dididave

Start them ASAP, they are superb. The Gunslinger does drag its heels for the first 50 pages but after that the whole series flies by IMO. My favourites is Wolves of The Calla for the various modern sci-fi references but you will no doubt gain your own.

Hedge Knight is a cracking short story based on the series.

Any fans out there? For those who love Tolkien or King this man is at least as good as both.

Once you read Pratchett, you never go back!

I thought the second half was far better than the first but there was virtually no humour. It was all very serious and had a slightly preachy C.S Lewis feel to it. I think Susan was wonderful but the rest of the cast were ust a bit dull and I have never seen David Jason look so mediocre.

Will you not be able to watch it because it is on multi-start?

I liked it but it was a lot darker than I expected and a lot of the humour has been lost in translation. I reckon they have captured Suasan perfectly but Ridcully is nut how I would imagine him and DEATH is a poor representation to me. Albert is just too nice and Nobby Nobbs not inhuman enough. They have got the mood and atmosphere of the story spot on and Mister Teh-A-Timeh is superbly sinister creation. Part two looks promising and yeah for the appearance of the DEATH OF RATS!

I think celebrity chefs are excellent at "technical cooking" on the whole but if I want a decent Scouse, Hotpot or Spag Bol my wife would kick their arses! Likewise, I am the best cook at making something out of nothing. You would be amazed what I can do with the crappest of ingredients! I have no doubt celebrity chefs cook great food but if I want to feel like I have eaten I would not go to one of their restaurants.

Aye I think that is what a lot of people who do not read Pratchett fail to understand. Yes IT IS a world with witches and stuff but it very closely parodies our own and the witches and werewolves suffer the same problems we do. Susan having an embarassing Grandfather for example (Who just so happens to be DEATH.

Got it, read it a million times and could probably do this from memory anyhow! Anyone else love the irony of Death as "The Hogfather" with the bah humbug Albert in tow as the oldest elf in history? I love the darkness of this .

Well I made a conscious effort to read it last night. It is not awful per say, just bloody hard to start reading! The characters are on the dull side of dull and I can tell it is going to be a KIng novel were nothing happens until page 800! It might well turn out to be a cracker but at the moment it is a lesson in patience and perserverance!

I cannot get past the first few pages of Lisey's Story!

They are nowt to do with the Discworld and instead revolve around a group of "Nomes". Imagine a funny version of the Borrowers.

Legends: Various Authors “Legends” is billed as, “Eleven new works by the masters of modern Fantasy” but in reality it is a taster book of short stories. The editor, Robert Silverberg has cleverly assembled a collection of short stories by some of the most powerful fantasy writers alive, George R.R Martin, Robert Jordan and Terry Pratchett to name but three of eleven. Even more impressive is the fact that all the contributions have links to the writers most famous works be it Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series or Pratchett’s “Discworld” series. This I consider a masterstroke of publishing by both the editor and contributors as fans of a particular series are bound to be drawn to this. Indeed, I was captured immediately by the promise of new contributions from Stephen King, Terry Pratchett and George R.R Martin in my favourite series. However, what is also good about “Legends” (and I suppose another masterstroke by the collaborators) is that you get to enjoy and immerse yourself in new worlds, by new authors you may not have otherwise have encountered. This is a book with contributions along all the realms of fantasy. If your particular tastes cover anything from swords and sorcery , parody, political thriller or apocalyptic fiction then there should be something new in here for you. I was particularly taken by the bloody tactical battles of Terry Good kind’s “Debt of Bones”, a short story set in his world from the “Sword of Truth” series and can see myself purchasing some full-blown novels. This is not to say every one was a winner for me. Some of the short stories were simply not to my personal tastes. For example, I was wholly unimpressed Robert Jordan’s story based on his “Wheel of Time” series. As I have already mentioned this is a book that offers a bit of everything across the fantasy genre. This is both its biggest draw and its biggest flaw. Although the writing of all the authors is undoubtedly adept for their genre, the style can be a bit of an acquired taste. While I lapped up the silliness of Pratchett’s parodic “The Sea and Little Fishes”, I found Anne Mc Caffrey’s “Pern” overly complex and bogged down in clichéd characterisations. However, the joy of a collection such as this is that none of the offerings are particularly long allowing you to enjoy those that appeal and forget those that do not. When I started reading “Legends” I did have an initial concern that each tale would be difficult to follow due to the strong links to each authors established series and at times there were some references that lost me. By the same token those that strangers to one of my favourite series Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” may well be left baffled by the numerous “Dark Tower” references in his offering “The Little Sisters of Eluria”. Fortunately, this is minimised by an excellent foreword by Silverberg prior to each tale explaining the events as they unfold in the series. These plot synopsis’s allow the reader to familiarise with the series and enjoy them both as standalone stories or as interesting additions to the series themselves. Obviously “Legends” is a novel for fans of fantasy fiction although newcomers to the genre may find this a good place to start due to its rather eclectic collection of authors and writings. This makes “Legends” a rather bizarre reading experience as serious stories of political intrigue mix with tales of vampires and village fetes but also allows a new reader to find their niche and explore writers they might otherwise have never uncovered. With eleven offerings from eleven authors there is something for everyone although perhaps the only drawback is that this hardback collection was published in 1998. Not a drawback in itself but some of the stories are now available in other collections which you may already own. For example, I own “Everything’s Eventual” by Stephen King which includes “The Little Sisters of Eluria”. However, if you do not already own the stories contained in this collection this is well worth hunting down. Unfortunately, buying the complete hardback collection is difficult as it is only available for inflated prices on eBay or in the Amazon marketplace (I was lucky I got mine in a charity shop). You can buy the paperback but it is split into two volumes at £4.79 and £5.59 respectively. Those prices could be considered extortionate for a book that in hardback totals 591 pages for all eleven stories. However, if you can find yourself a hardback copy it is worth the purchase. Fantasy stories by fantastic writers.

Nah, Pyramids was dull. I thought it was going to be an Assassin's romp and it ended up being something else. The Truckers series is heavy going but enjoyable. Only You Can Save Mankind is okay and is probably the best of the Johnny Maxwell series.

Me too, I started with Mort and never looked back! The only two Pratchett books I ever truly disliked were Johnny and the Dead and Pyramids.

Voyage Of the Dawntreader is by far the best. People tend to go for Lion, Witch and Wardrobe but Dawntreader has more pace, a tighter plot and more interesting characters.

More accurate would be if you love Adams, you will love Holt.

The Stand is THE Stephen King book. Eveyrthing good about his writing is in this one novel. He has other great works but this is his masterpiece.

I refuse to read anything by Dan bleedin Brown! The last time I swallowed the hype was Michael Crichton and he is bleedin awful too!

Salmon of Doubt is fragmented in its very nature. Its really for fanatics although the Dirk Gently extract is worth the purchase on its own. I have read Hitchhikers Guide (all four are superb, Mostly Harmless is pants). The whole Dirk Gently series which is enjoyable but hard to get into and The Deeper Meaning of Liff which is an amusing diversion but nothing more. Hitchhikers Guide is a classic the rest of his stuff is a nice way to spend an afternoon but nothing more.

anyone a fan? The J.W Wells series is just superb. It reminds me of "The Office" but with a fantasy basis.

I think Koontz's problem is he releases too many a year and the quality is bound to suffer. Just finished "Hideaway" which I absolutely loathed! I loved "The Taking" and "Phantoms" but thought "The Face" was pants.

King is superb (huge fan alert!) and for me a lot of his very best books are his non-horror ones. His new one "Lisey's Story" is not at all horror and is getting rave reviews. I would actually say that he only has a few "true" horror novels namely Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary and IT. For me all the rest are borderline and certainly not horrific in a James Herbert, Richard Laymon way. Books to read if you do not like horror in my opinion (yes I know some have been repeated!): The Dark Tower (books 1-7). Eyes of The Dragon The Stand Insomnia The Bachman Books (A collection fo four stories, The Long Walk is particularly impressive). Four Seasons (Includes Apt Pupil) The Green Mile collection Oh and to answer the post above Cell isn't very good for King. It has similarities with his best work The Stand but its like a sub-standard remake. Godd twist though!