Questions tagged [terry-pratchett]
How questions about Sir Terry Pratchett, the English author, and his works. His most famous work ıs the Discworld cycle, and some other works include "Strata", "Nation", the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, and "Good Omens", in collaboration with Neil Gaiman.
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Why did the trolls go into hiding during the events of The Long War?
In the second book of the Long Earth franchise (The Long War) by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, the trolls of the long earth go into hiding.
What was the reason for this, and how do the ...
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Are there any other industries apart from Post and Railways that Terry Pratchett explored in Discworld series?
I enjoyed Raising Steam a lot, and while reading Postal enjoyed that too. Are there any other industries that Sir Terry Pratchett explored in the Discworld series?
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Meaning of Pratchett's quote about coffee from "Thud!"
Terry Pratchett wrote in Thud!:
Coffee was only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your slightly older self.
I am struggling to understand the meaning of it. Is it pro/contra ...
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Meaning of “It takes forty men with their feet on the ground to keep one man with his head in the air" in Small Gods by Terry Pratchett?
I am currently on page 36 of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods.
One sentence reads:
Kitchens and storerooms and craftsmen's workshops belonging to the Church's civilian population honey- combed the ...
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Why does Tiffany insist on using "young woman" for Amber in Pratchett's "I Shall Wear Midnight"?
In the "rough music" scene towards the beginning of I Shall Wear Midnight, when Tiffany and her father are taking care of Amber, who was beaten by her father hard enough that she miscarried ...
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Am I right in thinking this quote from Terry Pratchett is an example of Second Person voice?
I was searching for an excerpt from one of Terry Pratchett's books, because I was trying to remember an example of Second Person voice that I once read.
Here is the excerpt I was looking for:
Let the ...
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Is this mention of "people from another world" a reference to something in Pratchett's "Thud!"?
In Terry Pratchett's Thud!, when Vimes and company are heading to Koom Valley with the assistance of the Unseen University, there's this passage with exploding vegetables:
'Don't try!' Vimes said ...
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Who "dribbled a lot and wasn’t allowed anything sharp" in "Good Omens"?
While reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, I stumbled across the following quote, in which Aziraphale’s calculations are described:
But these other calculations were of a kind no ...
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What is the earliest reference in fiction to a government-approved thieves guild?
I remember reading about the Thieves's guild in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, and I remember thinking they seemed... Novel? Especially as it was government-approved.
One of the remarkable ...
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What is Azrael's quote at the end of "Reaper Man" supposed to mean?
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett, part of the Discworld universe, leaves off like this:
Picture a tall, dark figure, surrounded by cornfields...
NO, YOU CAN'T RIDE A CAT. WHO EVER HEARD OF THE DEATH OF ...
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Is Casanunda a reference in "Witches Abroad"?
In Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett, the witches meet a dwarf named Casanunda who claims to be the "greatest lover in the world":
''Allo, foxy lady,' said a voice behind her. She looked ...
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Did Gaiman and Pratchett troll an interviewer who thought they were religious fanatics?
TVTropes says:
In real life: Gaiman and Pratchett did a radio interview when the book came out, and slowly realized that the interviewer wasn't aware that the book was fictional, and thought they ...
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Why are the Nac Mag Feegle Scottish?
In The Wee Free Men - and other places where the Nac Mac Feegle are mentioned - they are quite obviously depicted as Scottish. The easiest example of that is their speech:
"Crivens! We wanna coo ...
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Why is Adam's name completely capitalized in the Good Omens character list?
Before Good Omens has even started, officially, on page xiv in my copy, there's a list of characters. These include...
SUPERNATURAL BEINGS
God (God)
Metatron (The Voice of God)
[...]
Satan (A Fallen ...
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What’s the link between “The Amazing Maurice” and the Tiffany Aching books?
I’m slowly reading the novels of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and I finished all the Tiffany Aching saga.
Then I read The Amazing Maurice and its Educated Rodents since from this Discworld ...
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Meaning/translation of title "The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett
I have read The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett in English and always interpreted the title as "The Fantastic (adjective) light (noun)". Mostly because I do not see "Fantastic" ...
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What was the cause of the plague, and was its mention necessary in the start of the book?
The book says that Daphne was on board a ship that was heading to Port Mercia to retrieve the crown. That was the cause of Daphne being on Nation throughout the book, but was it possible that this all ...
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Why is Sergeant Shadwell obsessed with nipples?
One of the many recurring gags in Good Omens is Sergeant Shadwell's obsession with nipples. For example:
One of the first questions he asks Newt when recruiting him to the Witchfinder Army is how ...
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What does "Maybe it's a Big Horse I'm Morporkian" mean?
In Terry Pratchett's book Raising Steam, there is an explanation of the phrase "Have seen the big horse" where the author uses the sentence "Maybe it's a Big Horse I'm Morporkian". ...
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What's the joke with "Best of Queen" in Good Omens?
A recurring joke in Pratchett and Gaiman's Good Omens is that all the music tapes in Crowley's car are songs from Queen, which is apparently a British rock band. From near the start of the book:
...
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Is the name Crowley in Good Omens a reference to the famous occultist?
The main demonic character in the humouristic-apocalyptic story Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman goes by the name Anthony Crowley - a name which instantly jumped out at me because of its similarity ...
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Why was an American diplomat's family considered the best place for the Antichrist?
In Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, the original master plan (foiled by dumb chance and human incompetence) was that the newly born Antichrist should be brought up in the family of the ...
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What is so satanic about Manchester?
The demon Crowley, living on Earth was as long as it existed, has long been weaving plots to aid Hell in the coming Armageddon. Though, of course, it doesn't seem that good an idea when it starts, ...
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What is it with British occultism and Brussels sprouts?
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens is set in England, and one of the characters is Madame Tracy, who makes her living by doing "occult" seances, either by using a crystal ball or a Tarot ...
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How did the seniors use the steppers?
In The Long Earth, when the bomb was about to go off in Datum Madison, people were fleeing by means of stepping.
And the stepping began.
Parents carried their children, and went back for their ...
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What is the Pasifika response to "Nation"?
Pratchett's Nation was recommended to me because it depicts an alternate reality version of Pasifika cultures, faiths, and traditions. A quick glance at Wikipedia tells me it's got cannibals and ...
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Is this fictional event of a ship becoming airborne because of a storm based on a real event?
In the book Nation, by Terry Pratchett, a sailing ship becomes airborne from the force of a storm, and is pushed inland quite a distance, before becoming lodged in trees. Is this possible? If so, are ...
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