In Discworld, the Grim Reaper isn't nearly as menacing as one would think, the police force of Ankh-Morpork is delightfully hopeless, witches fend off monsters (and family issues), time traveling monks make a mess of things, and all other manner of absurdities make for a delightfully crazy and colorful Universe to explore. While Pratchett is often noted for his distinct sense of humor, people often forget his ability to use it to tell serious and thought-provoking tales, with an affinity for turning our expectations on their heads. While endlessly witty and entertaining, this doesn't subtract- if anything, it adds- to the deeper profoundness of his novels. Terry Pratchett's work is a unique combination of Fantasy and Comedy, which will likely never be rivaled. Looking at that enormity of work can be daunting, but each tale largely stands both on its own, and as part of a larger, (distinctly amusing) mythos. Over the course of his life, Sir Terry Pratchett wrote some 42 books chronicling the bizarre tales of Discworld- a Universe much like our own, where thought and reality aren't so clearly defined, and fantastical beings interact with each other in amusing and unexpected ways. You can thank me later for the suggestion. It's hard to pin down just what it is that makes Le Guin such a fantastic writer and as such, I highly recommend just reading one of her books for yourself. The premise, (A scientist from a colony of peaceful anarchists on a barren moon returning to his tumultuous, capitalist homeworld with a mission), is simple, but executed with such grace one can hardly believe it is fiction. While it's hard for me to pick a favorite (and while this spot was until recently filled by 'The Telling,') I have to deem 'The Dispossessed' to be my all time favorite of Le Guin's many brilliant works. The Author of the Earthsea series, as well the assortment of science fiction masterpieces that is the Ekumen series, Le Guin's work is consistently thought provoking, well written, and somewhere perfectly between the realms of soft and hard worldbuilding, symbolism and substance. It's difficult to express what a talented and heartfelt author Le Guin is without coming off as extremely emotional and/or nerdy, but I think such a reaction is warranted.
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