Pajiba

Yay Pratchett! (Sir PTerry now!) I must say that I didn't like Small Gods at first, because I took it too personal and it felt too much as an attack on religious people. But rereading it, it's like you said: a critique without passing judgment. And it's more a critique of organised religion than of religious people.

Mini-diversion: Pratchett-reading Pajibans, what's your favourite PTerry book? I can't decide between Nightwatch and Going Postal: I love the depth of the first (and VIMES of course), and I always get a kick out of Moist's, err, con-manning in the second.

admin:
To jump in at the beginning of a storyline, I'd recommend any one of these three:

Guards! Guards! (a crime procedural)
Mort (Death has a new apprentice)
Moving Pictures (The Discworld mirrors our own in amusing ways)

admin - there are a ton of them but the easiest way is to choose a character and read 'em that way (at least that's what I think). He's pretty good about letting each book stand alone so it doesn't matter on most if you go out of order too much. I'm not an expert but:

Witches: Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg - really like these but would recommend Masquerade or Witches Abroad as good reads.

Death: Prefer the later ones and sometimes they're a little uneven but still good fun.

Rincewind: I think he's the earliest one and honestly he's my least favorite - although I do like Unseen University (probably as I work in academia)

Tiffany Aching: Written for children so that's where you'll find them but worth reading regardless - there are only three, Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith (in that order). Highly recommend.

Vimes: My favorite of the group as Pratchett allows the world to get a little deeper without losing the charm of the gentle satire. Start with Guards Guards but Night Watch is fantastic.

Between us, my dad and me own every single Pratchett/Discworld novel available(not every indivduale book, obviously...)

I too tried to read Pratchett early on and hated it, honestly mostly because the cover art skewed my own image of what the characters looked like and I didnt want to read it, but when I got older I tried them again and never looked back. I read every single one in about a day, usually the day I bought it.
To date I've read them all about three times each and Small Gods is a particular favourite, all of it is so perfect, the mirror versions of Catholicism, the Inquisition, etc, its just perfect, especially for someone like me who grew up a frustrated catholic and eventually drifted into a slightly open minded agnostic( im just waiting for proof of something!!!)
I would also suggest Nation, his latest kids book. It can be read as his reaction to his recent diagnosis with Alzheimers, almost a railing against the creator(this is another book in which Pratchett discusses religion, gods, humanities beliefs etc) who has condemned him SO cruelly, to give a WRITER Alezheimers of all things, but it's also a story about cultures, growing up, origins...all of it. When i finished it, i literally put it down with a sigh, and a tear in my eye. I'm 22 and this book is for...13, 14 year olds, but it had me glied to every page.
Others worth reading for sheer hilarity are...all of them. But particularly any books involving th Nac Mac Feegle, Wee Free Men, tiny scottish/celt pictsies(sic) who dedicate themselves, once they get their own book, to protecting a rare Chalk Witch...they're hilarious (Acch Crivens! Ah Kicked Maself in ma own heid!) and again for kids books they're still enjoyable for adults.
Now that i've revealed how raging a nerd i am (raging!) i'm off to read more Pratchett and await his latest, football based novel.

I really like the Nightwatch books (and Lady Sybil, being a rescuer, is near and dear to my heart), and I adore the Tiffany Aching books. The Nac Mac Feegles are absolutely brilliantly done. I think Pratchett does a better job of writing for the YA audience than he does for adults.

I really don't care much for the Granny Weatherwax- or Rincewind-focused novels, though, and the latest couple of his adult books ([i]Going Postal[/i] and [i]Making Money[/i]) haven't been too compelling to me, either.

The very first Pratchett I read was Wyrd Sisters - I LOVE Granny Weatherwax.

I think the best thing about his books is that they can be read multiple times, and you always find something new. Thud! made me cheer outloud at the end - the whole Vimes and his son thing made me cry a little (shh, don't tell anyone).

I bought my dad Nation for Christmas - I completely agree with everything Nadine said. It felt very dark, less humour than usual. Like he was raging against God, but wrapped up in his fantastic writing.

Ooh, good timing--I picked up The Fifth Elephant at a secondhand shop a couple of weeks ago, and haven't started it yet. It's my first Pratchett! I read all of Christopher Moore's books (though I hear there's a new one out next month), and needed another good comic writer to fill the void. From what I've heard around these parts, Pratchett should do nicely (and it appears he's pretty prolific).

I think I'll have to add Small Gods to my Chapters wish list after reading this review.

Hands down my favorite is "Night Watch". I've liked every Discworld book, loved quite a few (Hogfather, Jingo, Carpe Jugulum, Thief of Time, Going Postal, etc,) but Night Watch was phenomenal. To me it read as a reaction to 9/11 and the Iraq War (which the world had just become embroiled it) and had some very pointy things to say about valor, war and jinogistic tendencies. It wasn't as funny as the others but what it lacked in humor it made up for it with a terrific plot and some of the best descriptions and dialogue Pratchet has yet come up with. Just a brilliant book. And the villain, Carcer, is an utter bastard.

Oh Gods! This is a post worthy of me delurking!

My very first Pratchett book was Jingo. I thought if only certain Western leaders and their media puppets read that book maybe the situation in the Middle East would be completely different. Whenever I hear the word "vindaloo" I think of Terry Pratchett.

Like everybody else I highly recommend the Watch books. But the Death books are great too, particularly Reaper Man which made me fall in love just a little bit with the black-cowled dude. Aww, he's a got a heart after all.

And if you can, get the British copies with the cover illustrations by Josh Kirby. They are so much more interesting than the boring American versions.

I recommend starting at the beginning (of the Discworld books, that is):

The Colour of Magic
then
The Light Fantastic
and then one of my personal favorites:
Equal Rites

Pratchett is a huge favorite in our house. I love them all, have read them multiple times. I love the Watch books, Night Watch in particular. Another of my favorites is Thief of Time. The Tiffany Aching books are wonderful. Love the feegles. My son ran around talking in a heavy Scottish accent for weeks after reading Wee Free Men.

The Luggage is one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

Thank you for your suggestions wrion, Shadows and Megan.

A must read by Pratchett, is "Interesting Times". its so fucking wonderful.

My first Pratchett book and forever my favorite is Reaper Man, but I also cherish my signed copy of Soul Music.
Not fade away bitches!