Hey all! So, if you've not been following our comments threads, fellow librarian and blogger Helen has been working her way through the Discworld books by Sir Terry Pratchett, and he's always done a great job with this month's GROW theme. And because it's the last week of September, because I love me some Discworld, and because I couldn't decide which one to use, you're getting a double dose of Terry Teaser Tuesday!
"You can't grow a good witch on chalk. The stuff's barely harder than clay. You need good hard rock to grow a witch, believe me."
- The Wee Free Men, by Sir Terry Pratchett
"I mean, don't get me wrong, if you pick the right time, yes, sure, it's a great world for a holiday, ten thousand years, maybe even a few million if you're lucky with the weather but, good grief, it's just not a serious proposition for anything long term. It's a great place to grow up on, but you wouldn't want to live here."
- The Science of Discworld, by Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen, & Sir Terry Pratchett
About the books:
Both of these books are part of Terry Pratchett's wonderful Discworld; a fantasy realm where the power of 'narrativium' is the main power of the universe. That is, stories want to be told, and they want to be told the way people expect. For example the True King will come from a humble upbringing and return to restore order to his land. One in a million chances work out nine times out of ten. This sucks, of course, if you're the kind of person in classic stories to get killed off. These people, and their struggles against the story, often form Pratchett's protagonists.
The Wee Free Men is the first book of Terry Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching" sequence of young adult books (followed by A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight). They follow Tiffany, a young girl who learns she has the makings of a witch, and her life from age nine to age fifteen. She is aided in her struggles to become a witch and protect the people in her land (which is a witch's job) by the Nac Mac Feegle, a race of tiny blue faeries with all the social graces and diplomatic skills of drunken football hooligans. Pratchett mixes humour with deft drama to create one of his greatest storylines.
The Science of Discworld, on the other hand, alternates chapters of fiction (involving the wizards, a mostly affectionate parody of academic life) with popular science written by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart. They discuss the theories surrounding how our world was formed, how life began, what our world might be but for a chance here or a chance there, and what we likely have in our future. (Hint: The doomed world Rincewind is ranting about in our quote up there? It's Earth.) Two sequels were written: The Science of Discworld II: The Globe and The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch.
Both of these books are part of Terry Pratchett's wonderful Discworld; a fantasy realm where the power of 'narrativium' is the main power of the universe. That is, stories want to be told, and they want to be told the way people expect. For example the True King will come from a humble upbringing and return to restore order to his land. One in a million chances work out nine times out of ten. This sucks, of course, if you're the kind of person in classic stories to get killed off. These people, and their struggles against the story, often form Pratchett's protagonists.
The Wee Free Men is the first book of Terry Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching" sequence of young adult books (followed by A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight). They follow Tiffany, a young girl who learns she has the makings of a witch, and her life from age nine to age fifteen. She is aided in her struggles to become a witch and protect the people in her land (which is a witch's job) by the Nac Mac Feegle, a race of tiny blue faeries with all the social graces and diplomatic skills of drunken football hooligans. Pratchett mixes humour with deft drama to create one of his greatest storylines.
The Science of Discworld, on the other hand, alternates chapters of fiction (involving the wizards, a mostly affectionate parody of academic life) with popular science written by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart. They discuss the theories surrounding how our world was formed, how life began, what our world might be but for a chance here or a chance there, and what we likely have in our future. (Hint: The doomed world Rincewind is ranting about in our quote up there? It's Earth.) Two sequels were written: The Science of Discworld II: The Globe and The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch.
About the authors:
Sir Terry Pratchett (born 28 April 1948) is the celebrated fantasy author and creator of the Discworld series of books. He has published no fewer than forty books set in the universe (Counting only those he wrote by himself; so not including the Science of Discworld set. Nor the cookbook.) as well as standalone works like Good Omens (with Neil Gaiman) and Nation. He has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, and is an outspoken advocate for further research on the affliction and for legalizing assisted death.
Ian Nicholas Stewart FRS (born 24 September 1945) is a professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, England, and a widely known popular-science and science-fiction writer. He is the first recipient of the Christopher Zeeman Medal, awarded jointly by the LMS and the IMA for his work on promoting mathematics. — From Wikipedia
Jack Cohen, FIBiol (born 19 September 1933 in Norwich) is a British reproductive biologist also known for his popular science books and involvement with science fiction — From Wikipedia.
Ian Nicholas Stewart FRS (born 24 September 1945) is a professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, England, and a widely known popular-science and science-fiction writer. He is the first recipient of the Christopher Zeeman Medal, awarded jointly by the LMS and the IMA for his work on promoting mathematics. — From Wikipedia
Jack Cohen, FIBiol (born 19 September 1933 in Norwich) is a British reproductive biologist also known for his popular science books and involvement with science fiction — From Wikipedia.
Find a copy:
- The Wee Free Men is available at our Kuring-gai campus branch at YA PRAW.
- The Science of Discworld is available at our city campus branch at 823.1 PRAT.
About Teaser Tuesdays:
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading! Everyone is welcome to play!
How it works:
1. Grab a book from your collection
2. Select 2 sentences that make an interesting teaser (avoid spoilers please!)
3. Post the sentences, along with author and book title in the comments of this post
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