A mention is not the same as an appearance, so the discrepancy for some characters could be even greater if you take that into account.

How else can you make it look like a linear grouping?

I would even consider watching it of they covered it!

I think you are assuming more than is warranted. Why is it beyond our reach?

There is no precedence for the existence of deities.

For belief in deities, yes, but not for their existence.

That is all we need to say if we believe in the existence of deities; prior plausibility.

Staying in the middle ground of “maybe, we don’t know” makes no sense, because it puts the plausibility one step further towards “yes” than is warranted based on the evidence we have.

I’m more surprised by them referring to it as the fourth instalment at all.

This movie is supposedly a reboot, so not part of the same storyline as the previous three.

Yet, that is what those words seem to communicate.

Marketing? Sloppy writing?

Pre-Madonna, I think.

I would even go further back, and recommend Equal Rites.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there isn’t even a person on the other end, but instead it’s just an AI.

Looks like it’s two separate projects.

So do I, but I can see why someone would be put off the whole series after reading The Colour of Magic, so having some other books to recommend makes sense to me.