Quote of the Day 18 July 2005

Speaking about Pratchett (and don't forget Cohen and Stewart, who co-author this series with him), anyone read the third Science of Discworld book, "Darwin's Watch"? It's quite good.

Eh, I wasn't as impressed; the wizards were too organized in the novel section, and I knew all the science already. It does impress me that Pratchett is so avidly pro-science, however; I was also heartened a few years ago to read that when asked to list his favorite 10 books of all time, Douglas Adams including Darwin's "Origin of Species."

:s/including/included

There's a third one? I'm of to the bookstore right now. BTW has anyone here read the lost continent with the god of evolution.

God of evolution: "...Organic wheels are very difficult you know, diversify and fill all niches that's the ticket"
Ponder Stibbons: "but is lying on your side in a bog with all four wheels spinning an important niche?"

I remember a comment from The Art of Discworld, where he says that he doesn't use a lot of magic in Discworld because magic itself isn't all that amazing; a wizard snapping his fingers to make light is nowhere near as interesting as a bunch of apes discovering how to take the universe apart and put it back as a light bulb.

The God of Evolution appears in The Last Continent. And he absolutely loves beetles...

Actually, the God of Evolution makes a comeback in Darwin's Watch, and the wizards actually arrange a meeting between him and Darwin so Darwin could see how would evolution look if a god took care of it... (as opposed to how it really looks)

Marek:

I really need to buy this book. And the others. But I don't think the first two are published in the United States, sadly.