Discworld

[Mike P]

The series does seem to have fallen on hard times, creatively. "The Amazing Maurice" was actually not an entry into the actual Discworld series, but instead "A Tale of Discworld" or something like that, written for younger children. "Eric" was quite weak, but I think that could be partially due to the fact that it was cowritten by someone else, the name of whom I can't remember.

One of the things I've found very interesting about the series is the saga of Rincewind. Unlike the rest of the novels, which can be read fairly independently of one another, the saga of Rincewind is rather dependent on the knowledge of what has happened in the rest of the saga, or at least the previous book. A brief overview to illustrate my point:

The first and second books in the series (Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic) were connected by a literal cliffhanger, and ended with the conclusion of the storyline of Rincewind the Guide and the Spell. The next four books in the saga (Sourcery, Eric, Interesting Times, and The Last Continent) are basically one whole story. The transitions of one book to another are very apparent, and are unseen throughout the whole of the Discworld novels (save for Witches Abroad and Lords and Ladies, which is my favorite novel featuring Granny Weatherwax). The only thing I really don't get is why Rincewind is on a desert island at the beginning of Interesting Times...

My least favorite of the various character arcs has got to be the Granny Weatherwax arc. She's a good character and all, but those stories imparticularly seem to be very lesson heavy.

The Death specific stories aren't really focused on Death, however, save for "Reaper Man". "Soul Music" is basically about Buddy and Susan, "Hogfather" on Susan and Teatime, and "The Theif of Time" on those monks from "Small Gods"...

I think this post is entirely too long and messy. Sorry.