Something for the ladies

weelllll... I read Night Watch first for the simple reason that I was bored and happened to see a book with an interesting cover on a stand in the corner. Before I read that I swore I was never going to read anything by TP cos the series was too long and it sounded way too improbable.

So if your friend is not really into the whole thing it would definitely be a good one to start with.

I am not a lady (most of the time) although i do like to throw on a purple gown on a sunday, stroll down the closest bar in town, and insist everybody call me mrs habbadasher.

my point is that she may not like a particular one of terrys many writing styles so i would advise you get her a fairly short 'taster' of each of his 'themes'.

for example a watch book (oviously), a wizard book, a witches book, a death book and Going Postal as that is totally different to all his other books. hopefully those should give her an idea of the whole series of the novels so she can decide fairly if she likes them

I always choose Mort when asked but Monsterous Regiment is also great if she's a bit more feminist than femininist
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Veni Vini Volupti

I agree with quasi porcupine that night watch is good and so are thief of time and small gods and Jingo. a smart person can enjoy them on so many levels. But my mother and sister are big wee free men etc fans and from there they went on to the witch books and some others but they seem to like the witches. My father and I just love all of the disc world...although I dislike the witches and he dislikes Rincewind...but it's irrelevant.

If she's aussie why not last continent

i suggest you listen to sgt L,she would know best(her being a girl and all).but i really enjoyed night watch,and thief of time was great.lu-tze rocks.

HE being a GIRL? wouldn't it be HER?

anyway I also forgot Pyramids. but then again it will help getting hooked if it's from a sieries that has many parts (the nightwatch, the witches etc.) but generally I find that stand alone books are better.

my first book was night watch

if you read properly you would see that it says 'her' and not 'he'

Really, Lee, I think ladies like the same things about Pterry that the gents do. There are many fantasy/sf writers whose appeal to women is limited because their understanding and sympathy with women appears to be limited, but obviously our hero is not one of those.

When I start somebody out on Pterry, I give them Color of Magic, Wyrd Sisters, Mort, and Guards, Guards, on account of their being like peanuts and you can't eat just one. That way they get the background, and the beginning of the three main threads. In fact, I have loaner copies of these four at the ready for when somebody foolishly expresses even the most minor interest. They can pick up the stand-alone books at any time.

thank you magrat,i trhink you've set the story straight on this one,and yes, is a gre4at writer and seems to understand both the male and female psyche

Been incredibly busy so sorry for not replying to the sterling replies on here...

Many thanks to all who replied and some excellent choices. I am going to go with Mr Lipwig's and Magrat's recommendation(s) and Mort, Colour of Magic, Wyrd Sisters and Guards! Guards! are on their way with a note to read them in that order (i.e. get her hooked then read up the sequence as they came This isn't illegal is it? I mean, it sounds an awful lot like the informal provision of recreational pharmaceuticals... ).

I chose not to send later books as there's a tried and tested method of getting your point across to a public audience: "make 'em laugh first, then make your important point" Pterry kinda does this along the 30-some-odd books by moving from slapstick to socio-political humour to plot and characterisation in the later books. The early ones can seem a bit trivial after reading Night Watch, Regiment and Thud and I want her to enjoy the early books, and the later ones, as much as I did.

Sorry, thought I was in the Big Brother chair there for a moment...

Anyway, many thanx to you all for the recommendations and thought I should keep the .036 persons who cared up to date

Which brings me to my next question...