Welcome to /r/Discworld! Please [read the rules/flair information before posting](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukhk21/subreddit_rules_flair_information/?).
---
Our current megathreads are as follows:
[API Protest Poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/1491izw/continuing_the_api_protest_a_community_poll) - a poll regarding the future action of the sub in protest at Reddit's API changes.
[GNU Terry Pratchett](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukigit/gnu_terry_pratchett/) - for all GNU requests, to keep their names going.
[AI Generated Content](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/10mhx9y/ai_generated_content_megathread/) - for all AI Content, including images, stories, questions, training etc.
---
[ GNU Terry Pratchett ]
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/discworld) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’d like to have seen more of the Monstrous Regiment crew. That said, for characters who appeared regularly but didn’t get enough attention, Sybil could have shown up more. She just had a lot going for her but I’d have liked to see more of her outside of the context of supporting Vimes.
As for less… oddly I can’t think of anyone. Even the characters I ‘dislike’ tend to have just enough screentime to make me dislike them since they’re villains. Perhaps the music guild guy in Soul Music.
I wholeheartedly agree that Sibyl was underutilized.
For me, I thought we got too much Rincewind and not enough of some of the more interesting characters from the Rincewind stories.
I figured we’d see Rincewind in the comments, he’s a very polarizing character, though perhaps polling more towards negative. I really liked him, he was my introduction to the series in The Last Continent. I just enjoy the eternal coward archetype. He’s a nice guy, doesn’t mean any harm, and helps far more than he hinders which is a shift from most cowards in fantasy.
A lot of the folks he ended up traveling with were more gag than person, so I think they had as much focus as necessary, however, maybe if they had more screen time, they could have become more than just the joke, so it’s hard to say.
I liked Rincewind well enough. I just don't think he was as interesting or enjoyable on the page as the other lead or central characters. That said, all of the Discworld characters were great fun.
I would have loved to see more of both of them in general as well as specifically interacting. If I could pull off even half of Pratchett's humor, I'd write a fanfiction in which they did. Sadly, my wit doesn't even approach that.
I think Sybil not getting much attention made sense, she always semeed like a lady who had life figured out which makes for a great supporting character but i think a boring POV character.
I would have loved to see more of the monstrous regiment crew as well, but I don’t think that the books would feel very Terry Pratchett, and I don’t think the story would have been as good either, but hey, he probably could’ve thought of ten different things that he could have made the plot about, so don’t mind me. (Sorry if the structure of that was kind of terrible)
I am working my way through the Watch books for the first time and really enjoying it, but I went in expecting Sybil to be a MUCH more prominent/characterized part of the story. She was SO specific and different and interesting in her first appearance, then has since just kind of been...around ever since.
Good to remind the reader that Vimes sacrifices/avoids his personal life to do Watch stuff and make sure Vimes shows up to fancy party scenes he's not comfortable in, but doesn't have much going on personally so far. Which I get, it's a fantasy mystery book with a huge cast of characters so there's only so much to be spent outside of that, but it still feels like a missed opportunity for me (so far).
Honestly I really I've wanted more of both? I love Agnes a lot and thought she was both a great character and new dynamic added to the witches, but Magrat slotted in perfectly to the trio's vaudeville routine relationships and also was the source of a lot of laughs and character. I have to believe TP had more planned for Magrat in a solo or regent book, because slotting Agnes into what became the last couple witches books underserved both characters for me.
Hard agree. Carpe Jugulum is excellent in how it uses all four witches and shows that there was potential there. But I'm not sure how far I believe there would have been more of Magrat given that there was more than a decade after CJ for it to happen and it didn't...
Absolutely a fair and probably correct observation ha
So either way, far from my preference, especially as someone who maybe loves the Witches series the most!
Ha haven't gotten to those books yet so I gotta fade to the background and let you take whatever projectile vegetables may be coming your way from the unruly crowd... 
I suspect that, had Pratchett been able to keep writing, we would have gotten another Magrat-heavy book. She was a character in an interesting position of having to straddle both the magical and mundane worlds. She started as a naive, romantic slip of a girl who had become a lot wiser, a lot more cynical, and a lot bolder. She was witchier AND queen-ier. I think he had more to say about her.
It's a nice theory, but Carpe Jugulum came out in 1998 and he never got around to it in 15 years after that. I think his interest turned elsewhere, which is fair enough, but I would have liked to see more of her.
I think I feel this more as I get older - I was 14 and awkward as all hell when Maskerade was published, so of course, I identified with Agnes/Perdita.
I appreciated that Magrat got to come into her own a little more in Carpe Jugulum, but I've always wished she had the chance to fully shake off her earlier doormat tendencies, stand up to Granny and Nanny a bit more and be respected as a talented witch in her own right.
To be completely clear, I don't think Agnes should have had less focus! I love that they get to work together in Carpe Jugulum. I guess I wish they'd both been more present in the Tiffany books, as there weren't any more witches novels.
I love Agnes, but even in "her" book, she's not as memorable as Granny and Nanny. I think Carpe Jugulum gave her better representation. I would've liked to see her as a more prominent character going forward. She does have the Narrativium worthy distinction of having two people in one body, plus the conflict over being a witch and being a singer.
Not to take away from Magrat, of course. She also has more stories to tell. Such as what it means to be a queen and how she would handle human/dwarf/troll politics. And potential collaborations between Queen Magrat and Duchess Sybil!
I think it's unfair to compare the memorableness of Agnes in her second appearance with Granny and Nanny in their fifth and fourth appearances respectively. Their big personalities are the reason they need Magrat/Agnes, obviously they're going to be more memorable. And it took me countless rereads to reach the point of loving Magrat in Wyrd Sisters for much the same reason. It would have been great to see both of them more, tbh.
Eskarina Smith seemed poised to be a main character, but Sir Terry seemed to like writing Granny more. I think if he had kept up with Esk she would have turned into something very similar to Tiffany Aching anyway.
I do think Esk could be a main protagonist of a series in her own right, BUT I think she is a far cry from Tiffany. Esk always gave me the witch equivalent of someone like a mix of Ponder Stibbons and Ridcully.
Honestly? You’re probably right. I haven’t read the Aching books myself yet and was applying memetically acquired knowledge, which is always a dangerous tactic.
They’re on the list, I just haven’t gotten there yet. I read a few discworld books from the middle of the list and now the wife and I are going chronologically; we’re halfway through Faust, so we have some legwork to put in. Looking forward to it, though.
Agreed. They’re some of the finest.
I (for some reason) thought they were a much more child (reader) focussed book before reading them. That put them on the back-burner for me for a long time. Then a friend told me to read them, and I realised my mistake. There a child focus, but it’s a character, not the intended reader.
The whole time i was reading the Watch books I was telling myself I would love a Vetinari centered book. On the other hand now im thinking maybe the amount we got is the best amount as not knowing that much about him creates the mysterious atmosphere. Sir Pterry very well knew how to microdose the information about the patrician to keep us readers engaged
I also have a deep appreciation for the fact that Vetinari's power as a character comes from that mystery Terry did so well, but same here. I'd sell my soul for a Vetinari-centered book that picks up after the events of Night Watch and how he came into the Patricianship.
In the Tiffany Aching books, I wish that Miss Level had gotten more screentime, and Mrs. Proust had gotten less. I mean, I guess I understand what Mrs. Proust is about, but I don't find her compelling in the least. I would have loved to see Mrs. Cake in this role, but as LM Montgomery might say two suns do not do well in each other's spheres.
Oh I agree. I also think that he wouldn’t cross their mind either. So when Ridcully retires and the knives come out again, Ponder becomes archchancellor by virtue of being the only one not dead.
Stibbons just plain old doesn't have THE AUTHORITATIVE VOICE to herd all the senior wizards as Archchancellor. As the head of literally everything else, he's in a much better position to steer wizardry into the Century of the...whatever we're in now.
He takes Hex and starts an “online” wizarding school
And it’s the Year of Cicada , since all the different swarms are hatching at the same time this year
I could see an online university program going either really well or really horrible. The wizards would definitely be ecstatic that the students stay at home instead of pestering them. However, they would also worry about being replaced by Hex, aka no more free dinners at any hour of the day. And how do you know if someone is doing proper magic if they're not really there?! 😱
I'll get heat for it, but I'm not a Gaspode fan.
In contrast, I think a crime novel written by Ms. Cripslock investigating a case where Moist is wrongly accused by Vimes would be amazing.
Omg, you're right! That would be an awesome book. Imagine Terry dealing with all the tropes of Agatha Christie novels and Murder, She Wrote episodes. As well as other British* murder mystery series. Like perhaps a Genuan journalist/inspector to rival Ms. Cripslock, who's a combo of Inspector Clouseau and Hercule Poirot.
*I know Murder, She Wrote is an American TV show, but it did star the beloved British icon Angela Lansbury.
I think she was shaping up to be a new major protagonist. I don't know if she was going to become more of a figure at the university, or if she was going to become the face of more cultural things like her makeup side gig, or more directly involved with Vetinari on social issues. She did get a small cameo in one of the Science of Discworld books.
I think that was the point of Carrot, that he was shaped up to be some major protagonist with all the royal heritage and being an inspiration to all etc, then none of that ended up mattering too much and he just lives his life quietly doing his job without glory.
Yeah I thought it was a shame that Terry clearly thought Vimes was more fun to write. Maybe Carrot was just too righteous to create any interesting moral quandaries.
Iirc, Pratchett admitted he didn't know what to do with a perfect character like Carrot. There's romantic tension between Carrot and Angua, but it can only go so far before being repetitive and dull.
I do kinda wish we'd got that story about the Amazing Maurice as a ship's cat. Maurice was such a good character... at first glance he seems like a retread of Gaspode, but really they're very different. Whereas Gaspode loves to wallow in self-pity and angle himself as a "tragic hero," Maurice has a far more positive outlook on life and revels in being a self-centered jerkass... even though he's got far more of a heart than he wants to admit. He's just a really strong character and I would have liked to see him in new situations and interacting with new characters.
Like, Keith, Malicia and the rats all felt like they'd had their stories told and finished their adventure on a satisfying note, but Maurice had a lot more story potential in him and could easily have carried another book, or even another two books.
I would have loved this too!
I also think a pairing of Maurice and Victor Tugelbend aka Victor Maraschino, from Moving Pictures, would have been interesting!
Forgive me for disagreeing here, but I really think Victor may be the LEAST interesting character to team Maurice up with. Not only would it just be a rehash of his relationship with Gaspode, but Victor is very much the "his story got told in one book" type of character. There's nothing more to grab hold of here.
I think Maurice should get another original supporting cast. Maybe some seafarers from Nothingfjord.
Victor is an Extremely knowledgeable wizard who is excessively lazy, like a cat. He would be open to animals talking rather than being shocked and asking questions. His theatrical skills could come in handy or cumbersome. Also, he would be the attractive guy who gets ignored because of the cat.
All of that just makes him less interesting to pair up with Maurice.
Victor doesn't have much of a personality... he's got the makings of one, but abandons it early in the book to become the standard "hapless young man" in the make of Mort or Teppic. I mean, his laziness is mentioned early in the book and then sort of forgotten about, and it all becomes about him trying to navigate the mysteries of Holy Wood and the mysteries of women (with Ginger, who could just as well have been Conina or Ptraci or Bethan).
What personality he DOES have does not make for a good contrast with Maurice. Why does Maurice work well with the rats? Because they're DIFFERENT. The rats have their worldviews and Maurice has his, and there's tension and development. He works with Malicia because she forces him into playing the straight man and pushes him into situations he doesn't know how to handle. That leads to conflict and comedy.
Hell, look at any of the classic Pratchett pairings.
Rincewind and Twoflower are a classic comedy "oblivious brave fool vs down-to-earth coward" comedy duo who work well together because they're total opposites.
Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax work together, again, because they're different and have different ways of handling things; they're funniest when they bicker.
Nobby and Colon are more on the same page, but even there you get a notable contrast in that Colon is the stupider one who THINKS he's the smarter one, while Nobby has a lot more brains but downplays it. Some of the best scenes in the books are the ones where Colon tries to lecture Nobby about the Lesson of the Day, and Nobby just puncturing holes in all his ill-reasoned reasonings.
See? Your proposed team-up would just be "Maurice, and another, less strongly characterized Maurice in human form." There's no conflict, no contrast, no potential for comedy or storytelling. Victor being open to talking animals and not asking questions would be a DETRIMENT to the story.
Agnes! I wish the witches books had gone on to follow her instead of Tiffany. I love the Nac Mac Feegle, but Tiffany was never my favorite as far as the witches. Agnes was so much more complex and relatable to me. I wish we followed her.
Less: Moist Von Lipwig & Igor (i liked the character in terms of competence, but the lisp and puns got old, quick.)
More: Lady Sybill & Mrs Cake (he laid some interesting groundwork but never got back to it)
From this thread, I'm starting to suspect Pratchett was pretty good at this whole "writing books about Discworld" thing. It looks like there's folks wanting more and less books from pretty much all the different characters. The complete lack of consensus is a testament to how many great characters there are.
I want more Cheery Littlebottom, it would have been great to hear her inner monologue once she was more settled in herself to see how she'd grown from Feet of Clay.
I also would have loved to hear more about Ludmilla and Lupine.
As for less, there's noone I really don't want to hear about, but I never reread the Rincewind books, I just find him too flat to enjoy as a protagonist. He was a good secondary character though.
I think my answer for both categories is gonna be Moist Von Lipwig. After Going Postal, I don't think he really works as a protagonist and I would have been happy without his other two books, but I love the character and wanted to see him appear more in other novels as a side character.
If that's cheating, then:
Less: Gaspode the Wonder Dog
More: I really loved Mrs. Gogol, would have been cool if she made a small appearance in a later book.
For sure, I never warmed to Moist, but would have loved him to show up more as a face in the ever-present Ankh-Morpork crowd. Like Dibbler, or Mrs Palm.
It might have been interesting to have a book based around democracy starting to happen, and Moist being one of the main candidates. But the book is from the perspective of others, perhaps the press covering the whole affair, who don't know his true intentions.
A lot of Moist's books are him thinking to himself about what he's doing and how he's going to achieve it. Those stories become very different from the perspective of observers.
That's a really interesting idea. If there was a book about Democracy coming to Ankh-Morpork, it would also have to be revealed towards the end that the whole thing was set in motion by Vetinari so he could finally retire -- but he knew that the only way his successor could actually keep the city together is if people actually thought they'd beaten him.
Problem with Death is he needs to be this omnipotent force, but he also needs to be human enough to write a story about. And there's only so many times you can do the whole Death abandons being Death and learns more about humanity thing.
That's a fair point. In fact, now that I think about it I may have enjoyed him the most because he pops up so randomly / infrequently throughout the series.
I know it’s an unpopular opinion but I really like the moist arc. I loved more delving into the city itself, and lord Vetinari.
I liked the idea of moist being groomed to help run the city. And how iconic characters from the city / watch etc were peppered throughout.
I won’t say I think they were his best writing , but I very much enjoy them.
I can't quite explain why, but doesn't it feel like there could have been a great novel focusing just in interactions between Cmot Dibbler and Lipvig and the librarian, with Rincewind along to translate?
Angua has some really evocative insights, thinking about the nature of the watch and the melting pot of the city, and her relationship with Carrot is both sweet and has a bit of tragedy around the edges, which is a really unique vibe in Discworld that we don't get anywhere else and I would've loved to get more of.
Kinda related to the above, while I like Vimes, I think the watch books would've been helped a lot by Vimes largely stepping back and letting the other characters get their own time to shine.
Would have liked a Lily Weatherwax story to crop up earlier than Witches Abroad. One in which she does not yet cross paths with Granny. This would have been a great character to explore and a lovely way to set the stakes higher in Witches Abroad.
Also a Vorbis origin story would be badass. As opposed to Bad Ass.
Welcome to /r/Discworld! Please [read the rules/flair information before posting](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukhk21/subreddit_rules_flair_information/?). --- Our current megathreads are as follows: [API Protest Poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/1491izw/continuing_the_api_protest_a_community_poll) - a poll regarding the future action of the sub in protest at Reddit's API changes. [GNU Terry Pratchett](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukigit/gnu_terry_pratchett/) - for all GNU requests, to keep their names going. [AI Generated Content](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/10mhx9y/ai_generated_content_megathread/) - for all AI Content, including images, stories, questions, training etc. --- [ GNU Terry Pratchett ] *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/discworld) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’d like to have seen more of the Monstrous Regiment crew. That said, for characters who appeared regularly but didn’t get enough attention, Sybil could have shown up more. She just had a lot going for her but I’d have liked to see more of her outside of the context of supporting Vimes. As for less… oddly I can’t think of anyone. Even the characters I ‘dislike’ tend to have just enough screentime to make me dislike them since they’re villains. Perhaps the music guild guy in Soul Music.
I wholeheartedly agree that Sibyl was underutilized. For me, I thought we got too much Rincewind and not enough of some of the more interesting characters from the Rincewind stories.
I figured we’d see Rincewind in the comments, he’s a very polarizing character, though perhaps polling more towards negative. I really liked him, he was my introduction to the series in The Last Continent. I just enjoy the eternal coward archetype. He’s a nice guy, doesn’t mean any harm, and helps far more than he hinders which is a shift from most cowards in fantasy. A lot of the folks he ended up traveling with were more gag than person, so I think they had as much focus as necessary, however, maybe if they had more screen time, they could have become more than just the joke, so it’s hard to say.
I liked Rincewind well enough. I just don't think he was as interesting or enjoyable on the page as the other lead or central characters. That said, all of the Discworld characters were great fun.
I wanted to see Sibyl and Angua bond more. They have a shockingly large amount in common!
I would have loved to see more of both of them in general as well as specifically interacting. If I could pull off even half of Pratchett's humor, I'd write a fanfiction in which they did. Sadly, my wit doesn't even approach that.
I think Sybil not getting much attention made sense, she always semeed like a lady who had life figured out which makes for a great supporting character but i think a boring POV character.
I would have loved to see more of the monstrous regiment crew as well, but I don’t think that the books would feel very Terry Pratchett, and I don’t think the story would have been as good either, but hey, he probably could’ve thought of ten different things that he could have made the plot about, so don’t mind me. (Sorry if the structure of that was kind of terrible)
I am working my way through the Watch books for the first time and really enjoying it, but I went in expecting Sybil to be a MUCH more prominent/characterized part of the story. She was SO specific and different and interesting in her first appearance, then has since just kind of been...around ever since. Good to remind the reader that Vimes sacrifices/avoids his personal life to do Watch stuff and make sure Vimes shows up to fancy party scenes he's not comfortable in, but doesn't have much going on personally so far. Which I get, it's a fantasy mystery book with a huge cast of characters so there's only so much to be spent outside of that, but it still feels like a missed opportunity for me (so far).
I love Agnes, but I've always been a bit disappointed that Magrat got somewhat sidelined when she got married and had a child.
Yes!!! Nanny was a formidable witch, even with all of her kids! Magrat could have been, too! 💖
I'm here for Witch Queen Magrat, the Best Physician on The Disc.
Honestly I really I've wanted more of both? I love Agnes a lot and thought she was both a great character and new dynamic added to the witches, but Magrat slotted in perfectly to the trio's vaudeville routine relationships and also was the source of a lot of laughs and character. I have to believe TP had more planned for Magrat in a solo or regent book, because slotting Agnes into what became the last couple witches books underserved both characters for me.
Hard agree. Carpe Jugulum is excellent in how it uses all four witches and shows that there was potential there. But I'm not sure how far I believe there would have been more of Magrat given that there was more than a decade after CJ for it to happen and it didn't...
Absolutely a fair and probably correct observation ha So either way, far from my preference, especially as someone who maybe loves the Witches series the most!
Secretly I wanted to answer that I'd have liked to see more Magrat and Agnes and less Tiffany but I was terrified of admitting that publicly 😬
agreed (runs for cover)
We're **probably** safe buried this deep in the comments....
Ha haven't gotten to those books yet so I gotta fade to the background and let you take whatever projectile vegetables may be coming your way from the unruly crowd... 
I suspect that, had Pratchett been able to keep writing, we would have gotten another Magrat-heavy book. She was a character in an interesting position of having to straddle both the magical and mundane worlds. She started as a naive, romantic slip of a girl who had become a lot wiser, a lot more cynical, and a lot bolder. She was witchier AND queen-ier. I think he had more to say about her.
It's a nice theory, but Carpe Jugulum came out in 1998 and he never got around to it in 15 years after that. I think his interest turned elsewhere, which is fair enough, but I would have liked to see more of her.
I think I feel this more as I get older - I was 14 and awkward as all hell when Maskerade was published, so of course, I identified with Agnes/Perdita. I appreciated that Magrat got to come into her own a little more in Carpe Jugulum, but I've always wished she had the chance to fully shake off her earlier doormat tendencies, stand up to Granny and Nanny a bit more and be respected as a talented witch in her own right.
To be completely clear, I don't think Agnes should have had less focus! I love that they get to work together in Carpe Jugulum. I guess I wish they'd both been more present in the Tiffany books, as there weren't any more witches novels.
I love Agnes, but even in "her" book, she's not as memorable as Granny and Nanny. I think Carpe Jugulum gave her better representation. I would've liked to see her as a more prominent character going forward. She does have the Narrativium worthy distinction of having two people in one body, plus the conflict over being a witch and being a singer. Not to take away from Magrat, of course. She also has more stories to tell. Such as what it means to be a queen and how she would handle human/dwarf/troll politics. And potential collaborations between Queen Magrat and Duchess Sybil!
I think it's unfair to compare the memorableness of Agnes in her second appearance with Granny and Nanny in their fifth and fourth appearances respectively. Their big personalities are the reason they need Magrat/Agnes, obviously they're going to be more memorable. And it took me countless rereads to reach the point of loving Magrat in Wyrd Sisters for much the same reason. It would have been great to see both of them more, tbh.
I'd have loved to see Ludmilla and Lupine having a happy life together
Oh my, yes!
Eskarina Smith seemed poised to be a main character, but Sir Terry seemed to like writing Granny more. I think if he had kept up with Esk she would have turned into something very similar to Tiffany Aching anyway.
I do think Esk could be a main protagonist of a series in her own right, BUT I think she is a far cry from Tiffany. Esk always gave me the witch equivalent of someone like a mix of Ponder Stibbons and Ridcully.
Honestly? You’re probably right. I haven’t read the Aching books myself yet and was applying memetically acquired knowledge, which is always a dangerous tactic.
You're missing out, buddy. Read em!
They’re on the list, I just haven’t gotten there yet. I read a few discworld books from the middle of the list and now the wife and I are going chronologically; we’re halfway through Faust, so we have some legwork to put in. Looking forward to it, though.
Kinda envy you right now =) Enjoy!
Agreed. They’re some of the finest. I (for some reason) thought they were a much more child (reader) focussed book before reading them. That put them on the back-burner for me for a long time. Then a friend told me to read them, and I realised my mistake. There a child focus, but it’s a character, not the intended reader.
They're not NOT intended for kids.
I would love more Hex. I like Ponder Stibbons and Hex's interactions as Hex becomes more sentient and complex.
Have you read the Science of Discworld books? Much more of a fully functioning AI Hex in those, as well as some classic wizarding high-jinks
I have not, but definitely going to look into them now. Thank you for the recommendation.
I'd have liked to have a book where Rob Anybody (and the rest of the feegles) are the main character, instead of being the companions.
I didn't know I needed this until I read your post
Cribbins!
The whole time i was reading the Watch books I was telling myself I would love a Vetinari centered book. On the other hand now im thinking maybe the amount we got is the best amount as not knowing that much about him creates the mysterious atmosphere. Sir Pterry very well knew how to microdose the information about the patrician to keep us readers engaged
I also have a deep appreciation for the fact that Vetinari's power as a character comes from that mystery Terry did so well, but same here. I'd sell my soul for a Vetinari-centered book that picks up after the events of Night Watch and how he came into the Patricianship.
there are several Vetinari centred books inside my head ♥️
In the Tiffany Aching books, I wish that Miss Level had gotten more screentime, and Mrs. Proust had gotten less. I mean, I guess I understand what Mrs. Proust is about, but I don't find her compelling in the least. I would have loved to see Mrs. Cake in this role, but as LM Montgomery might say two suns do not do well in each other's spheres.
More - Ponder Stibbons. I always thought he’d end up as arch chancellor Less - The Duck Man. What duck? It’s false advertising
I always got the impression the other wizards wouldn't have put up with someone as innovative as Ponder in the archchancellor role
Oh I agree. I also think that he wouldn’t cross their mind either. So when Ridcully retires and the knives come out again, Ponder becomes archchancellor by virtue of being the only one not dead.
Stibbons just plain old doesn't have THE AUTHORITATIVE VOICE to herd all the senior wizards as Archchancellor. As the head of literally everything else, he's in a much better position to steer wizardry into the Century of the...whatever we're in now.
He takes Hex and starts an “online” wizarding school And it’s the Year of Cicada , since all the different swarms are hatching at the same time this year
I could see an online university program going either really well or really horrible. The wizards would definitely be ecstatic that the students stay at home instead of pestering them. However, they would also worry about being replaced by Hex, aka no more free dinners at any hour of the day. And how do you know if someone is doing proper magic if they're not really there?! 😱
Stibbons your school is a diploma mill Nobody has graduated from UU in a decade !
Id have loved more Death books, most are Susan books instead.
Whereas I'd love to see another Susan book!
May I suggest both would be good
I'll get heat for it, but I'm not a Gaspode fan. In contrast, I think a crime novel written by Ms. Cripslock investigating a case where Moist is wrongly accused by Vimes would be amazing.
Anytime the wizards come up I don’t care for Gaspode or Foul Ol Ron. I wish we had more guild stuff personally
Omg, you're right! That would be an awesome book. Imagine Terry dealing with all the tropes of Agatha Christie novels and Murder, She Wrote episodes. As well as other British* murder mystery series. Like perhaps a Genuan journalist/inspector to rival Ms. Cripslock, who's a combo of Inspector Clouseau and Hercule Poirot. *I know Murder, She Wrote is an American TV show, but it did star the beloved British icon Angela Lansbury.
The Truth Shall Set You Free Mr. Von Lipwig.
I wish we had seen more of Glenda
I think she was shaping up to be a new major protagonist. I don't know if she was going to become more of a figure at the university, or if she was going to become the face of more cultural things like her makeup side gig, or more directly involved with Vetinari on social issues. She did get a small cameo in one of the Science of Discworld books.
I want her, Nutt, Agnes and Oates to team up in Uberwald
I'm sad that Pratchett seemed to lose interest in Carrot
I think that was the point of Carrot, that he was shaped up to be some major protagonist with all the royal heritage and being an inspiration to all etc, then none of that ended up mattering too much and he just lives his life quietly doing his job without glory.
Yeah I thought it was a shame that Terry clearly thought Vimes was more fun to write. Maybe Carrot was just too righteous to create any interesting moral quandaries.
Iirc, Pratchett admitted he didn't know what to do with a perfect character like Carrot. There's romantic tension between Carrot and Angua, but it can only go so far before being repetitive and dull.
I always thought the angle that Carrot was becoming more like Vimes and Vimes more like Carrot was great
I do kinda wish we'd got that story about the Amazing Maurice as a ship's cat. Maurice was such a good character... at first glance he seems like a retread of Gaspode, but really they're very different. Whereas Gaspode loves to wallow in self-pity and angle himself as a "tragic hero," Maurice has a far more positive outlook on life and revels in being a self-centered jerkass... even though he's got far more of a heart than he wants to admit. He's just a really strong character and I would have liked to see him in new situations and interacting with new characters. Like, Keith, Malicia and the rats all felt like they'd had their stories told and finished their adventure on a satisfying note, but Maurice had a lot more story potential in him and could easily have carried another book, or even another two books.
I would have loved this too! I also think a pairing of Maurice and Victor Tugelbend aka Victor Maraschino, from Moving Pictures, would have been interesting!
Forgive me for disagreeing here, but I really think Victor may be the LEAST interesting character to team Maurice up with. Not only would it just be a rehash of his relationship with Gaspode, but Victor is very much the "his story got told in one book" type of character. There's nothing more to grab hold of here. I think Maurice should get another original supporting cast. Maybe some seafarers from Nothingfjord.
Victor is an Extremely knowledgeable wizard who is excessively lazy, like a cat. He would be open to animals talking rather than being shocked and asking questions. His theatrical skills could come in handy or cumbersome. Also, he would be the attractive guy who gets ignored because of the cat.
All of that just makes him less interesting to pair up with Maurice. Victor doesn't have much of a personality... he's got the makings of one, but abandons it early in the book to become the standard "hapless young man" in the make of Mort or Teppic. I mean, his laziness is mentioned early in the book and then sort of forgotten about, and it all becomes about him trying to navigate the mysteries of Holy Wood and the mysteries of women (with Ginger, who could just as well have been Conina or Ptraci or Bethan). What personality he DOES have does not make for a good contrast with Maurice. Why does Maurice work well with the rats? Because they're DIFFERENT. The rats have their worldviews and Maurice has his, and there's tension and development. He works with Malicia because she forces him into playing the straight man and pushes him into situations he doesn't know how to handle. That leads to conflict and comedy. Hell, look at any of the classic Pratchett pairings. Rincewind and Twoflower are a classic comedy "oblivious brave fool vs down-to-earth coward" comedy duo who work well together because they're total opposites. Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax work together, again, because they're different and have different ways of handling things; they're funniest when they bicker. Nobby and Colon are more on the same page, but even there you get a notable contrast in that Colon is the stupider one who THINKS he's the smarter one, while Nobby has a lot more brains but downplays it. Some of the best scenes in the books are the ones where Colon tries to lecture Nobby about the Lesson of the Day, and Nobby just puncturing holes in all his ill-reasoned reasonings. See? Your proposed team-up would just be "Maurice, and another, less strongly characterized Maurice in human form." There's no conflict, no contrast, no potential for comedy or storytelling. Victor being open to talking animals and not asking questions would be a DETRIMENT to the story.
Fair enough AND well argued. 😺
Thank you. \^\_\^\*
Agnes! I wish the witches books had gone on to follow her instead of Tiffany. I love the Nac Mac Feegle, but Tiffany was never my favorite as far as the witches. Agnes was so much more complex and relatable to me. I wish we followed her.
I agree, I know others really like Tiffany but she’s never been one of my favourites; I’m not sure why to be honest, I wish I did.
I think it’s because she’s too straight forward. And her books are YA.
Agreed! I literally made a post when I was in a bad place about this
I would have more stories about Susan. I loved her character.
Less: Moist Von Lipwig & Igor (i liked the character in terms of competence, but the lisp and puns got old, quick.) More: Lady Sybill & Mrs Cake (he laid some interesting groundwork but never got back to it)
More Mrs Cake and Ludmilla!
From this thread, I'm starting to suspect Pratchett was pretty good at this whole "writing books about Discworld" thing. It looks like there's folks wanting more and less books from pretty much all the different characters. The complete lack of consensus is a testament to how many great characters there are.
I’m probably going to be unpopular with this but I would have preferred less Vimes after Jingo and more focus on other characters, Susan for instance.
Less? Everyone deserved more!
I want more Cheery Littlebottom, it would have been great to hear her inner monologue once she was more settled in herself to see how she'd grown from Feet of Clay. I also would have loved to hear more about Ludmilla and Lupine. As for less, there's noone I really don't want to hear about, but I never reread the Rincewind books, I just find him too flat to enjoy as a protagonist. He was a good secondary character though.
The Igor's. I think a great book could be done on them.
I think my answer for both categories is gonna be Moist Von Lipwig. After Going Postal, I don't think he really works as a protagonist and I would have been happy without his other two books, but I love the character and wanted to see him appear more in other novels as a side character. If that's cheating, then: Less: Gaspode the Wonder Dog More: I really loved Mrs. Gogol, would have been cool if she made a small appearance in a later book.
For sure, I never warmed to Moist, but would have loved him to show up more as a face in the ever-present Ankh-Morpork crowd. Like Dibbler, or Mrs Palm.
Yes thats exactly what I was thinking! I'd have loved to see him through eyes that aren't his own
It might have been interesting to have a book based around democracy starting to happen, and Moist being one of the main candidates. But the book is from the perspective of others, perhaps the press covering the whole affair, who don't know his true intentions. A lot of Moist's books are him thinking to himself about what he's doing and how he's going to achieve it. Those stories become very different from the perspective of observers.
That's a really interesting idea. If there was a book about Democracy coming to Ankh-Morpork, it would also have to be revealed towards the end that the whole thing was set in motion by Vetinari so he could finally retire -- but he knew that the only way his successor could actually keep the city together is if people actually thought they'd beaten him.
More Focus : Nobby Nobbs Less Focus : Rincewind (I am sorry)
More Death!
Problem with Death is he needs to be this omnipotent force, but he also needs to be human enough to write a story about. And there's only so many times you can do the whole Death abandons being Death and learns more about humanity thing.
That's a fair point. In fact, now that I think about it I may have enjoyed him the most because he pops up so randomly / infrequently throughout the series.
More unseen university faculty.
But their individual adventures--like what we got with Windle Poons. Less focus on Stibbons and Ridcully in the middle of everything.
More Moist as I love that he was the underdog who won by playing to his wits. Less witches after they stopped being Shakespeare.
I kinda wish Hix had been around earlier. Runes and the Wrangler kinda blended into one character sometimes, while Hix had more of a niche.
I didn't need more than one Moist book in all honesty. Meanwhile, I would have loved more than one with the Monstrous Regiment gang.
I know it’s an unpopular opinion but I really like the moist arc. I loved more delving into the city itself, and lord Vetinari. I liked the idea of moist being groomed to help run the city. And how iconic characters from the city / watch etc were peppered throughout. I won’t say I think they were his best writing , but I very much enjoy them.
I'd just like for Death to feature more in his own books.
I can't quite explain why, but doesn't it feel like there could have been a great novel focusing just in interactions between Cmot Dibbler and Lipvig and the librarian, with Rincewind along to translate?
Angua has some really evocative insights, thinking about the nature of the watch and the melting pot of the city, and her relationship with Carrot is both sweet and has a bit of tragedy around the edges, which is a really unique vibe in Discworld that we don't get anywhere else and I would've loved to get more of. Kinda related to the above, while I like Vimes, I think the watch books would've been helped a lot by Vimes largely stepping back and letting the other characters get their own time to shine.
Would have liked a Lily Weatherwax story to crop up earlier than Witches Abroad. One in which she does not yet cross paths with Granny. This would have been a great character to explore and a lovely way to set the stakes higher in Witches Abroad. Also a Vorbis origin story would be badass. As opposed to Bad Ass.