Rating: 
Summary: Starting off small
Review: Terry Pratchett is now a publishing superstar, thanks to his witty, wonky Discworld series. But the Discworld series didn't start off on such good ground. In first Discworld novel "The Colour of Magic," Pratchett lets his plot get away from him and meander over the edge of the Disc.
Discworld is a flat planet, balanced atop four elephants that stand on a giant turtle's back. And somewhere on that vast Disc is Rincewind the wizard -- cowardly, greedy, unlucky, a dropout and not very good at what he does. Enter Twoflower, a rather clueless tourist, and the Luggage, which walks around on hundreds of tiny legs.
Despite the fact that he doesn't want to, Rincewind is required to help the Discworld's first tourist ever (it's Twoflower, in case you're wondering). They're attacked by thieves, gamble with gods, encounter Death (who speaks ALL IN CAPITALS), and bumble through magical spells that can cause some major problems. But that isn't the biggest problem, when they encounter the very edge of the Disc...
"Colour of Magic" doesn't have much of a plot -- it basically has a long string of confusing, unhappy incidents that plague Rincewind, and it ends on an unsatisfying note. But at least the ride is fairly fun -- Pratchett spoofs the fantasy cliches with wink-nudge fervor.
Pratchett peppers his satirical little novel with lots of fun ideas, such as the quirky gods of Discworld and the dragon that vanishes if you stop believing in it. Unfortunately, the dialogue and writing aren't quite up to par. At times it's the delicious tone of British comedy, and sometimes it's so serious that it seems like Pratchett is writing an entirely different novel.
Rincewind isn't a very engaging character in this volume -- we laugh at him, not with him. His constant efforts to keep himself alive are especially funny, since his luck is a mixture of bad (he always gets into trouble) and good (he always gets out of it). Twoflower is an amusing character, but the Luggage steals the show despite not being able to speak.
Fans of comic fantasy might enjoy "Colour of Magic," but it's by far the weakest of Pratchett's many Discworld books. If you're looking for something insanely funny and well-written, go further in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, Fresh, & Irreverent
Review: The Colour of Magic is not your standard fantasy fare. True, it contains many of the elements that one expects to see in a run-of-the-mill fantasy novel - wizards, muscle-bound heroes, dragons, trolls, etc., but there is a not so subtle difference. First of all, this is a funny, funny book - intentionally, not accidentally so. Secondly, all the tired old elements from pulp fantasy that you find here are being used as a send-up, both of those fantasy cliches, and of the lives that we, the readers, live.
The book's protagonist, Rincewind, is a pathetically failed wizard, who knows but one spell, and that one he cannot use, for it may destroy the world. He manages to survive, barely, in the dive taverns of the great city of Ankh-Morpork on his desperately clever street smarts, and a penchant for languages. Against his better judgement, Rincewind hires himself out as a guide to a hopelessly naïve tourist, Twoflower. Soon, Rincewind, Twoflower, and Twoflower's fierce, animated, magical luggage are swept from one incredibly dangerous adventure to another, from the fiery destruction of Ankh-Morpork, through near annihilation in the temple of an unspeakable Abomination, a deadly power struggle in a kingdom of magical dragon-riders, to being nearly swept right over and off the rim of the world. Along the way, Pratchett manages to lampoon Fritz Leiber, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Howard, and other fantasy standards, even including a throwaway Star Trek joke.
The Colour of Magic is the first of Pratchett's Discworld novels, a long series of books set in an impossibly clever and humorous alternative world. It is fantasy at its freshest and most irreverent. Mr. Pratchett should have to include warning labels on his books that they may become addictive, for it may be nearly impossible to read just one.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting start to fabulous series
Review: The great city of Ankh-Morpork has seen many tourists, but this one--Twoflower, from the mysterious counterweight continent, a continent reported to consist largely of gold--is different. His gullible appearance attracts an army of thieves but Twoflower is too innocent to even notice--and his walking luggage is dangerous enough to offer some protection. One of the men hoping to take advantage of Twoflower is Ankh-Morpork's worst mage. Rincewind knows only one spell. Unfortunately, he doesn't know what the spell will actually do if he uses it. When Twoflower pays Rincewind, in advance, to show him around the city, Rincewind decides to get out while he still can. Unfortunately, he's misjudged his timing. The Patrician wants Twoflower alive and decides to task Rincewind with the assignment. No one can escape the Patrician so Rincewind gets caught up in a series of inprobable adventures.
THE COLOR OF MAGIC is the first in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series--and it shows. Pratchett hasn't quite decided whether Discworld is pure farce--with its counterparts for Robert E. Howard's Conan and Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and his choice of a purely cowardly and incapable wizzard for protagonist with the most frightening monster being a many-legged travelling trunk--or something unique and wonderful. Over time, Pratchett has developed Discworld to be a compelling universe of its own, with complex characters, interesting situations, but keeping its tongue-in-cheek attitude. COLOR is essential reading for a full understanding of Discworld and fans of the series (like me) won't want to miss it. Still, although COLOR is the first Discworld novel, I don't recommend you read it first. Read some of the later stories, get hooked, then pick up COLOR to see where it came from and to get more of the details on how, exactly, a disc-shaped world travels on the backs of four elephants--each of whom, in turn, stands on a single huge turtle swimming toward--well, that is the question, isn't it?
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett's a riot!
Review: This is my second time reading this awesome book. The first was when I was 17 and new to fantasy. This book played a huge role in getting me hooked. I had previously read only dungeons and dragons novels such as Chronicles, and this was my first step away from that. It was the funniest thing I'd ever read. Now I am revisiting it as a 25-year-old and its still a blast as his style and wit make a mockery of the epic fantasy most of us are used to. It is so refreshing! I'd give it five stars, but as someone else says, "Pratchett gets better in later books." Rincewind is a wizard, but due to a technicality- he is unable to cast a single spell throughout the book! Instead he manages to escape DEATH himself, a various assortment of Diskworld's gods, thieves, assassins, a city-engulfing fire, magicians, dragons, and monsters -thanks to an overly developed sense of cowardice and some very odd allies. They include a four-eyed insurance salesman on vacation, a talking sword, a demon camera, and a treasure-chest that run and eat people! This may sound ridiculous, but it is so well done that beginners and veteran fantasy readers alike will laugh aloud through out this one. Read The Light Fantastic afterwards. It concludes what Colour Of Magic starts without slowing down the pace and humor at all! And There's more Rincewind books after that. They are next on my list!
Rating:
Summary: first installment in the discworld series
Review: This is the fisrt installemnt in the discworld series, and introduces the reader to the city of anhk morpork (a analogy of early london, during the industrial revolution), rincewind, the inept wizzard, who has one of the eight great spells in him, plus two flower the orginal tourist probably based on an american tourist. The book flows well, for first readers of pratchet, dont expect chapters, and read the footnotes, they help explain the book as you go along. The humour is mainly british. overall a good book. But a note of merit, some people if like or hate pratchett, if you are feeling a bit indifferent perservere, or read another of his titles.
|
