music and any of the Witches books. Never really liked any of those characters.

gufnork · 25-01-2013 8:01pm

longhalloween wrote: »

That really annoyed me. It was OKish in Thud, since he was down in the mines but I never thought it would appear in a subsequent book.

Worst for me?

Soul Music and any of the Witches books. Never really liked any of those characters.

Oh man... the witches are awesome, and only surpassed by the wizards. Thud was pretty good actually, now I come to think of it.

longhalloween · 25-01-2013 11:03pm

gufnork wrote: »

Oh man... the witches are awesome, and only surpassed by the wizards. Thud was pretty good actually, now I come to think of it.

Ah i'm a vimes fan through and through, second come the wizards.

Whispered · 29-01-2013 1:42pm

I'm still only building my discworld collection, and I am not doing it in sequence (is this a problem btw?) but my favourite so far have been Equal Rites and Snuff. I thought Making Money was great too.

I wasn't mad about Unseen Academicals. I'm currently reading Eric.

I've been trying to find Witches Abroad and Wyrd Sisters, but it looks like I'll have to order them online.

Antar Bolaeisk · 07-02-2013 12:59am

smcgiff wrote: »

Has to be small gods by a distance - followed by pyramids.

Off topic:- was snuff the first "adult" book not to feature DEATH?

You misread the title, it said worst not best

I can't explain why but Pyramids is my favourite of the series.

My least favourite would be Thud (though I never really got on with Vimes anyway) and Unseen Academicals which was just way too routine.

Sadly the more recent books have been less fun than the earlier work, as mentioned what was once implied is now straight up pointed out but at this stage we've all probably become immune to the Pratchett charm as well. All his tricks, turns of phrase and plot progression, we've read them and know them, we can see story before it happens because we know how he'll tell it. Quite simply his own prodigiousness now works against him.

SB2013 · 11-02-2013 3:28pm

I'm a big fan of the City Watch books. My least favourite of them would be Night Watch due to the absence of so many of the good characters. In general though I don't like the Witches series as much as the others. I like Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Og but the stories don't really appeal to me for some reason.

Reader1937 · 18-04-2013 10:49am

Surprised to see this thread and, imho, glad to see it is a short one.

Nody · 18-04-2013 11:55am

Any book involving Rincewind (sorry but I can't stand him); I do agree partly about Monstrous regiment simply because of the very limited use of the "existing" characters which made it fall a bit flat.

prq · 27-05-2014 12:43am

The Light Fantastic. Just couldn't finish it.

Carpe Jugulum I did finish and found it to be the worst of the Witches' books.

Daith · 30-05-2014 2:33pm

Snuff and Making Money now. I've never re-read Soul Music so maybe.

To balancethat I'm re reading Men at Arms which is still my favorite book and finished a read of Night Watch

Whispered · 30-05-2014 4:04pm

I wasn't crazy about raising steam. It felt a bit flat or something.

Orim · 31-05-2014 9:38pm

prq wrote: »

The Light Fantastic. Just couldn't finish it.

Carpe Jugulum I did finish and found it to be the worst of the Witches' books.

I thought carpe jugulum was very good especially the old count.

Unseen Academicals is the worst for me because it seemed to rely on the reader having knowledge of Discworld to get enjoyment out of it. I always felt that it was one of the strengths of the series that it didn't where, when or how you read them.

gufnork · 31-05-2014 11:25pm

Whispered wrote: »

I wasn't crazy about raising steam. It felt a bit flat or something.

I couldn't even finish Raising Steam, and that's something I never thought I'd say about a Discworld book. I'll have to read it at some point but I'm almost ashamed to say I'm in no great rush.

Whispered · 01-06-2014 6:32am

I'd say it's worth the read just to have it done really. Usually I'm so disappointed when I get to the end of a discworld book and I've to put it down. Not this time!

wildefalcon · 01-06-2014 7:55am

Tis sad, Raising steam just seemed like a plot outline, there wasn't any Pratchet magic in it. Badly told.

Sonics2k · 01-06-2014 5:16pm

I'm not a fan of the newer ones like Raising Steam and Unseen Academicals.

Over the older ones, Sourcery and Eric was probably the weakest for me.

my3cents · 25-06-2014 7:49pm

Eric was just a fail for me, even tried it again recently and it failed again only other one that didn't deem to make the grade for me was Unseen Academicals.

I thought Steam was excellent but if you wanted new material it didn't have any, if you have read all the other books then you knew exactly what was going to happen and most of the jokes, but that is the beauty of it I like old jokes plus there is something warm and comforting about immersing yourself in the world of Terry Pratchetts Discworld. I did have the thought that Steam was obvious to the point that it could have been written by a Ghost writer.

Slutmonkey57b · 25-06-2014 11:56pm

The last few books have indeed effectively been ghostwritten, Pratchett dictates the bones, and his assistant writes it up.

Pawwed Rig · 28-06-2014 12:39am

The fact that they are on a disc seems fairly incidental to the whole story now doesn't it? I can't remember the last time Great A'Tuin was mentioned in a book.

Orim · 28-06-2014 11:44am

I think it's just down to ideas. In the same way that Rincewind was a relatively short-lived character down to the fact that Prachett felt there was only so many ways he could write about a coward.

I guess the industrialization of the Disc is more interesting to him than the nature of the Disc. Similar to the way the space race killed off a lot of funding for oceanic research. One thing displaces the other.

Could be a great ender to the series with a disaster style story when the Great A'Tuin reaches whatever his destination is. The Turtle Moves!

my3cents · 28-06-2014 12:15pm

I think that if you can relate to some of the characters in someway then it makes the books a better read. Vimes's and Carrot are easy enough to like but Pteppic (Pyramids) seems to leave some people cold.

Nichololas · 12-09-2014 11:35am

smcgiff wrote: »

Has to be small gods by a distance - followed by pyramids.

Off topic:- was snuff the first "adult" book not to feature DEATH?

Small Gods is my favourite, and Pyramids in the top 15 (probably).

Worst; Raising Steam, Unseen Academicals, Making Money

Whispered · 12-09-2014 2:48pm

I loved making money.

Newhand · 12-09-2014 3:02pm

Any of the book with Granny Weatherwax fall slightly short for me. She is such a deus ex machina, so there is barely any point in reading on.

Looking forward to getting my hands on Raising Steam though.

Daith · 17-09-2014 10:20am

Newhand wrote: »

Any of the book with Granny Weatherwax fall slightly short for me. She is such a deus ex machina, so there is barely any point in reading on.

Always preferred Vimes to Granny then Vimes become a superhero...

Newhand · 18-09-2014 8:24am

Daith wrote: »

Always preferred Vimes to Granny then Vimes become a superhero...

Yeah I think Vimes really shines in Night Watch as opposed to others.

Daith · 18-09-2014 2:07pm

Newhand wrote: »

Yeah I think Vimes really shines in Night Watch as opposed to others.

Yeah very back to basics and less reliant on Carrot's charisma, Angua's werewolf abilities and Detritus being Detritus.

Def didn't need his butler being a bad ass fighter too.

my3cents · 18-09-2014 3:17pm

Daith wrote: »

Yeah very back to basics and less reliant on Carrot's charisma, Angua's werewolf abilities and Detritus being Detritus.

Def didn't need his butler being a bad ass fighter too.

Willikins just adds the little extra Disc World touch, every hero needs a side kick.

ShivaDark · 06-12-2014 3:52am

I'm not really enjoying The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. It doesn't have that usual Discworld feel to it other than the brief mention of the Watch near the start. Is there even a Dibbler in the town because I haven't noticed.

Samaris · 19-06-2015 2:39am

I personally didn't really -enjoy- Mort (I know, sacrilege) or Equal Rites. Having said that, I think the least well-written was Unseen Academicals.

blueshade · 10-12-2019 6:53pm

I'm not getting the hate for Snuff and Unseen Academicals. I re-read Snuff a while back and really enjoyed it. I'm about 2 thirds of the way through UA, re-reading it and am thoroughly enjoying it and I say that as someone who really doesn't have any interest in football. I was never able to force my way through the Carpet People, although I tried a few times.

TheIrishGrover · 13-12-2019 10:29am

I stopped reading when he was coming out with 2 a year. After Hogfather. I would pick up "The Watch" books but that was about it. Became a factory by the end. I suppose, in hindsight, he was trying to get as much out there as he could given his condition but I thought quality suffered.

Worst Discworld Books?

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