The Light Fantastic

Rating:
Summary: Much Improved Over "The Color of Magic"
Review: I was unhappy with the book the first book in the series "The Color of Magic" for lacking a coherent plot. But "The Light Fantastic" does and it makes a world of difference. Discworld is further developed, new characters are introduced, and the story is engaging.

I enjoyed the book, but I found the main characters a bit flat. Twoflower is a fearless tourist, and Rincewind is a cowardly wizard who cant use magic. Together they are more or less blown by the winds of fate from adventure to adventure. But the adventures are entertaining and humorous. Only near the end does Rincewind take his fate into his own hands, and we see him driven by internal forces instead of external chance. And that I like.

If the books continue to improve at this rate, I might have to consider myself a Discworld fan.

Rating:
Summary: Long Live the Luggage!
Review: While this is only the second book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, it was an improvement over the first. The characters of Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage are some of the funniest fantasy creations I have ever read. Cohen the ancient toothless barbarian is also one of my favorite characters. The Light Fantastic is a frequently hilarious rip through the lands of the Disc. The pace never lets up with Rincewind and friends being thrown from one outrageous situation into the next without a moments rest. I highly recommend this one to any fans of Aspirin's MYTH series or Anthony's Xanth Series. This series seems to have a lot more depth and thought than either one of those do, at least what I've read so far.

Rating:
Summary: The Color of Magic, part 2
Review: This is essentially part two of The Color of Magic. I would consider it mandatory reading to get into the world of Discworld.

Rating:
Summary: Good, Steady Introduction
Review: Here we see the continuation of the first adventure of Rincewind the wizard (with "Wizzard" spelled out on his hat). In spite of everything, I just have to like him, and it is so much fun reading about how silly wizards behave on Discworld - dressing in fancy costumes and eating dinners all the time with only occasional magic. And Cohen the Barbarian is very funny, too.

Rating:
Summary: A fantastic light read
Review: The Light Fantastic is the second novel in the brilliant Discwold series and picks up where The Colour of Magic ended.

The Wizards from the Unseen University are trying to save the world. For this they need to recite all eight spells originally written in the Octavo, a book of magic which the creator of the universe left behind - with characteristic absent-mindedness - shortly after completing his major work. One problem though: the eight spell is still imprisoned in the mind of Rincewind, one of the most clumsy and incompetent wizards ever to walk on the Discworld. And if that isn't bad enough Rincewind is currently falling off the rim of the world, together with the first-ever tourist Twoflower and his carnivorous Luggage.

Where The Colour of Magic is really humorous but lacks a good story-line, this episode is more complete. The characters are as funny and are now involved in a plot that really keeps the reader hooked. It is as though the first book only intends to introduce the main characters and the story really takes off in the second one. This does not mean that I advice you to skip the first one, because then you would miss a reasonable amount of jokes.

Knowing that the best books of the series are yet to follow these two - "Guards! Guards!" to name only one of them - the Discwold is the perfect series to start reading if you want to be amused for a very long time.

Rating:
Summary: Should have been the first book
Review: I bought this book along with "Color of Magic," and I read the two in order. I didn't like CoM, and so I nearly avoided "The Light Fantastic."

I'm glad I did read it, because this book is much funnier and better written. The characters are more endearing and there is a solid story in the center of the book, as opposed to just a collection of ideas that are weakly strung together (Much like "Eric"). This book also has one of the better endings for a Discworld novel that I've read.

But I deduct one star because it really is a sequel to CoM and not a separate book. In order to fully enjoy the story, you have to read both books, and the first one isn't so good. If you don't read CoM, you would probably still enjoy "Light," but it isn't really clear.

And in comparison to some of Pratchett's other work, this would seem like a sophomoric effort. I still think it's good, even if it does have a derivative plot. My advice to newbies is to read "Mort" first, and then use your opinions of that to decide whether you'll read this and/or "Color of Magic."

Rating:
Summary: Brings the Discworld into sharp focus
Review: The Light Fantastic is the second book in Terry Pratchett's brilliantly funny Discworld series, continuing the tale related in the first book The Colour of Magic. The last we knew, Rincewind and Discworld's first tourist Twoflower had fallen off the rim of the world, which is an especially dangerous happenstance on a world that is totally flat and carried on the backs of four elephants who in turn stand atop the great cosmic turtle Great A'Tuin. While Rincewind is Discworld's most incompetent wizard and all-around unlucky fellow, he manages to evade the clutches of Death (although he does bump into him fairly often) time and again (27 times by Twoflower's count at the midpoint of this novel). Why this is so is, we discover, is because Rincewind carries one of the eight most powerful spells from the magical Octavo. Reality keeps having to reshape itself in order to keep rescuing the wizard. Although Rincewind, the eternally optimistic Twoflower, and the magical Luggage of sapient pearwood are once again on the disc, they face a number of obstacles in getting home to Ankh-Morpork. They are fortunate enough to join forces with Disworld's greatest hero Cohen the Barbarian; Cohen is an old man now, but he doesn't let that stop him from rescuing maidens, stealing treasures, and doing other heroic things. At this particular time, the Discworld itself is in danger, threatened with an imminent collision with a giant red star heading its way. The wizards of Unseen University believe that all eight powerful spells from the Octavo must be read in order to save the Discworld, so the missing Rincewind must be found in order to release the necessary eighth spell locked inside his brain. A series of adventures and misadventures ensue for our motley crew of characters, including a stopover at a vacated witch's house made of candy, a wild ride on a broomstick, a collision with a druid-steered cloud, and a trip to the home of Death himself before Rincewind manages to return home. Whether he can actually make use of the eighth spell and somehow manage to avert the Discworld's total destruction by the onrushing red star is, as is typical for this inept failed wizard, questionable at best.

The Light Fantastic builds upon the story of The Colour of Magic and breathes more life into the unique Discworld of Terry Pratchett's imaginative construction. More areas of the world are revealed to the reader, and we for the first time get a decent look at what goes on in the school of wizardry. Not only do we meet Cohen the Barbarian, we are also introduced to the ape librarian of Unseen University, who will become a significant character in later novels. You should certainly read the previous novel before this one because the two are closely connected in terms of plot, characterization, etc. It will also help you to recognize just how much more vibrant and real Pratchett's Discworld seems by the end of The Light Fantastic. The comedy quotient of both novels is about equal, but the storyline seems much stronger and flows much more naturally in this one. Pratchett was honing his already sharp scythe of quick wit and nascent satire in these first two Discworld novels, building a compellingly unique little world and populating it with unforgettable characters. This is high-brow comedy of the highest order, and we readers are privileged to be able to say we were there from the start with Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT read for Rincewind fans
Review: This book, being the second in the series, is, as always, expected to be better and more story-type since the author got the paticulars out in the first. The Light Fantastic does all this and more, keeping you guessing until you've finished the final page.
TLF picks up right were we left Rincewind in the last book (well, not quite in the same place...) and takes us into very dark times on Discworld...
Can one, inept wizard keep the misguided "star people" from over running Discworld and save it from inevitable destruction...

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: This is the 2nd book in Pratchett's Discworld and the follow-on to the "cliff-hanger" of the previous one. It's a far better book than "The Colour of Magic" and continues the tale of Rincewind and the Luggage. It's also where Cohen the Barbarian is introduced. You'll definitely want to read this. So read "The Colour of Magic" first.

Rating:
Summary: Another great Discworld book!
Review: This is the second book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld--a flat world, supported on the back of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle; anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does. Rincewind, failed wizard and reluctant bearer of one of the eight great spells of the Octavo, finds himself the center of attention at the end of the world. With a party of misfits converging on him, he must keep himself and Twoflower (the Disc's first tourist) alive--and save the world, if he finds the time.

It was on great books like this that Mr. Pratchett built his reputation! Terry's strength is the ability to run several stories simultaneously without losing the reader. Couple that with a hilarious storyline, and you've got a winner. This is a great book, one that I recommend to everyone!