(by 4 people)
Simply put, Terry Pratchett is perhaps one of the funniest and most prolific authors I've ever come across. He was born on April 28th, 1948 in Beaconsfield, England. He started publishing at the ripe old age of 13 with a short story "The Hades Business" for his school paper (also featured in Once More with Footnotes
Terry Pratchett is perhaps best known for his Discworld and Discworld-related books, now well over forty in number. The books are set in the rather odd world of the Disc, where everyone knows that the world is in fact a large flat disc carried through space on the backs of four cosmically-sized elephants who are in turn standing on the back of the Great A'tuin, a space sea-turtle. The thought of a globe shaped world is a rather frightening one for the inhabitants of the Disc, as no one can quite figure out how things stay on it.
The Discworld books do not feature a single storyline or set of characters. Rather, there are actually several distinct sub-series of books that often feature common recurring characters. THere are also a number of books that are almost completely independent of any other story that has been told previously. It's a very rich and funny universe that allows multiple points of entry into this realm of literature.
Terry Pratchett has also written a number of books that are set completely apart from the Discworld series, most notably a collaboration with famed author Neil Gaiman: Good Omens. Terry Pratchett continues to write to this day, for which all of his fans are extremely grateful.
Discworld Books
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Release Date: 04/29/2003
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/25/2008)
A Hat Full of Sky: The Continuing Adventures of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men
Release Date: 06/14/2005
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/25/2008)
Discworld-Related Books
Not exactly the main Discworld books, but features "guest appearances"
Nanny Ogg's Cookbook
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The New Discworld Companion (Gollancz)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The Science of Discworld II: The Globe
Amazon Price: $8.70 (as of 07/25/2008)
The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch (Discworld)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The Art of the Discworld (Gollancz)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The Pratchett Portfolio (Discworld)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The Josh Kirby Discworld Portfolio
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
Non-Discworld Books
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 07/25/2008)
Strata
Amazon Price: $12.38 (as of 07/25/2008)
The Dark Side of the Sun
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
Diggers
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
Only You Can Save Mankind (Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, 1.)
Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 07/25/2008)
Johnny and the Dead (Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, 2.)
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 07/25/2008)
Johnny and the Bomb
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
The Carpet People
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
Unadulterated Cat
Amazon Price: $15.80 (as of 07/25/2008)
Other Great Terry Pratchett Sites
- Terry Pratchett Books
- Official Pratchett site from publisher HarperCollins. Includes excerpts, interviews, contests, newsletter and a message board.
- The L-Space Web
- Information on Terry Pratchett and his work. An exceptional resource.
- Discworld Monthly
- A quality monthly newsletter featuring information for and by Terry Pratchett fans in the UK
- Wikipedia: Terry Pratchett
- Features biography, information on the books written or containing contributions by the author, books about him, and influences in his work.
