[TigerTale]

I've almost given up and switched entirely to "Discworld".

Is the Discworld series really that good? I have a friend who thinks it's great, and Hal Clement (an sf author I respect) is also a fan. The series has always looked to me to be absurdist--sort of in the tradition of "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" and the Xanth series. I like both of these bodies of work, but absurdism is not my theme of choice. So I have avoided Discworld. Am I making a mistake?

BTW--I think you are right on target regarding the confusion of fantasy and sf. It really bugs me when librarians and book-stores put them in the same section (which is all the time, basically.):

"Let's see--they're both about stuff that isn't real, so they must be the same genre."

Grrr...

[JenB]

Discworld is definitely a specialty taste. If you liked Hitchhiker's Guide, you'll probably love Discworld - same irreverant British humor. And once you start Discworld you'll never read Xanth again. Trust me, it's so much better than Xanth... for one thing, the thirteenth book is actually distinguishable from the first in ways besides character names and the puns. Terry Pratchett, the author, mocks everything - I do mean everything, from opera to war, detective novels, typical fantasy, computer geeks, religion, atheism, politics, people who avoid politics - you get the picture. I'd suggest not starting at the 'beginning' of the series; the first three books are kinda lame, and the series isn't really all that connected. It all takes place on the same world, around the same time, and sometimes involves the same characters. Try "Guards! Guards!" - it's one of my favorites, sort of a mockery of hard-boiled detective story and the idea of "unknown hero saves the day and is the King" sort of thing at the same time.