I started reading Good Omens a couple years ago, but I just wasn't really into it, so I never finished it. I've heard a lot of good things about the discworld series lately. Is it worth buying one of the books or will it suffer the same fate as my copy of Good Omens?
Thanks in advance!
Posted Sep 2, 2021, 7:46 PM UTC
Maybe? Depends on what you didn't like about Good Omens.
Good Omens was a combination effort between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Discworld is Pratchett alone.
I suggest giving it a shot, but definitely don't start from the beginning. The first 2 books are a bit rough and almost don't even really fit the rest of the series at all.
The series is massive and is split into sub groups... kind of like watching Marvel movies. You don't need to watch The Winter Soldier in order to enjoy Thor Ragnarok.
This is the current reading order guide
I suggest either:
Monstrous Regiment - A one-of self contained story
or
Going Postal - Entry point to the Moist Von Lipwig stories, when Pratchett firmly has his feet under him
If the "God and Death" themes of Good Omens weren't what turned you away, I'd also suggest Reaper Man. Discworld has "Death" as a character... but he's compassionate if a bit confused by humans. I'm also a big fan of Small Gods.
Although the main characters in Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal are new to those books, both of them involve the Clacks, a communication technology that is first introduced in The Fifth Elephant. They also include some characters introduced in earlier books without giving much explanation about who they are. So, I would recommend starting with an earlier book.
I'm also a big fan of Small Gods.
That one would be a better choice, since it actually takes place before most (or all) earlier books.
Ehh... I don't think the Clacks is something you need to know about going in to follow Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal. It's tangentially used and is easy to understand within context.
Likewise the characters that reappear like Vetinari are pretty understandable without any extra information.
I can watch Thor 2 without seeing Captain America even though Loki takes on Cap's form just fine.
I avoid suggesting Small Gods as heavily because of the theologic connections that may or may not be a part of what made Good Omens difficult. Small Gods shares a lot of themes with Good Omens and I think suggesting a book that is more distinct has more value in this case.
Now that think back on it, I'm pretty sure i stopped reading good omens because i got busy and the book just fell to the wayside, I don't remember there being anything particularly displeasing about it. I'm definitely gonna check out discworld though. After reading some of the comments here, i was thinking of starting either with Moist von Lipwig or Death. Thanks alot!:)
I didn't like good Omens the book either. I have liked every disk world book I've read.
That's reassuring, I'll make sure to give them a try, thanks :)
Good Omens was only cowritten by Pratchett, so there's a good chance you may have just not jelled with Gaiman's segments/ideas.
I've only read Hogfather, but it was fantasticly, hilariously british, reminding me of Pratchett's Sci-Fi counterpart Douglass Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
This web site also lists the books in various orders. I suggest thematically.
The City Watch, The Witches and Moist Von Lipwig books are probably my favorites.
Equal Rites, the first book in The Witches is a very early book of his and doesn't feel like the others. I'd start with Wyrd Sisters for those books, personally.
There are a few TV movies that were pretty good too. These are my most to least favorite.
The books are better of course.
Have you read A Herd of Opportunity by Matthew Hughes?
Try it. Don't start with The Colour of Magic, just pick the first in a popular arc (I would suggest Nightwatch) and give it a try.
They're quite different.