What do You think about The Wit And Wisdom Of Discworld (2007)?
I almost feel like adding a "dissapointing" shelf just for this book.I was hoping this book was a collection of the mavelous things Terry Pratchett writes in his novels. You know, those small sections in every Discworld book where he writes about what gods really are, or what it means to be alive, or the nature of time, or what magic really is? They tend to be short-ish sections without dialog. They're all beautifully written and feel absolutely True (with a capital T, even.)That's not what this is.It just seemed to be a random and sort-of chronological collection of funny little jokes from each of the books. Like where Vetinari says they aren't allowed to fight in a council of war (which, of course, is just an homage to the line from the movie Dr. Strangelove.)I love the Discworld books. I highly esteem Terry Pratchett and think he has a genius for humor and for truth. I even really like Stephen Briggs, usually ... though I like him best as an illustrator. I just really don't like this book. I gave it three starts for Discworld and for Terry, but I really would NOT recommend it.i feel sad now ....
—Jen3n
I breezed through this one, but the little editor in my head said, you could've done it better.But I think anyone compiling a list of pithy quotes and humor and wisdom derived from Terry Pratchett's work would come up with something different and personal to them and their outlook. While this was fun, it's more fun still to read the full books, even the weaker ones like Jingo, The Last Continent, the Rincewind books and The Fifth Elephant.I'll leave the last word to Terry, from the book, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents: The thing about stories is that you have to pick the ones that last.
—Gene
The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld is like a clip show for a successful sitcom or the greatest hits cd of your favorite band. It allows you to relive the best bits without all the stuff in between. Each page is like a trip down memory lane. I'd forgotten how funny some of the earlier Discworld books were. The selections range from witty one-liners to long philosophical paragraphs. While I wouldn't recommend it to Prachett neophytes, it's definitely worth a grab for someone who wants to relive the early Pratchett novels without completely re-reading them.
—Dan Schwent
