#the compleat discworld atlas

[ninja-muse]

January took forever and February took days. February also saw robins and single-jacket weather and geese migrations, and now it is also seeing December-grade snowfall? The 21st century is weird.

Anyway, I feel like this was another good reading month, even though I had some decidedly all right books in my list and a few moments of "I have hundreds of unread books, why is there nothing to read?!" I managed to offload five (5!) reading copies and only take two in, though I already know I've got two more coming towards me soon because I just can't say no, apparently.

As for book hauls and the TBR shelf situation: I only bought one book, the latest installment of the Rivers of London comics, which I hadn't realized was out so obviously I had to get it. And then read it a couple days later. Also read off my shelves were Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (which had only been on my shelf for 13 years), The Compleat Discworld Atlas, and Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher, which isn't pictured because I have the ebook and I couldn't get a good pic of my phone. (People who do this, please send tips!)

And following on from my Digger update from last month: the books are one step closing to shipping internationally! Hooray!

Oh, and a friend with a book box subscription passed a map from the Daevabad Trilogy on to me, so I have yet another decoration for my shelves. Still finding the optimal place for it, and feeling blessed to have such friends.

No idea what March is going to bring, except I feel like there'll be more dithering about reading material.

And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…

Perilous Times - Thomas D. Lee

Rising sea levels. Mass extinctions. Racists. In-fighting. Dragons. If ever there was a time for the Knights of the Round Table to save the day, this would be it. But can they? Out in May.

8/10

Black main character, 🏳️‍🌈 main character (gay), British-Indian/Muslim main character; Black, amputee, and 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (trans woman, sapphic, gay)

warning: existential despair, violence

The Compleat Discworld Atlas - Terry Pratchett with the Discworld Emporium

A guide to the Disc, with maps in.

8/10

The 2000s Made Me Gay - Grace Perry

Essays on pop culture and queerness.

7.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: discussions of homophobia

The Porcelain Moon - Janie Chang

Faced with an arranged marriage, Pauline decides to travel to the Western Front to find her cousin. Meanwhile, Camille is caught between an abusive marriage and her secret love for a Chinese translator.

7/10

Chinese main and secondary characters, secondary character with discalculia, Chinese-Canadian author, 🇨🇦

warning: rape, domestic violence, racism, miscarriage

Jackalope Wives and Other Stories - T. Kingfisher

Short stories and other writings.

7.5/10

Dreadnought - Cherie Priest

Mercy travels from Tennessee to Washington Territory to visit her estranged father, two decades into the American Civil War. It won’t be easy.

7/10

Black and Mexican secondary characters

warning: war, gore, occasional racial slurs, including the N-word

The Fairy Tellers - Nicholas Jubber

Explorations into the history of fairy tales and the people who told them.

7/10

contains discussion of and biographies for Syrian and Indian tale tellers

Rivers of London, Vol. 10 - Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Celeste Bronfman with José María Beroy (illustrator)

Chelsea and Olympia Thames accidentally free an angry artist from a tree near their campsite—but don’t worry, they’ve got a plan.

6.5/10

Black-British main and secondary characters, Korean and Indian secondary characters

Happy Place - Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn are back in Vermont for their annual friend reunion. This could be the last time, so it’s got to count. Which means nobody can know they broke up months ago. Out in May.

6.5/10

protagonist with depression, Black, Indo-American, and 🏳️‍🌈 (sapphic) secondary characters

This Winter - Alice Oseman

The Spring siblings would really like a normal Christmas. Shame about this one.

6/10

🏳️‍🌈 characters (gay, bisexual), 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: discussion of eating disorders and mental illness, some of which is distinctly negative

Nocturne - Alyssa Wees

A ballerina in 1930s Chicago acquires a mysterious patron and finds herself in a fairy tale. One of the dark ones.

7/10

warning: abuse, grief, coercion

Full of Briars - Seanan McGuire

Quentin’s parents want to take him away from his found family.

6/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bisexual), 🏳️‍🌈 author

Under Lock & Skeleton Key - Gigi Pandian

Tempest is home after her magic show ended in disaster. Then her former assistant is found dead inside an old wall, and it might have something to do with the family curse.

4.5/10

Indo-American protagonist, Black and Indo-American secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 side characters, Indo-American author

Currently reading:

The Magician’s Daughter - H.G. Parry

Biddy’s magical guardian is under attack and she must leave her island home to protect him.

Stats

Monthly total: 13 Yearly total: 25/140 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 9 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1 Off the TBR shelves: 4 Books hauled: 1 ARCs acquired: 2 ARCs unhauled: 5 DNFs: 0

January

#books #booklr #bookblr #adult booklr #book covers #book photography #my photos #reading wrap-ups #read in 2023

[justplainhappy016]

Reading Pratchett fully saved me during a University interview; I had to pick out the real coat of arms of the uni from a list of fakes which I would absolutely would not have picked up on if it weren’t for learning about heraldic tradition from Men at Arms, Folklore of Discworld and Compleat Discworld Atlas.

[noirandchocolate]

Maps from “The Compleat Discworld Atlas”:

Ankh-Morpork and the Sto Plains Area The Ramtop Region Klatch the Continent Howondaland Uberwald The Widdershins Lands The Counterweight Continent Fourecks

And now, I finally know once and for all where things are in relation to other things.

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[patricianandclerk]

assumption: has read all of the discworld books

Send Me Your Assumptions About Me And I’ll Respond With “Correct,” “Nope” or “Kinda”

Nope!

I’ve read all of the Witches, and all of the Industrial Revolution, once I’ve finished Moving Pictures, which I’m coming toward the end of. I’ve read all of the wizard books bar UA, I’ve read all the Death books, I’ve read both Ancient Civ books (although I barely remember either, and will be rereading).

Still to read are:

All of Tiffany Aching

The Science of Discworld I-IV

Thud! and Snuff! 

And then the various like, tie-in books and side pieces - the graphic novels and kids’ books, etc. I have the Compleat Ankh-Morpork and the Atlas, as well as Nanny Ogg’s cookbook, but none of the rest.

Once I get to the end of Moving Pictures, I’m onto Thud!, so! :)

#sirfeirionnydd #t; answered asks #as defined by dictionary

[rataplani]

14/18?

14 - What books are you reading?

The Compleat Discworld Atlas and His Dark Materials: The North Lights (I’ve been meaning to get into this series for years).

18 - Do You Collect Anything?

I collect rocks and elephant merchandise, and I’m slowly working on collecting all the Animorphs books as well.

#answered #rednegade

[dracolizardlars]

Taking a picture of my Discworld map while it’s still on the wall, since I have a feeling it won’t stay up long… (it's the one that comes with the Compleat Discworld Atlas)

#draco speaks #the adhesive thingies i bought to put it up weren't designed for a 1m square poster

[magsmagicalbookblr]

The Discworld - Book by Book

I think everyone has a different reading order recommendation for the 41 novels in the Discworld Series but I thought I would share mine. I have to say that the first two sections are actually interchangeable in my head and which I would recommend depends on the mode I’m in and whether you as a reader would prefer to start with the best male characters in the Discworld (Vimes and Vetinari), or the best female characters (Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching).

I have listed the books in publishing order within the sections because they need to be read in order within each section to get the proper character arc. Except for the stand alone section, where I’ve listed them in the order I chose to re-read them. Numbers on the left are my preferred (at the moment, because I’ve just started my annual re-read of the series with the Vimes books) reading order and the numbers in brackets after the titles give you the order in which they were published.

If you’ve never read any Discworld just want to dip in and see if you like Terry’s style with a standalone novel rather than picking a section then that’s absolutely a viable option and in all honesty you could start with any of the first five in the standalone section and have a cracking read!

Mags’ reading order for the Discworld Novels

Vimes/Vetinari/City Watch books

1. Guards! Guards! (8) 2. Men at Arms (15) 3. Feet of Clay (19) 4. Jingo (21) 5. Fifth Elephant (24) 6. Night Watch (29) 7. Thud! (34) 8. Snuff (39)

Witches/Granny Weatherwax/Tiffany Aching Books

9. Equal Rites (3) 10. Wyrd Sisters (6) 11. Witches Abroad (12) 12. Lords and Ladies (14) 13. Maskerade (18) 14. Carpe Jugulum (23) 15. Wee Free Men (30) 16. A Hat Full of Sky (32) 17. The Wintersmith (35) 18. I Shall Wear Midnight (38) 19. Shepherd’s Crown (41)

(If you want to split Tiffany from the Witches and read those later – given that they end with Shepherd’s Crown which was published after Terry’s death - then the first Tiffany book is Wee Free Men)

Death/Susan Books

20. Mort (4) 21. Reaper Man (11) 22. Soul Music (16) 23. Hogfather (20) 24. Thief of Time (26)

Moist von Lipwig Books

25. Going Postal (33) 26. Making Money (36) 27. Raising Steam (40) (Also contains Vimes & Vetinari)

Rincewind Books

28. Colour of Magic (1) 29. Light Fantastic (2) 30. Sourcery (5) 31. Eric (9) 32. Interesting Times (17) 33. The Last Continent (22) 34. The Last Hero (27)

Stand-alones

35. Pyramids (7) 36. Small Gods (13) 37. Moving Pictures (10) 38. The Truth (25) 39. Monstrous Regiment (31) 40. Unseen Academicals (37) 41. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (28)

Discworld Related books which are not actual Discworld novels

As well as the novels there are quite a few other books (some novel length, some tiny, some not really books at all but actually maps) that are tied into the Discworld series and I thought I should include them on this list at all.

They’re not in any particular order but it they are related to one particular Discworld novel I’ve mentioned which one and I’ve tried to include the year of publication for each one as well, in case you’re interested.

Science of Discworld Series (with Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen):

1. The Science of Discworld (1999) 2. The Science of Discworld II: The Globe (2002) 3. The Science of Discworld III: Darwin’s Watch (2005) 4. The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day (2013)

Folklore of Discworld (with Dr Jacqueline Simpson) (2008)

Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook (1999 after Maskerade)

Discworld Almanak (with Bernard Pearson)

Where’s My Cow (illustrated by Melvyn Grant) (2005 after Thud!)

The World of Poo (2012 after Snuff)

Mrs Bradshaw’s Handbook (2014 after Raising Steam)

Discworld Mapps:

1. Discworld 2. Ankh-Morpork 3. Lancre 4. Death’s Domain

The Compleat Anhk-Morpork (a cross between a travel guide and an atlas if a city can have an atlas 2012)

The Compleat Discworld Atlas (2015)

Discworld Companion (four editions – Turtle Recall being the fourth and most recent in 2012)

Discworld Diaries – ten between 1997 and 2015 plus a final non-year specific Terry one in December 2016)

Art Books (with Paul Kidby):

1. The Pratchett Portfolio (1996) 2. The Art of the Discworld (2004)

I know I’ll have forgotten some of the “not novel” books so please feel free to reblog and add anything I’ve missed on!

#terrytuesdays #Terry Pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #Discworld #discworld reading order

[danse-or-farkas]

Tag some people you want to get to know better

@papidanse tagged me, i’m too damned timid to tag anybody else.

Relationship status: Partner of nearly 9 years.

Favorite color:  Orange

Lipstick or Chapstick?: Lipstick. Used it a few times for cosplay. Also chapstick is really bad for your lips in the long term.

Last song I listened to: Halestorm - I Miss The Misery.

Last movie I watched: Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Top 3 fictional characters:

1) Paladin Danse (Fallout 4)

2) Farkas (Skyrim)

3) McCree (Overwatch)

Top 3 Ships:

1) Danse/M!Sole/Sturges (Any combination of them, I love all of them. I have fanfiction of this.)

2)  McCree/Hanzo (There are some amazing fics of this pair. Its more Jesse/M!Anybody really, just Hanzo is the most abundant.)

3) Other than the two above there are no other ships I actively pursue. Third is a tie between several fandoms I occasionally read in, either because they are old and quiet or my interest flickers back and forth. Corvo/Daud, Beckett/Sheppard, CptAmerica/Winter Soldier, M!Boss/Carlos, M!Dragonborn/Farkas. (I really wish there was more fanfic of most of them)

Books I’m currently reading:

The Compleat Discworld Atlas (No that is not a typo, it seriously says compleat)

#ask meme

[noirandchocolate]

The editors are indebted to the executors of the estate of the late Mr Ronald Saveloy–advisor to Ghenghiz Cohen and retired geography teacher, whose extensive journeys within the Agatean Empire gave him a great insight into the people and features of this land, recorded by him in meticulous detail and at least three different colours–for access to his notes.  The map above (a facsimile of a valuable artefact from the library of the late Lord Hong found among the effects of Mr Saveloy) shows some topographical detail and the location of the major cities.

–Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Illustration by Peter Dennis)

(The book also contains excerpts from Teach’s journal about his travels with the Horde, and I’m not crying you’re crying.)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

Land of Fog or the Foggy Islands Little is known of this group of islands located widdershins of Fourecks.  They are shrouded in perpetual fog and our only information comes from mariners who have made brief landfall to replenish supplies.  Even the Fourecksians who investigated didn't consider it worth a return visit.  Reports of a small pipe-smoking people with hairy feet are unsubstantiated.  Inland the region is believed to have a mountainous terrain and a lot of sheep.

Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Couldn’t resist this last reference.)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

Bounsea Island This large island about 2000 miles off the coast of Chimeria was discovered by a Captain Sonky, a small-time Merchant Venturer blown off course while attempting an expedition to the Brown Islands.  He found the natives friendly and willing to trade, and in return for half a dozen empty wine bottles and a glass eye they gave him a stretchy hammock and an armful of small bouncy balls.  It emerged that these items were made from a material obtained from what they called 'The Sharing Tree', an indigenous species of the island.  The substance obtained by tapping the trunk of the tree had the unusual property of bouncing when made into a ball or stretching when made into a sheet.  Captain Sonky returned to Ankh-Morpork with a crate of novelty bouncing balls and the germ of an idea.  It took another generation to develop this idea into a recreational product with more potential than children's toys.  His son Wallace, known affectionately as 'Rubber Sonky', set up the rubber goods manufacturing business which still provides the citizens of Ankh-Morpork with a range of 'Eversure Dependables'.

Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Just in case you were wondering how condoms were invented on the Disc.)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas #but discworld isn't realistic nope not at all no realistic worldbuilding at all

[noirandchocolate]

The ancient town of Al-Ybi, near the border with Hersheba is, unusually for the Seriphate, largely populated by dwarfs, who lead a frustrated and bad-tempered existence trying to mine in what passes for ground in the desert.  As a by-product of their activities they produce a tourist staple seen all over Klatch--namely glass jars and other ornaments filled with layers of coloured sand.  Various theories to account for the presence of this dwarf colony include a story about the local Seriph being cursed by a dyslexic deity who made everything the Seriph touched turn into Glod.

--Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Illustration by Peter Dennis)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

The University of Bugarup is run on similar lines to our own Unseen University, though of course it is much smaller.  A student exchange programme has been established; the current rate is two students from Bugarup in exchange for one from Ankh-Morpork, and it is usually a permanent exchange: the Ankh-Morpork students (if they survive) rarely return home; the students from Bugarup can be found working in cafés and bars throughout Ankh-Morpork years after their formal education is supposedly complete.

--Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Illustration by Peter Dennis)

(Nice portrait of Archchancellor Rincewind.)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

Various Illustrations by Peter Dennis from “The Compleat Discworld Atlas”:

Lu Tze the Sweeper That statute Ptaclusp just can’t sell A D’reg offering you hospitality Official portrait of Queen Zazumba of Sumtri Igor performing a “piano duet for three hands” by Magyrato A costume made with Muff Bird feathers dyed with red winkle dye from Urt

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

The Balancing Monks

At the edge of one’s senses, from the corner of the eye, it is possible to witness the work of the Balancing Monks as they perform their task of fine-tuning the equilibrium of the world, making adjustments with small brass weights which they suspend from rocky outcrops and overhanging cliffs.  The sky around their monasteries is crisscrossed with wires and ropes and their voices echo through the valleys as they call out their calibrations.

The Listening Monks

The Listening Monks dwell in a temple curled like an ammonite, its aperture receptive to sounds and reverberations which swirl up the ice-carved, acoustically shaped valley.

Within the temple, complex structures amplify and clarify the sounds which funnel in to the central listening chamber where the monks are always present.  Listening.  Their quest is to discern the faint echoes of creation, the first tick from the dawn of time.

--Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Illustrations by Peter Dennis)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas

[noirandchocolate]

Documents in the Unseen University library (Department of Auriental Studies) tell of centuries of incessant civil wars as Five Noble Families (the Hongs, the Sungs, the Tangs, the McSweeneys and the Fangs) struggled for domination.  The old emperor maintained the traditional tyrannical system of government until his assassination at the hands of the Hongs.

The legendary barbarian Ghenghiz Cohen then took command and his brief regime saw the establishment of an Ankh-Morpork embassy in Hunghung and the appointment of a new Grand Vizier with experience of the world outside the wall.  Following the abdication of the Great Cohen the administration was taken over by the Grand Vizier and his daughters, the eldest of whom, Madame Butterfly, was recently elected Chairman of the Ruling Committee of the People’s Beneficent Republic of Agatea (PBRA).

--Terry Pratchett, “The Compleat Discworld Atlas” (Illustrations by Peter Dennis)

(This is the greatest thing in this entire book, hands down.  Oh, Twoflower, I am so happy for you and your family.  And oh, Cohen, you did good, man.  You did good and between this and your final adventure, everyone will remember you forever not just as a legend but as a person, which was the point, wasn’t it?  Teach was right after all.)

#terry pratchett #gnu terry pratchett #discworld #the compleat discworld atlas #I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING #i included the ceramic commemoration of rincewind's run through the palace in this post because rincewind helped with all this change too!