As the literary world mourns the death of the Discworld creator, here are some of his most inspiring and memorable quotes. Add your favourites.
Cover of an early edition of; art byAuthorCover artist(1983–2001)(2001–2015)CountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenrePublisherPublished1983–2015Media typePrint: Hardback, paperbackNo. Of books41 novels WebsiteDiscworld is a written by the English author, set on the, a balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle.
The series began in 1983 with and continued until the final novel was published in 2015, following Pratchett's death. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from, and, as well as, and, often using them for parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues. Forty-one Discworld novels have been published. The original British editions of the first 26 novels, up to (2001), had cover art.
The American editions, published by, used their own cover art. Since Kirby's death in 2001, the covers have been designed. Companion publications include eleven short stories (some only loosely related to the Discworld), four popular science books, and a number of supplementary books and reference guides. The series has been adapted for graphic novels, theatre, computer and board games, and television.Newly released Discworld books regularly topped best-sellers list, making Pratchett the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s. Discworld novels have also won awards such as the and the. In the 's, four Discworld novels were in the top 100, and a total of fourteen in the top 200. More than 80 million Discworld books have been sold in 37 languages.
Main article:was the first protagonist of Discworld; a wizard with no skill, no wizardly qualifications, and no interest in heroics. He is the archetypal coward but is constantly thrust into extremely dangerous adventures. In The Last Hero, he flatly states that he does not wish to join an expedition to explore over the edge of the Disc—but, being fully geared for the expedition at the time, clarifies by saying that any amount of protesting on his part is futile, as something will eventually occur that will bring him into the expedition anyway. As such, he not only constantly succeeds in staying alive, but also saves Discworld on several occasions, and has an instrumental role in the emergence of life on Roundworld.Other characters in the Rincewind story arc include:, an aging hero of the old fantasy tradition, out of touch with the modern world and still fighting despite his advanced age;, a naive tourist from the Agatean Empire (inspired by cultures of the Far East, particularly Japan and China); and, a magical, semi-sentient and exceptionally vicious multi-legged travelling accessory, made from sapient pearwood. Rincewind appeared in eight Discworld novels as well as the four supplementary books.Death. Main articles: andappears in every novel except and, although sometimes with only a few lines.
As dictated by tradition, he is a seven-foot-tall who sits astride a pale horse (called Binky). His dialogue is always depicted in, and without quotation marks, as several characters state that Death's voice seems to arrive in their heads without actually passing through their ears as sound.As the anthropomorphic personification of death, Death has the job of guiding souls onward from this world into the next. Over millennia in the role, he has developed a fascination with humanity, even going so far as to create a house for himself in his personal dimension.Characters that often appear with Death include his butler; his granddaughter; the, the part of Death in charge of gathering the souls of rodents;, a talking raven (a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's ', although it flat-out refuses to say 'Nevermore'); and the Auditors of Reality, personifications of the orderly and the closest thing Death has to a nemesis. Death or Susan appear as the main characters in five Discworld novels. He also appears in the short stories, and.Death also appears in the non-Discworld novel, written by Pratchett and.Witches.
Main article:in Pratchett's universe are largely stripped of their modern occultist associations (though Pratchett does frequently use his stories to lampoon such conceptions of witchcraft), and act as, adjudicators and wise women. That is not to say that witches on the Disc cannot use; they simply prefer not to, finding simple but cunningly applied psychology (often referred to as 'headology', or sometimes 'boffo') far more effective.The principal witch in the series is, who at first glance seems to be a taciturn, bitter old crone, from the small mountain country of. She largely despises people but takes on the role of their healer and protector because no one else can do the job as well as she can.
Her closest friend is, a jolly, personable witch with the 'common touch' who enjoys a smoke and a pint of beer, often leading to her singing bawdy folk songs including the notorious 'Hedgehog Song'. The two take on apprentice witches, initially, then, and then, who in turn go on to become accomplished witches in their own right, and, in Magrat's case, Queen of Lancre.Other characters in the Witches series include: King Verence II of Lancre, a onetime;, Nanny Ogg's eldest son and local blacksmith;, Nanny's youngest son who serves as his country's entire army and civil service; and Nanny's murderous cat Greebo. The witches have appeared in numerous Discworld books, but have featured as protagonists in seven. They have also appeared in the short story '. Their stories frequently draw on ancient European folklore and fairy tales, as well as parody famous works of literature, particularly by.City Watch. Main article:The stories featuring the are, and frequently show the clashes that result when a traditional, magically run fantasy world such as the Disc comes into contact with modern technology and civilization. They revolve around the growth of the City Watch from a hopeless gang of three to a fully equipped and efficient police force.
The stories are largely, featuring crimes that have heavy political or societal overtones.The main character is, a haggard, cynical, working-class street copper who, when introduced in, is the drunken/alcoholic Captain of the 2-person Night Watch: lazy, cowardly, and none-too-bright Sergeant, and Corporal, a petty thief in his own right. Then, a 6-foot-6-inch-tall (1.98 m) dwarf-by-adoption, comes down from the mountains to join the Watch and do real policing.
Main article:The Wizards of the (UU) have represented a strong thread through many of the Discworld novels, although the only books that they star in exclusively are The Science of the Discworld series and the novels. In the early books, the faculty of UU changed frequently, as rising to the top usually involved assassination. However, with the ascension of the bombastic to the position of, the hierarchy has settled and characters have been given the chance to develop. The earlier books featuring the wizards also frequently dealt with the possible invasion of the Discworld by the creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, Lovecraftian monsters that hunger for the magic and potential of the Discworld.The wizards of UU employ the traditional 'whizz-bang' type of magic seen in games, but also investigate the rules and structure of magic in terms highly reminiscent of. Prominent members include, a geeky young wizard;, the Disc's first computer/semi-sentient thinking engine;, who was turned into an by magical accident; the Dean; the; the Chair of Indefinite Studies; the Lecturer in Recent Runes; and the Senior Wrangler. In later novels, Rincewind also joins their group, while the Dean leaves to become the Archchancellor of Brazeneck College in the nearby city of Pseudopolis.The Wizards have featured prominently in nine Discworld books as well as starred in The Science of Discworld series and the short story '.Tiffany Aching.
Main article:is a young apprentice witch and protagonist of a series of Discworld books aimed at young adults. Her stories often parallel mythic heroes' quests, but also deal with Tiffany's difficulties as a young girl maturing into a responsible woman. She is aided in her task by the, a gang of blue-tattooed, 6-inch tall, hard-drinking, loud-mouthed pictsie creatures also called 'The Wee Free Men' who serve as her guardians. Both and have also appeared in her stories. She has appeared in five novels (, and ). Major characters in this series include Miss Tick, who discovered Tiffany, Annagramma Hawkin, Petulia Gristle, and Nac Mac Feegle chieftain Rob Anybody.Moist von Lipwig.
Main article:is a professional criminal and con man to whom Havelock Vetinari gives a 'second chance' after staging his execution, recognising the advantages his abilities would have to the development of the city. After setting him in charge of the in, to good result, Vetinari ordered him to clear up the city's corrupt financial sector in. In a third book, published on 7 November 2013, Vetinari persuades Lipwig to oversee the development of a rail network for Dick Simnel's newly invented steam locomotive. Other characters in this series include, Lipwig's acerbic, chain-smoking love interest;, a golem who develops a strange crush on Lipwig;, an obsessive young man who was raised by peas and becomes the Disc's first; and the very old Junior Postman Groat, who never got promoted to Senior Postman because there was never a Postmaster alive long enough to do so.Discworld cultures Several other books can be grouped together as 'Other cultures of Discworld' books. They may contain characters or locations from other arcs, typically not as protagonist or antagonist but as a supporting character or even a throwaway reference. These include (Djelibeybi), (Omnia), and (Zlobenia and Borogravia).Characters Short descriptions of many of the notable characters. Main article:Most years see the release of a Discworld Diary and Discworld Calendar, both usually following a particular theme.The diaries feature background information about their themes.
Some topics are later used in the series; the character of Miss Alice Band first appeared in the Assassins' Guild Yearbook, for example. has a similar format and general contents to the diaries.Other books Other Discworld publications include:. (1993) A collection of Josh Kirby's artwork, published by Paper Tiger. (1994) An encyclopaedia of Discworld information, compiled by Pratchett and Briggs. An updated version was released in 2003, titled The New Discworld Companion. A further updated version was released in 2012, titled Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion.
See also: Audio books Most of Pratchett's novels have been released as and CD. recordings of books 1–23 in the above list, except for books 3, 6 and 9, are read. Books 3 and 6 are read. Book 9 and most of the books from 24 onward are read by. Abridged versions are read by.
Fantastic Audio also recorded two Discworld novels: Thief of Time and Night Watch.Comics , and have been adapted into.Film and television Due in part to the complexity of the novels, Discworld has been difficult to adapt to film – Pratchett was fond of an anecdote of a producer attempting to pitch an adaptation of in the early 1990s but was told to 'lose the Death angle' by US backers.The adaptations include:. produced 6x30 minute animated adaptations of two books for in 1996. These were made available on DVD and VHS in the US from Acorn Media, though they are now out of print.
Both series are available on a DVD boxset in. – an 8-minute animated television adaptation of a fragment of Reaper Man. – Starring as Death, also featuring. First episode broadcast on 18 May 1997.
The soundtrack to Soul Music was also released on CD. – Starring Christopher Lee as Death, also featuring,.
First episode broadcast on 28 December 1998. Mort (2001): A fan movie adaptation of by Orange Cow Production, 26 minutes. Lords and Ladies (2005): A fan movie adaptation of by Almost No Budget Films was completed in Germany. (2006): In the UK, commissioned a £6 million 'made for television' adaptation of with playing the role of Albert. It was first broadcast in December 2006 and features Terry Pratchett in a brief cameo role as the Toymaker.
Run Rincewind Run! (2007): A Snowgum Films original story created for Nullus Anxietas. Stars Troy Larkin as, and features Terry Pratchett as himself. (2008; based on both and ): David Jason played Rincewind. This adaptation aired in the UK over Easter 2008 and also features Terry Pratchett in a brief cameo role as an Astrozoologist. (airdate May 2010).
It stars,. Terry Pratchett appears in a cameo role as a postman. (2019): Australian group Snowgum Films produced live-action/live action / hand animated short film. It premiered at the International Film Festival in January 2019, and is slated for release in November 2019. Planned adaptations include:. The Wee Free Men: initially conceived as a film adaptation of directed by for and announced in 2006.
Terry Pratchett did not like the script. On 1 November 2013, Rhianna Pratchett announced on that she was adapting The Wee Free Men into a feature-length film. In 2016 Narrativia confirmed the film would be co-produced with.: a TV series based on the, The Watch was in development by Terry and then Rhianna Pratchett since 2011.
Cover of an early edition of; art byAuthorCover artist(1983–2001)(2001–2015)CountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenrePublisherPublished1983–2015Media typePrint: Hardback, paperbackNo. Of books41 novels WebsiteDiscworld is a written by the English author, set on the, a balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. The series began in 1983 with and continued until the final novel was published in 2015, following Pratchett's death. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from, and, as well as, and, often using them for parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues. Forty-one Discworld novels have been published. The original British editions of the first 26 novels, up to (2001), had cover art.
The American editions, published by, used their own cover art. Since Kirby's death in 2001, the covers have been designed. Companion publications include eleven short stories (some only loosely related to the Discworld), four popular science books, and a number of supplementary books and reference guides.
The series has been adapted for graphic novels, theatre, computer and board games, and television.Newly released Discworld books regularly topped best-sellers list, making Pratchett the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s. Discworld novels have also won awards such as the and the. In the 's, four Discworld novels were in the top 100, and a total of fourteen in the top 200. More than 80 million Discworld books have been sold in 37 languages. Main article:was the first protagonist of Discworld; a wizard with no skill, no wizardly qualifications, and no interest in heroics.
He is the archetypal coward but is constantly thrust into extremely dangerous adventures. In The Last Hero, he flatly states that he does not wish to join an expedition to explore over the edge of the Disc—but, being fully geared for the expedition at the time, clarifies by saying that any amount of protesting on his part is futile, as something will eventually occur that will bring him into the expedition anyway. As such, he not only constantly succeeds in staying alive, but also saves Discworld on several occasions, and has an instrumental role in the emergence of life on Roundworld.Other characters in the Rincewind story arc include:, an aging hero of the old fantasy tradition, out of touch with the modern world and still fighting despite his advanced age;, a naive tourist from the Agatean Empire (inspired by cultures of the Far East, particularly Japan and China); and, a magical, semi-sentient and exceptionally vicious multi-legged travelling accessory, made from sapient pearwood. Rincewind appeared in eight Discworld novels as well as the four supplementary books.Death.
Main articles: andappears in every novel except and, although sometimes with only a few lines. As dictated by tradition, he is a seven-foot-tall who sits astride a pale horse (called Binky). His dialogue is always depicted in, and without quotation marks, as several characters state that Death's voice seems to arrive in their heads without actually passing through their ears as sound.As the anthropomorphic personification of death, Death has the job of guiding souls onward from this world into the next.
Over millennia in the role, he has developed a fascination with humanity, even going so far as to create a house for himself in his personal dimension.Characters that often appear with Death include his butler; his granddaughter; the, the part of Death in charge of gathering the souls of rodents;, a talking raven (a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's ', although it flat-out refuses to say 'Nevermore'); and the Auditors of Reality, personifications of the orderly and the closest thing Death has to a nemesis. Death or Susan appear as the main characters in five Discworld novels. He also appears in the short stories, and.Death also appears in the non-Discworld novel, written by Pratchett and.Witches. Main article:in Pratchett's universe are largely stripped of their modern occultist associations (though Pratchett does frequently use his stories to lampoon such conceptions of witchcraft), and act as, adjudicators and wise women. That is not to say that witches on the Disc cannot use; they simply prefer not to, finding simple but cunningly applied psychology (often referred to as 'headology', or sometimes 'boffo') far more effective.The principal witch in the series is, who at first glance seems to be a taciturn, bitter old crone, from the small mountain country of. She largely despises people but takes on the role of their healer and protector because no one else can do the job as well as she can. Her closest friend is, a jolly, personable witch with the 'common touch' who enjoys a smoke and a pint of beer, often leading to her singing bawdy folk songs including the notorious 'Hedgehog Song'.
The two take on apprentice witches, initially, then, and then, who in turn go on to become accomplished witches in their own right, and, in Magrat's case, Queen of Lancre.Other characters in the Witches series include: King Verence II of Lancre, a onetime;, Nanny Ogg's eldest son and local blacksmith;, Nanny's youngest son who serves as his country's entire army and civil service; and Nanny's murderous cat Greebo. The witches have appeared in numerous Discworld books, but have featured as protagonists in seven.
They have also appeared in the short story '. Their stories frequently draw on ancient European folklore and fairy tales, as well as parody famous works of literature, particularly by.City Watch. Main article:The stories featuring the are, and frequently show the clashes that result when a traditional, magically run fantasy world such as the Disc comes into contact with modern technology and civilization. They revolve around the growth of the City Watch from a hopeless gang of three to a fully equipped and efficient police force. The stories are largely, featuring crimes that have heavy political or societal overtones.The main character is, a haggard, cynical, working-class street copper who, when introduced in, is the drunken/alcoholic Captain of the 2-person Night Watch: lazy, cowardly, and none-too-bright Sergeant, and Corporal, a petty thief in his own right. Then, a 6-foot-6-inch-tall (1.98 m) dwarf-by-adoption, comes down from the mountains to join the Watch and do real policing. Main article:The Wizards of the (UU) have represented a strong thread through many of the Discworld novels, although the only books that they star in exclusively are The Science of the Discworld series and the novels.
In the early books, the faculty of UU changed frequently, as rising to the top usually involved assassination. However, with the ascension of the bombastic to the position of, the hierarchy has settled and characters have been given the chance to develop.
The earlier books featuring the wizards also frequently dealt with the possible invasion of the Discworld by the creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, Lovecraftian monsters that hunger for the magic and potential of the Discworld.The wizards of UU employ the traditional 'whizz-bang' type of magic seen in games, but also investigate the rules and structure of magic in terms highly reminiscent of. Prominent members include, a geeky young wizard;, the Disc's first computer/semi-sentient thinking engine;, who was turned into an by magical accident; the Dean; the; the Chair of Indefinite Studies; the Lecturer in Recent Runes; and the Senior Wrangler.
In later novels, Rincewind also joins their group, while the Dean leaves to become the Archchancellor of Brazeneck College in the nearby city of Pseudopolis.The Wizards have featured prominently in nine Discworld books as well as starred in The Science of Discworld series and the short story '.Tiffany Aching. Main article:is a young apprentice witch and protagonist of a series of Discworld books aimed at young adults. Her stories often parallel mythic heroes' quests, but also deal with Tiffany's difficulties as a young girl maturing into a responsible woman. She is aided in her task by the, a gang of blue-tattooed, 6-inch tall, hard-drinking, loud-mouthed pictsie creatures also called 'The Wee Free Men' who serve as her guardians. Both and have also appeared in her stories. She has appeared in five novels (, and ). Major characters in this series include Miss Tick, who discovered Tiffany, Annagramma Hawkin, Petulia Gristle, and Nac Mac Feegle chieftain Rob Anybody.Moist von Lipwig.
Main article:is a professional criminal and con man to whom Havelock Vetinari gives a 'second chance' after staging his execution, recognising the advantages his abilities would have to the development of the city. After setting him in charge of the in, to good result, Vetinari ordered him to clear up the city's corrupt financial sector in. In a third book, published on 7 November 2013, Vetinari persuades Lipwig to oversee the development of a rail network for Dick Simnel's newly invented steam locomotive. Other characters in this series include, Lipwig's acerbic, chain-smoking love interest;, a golem who develops a strange crush on Lipwig;, an obsessive young man who was raised by peas and becomes the Disc's first; and the very old Junior Postman Groat, who never got promoted to Senior Postman because there was never a Postmaster alive long enough to do so.Discworld cultures Several other books can be grouped together as 'Other cultures of Discworld' books. They may contain characters or locations from other arcs, typically not as protagonist or antagonist but as a supporting character or even a throwaway reference. These include (Djelibeybi), (Omnia), and (Zlobenia and Borogravia).Characters Short descriptions of many of the notable characters. Main article:Most years see the release of a Discworld Diary and Discworld Calendar, both usually following a particular theme.The diaries feature background information about their themes.
Some topics are later used in the series; the character of Miss Alice Band first appeared in the Assassins' Guild Yearbook, for example. has a similar format and general contents to the diaries.Other books Other Discworld publications include:. (1993) A collection of Josh Kirby's artwork, published by Paper Tiger.
(1994) An encyclopaedia of Discworld information, compiled by Pratchett and Briggs. An updated version was released in 2003, titled The New Discworld Companion. A further updated version was released in 2012, titled Turtle Recall: The Discworld Companion. See also: Audio books Most of Pratchett's novels have been released as and CD. recordings of books 1–23 in the above list, except for books 3, 6 and 9, are read. Books 3 and 6 are read.
Book 9 and most of the books from 24 onward are read by. Abridged versions are read by. Fantastic Audio also recorded two Discworld novels: Thief of Time and Night Watch.Comics , and have been adapted into.Film and television Due in part to the complexity of the novels, Discworld has been difficult to adapt to film – Pratchett was fond of an anecdote of a producer attempting to pitch an adaptation of in the early 1990s but was told to 'lose the Death angle' by US backers.The adaptations include:. produced 6x30 minute animated adaptations of two books for in 1996. These were made available on DVD and VHS in the US from Acorn Media, though they are now out of print. Both series are available on a DVD boxset in.
– an 8-minute animated television adaptation of a fragment of Reaper Man. – Starring as Death, also featuring. First episode broadcast on 18 May 1997. The soundtrack to Soul Music was also released on CD. – Starring Christopher Lee as Death, also featuring,. First episode broadcast on 28 December 1998.
Mort (2001): A fan movie adaptation of by Orange Cow Production, 26 minutes. Lords and Ladies (2005): A fan movie adaptation of by Almost No Budget Films was completed in Germany.
(2006): In the UK, commissioned a £6 million 'made for television' adaptation of with playing the role of Albert. It was first broadcast in December 2006 and features Terry Pratchett in a brief cameo role as the Toymaker. Run Rincewind Run! (2007): A Snowgum Films original story created for Nullus Anxietas. Stars Troy Larkin as, and features Terry Pratchett as himself.
(2008; based on both and ): David Jason played Rincewind. This adaptation aired in the UK over Easter 2008 and also features Terry Pratchett in a brief cameo role as an Astrozoologist. (airdate May 2010). It stars,. Terry Pratchett appears in a cameo role as a postman. (2019): Australian group Snowgum Films produced live-action/live action / hand animated short film.
It premiered at the International Film Festival in January 2019, and is slated for release in November 2019. Planned adaptations include:. The Wee Free Men: initially conceived as a film adaptation of directed by for and announced in 2006. Terry Pratchett did not like the script. On 1 November 2013, Rhianna Pratchett announced on that she was adapting The Wee Free Men into a feature-length film. In 2016 Narrativia confirmed the film would be co-produced with.: a TV series based on the, The Watch was in development by Terry and then Rhianna Pratchett since 2011.