Let me just say before people jump down my throat that I do enjoy these books.
So far I've read Mort and Guards! Guards! In both cases while I thought the setting was interesting and the humor was clever, I never became engrossed as I'd hoped going in. Not enough to plow through however many dozens of books in the series when I have such a backlog already, that is.
Part of the problem is that while there's heaps of clever wordplay and the occasional profound social commentary, most of the plot and characters are just stock fantasy tropes but with a twist. Don't get me wrong; I understand that this is intentional and part of the joke. However, it also makes it difficult to get lost in exploring them as characters. They just don't have enough there to them to do that. There's a limit to how many times the joke of "self aware commentary about how fantasy tropes are silly" can really land.
This is not to say that I don't find the jokes funny or the commentary clever. I do. I especially enjoy the occasional commentary on something larger and more profound than typical fantasy writing conventions. It's just that most of the book isn't that. It's mostly silly parody and riffing on the fantasy genre, which while very well done, is harder for me to want to read for thousands upon thousands of pages.
by Cranyx
5 Comments
Try some of the later books. Pratchett definitely evolves as a writer and moves far beyond just parody of the fantasy tropes. Try out some of the later city watch books like Thud! and Night Watch. That last one is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
not everything is for everyone, it’s okay to not like things, I’m sure you like other things and I’m sure some people don’t like those things. you gave it an honest shot, it’s all good.
And why is this a problem? I have discovered for myself that a writing style I can hat lost in, will make me invest more in a book than the actual storyline. In hindsight I can get lost in books with atrocious plot lines and even gaping holes in them, but the writing gets me and I will finish the book.
Other books that are supposed to be classics I cannot read more than 50 pages. So what? Plenty of fish in the sea. Reading should be enjoyable for you. And if I were in your shoes, I would put it aside and go search for your next adventure, so to speak.
Those are really early books. I suggest reading the others in those series. The Guards series is amazing.
If that’s how it’s hitting you and you still enjoy reading them, then consider doing one book in between other more intense reads as a palate cleanser. You don’t have to blow through the whole series if you’re not feeling that, but I find that reading Pratchett helps to kind of “reset” my literary mind after heavier reading.