The Wit and Wisdom of Discworld - Terry Pratchett

““Do you know, a fortune-teller once told me I’d die in my bed, surrounded by grieving great-grandchildren,” said Mooty. “What do you think of that eh?”
I THINK SHE WAS WRONG.” (Guards! Guards!)

Sweetened condensed milk. It makes a wonderful ingredient in cooking, or you can drizzle on top of stuff, take a passing finger lick out of the tin, or sit down with a spoon and have a really good time gorging yourself.

This book is sweetened condensed milk. Containing the essence of what makes Discworld fantastically funny and clever; this compilation of the best quotes from the series serves many purposes. It can inspire you to read books you haven’t got round to, it can make you want to read the whole lot again, or it can just refresh plot lines in your mind, all the while providing wise words and amusing gags.

““It’s going to look pretty good, then, isn’t it,” said War testily, “the One Horseman and Three Pedestrians of the Apocralypse.”” (Sourcery)

Some will argue it’s not the greatest compilation – everyone has their own favourite characters, plots and jokes. Nor can this book contain every little gem or clever escapade – some of Pratchett’s better work lasts for pages. Seriously, if you wanted every good bit of the Discworld you may as well bind all the novels together. But this book, as I said – it’s the essence of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: There’s a perfect balance of DEATH, Rincewind, U.U, Vimes, and other characters and casual comments.

“Meat pies! Hot sausages! Inna bun! So fresh the pig hasn’t noticed they’re gone!” (Moving Pictures)

I loved it, read it from start to end and immediately wanted to pick up some of the books that I haven’t touched in too long. As I said – sweetened condensed milk. You don’t have to read it all at once, you can just flick open, find a random quote and smile.

“Words are the litmus paper of the mind. If you find yourself in the power of someone who will use the word “commence” in cold blood, go somewhere else very quickly. But if they say “Enter,” don’t stop to pack.” (Small Gods)