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[poll] Favorite Discworld Protagonist

Started by CYMRO, March 08, 2006, 10:06:26 AM

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Favorite Discworld Protagonist

Lu-Tze
0 (0%)
Death
1 (7.7%)
Samuel Vimes
4 (30.8%)
Susan Sto-Helit
0 (0%)
Rincewind
3 (23.1%)
Havelock Vetenari
5 (38.5%)
William de Worde
0 (0%)
Polly Perks
0 (0%)
Lu-Tze
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 0

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Ishmayl-Retired

#15
March 09, 2006, 05:41:26 PM
Is Discworld the series written by Terry Pratchett?  Because if so, I"ve read one ("Color of Magic," maybe??) and didn't really like it... if not, then I'm a fool and will find some to read sometime.
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CYMRO

#16
March 09, 2006, 05:54:12 PM
Quote from: IshmaylIs Discworld the series written by Terry Pratchett?  Because if so, I"ve read one ("Color of Magic," maybe??) and didn't really like it... if not, then I'm a fool and will find some to read sometime.

Yes, that was his first Discworld novel, followed by The Light Fantastic.  His style really became his own after that, in Mort and Sourcery, and continued to get better.

the rest of the series is very different from those early works.  Even the later Rincewind books have a different tone.
My top picks are:
Night Watch
The Fifth Elephant
Truth
Thud
Thief of Time
Reaper Man
Soul Music
Jingo

brainface

#17
March 09, 2006, 09:32:14 PM
dude, ish, i can't believe you read like, 9 wheel of time books, and gave up after only one terry pratchet. seriously, pratchet does this thing jordan can learn, it's called "improving".
"The perfect is the enemy of the good." - Voltaire

Ishmayl-Retired

#18
March 09, 2006, 09:40:31 PM
brain, just because you don't have the patience to wait your entire life for the next and last WoT book to come out doesn't mean that Jordan is a poor writer :)  And anyway, I've read 11.  And except for 7, 8, and 10, they do get better... kind of... well, the last book was really good, anyway.
!turtle Ishmayl, Overlord of the CBG

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For finite types, like human beings, getting the mind around the concept of infinity is tough going.  Apparently, the same is true for cows.

Soup Nazi

#19
March 09, 2006, 09:53:03 PM
I wish I could play along but I haven't read any of these books. That makes me sad...
The spoon is mightier than the sword

Xathan

#20
March 09, 2006, 10:51:15 PM
I love both Vimes and Vetenari, and had alot of trouble choosing, with Death a very close third. I ended up voting Vimes, since Vimes is just so awesome, and I see alot of myself in him, especially his cynicism. :)
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brainface

#21
March 10, 2006, 12:07:31 AM
pratchet also does this thing jordan can learn, called "finish a story in one frigg'n book". all the discworld novels--actually complete stories! with a beginning, and an end! it's amazing! seriously, other authors ought to adopt that concept ;)
"The perfect is the enemy of the good." - Voltaire

Ishmayl-Retired

#22
March 10, 2006, 07:30:10 AM
Yeah, that is true.  The concept of the trilogy seems to have taken over everything, and there are very few single-book stories anymore.  Rad Williams has one called "The War of the Flowers," that's really good, but I haven't read any one-shots in awhile that I really liked.
!turtle Ishmayl, Overlord of the CBG

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For finite types, like human beings, getting the mind around the concept of infinity is tough going.  Apparently, the same is true for cows.

Túrin

#23
March 15, 2006, 06:35:31 PM
I'm not sure I agree about Terry Pratchett improving. While he wrote some very nice stories and his style certainly "evolved", I think that, all taken together, I prefer The Colour of Magic (remember kids, Pratchett is British) and The Light Fantastic over the later works. The Discworld, IMO, was never meant to be "standardized" (by which I mean getting a map drawn, a history written, and most importantly, a status quo existing), but it happened.

As for Jordan, I'm currently reading book IX of WoTÃ, and I'm still undecided whether he is a good writer or not. I often think of him as the worst writer I have ever read, but I keep reading. Very annoying, Jordan is. Back in books I, II and III, there were very climactic endings that made you feel satisfied you had persevered to the end, but not so (at least, not as much) in the later ones. His writing style makes me feel like I'm reading a 6,000 page summary of the actual story.
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brainface

#24
March 15, 2006, 08:35:48 PM
one of my definitions of a bad writer is "someone who can't tell a good story in one book". i mean, seriously, modern fantasy writers write longer books than Herman Melville, and that's insane. (i'm counting 1 story partitioned over 11 volumes as 'one book')
"The perfect is the enemy of the good." - Voltaire

Numinous

#25
March 15, 2006, 08:40:23 PM
i've never read discworld, or WoT, so I am going to leave this noe, then continue to stay out of this conversation.
Previously: Natural 20, Critical Threat, Rose of Montague
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CYMRO

#26
March 15, 2006, 11:13:41 PM
Quote from: brainfaceone of my definitions of a bad writer is "someone who can't tell a good story in one book". i mean, seriously, modern fantasy writers write longer books than Herman Melville, and that's insane. (i'm counting 1 story partitioned over 11 volumes as 'one book')

THat is one of the joys of Pratchett's work.Ã,  Each book is a separate story, complete in itself.
As for WoT, it bores me....

Lmns Crn

#27
March 19, 2006, 04:05:10 PM
This poll lacks Weatherwax.

Seriously, you listed Lu-Tze twice, and even small-time protagonists (Polly, de Worde) got listed, when they only have one book each. But you forgot Esme Weatherwax, headology adept whose willpower is strong enough to bend horseshoes around. For shame.
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CYMRO

#28
March 19, 2006, 09:25:09 PM
Quote from: Luminous CrayonThis poll lacks Weatherwax.

Seriously, you listed Lu-Tze twice, and even small-time protagonists (Polly, de Worde) got listed, when they only have one book each. But you forgot Esme Weatherwax, headology adept whose willpower is strong enough to bend horseshoes around. For shame.

Lu-Tze got listed twic because of an errant time stream.

I chose to not include Weatherwax, because then I would have to include Nanny Ogg and the Bursar and Mustrum Ridcully and the Dean, etc.
THey are all less protagonists than pillars of society.

Lmns Crn

#29
March 19, 2006, 10:44:05 PM
I always considered Weatherwax as the "main" protagonist of the witches' books, with Nanny and Magrat as supporting cast, in much the same way that the UU wizards are often Rincewind's supporting cast. Granny works with a group, but I don't consider her a lesser character because of it, and I certainly don't consider her less of a protagonist.

How are one-book-only characters like de Worde more major characters than Weatherwax? How is Vetinari more of a protagonist than a "pillar of society" (with the exception of the single book Night Watch)?

I don't mean to get defensive, and the questions above are genuinely and honestly asked. I just sometimes get the feeling I'm the only Weatherwax fan on the entire internets.
I move quick: I'm gonna try my trick one last time--
you know it's possible to vaguely define my outline
when dust move in the sunshine
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