Book Review // The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Editor Note: Always save your work before clicking away.
As you may guess, I wrote this review once today, but the laptop died, and I discovered I hadn't saved it. So here is take two. Like many people from the UK, Terry Pratchett's humour and fantasy were part of my childhood/teenage years. I remember reading these during High School, staying up late to watch the cartoons and the fantastic Christmas Sky movies. Well, it’s time to get back into reading them.
Title: The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2)
Author: Sir Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Corgi
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 241
Fluff: In The Light Fantastic only one individual can save the world from a disastrous collision. Unfortunately, the hero happens to be the singularly inept wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world...
Review
For those who missed the first book, The Colour of Magic, we are introduced to the world of the disc but, more importantly, two characters: Rincewind, a bumbling, failed but comically brilliant Wizard, and Twoflower, the Disc's first tourist. As the first book finishes, this pair is left in a dire situation, with Rincewind falling to his death over the edge of the disc. Here starts the second book.
I felt the start was a bit forced, with Pratchett using the spell trapped in Rincewind's head to save the character. Soon after, though, the story progresses, and you feel like you are on an adventure with talking trees/hired thugs/crazy wizards and sun cults. The book's central premise is that the disc is moving towards a Red Sun, and as it gets closer, the crazier the people of the Disc get. Soon, Rincewind and Twoflower are wrapped up in a power struggle for the soul of the Unseen University, and the only way to save the world is for Rincewind to read the eight spells of power.
I enjoy how Pratchett can combine tales from folklore, myths, and biblical sources but add his twist to make them truly his. The best example is Cohen, The Barbarian, a warrior who is out living his legend and is now an aged and ruined old man. We also get to travel to the realms of the Dungeon Dimension and Death's domain (I can't wait to reach Mort) and discover a highly advanced race who travel between realms within a magical shop!
The tale wraps up their adventure with a nice bow, with Rincewind leading the repairs on the Unseen University while Twoflower heads back to his homeland with his picture box. This is a sad end to such a great adventure. I can safely say I'm hooked, so I expect many more Discworld reviews to come this way. Next up will be Equal Rights (the first of the Witch series). But the following review will be back into the Grim Dark worlds of 40k.
