#Reading Discworld books 5-10

Welcome to the next installment of my Discworld adventure… 

Sourcery: Discworld #5

The third Rincewind. Not the biggest fan of him, though he’s slightly growing on me. In this book, the eighth son of the eighth son of an eighth son has arrived. He’s a sourcerer. And he’s out to wreak a little havoc on the world. Other characters include the Librarian (remember, ape not monkey), and Conina (daughter of Cohen the Barbarian), Nijel the Destroyer, and Cresosote. Not sure I liked these three very much – the narrative that included the wizards, Coin the sourcerer, Death and *shock* Rincewind was more interesting than these three. Easy to read, not the most engaging.

Wyrd Sisters: Discworld #6

This marks the return of Granny Weatherwax, last seen in ‘Equal Rites’, making this the second of the Witches sub-series. I really enjoyed this one – Granny Weatherwax forms a non-social coven with two other witches, Nanny Ogg and Margat Garlick, and during the course of their reluctant socialising, help save the kingdom of Lancre from the clutches of an evil Duke. Throw in ghosts, supernatural occurrences, and a healthy dose of Shakespeare satire, and you’ve got Wyrd Sisters. I quite enjoyed the down-to-earth nature of these witches, who aren’t what you’d expect from “witches” – as Nanny Ogg said in the book, as witches get used to magic, it’s a special kind of magic to not use any! One of Pratchett’s more enjoyable books.

Pyramids: Discworld #7

This is the first time I’ve read this book in the series, and absolutely loved it. I’ve always enjoyed history in general, and this book references Egyptian pharaohs and mummies and pyramids, and takes readers for a fun ride. Teppic has trained to be an assassin in Ankh-Morpork. But his father passes away – and he’s the new king! Teppic goes back home to rule and to build the biggest pyramid ever seen. But pyramids have power, and this developments leads to a series of hilarious incidents. This book has mummies, camel-mathematicians, and nubile handmaidens. Along with a few gods thrown in. It’s a standalone book, so doesn’t necessarily need to be read in the order that it was written.

Guards! Guards!: Discworld #8

The eighth in the Discworld series, the first in the City Watch – this book was absolutely fantastic in setting up the story of Captain Vimes and the Night Watch. We are introduced to Carrot, Nobby and Colon, all of whom are beloved characters in the series. Lady Sybil is also introduced, and her relationship with Vimes is wonderfully set up in the book. In this novel, Ankh-Morpork is subjected to a few dragons, one of whom decides it wants to take over the city and rule. How will the Ankh-Morporkians deal with this? And how does Vimes turn from a bottle-hugger to a hero? How does Carrot turn from thinking he’s a dwarf to transforming the Night Watch? One of the best books I’ve read so far in the Discworld series – I give it five stars.

Eric: Discworld #9

Rincewind returns in his fourth outing! While trying to summon a demon to make his teenage wishes come true, Eric somehow manages to end up with Rincewind the wizard (who picks up from where we left him at the end of Discworld #5, Sourcery). Join the pair as they embark on an adventure to the beginning of the universe, a war over a woman whose appearance may or may not have launched a 1,000 ships, a sacrificial empire, and perhaps even…Hell. It was quick reading, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I might. Good moments, but I’ve never been the biggest Rincewind fan to begin with, so perhaps that contributed to me not loving it as much as I could.

Moving Pictures: Discworld #10

A standalone novel, Moving Pictures is a straight parody of Hollywood culture, with the Discworld version Holy Wood. In this book, alchemists discover how to create moving pictures, with the help of imps. But is this magic, or science? And why are people being drawn to Holy Wood, and who or what is putting mysterious dreams in their heads? We join failed wizard Victor and milkmaid hating Ginger on their adventures in tinsel town. I struggled with the beginning of this book, it felt like it was dragging on. About halfway through it got a bit more interesting, although the ending felt rushed/contrived. Even so, it’s a decent Pratchett book, but not one to read first if you’re not a Pratchett/Discworld fan already.

ADDENDUM: Death and What Comes Next: Discworld #10.5

So I cheated a little bit. I found this novella listed on Goodreads as Discworld 10.5, with my favourite character in the series – Death. Some of the reviewers shared where it could be read (here you go): all I will say is, it’s very short, but filled with the wit and sarcasm you would have grown to expect from Pratchett by this point.