Talk:The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

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Making Terry Pratchett a Featured Article[edit]

This is a call to arms to make the Terry Pratchett article a Featured Article. It will greatly help the cause if all the side articles that link from it are of a reasonable standard. Terry Pratchett has around 40 side articles (ie the ones relating to his work) - I don't think they are all expected to be GA (Good Article) standard for TP to become featured, but certain basic elements will be looked at for sure.

A full list of the sub articles is here on the TP talk page: I'm posting this comment on the talk pages of each article on the list. Editors reading may also like to help with the TP article too?

The main issue, especially with smaller articles, is often a finding reasonable amount of citations, and prose can sometimes be a little POV too. Coverage of the topic is probably less important, but of course it needs to be reasonably good. --Matt Lewis (talk) 15:07, 28 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Notability[edit]

I am not seeing any reviews... that's can't be right? ISFDb. @Cunard? (PS. I found one academic review) _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 14:40, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Piotrus (talk · contribs). Here are some sources about the book The Science of Discworld II: The Globe:

Bailey, Alison (June 2002). "The Science Of Discworld II". Biologist. Vol. 49, no. 3. Institute of Biology. p. 133. ISSN 0006-3347. EBSCOhost 6912757.
The review notes: "The science chapters are fascinating treasure troves, with some real treats to be found inside. One minute you are afloat in astrophysics, the next you're immersed in time theory, admiring the complexities of multicellular organisms, debating the finer points of natural selection, before returning to the stars. This approach ensures that the reader will not be bored – there should be something to appeal to all in this disparate collection. The negative aspect of this richness and variety is that, just as something gets really interesting, it's time to move on to the next subject. The reader may occasionally feel that they are staring into a kaleidoscope, desperately waiting for a recognisable pattern to emerge from all the pretty pieces. Frustrating though this may be at times, I'm rather fond of kaleidoscopes. It is wonderful to think that Stewart and Cohen may pique someone's interest in natural selection just enough that they borrow Almost like a whale or The blind watchmaker from their local library."
Bridgman, Roger (2002-05-18). "Narrative drive: The Science of Discworld II: The Globe by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen". New Scientist. Vol. 174, no. 2343. p. 56. EBSCOhost 500873754. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
The review notes: "Maybe this is an over-serious criticism of a satirical soufflé whipped up from magic, science and undergraduate humour. But I do sense a serious purpose behind it all: a poetic, sidelong and entirely laudable attempt to plumb the profundity of the human situation. If it fails in the end, it's because an ace storyteller like Pratchett is bound to think that the defining human activity is storytelling. With Stewart and Cohen on board, The Science of Discworld II contains a lot of solid science and maths, much of it debunking the traditional tosh in other popular science books. So if you're interested in human origins, and like your ideas laced with farce of the Pratchett kind, you'll find it entertaining, instructive and illuminating. But only for a given value of “illuminating”."
"The Globe: The Science of Discworld II". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
The review notes: "The discussion covers a broad array of topics and concepts, including Free Will, religious belief, the Anthropic Principle, entropy, and the necessity of Art in human development. This thoughtful, accessible, and sardonic look at the softer side of human evolution will convince readers of the power of a good story behind any endeavor."
Hays, Carl (2014-11-15). "The Globe: The Science of Discworld II". Booklist. Vol. 111, no. 6. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01 – via Gale.
The review notes: "Stewart and Cohens nonfiction sections delve deeply into such topics as linguistics, evolution, and psychology. For Discworld devotees, this volume is, of course, a must acquisition. But anyone interested in literate, well-informed discussions that straddle the lines between philosophy and science will find it fascinating as well."
"The Globe: The Science of Discworld II". Kirkus Reviews. Vol. 82, no. 22. 2014-11-15. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
The review notes: "Readers who simply want more Pratchett may begin by skimming the more factual sections, but it will dawn on many that the discussions are at least as fascinating and entertaining as the antics of the wizards. It's baffling why this appealingly distinctive offshoot (there are two volumes still to come) of the wildly popular Discworld yarns took so long to cross the Atlantic."
Hardy, Ian C.W. (2002-07-29). "A play on worlds". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Vol. 17, no. 10. pp. 489–490. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(02)02561-2.
The review notes: "The second book The Science of Discworld II: The Globe rewinds to explore in detail the period that the wizards initially missed. The core theme is that Homo sapiens, wise man, is a misnomer: more appropriately, we are Pan narrans, the story-telling chimpanzee." ... The eventual show-down playing of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Globe theatre thwarts elfin power by trivialization: who is afraid of cute elves with silly names?"

Cunard (talk) 08:31, 1 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Cunard Thank you. I intend to incorporate those into the article shortly. I plan on reviewing other books by Pratchett over the coming days, particularly ones outside the main novels as many seem to have dubious notability (at least, on the surface, based on some quick checks I did); any reviews you'd post to their talk pages would be welcomed and I'd work them into the main body of articles over time. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 04:48, 3 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, Piotrus (talk · contribs), for adding the sources to the article! I can check for reviews for the other books. Please ping me with any books that you need help finding sources for, and I'd be happy to help. Cunard (talk) 05:03, 3 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]