I am so glad that, when I was introduced to Terry Pratchett, the book I was given was the Colour of Magic and not thie one.If this had been my first exposure to Pratchett, I doubt I would ever have bothered to read anything of his ever again.Now that I know Pratchett's work better, I can look back with interest and observe the development of a best-selling author from this to his more celebrated works.If you are new to Pratchett and are reading this, my recommendation would be to start with something more mature - anything with the witches in, for example.The problem with this book is it is very much like those dreadful B-list movies which were rushed out in a great hurry once CGI became a feasible technology. Just as those film were all about huge explosions, terrifying plunges, massed ranks of monsters and other spectacular effects but no real story or characters about which the viewer could be bothered to give a damn, so Strata concentrates on all the sci-fi elements at the expense of a good story.The characterisation is poor and two-dimensional. Characters mainly exist as plot devices to drive the story to its conclusion. Scenes are rushed as Pratchett tries to manipulate his actors into the right places on stage before the next piece of 'business'. This book reminded me very much of a school play at primary school where the children learn their lines and movements by rote and then stiffly deliver said lines before even more stiffly getting themselves into position for whatever comes next.Pratchett is at his best when he lets his characters live their lives on the page and you have a sense that life really is being lived rather than that some unseen hand is pushing them hither and thither. Of course, I immediately have to qualify that last statement: there are times on Discworld when the gods themselves or Lady Fortune - who may or may not belong to the order of gods - take a direct and highly personal interest in the lives of the little people and they really are pushed into situations in order to see how they react ... but I digress.This is an immature work. You should read it - but only after you have immersed yourself in Pratchett's later works where he has learned the importance of and necessity for strong characters. If nothing else, aspiring writers can draw inspiration from this book to see how even the most unpromising start to a novelist's career may still lead to great things.
Strata improves dramatically with the summoning of The Character Who Talks Like This, at about page 209 of the edition I read. Suddenly the book becomes that much more fun (and funny).I've read and loved every Discworld novel up to and including Night Watch (thus far!), so it came as a surprise when I didn't enjoy the first 200 pages of this one. That said, it was interesting to read what is obviously the precursor to the best selling fantasy series.Strata definitely lacks the deftness and flow of Pratchett's subsequent work. The dialogue is stilted. The characters are difficult to get to know, unlike the lovable cast of hundreds in Ankh-Morpork and surrounds. I found Kin quite annoying, including her habit of "padding" around naked. Marco and Silver are shadows compared to the colourful non-humans later created by Pratchett, but I suppose every writer must begin somewhere.
It's NOT a Discworld novel! It ISN'T! What did you say? Well, yes, the action does take place on a world that's disc-shaped, but... look, will you listen? Will you listen a moment? Thank you. There are no elephants. And there's no turtle. NOW do you see? Well, of course it's important! Duh. Vital, even. I keep telling you this is not part of the series, it's a parody of Ringworld. What? Now that is just beneath you. "Geekily obsessed." Take that back. No, I am NOT a Pratchett fan, I've read, what, maybe half a dozen of them. OK, seven or eight. That doesn't make me a Pratchett fan (continued until closing time)
—Manny
I have a special relationship with four pairs of first albums. Sure, as musicians mature, the best among them become more technical, more complex, ‘deeper’ in many ways; yet in very special cases, the combination of youthful drive and youthful naiveté can produce what in hind sight is their best work. The four bands in question are Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Blind Guardian. Their contributions and accomplishments are many, but the first two albums rock forever.Which brings me to The Dark Side of The Sun and Strata – Pratchett’s first two ‘albums’ (not counting his early Carpet People demo). Naïve, a bit clumsy, yet buzzing with the energy of the point in life when everything is possible, and one specific direction has not yet been chosen in favor of the infinite other ones. These are my most favorite – as in uplifting and energizing Pratchett books. I heartily recommend them to all lovers of cool old-school science fiction adventures, as opposed to social satires in fantasy setting.
—Harry Kane
A roller-coaster of a novel with a picaresque structure; you can see where The Colour of Magic (and many, many ideas featured in the Discworld books) evolved from. It's really interesting to see Pratchett's progress from his earlier novels, where the plot, the characters and the ideas tend to be all over the place, towards the more and more formulaic Discworld novels. Each of these have something going for them - the only way Strata is inferior to the later works is perhaps the prose, which is mostly functional, sometimes a bit crude, and the composition of scenes - often it was really hard for me to figure out what's going on, let alone form an image of it in my head. Still, it's a highly enjoyable read - despite the review, it was easy to read as a standalone book, instead of a precursor to the much more famous later novels. There were inventiveness, fun, great characters, and I found the rawness of the whole thing somehow... fascinating. Recommended.
—danielp
