Kinda mixed-bag innit?

First, I'd expand 9, 20; 9. Pratchett has got to deserve 5 mentions out of any '20'. And re 20. those who have never read [link|http://www.kymlicka.ca/stephen/wyndham.htm| Wyndham] (I've read them all, incl. a couple early collaborations not quite so good) have missed a difference between ElectricKoolaid-yada mere mechanical zaniness and.. marvelously wrought, believable extrapolation. Note how many of his ideas --> movies, whether acknowledged or no.

And surely BNW and 1984 are on many lists beyond geekdom (which transcends ITdom, in my lexicon.) If going that far afield - messy because its All up for ratings, including, on This list: surely at least one of Feynman's normal-human books and The. Lectures. And then there's ... ...

4. 15. - I'd expand to "most.. of PKd's short stories", collected in even bucolic library editions (if my local experience is typ.) PKD IMO was no ordinary genius, and the techno aspect is subservient to his wry dissection of homo-sap weirdness on many scales.

(I too would put microserfs or-by-any-name in the Hideous Pron file.)

Guess I get ~ 12; 14 if include skimming of Dune; unsure how much Illuminatus I managed to process long ago. Esoterica for the unwashed.

I was going to post that I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone interested in sampling the series, but now that I think about it, it is one of the very best ones, showcasing his style very well. It's just that it's sorta a sequel to Witches Abroad.

Pyramids is widely considered a good introduction to the series. It's typical of many of the later books without relying on characters that have been around before. It also has scenes like the test in the Assassin's Guild. Small Gods is a good standalone book if you think the person may not read any others anyway.

The Truth is also possibly a good starting point, except that so much of what makes it good is a) what someone tries *again* (i.e. knock off Vetinari) and b) what is now being allowed from that book forward (i.e. movable printing).

Wade.

Post #235,809 by Ashton 11/23/05 11:50:52 PM 11/23/05 11:53:20 PM Reply	Kinda mixed-bag innit? First, I'd expand 9, 20; 9. Pratchett has got to deserve 5 mentions out of any '20'. And re 20. those who have never read [link\|http://www.kymlicka.ca/stephen/wyndham.htm\| Wyndham] (I've read them all, incl. a couple early collaborations not quite so good) have missed a difference between ElectricKoolaid-yada mere mechanical zaniness and.. marvelously wrought, believable extrapolation. Note how many of his ideas --> movies, whether acknowledged or no. And surely BNW and 1984 are on many lists beyond geekdom (which transcends ITdom, in my lexicon.) If going that far afield - messy because its All up for ratings, including, on This list: surely at least one of Feynman's normal-human books and The. Lectures. And then there's ... ... 4. 15. - I'd expand to "most.. of PKd's short stories", collected in even bucolic library editions (if my local experience is typ.) PKD IMO was no ordinary genius, and the techno aspect is subservient to his wry dissection of homo-sap weirdness on many scales. (I too would put microserfs or-by-any-name in the Hideous Pron file.) Guess I get ~ 12; 14 if include skimming of Dune; unsure how much Illuminatus I managed to process long ago. Esoterica for the unwashed. WTF - these Lists == Rorschachs. Again. otpy Edited by Ashton Nov. 23, 2005, 11:53:20 PM EST Expand All History
Post #235,810 by broomberg 11/24/05 12:12:00 AM Reply	PKD is too goddamn depressing Androids was kinda cool, but anything else I read from him left me suicidal.
Post #235,814 by Ashton 11/24/05 12:29:24 AM Reply	(author not responsible for assigned prison planet)
Post #235,904 by tuberculosis 11/24/05 4:21:03 PM 8/21/07 6:40:55 AM Reply	Color of magic is one of his earliest and weakest should be a better book or two - Small Gods remains my fave. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 06:40:55 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #235,909 by pwhysall 11/24/05 4:52:23 PM Reply	The smartarse style gets on my pecs. Peter [link\|http://www.no2id.net/\|Don't Let The Terrorists Win] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes!
Post #235,918 by static 11/24/05 6:29:06 PM Reply	'Pyramids' is the one usually recommended to newcomers. 'Guards! Guards!' is also a good starting point. Wade. "Insert crowbar. Apply force."
Post #235,948 by boxley 11/24/05 9:45:38 PM Reply	Monstrous Regiment is one of my favs "the reason people don't buy conspiracy theories is that they think conspiracy means everyone is on the same program. Thats not how it works. Everybody has a different program. They just all want the same guy dead. Socrates was a gadfly, but I bet he took time out to screw somebodies wife" Gus Vitelli Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #235,960 by ben_tilly 11/24/05 11:57:26 PM Reply	Not by me. I recommend Small Gods first. Unless I suspect that the person would like a different variant of Pratchett, in which case I might recommend something like Lords and Ladies. Not that Pyramids is bad - quite the contrary in fact - but it isn't my favorite. Cheers, Ben I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Post #236,041 by static 11/25/05 9:04:31 PM Reply	Lords and Ladies was my favourite for a long time. I was going to post that I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone interested in sampling the series, but now that I think about it, it is one of the very best ones, showcasing his style very well. It's just that it's sorta a sequel to Witches Abroad. Pyramids is widely considered a good introduction to the series. It's typical of many of the later books without relying on characters that have been around before. It also has scenes like the test in the Assassin's Guild. Small Gods is a good standalone book if you think the person may not read any others anyway. The Truth is also possibly a good starting point, except that so much of what makes it good is a) what someone tries again (i.e. knock off Vetinari) and b) what is now being allowed from that book forward (i.e. movable printing). Wade. "Insert crowbar. Apply force."
Post #236,068 by hnick 11/26/05 8:05:12 AM Reply	Depends on mood, day, etc; just read them all... easier.
Post #236,126 by Ashton 11/26/05 7:39:07 PM Reply	Must___conserve. Have taken a break, acquiring the lot.. Can't tell how long the National Madness shall persist; dare not run out of TP before, at least the impeachments begin.

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