"Inside every sane person, there's a madman struggling to get out. That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person." The second installment in the Discworld series is a bigger, funnier delight. One heck of a Laugh Out Loud read.Something I consider very special in Sir Terry Pratchett's works is that many authors can pull off a joke every once in a while in their stories but Mr Pratchett managed to keep the whole thing comical, while at the time satirical. Not once did I not grin or snort out loud.In The Colour of Magic, Rincewind was last seen (read?) falling off the rim of the world. Well, he landed safely on his arse. Thank goodness or he couldn't be much use if he's dead.Things are turning quite grim now. Great A'Tuin the turtle is wading its giant flippers toward a 'red star'. The closer it is (I feel very sorry for calling the World Turtle an 'it' but in my defense, 'it's' sex is still undetermined afterall!) to the star, the weaker and more unbalanced the magic is back in Discworld!The only way to prevent the apocalypse is to recite all 8 spells from a magic book called Octavo. However one last spell is missing. Where could it be?! It also didn't help Rincewind's situation and mood when he found out that there's a certain prophecy about him.I'm not a big reader when it comes to books with apocalypse in it looming just around the corner. Too bleak, I say. But this was a purely fun ride that follows with Rincewind's unfortunate adventures.The worldbuilding is still just as bizarre as the last book. Except now it has a fairytale feel to it. There's even a scene where Rincewind and Twoflower took refuge in a gingerbread house! Sounds familiar? *cough* Hansel and Gretel! *cough*Characterizations [humans, fantastical creatures and things alike]: I have a very special place in my heart for nearly all the people and creatures in the book. Of course I have certain favourites myself but I couldn't resist liking nearly everything and everyone. It sounds so corny of me, I know. But damn it, I can't help myself not when they're all so fleshed out well. Definitely not when they each have their own unique quirky personality.Rincewind shows even more of his cynicism and it didn't exactly help his ill bedside manners being partnered with the impossibly, insufferably optimistic Twoflower."I expect everything will turn out quite all right in the end," said Twoflower.Rincewind looked at him. Remarks like that always threw him off."Do you really believe that? I mean," he said. "Really?""Well, things generally do work out satisfactorily, when you come to think about it.""If you think the total disruption of my life in the last year is satisfactory then you might be right. I've lost count of the times I've nearly been killed--""Twenty-seven," said Twoflower."What?" He held a great disdain within him toward people and situations in life. He's not just cynical, I like to think of him as pessimistic too. He also has a knack of running in the opposite directions from things he's terrified of instead of plunging straight into the fire and save the day. Some people would say that he's quite the coward. I would say that he's quite the survivalist.'He always held that panic was the best means of survival; back in the olden days, his theory went, people faced with hungry saber-toothed tigers could be divided very simply into those who panicked and those who stood there saying. "What a magnificent brute!" and "Here, pussy." Rincewind's snappy moods, impatience and crankiness have really grown on me. Irregardless of how distasteful his actions may be at times!I have to tip my hat on behalf of Twoflower, the first tourist of Ankh-Morpork may be the only one who can understand and tolerate Rincewind. While he is pessimistic, Twoflower is optimistic. Rincewind's cowardly but Twoflowers's noble and is willing to sacrifice himself to save others. Rincewind is quick to rage but Twoflower's best merits are his patience and his forgiving nature."Against the whole of human experience Twoflower believed that if only people would talk to each other, have a few drinks, exchange pictures of their grandchildren, maybe take in a show or something, then everything could be sorted out. He also believed that people were basically good but sometimes had their bad days."How can I not resist someone like him? I can't! He's so good-hearted, it either made you despise how he's so insufferably annoying at that or... you find him irresistible. It is the latter for me.Then there's The Luggage, it's name suggest what it is. A luggage that carries laundries for its master! Except it's no ordinary luggage. For one thing, it has hundreds of tiny little legs to take it anywhere. It's lid serves as a mouth and when it wants to look menancing, it snaps the lid up and down. Don't get too close - it's a luggage that bites and snaps and eats people up!With the Luggage in your possession, you can be in no harm as long as:a) you're not trying to harm it's master and his friends.b) you don't kick its wooden sides and be a big bully.c) you don't try to force open its lid apart to see what treasure is inside (there are usually none).So aside from looking menancing, what else does it do? You'd be awed that not only The Luggage is useful in carrying loads, it is also very loyal, quick in thinking and even quicker so in taking actions (with those hundreds of little legs? No doubt) to save those in distress. Don't ask me how a luggage can think. I have no idea! Point is, the Luggage can be real scary to the point that even barbarians soil their trousers. You should be scared.Then there are the minor people, creatures and things alike such as a group of incompetent swordsmen led by a woman, talking trees, a goblin, an imp who paints, a barbarian, DEATH and his comrades, stone trolls, a cursed shopkeeper, a mob of crazy superstitious people with pitchforks.... and so on and so forth. I expected to get clogged up with all these many minor characters coming and going. But not-so-surprisingly, I didn't feel confused or got side tracked by them. Each one of them has personalities and they're not forgettable. Not when they do or say something incredibly incredible, funny or stupid. Pratchett can write about the smallest pebble on a ground of dirt and still make it interesting and full of persona.As a final conclusion, I can't say much except that... well, this book was just fucking fantastic and it won my heart and soul completely. That about sums up my thoughts. Besides, it's almost impossible to pick apart or find anything wrong in something that can switch on your 'HAHA' button each seconds. The jokes are distracting! Doctor's Prescription and Warning:This is the medicine for when you feel blue or angry.No, it's not supposed to be some pills.It's this book.However, read with care for each sentences and every passages are induced with high dosages of humour. Limit your level of intake in case you overdosed on the words and choke on your spit bellowing with laughter.
I'm a latecomer to the Discworld, having just discovered it a couple of years ago. Whenever I need a good laugh-out-loud escapist novel, I know Sir Terry can deliver. I started with the Tiffany Aching series*, and have managed to read 7-8 of the little Discworld suckers** so far, and enjoyed every one of them immensely, including this one.****Actually, and just so I don't bring the wrath of the ghost of Olaf Quimby II down on me, I discovered Pratchett via Good Omens many years ago, but at the time ascribed the writing style to Mr. Gaiman, which was good because I then went on to devour everything Gaiman ever wrote****, including Sandman*****, which was a major find, but didn't pick up a Discworld novel****** until a number of years later when a friend badgered me into reading Wee Free Men, which was delightful. **not to say that they suck, although perhaps some of the creatures contained within could be accused of sucking, but only as a function of how they kill... or eat... or, um... suck...*** “immense” being measured partially by how often I'm compelled to read sections aloud to my longsuffering******* husband, then waiting for him to laugh.****well, not technically, since I am sure there are many things he has written, which I haven't discovered yet.*****and to be specific, I mean that I've read almost all of Sandman, but have yet to complete the Absolute Vol. 4********, mainly because it's so freaking heavy I have to sit in my special chair to read it, and my special chair is currently being used as a prop for photographing dogs, and it's very difficult to read by strobe. ******although technically, I suppose one would put Good Omens in the Discworld... er... world, so I guess one would say I HAD read a Discworld novel before Wee Free Men.*******He is either “longsuffering,” or else he has gotten very good at listening for me to take a breath, then responding with “hmmm,” or “hahaha,” whichever is most appropriate. ********I also have yet to read Absolute Death*********, not because it's so heavy, (it is considerably lighter,) but because I haven't yet purchased it.*********I have, however, read Death: The High Cost of Living, although not Death: The Time of Your Life. I have also read Black Orchid, but that's not really a Sandman story**********, so I'm not sure how it's relevant here. **********And, since this DID start out as a Discworld review, I'm afraid that not much of this is relevant, except in the way that they are all books. That I have read. Mostly.
What do You think about The Light Fantastic (2000)?
I didn't really care for The Colour of Magic. So I wasn't sure what to expect from The Light Fantastic, but I figured either it would be more of the same, or slightly better. And thankfully, it was slightly better. There was a plot! (Of sorts.) And a single storyline! (Mostly.) And humor! (I lol'ed once.)All are things that Colour didn't have - at least not in my opinion. But I can't say that I loved Light. I'm thinking that it might just be me, though. I like humor, and I even like bizarre randomness... to a point. I can't help but feel like this whole world is just centered around silliness for its own sake, and I like my humor to be a little more measured and intentional than that. I found myself laughing at the humor and one-liners in the dialogue, and rolling my eyes at the whimsy of everything else. I just... don't care for that. I need rules and to understand how the world works - and apparently in Discworld, anything and everything is possible. It makes me twitchy. Maybe I'll adjust and adapt to it, because at this point I do intend to continue the series. At least until the twitching starts to affect my health, and then I'll call it quits.
—Becky
true but i would still rate discworld far above HP. The unpredictability and amazing graphic quality of Pratchetts writing makes it so much more enjoyable. Plus when you read over ten or so of the discworlds you really feel you know another world (a bit like after reading lord of the rings) which i personally find really cool. I enjoyed HP dont get me wrong but its a bit 2 dimentional compared to this.
—Qt
I was told by several readers that this series improves as it hits its stride and I can definitely see that is true. One of my complaints about The Color of Magic was that I found the many digressions and footnotes distracting. While, The Light Fantastic has some digressions and footnotes there were certainly less of them. Also, because most of the worldbuilding occurred in the first book there was much less info-dumping. This made the book much more reader friendly. What I loved about The Light Fantastic were the literary references. Cohen the Barbarian was absolutely hysterical. I found myself having to check myself while reading in public so I wouldn’t look like a crazy person. You know how non-readers just don’t get it. Anyway, I can now see the appeal of this series and I look forward to reading the next one.
—Jackie
