Cult of Anoia discussion
Favorite extremely minor character
Havva wrote: "I'd like to hear about peoples favorite -minor- characters (animal, vegetable or mineral) from diskworld books. Anyone/thing that took up less then two pages but added immeasurably to your enjoymen..."
Great idea for a post btw. :)
Great idea for a post btw. :)
Yeah, I loved the veg. and the shaman. I'd like to say Sweeper, but he takes up more than 2 pages. Heck, I love him anyway and haven't seen him mentioned.
The sweeper is a minor character in some of the books, but he certainly grows out of it. Just as the Nac Mac Feegles started out "small" (pune intended).
Oh I love the Nac MacFeegles! Especially Rob Anybody and Mad Wullie. lol
The Nac Mac Feegle aren't minor characters! Ok, maybe in "Carpe Jugulum" they are, but certainly not in the Tiffany Aching series... oh, but speaking of favourite minor characters and the Feegles: I really like Horace the cheese! :)
Horace, definitely! And the Ferryman at the river Styx.
I like Brother Fingers and the rest of the Ellucidated (is that the word?) Brethren of the Night. The whole carry on with the door is hysterical. And his figgin! Does the Supreme Grandmaster count as a minor character? I also loved the mad rat catching gnome in Feet of Clay, I think his name was Wee Mad Arthur.
Wee Mad Arthur was a Feegle, wasn't he? (or at least another forerunner). Now I'll have to look.
The troll guarding the invisible post into Lancre in Lords and Ladies (I think). The Librarian tosses him over the bridge in to the river. His explanation about pretending to raise the post sticks in my mind.
Jim wrote: "The troll guarding the invisible post into Lancre in Lords and Ladies (I think). The Librarian tosses him over the bridge in to the river. His explanation about pretending to raise the post stick..."
Have you read Pratchett's short story "The Troll Bridge"?
Have you read Pratchett's short story "The Troll Bridge"?
I like the kitten "You" in Wintersmith.((Sorry for jumping in!))
And I agree with Maeve, the whole part with the secret codewords at the door made me laugh out loud! It's so complex it can't possibly be practical!
Lea wrote: "I like the kitten "You" in Wintersmith.
((Sorry for jumping in!))"
You weren't jumping in -- you were posting to the thread. :)
((Sorry for jumping in!))"
You weren't jumping in -- you were posting to the thread. :)
I love Greebo but I doubt he qualifies for the "extremely" minor category. Same with Death of Rats. I do enjoy whenever the works of Bloody Stupid Johnson show up so I guess he'd be one of my favorites for this category
Did anyone else notice that his initials, B.S. are an acronym for bullsh*t? Bet that's deliberate.
Oh, yeah, I think that was deliberate. :)
I love the "Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography" in the Last Continent. He never actually appears, but his title is wonderful.And the Goddess Anoia, of course.
I'm terrible because I can't remember the book, but I'd have to go for the troll grandfather they wake up by starting a fire in his mouth. The bad guys, that is, who have taken Rincewind and, of course, the luggage. Please help my poor soggy brain anyone who remembers the names and/or details I've forgotten.
Laura wrote: "I love the "Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography" in the Last Continent. He never actually appears, but his title is wonderful.And the Goddess Anoia, of course."
I've never read the Last Continent, but wasn't Rincewind appointed the Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography (it's fun to say!) because he has run over so much of it?
Lorelei wrote: "I'm terrible because I can't remember the book, but I'd have to go for the troll grandfather they wake up by starting a fire in his mouth. The bad guys, that is, who have taken Rincewind and, of c..."The Light Fantastic :)
Lea wrote:...wasn't Rincewind appointed the Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography (it's fun to say!) because he has run over so much of it?I think he was, now that you mention it. I think it was mentioned in Unseen Academicals. Well, if I stick with the "original" Professor he still qualifies as extremely minor. :)
Having now finished Unseen Academicals, I have a new fave (but I still love the Sweeper) - Carter the F**ter, whose obnoxious presence on the streets of Ankh Morpork provides the opening for a once-in-a-lifetime pune. No spoiler here.)
I had to come back and post again because I just remembered the mayflies in Reaper Man:"I remember," said one of the oldest mayflies, "when all this was fields, as far as you could see."
The younger mayflies looked around.
"It's still fields," one of them ventured, after a polite interval.
"I remember when it was better fields," said the old mayfly sharply.
Goodness, that's a hard question to answer! I had to think about it for a while...there are too many great choices.I think that my two favorites are: Bloody Stupid Johnson, the architect and designer whose 'work' shows up in several books. Most notably the Shower in "The Last Continent".
In that same book, I love the way TP portrays God as enthralled and immersed in creating beetles! (Somehow, that just 'works' for me.) The thought always makes me grin!
I'm not sure if he counts as a character, but I like Hex. Particularly after Science of the Discworld.
I don't think he counts as a "extremely minor character" :)
Would Gaspode be a minor character? Mrs. Gogol had her moments in Witches Abroad, as I recall. Mrs. Cake, any of the Igors... so many excellent characters.
And don't forget about Mrs. Cosmopolite.
Maeve, I'm glad you mentioned Hex. I think Hex is Terry Pratchett's answer to the notorious Hal of 2001 a Space Odyssey. Of course that reminded me of the Glooper, the hydraulic computer at The Bank of Ankh Morpork in Making Money. I don't think the Glooper is sentient, but it's creative. Wow, I wonder if Hex and the GLooper can talk to each other. Is there a semaphore Internet?
Now that Laura mentioned the mayflies in Reaper Man, I remembered the counting pines! I love it how those trees have one conversation over multiple years because anything a tree does is soooo slow! And the "solution" they figured out to stop humans from cutting them down is funny too.
I'd just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to post. I'm really enjoying reading this dicussion.-Havva
There are 2 characters from Small Gods (when Brutha is out in the wilderness). They are St Ungulant and Angus. The way he creates the characters and then slips in the twist is very good.
That one's funny! I haven't read Small Gods.
Jeanette
I think that Small Gods is the best Dicsworld book so far.
It is based around a devotee of Om and discusses the nature of belief (in a war between Imnia and Ephebe). It includes a truly nasty/vicious character, Vorbis.
The only thing that I would say is that if you are religious you may be offended by parts of it.
I think that Small Gods is the best Dicsworld book so far.
It is based around a devotee of Om and discusses the nature of belief (in a war between Imnia and Ephebe). It includes a truly nasty/vicious character, Vorbis.
The only thing that I would say is that if you are religious you may be offended by parts of it.
I think it goes without saying, you can't read Pratchett if you're easily offended concerning religion! :)
How about the abbot from the time monks: wanna bikkit, wanna bikkit
Jeanette, I agree. Om is so loveable, but some of the Omnians are not. It's easier to say things like that in a fantasy context, isn't it?Andrew, yes, thanks for the reminder about the abbott. Is it OK to introduce a subthread? I'm wondering if time monks are related to Timelords.
Barb,
I think the Timelords might be Time Monk wanna-be's!
My husband is reading Carpe Jugulum and Granny and the Omnian Priest Oates get into a discussion of theology. I think this must be the same Oates who "saves" Mr. Nutt.
I think the Timelords might be Time Monk wanna-be's!
My husband is reading Carpe Jugulum and Granny and the Omnian Priest Oates get into a discussion of theology. I think this must be the same Oates who "saves" Mr. Nutt.
I expect he is the same Oates. Although Mr. Nutt seems to have gotten some basic values (notions of"worth") from Ladyship already. I love Granny's take on religion and life in general. My favorite is "things that are supposed to look like things often look more like things than things do."
I think Small Gods is one of his best books too! And I like it because it reminds me that I need to question my faith periodically so that I know what is 'true' and what is just dogma or tradition. It's way too easy for me to just let other people tell me 'what' to believe. (That's easier than doing the work for myself.) I really like the way Pratchett depicts religion and religious people in his novels. It's satirical, but it is respectful, and he really gets at what is important (and unimportant) in, I'd postulate, any faith.
I'm loving this group, btw!
You have to be open to thinking about your faith and religion in order not to take offense at Pratchett. I think the people of a more conservative nature might not enjoy the satire, or might find it irreverent.
I'll put "Small Gods" on my to-read list.
I'll put "Small Gods" on my to-read list.
Jeannette wrote: "Jim wrote: "The troll guarding the invisible post into Lancre in Lords and Ladies (I think). The Librarian tosses him over the bridge in to the river. His explanation about pretending to raise th..."I found "The Troll Bridge" short story on line and enjoyed it. Thanks for the tip. Cohen reminds me very much of my father who is in his 80s and is still going strong. Giving him a hug is like hugging a fist, which is what I imagine hugging Cohen would be (if you wanted to get that close to him or he even let you!)
Glad you found "The Troll Bridge" and liked it! That's a funny (humorous) thing to say about your father; I hope he doesn't resemble Cohen in any other way!! :)
Jeannette wrote: "Glad you found "The Troll Bridge" and liked it! That's a funny (humorous) thing to say about your father; I hope he doesn't resemble Cohen in any other way!! :) "He does not resemble Cohen in appearance. For one thing, he wears more than a bit if leather around his waist! Only in his personality - old, tough and never quits.
Jim wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Glad you found "The Troll Bridge" and liked it! That's a funny (humorous) thing to say about your father; I hope he doesn't resemble Cohen in any other way!! :) "
He does not re..."
I hope I'll be like that in my eighties! :)
He does not re..."
I hope I'll be like that in my eighties! :)
Laura wrote: "I had to come back and post again because I just remembered the mayflies in Reaper Man:"I remember," said one of the oldest mayflies, "when all this was fields, as far as you could s..."
Thanks for posting this one Laura - I forgot how funny that little passage was!
I like the idea, that every place has it's own carmic version of CMOT Dibbler so i would throw all of them that don't happen to be actually him into the discussion...And as Going Postal was my last read Pratchett Book i remember fondly the Mayor of Sto Lat and the pin-seller (who might be featured slightly over 2 pages, but not by much).
Oh and of course the poor assassin who ends in Sam Vimes latrine at the start of Night Watch. (Jocasta Wiggs) that was too hilarious!
Cult of Anoia
Books mentioned in this topic
People We Meet on Vacation (other topics)Thief of Time (other topics)
Going Postal (other topics)
Reaper Man (other topics)
Wintersmith (other topics)
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Mine is the old Shaman from The Light Fantastic.
'The old shaman said carefully, "You didn't just see two men go through upside down on a broomstick, shouting and screaming at each other, did you?" The boy looked at him levelly. "Certainly not," he said. The old man heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that," he said. "Neither did I."'
-- (Terry Pratchett, The Light Fantastic)