It can be hard to find a good book to curl up with during the long winter quarter. My suggestion for you is to read Sir Terry Pratchett. He was an amazing science fiction writer from 1971 to 2015. Over the course of his life, Sir Pratchett wrote over 90 books about a variety of worlds.
My favorite world is Discworld, which has 40 plus books. The stories take place in a world that is a disc on the backs of four elephants standing on a turtle’s shell flying through space.
If that doesn’t clue you in about the kooky world encapsulated in this book, nothing will! Discworld is similar in many ways to Earth and in others it is very unique. During certain passages I nod to myself such as seeing the mirror of London reflected in Ankh-Morpork society; at other times I find myself shaking my head trying to understand some description about life as a troll. Wizards sort of control magic while witches help with day to day problems and science. Later in the series, science begins to take root in society. There are many types of government in this world as well, from monarchy to Ankh-Morpork’s benign dictator.
Religion is also tackled in the series, frequently in the form of polytheism, although they are not gods I’ve ever heard of. I commend Sir Pratchett for describing his world so thoroughly, even if I do not totally understand it.
I also enjoy reading Pratchett’s works because of the people. Every person I have met has an incredibly vivid backstory, life view, and motivations. They are so real, that I would not be surprised if the characters stepped right off the page and chastised me for being a layabout student!
There is an entertaining mix of cowardly, brave, humorous, and lovable characters in these books, and they all get the spotlight at various points. Different groups of people have their own storylines going through the books, such as Death, Granny Weatherwax, the Unseen University Wizards, and more.
Despite the unusual setting, Pratchett is able to paint a picture of the absurdity of the human (as well as the dwarf, troll, vampire, werewolf, witch, and so on) condition. We may have moments of true wisdom, love, or bravery, but in between those we are all just muddling through life trying to make the best of things. Despite any external differences, we are all pretty much the same. We all have friends, enemies, hobbies, and jobs to do.
Image Source: Daily Mail
All in all, reading Terry Pratchett will not only give you a good laugh, but it will also teach you about human nature.
To end, a quote from Granny Weatherwax: “They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.”
For a list of his books: https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/