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: much better than the first!
Review: The second Discword novel is also a direct sequel to The Color of Magic . While I enjoyed the first novel, I wasn't too impressed with it. The Light Fantastic is a much better book and actually has a plot. When we last saw Rincewind and Twoflower, they had fallen off the edge of the Disc (and were being followed quickly by the luggage made of sapient pearwood). This is where The Light Fantastic picks up. Once again, we have the misadventures of Rincewind and Twoflower as they decide to return back to Ankh- Morpork (did I spell that correctly?). They meet up with Cohen the Barbarian (currently, my favorite character), an aging hero with a bad back and no teeth. And, oh yeah, the world is in danger from a comet (as far as they know) about to crash into the Disc and the only spell that can save the Disc is lodged in Rincewind's head. After reading this book, I am much more interested in reading more Discworld novels.
Rating:
Summary: One step forward...
Review: ...without the two steps back. The adventures of Rincewind continue in a more dynamic writing in a generally better book. But, of course, as it's really the second part to The Color of Magic, the book won't make sense if you haven't read CoM.
Rating:
Summary: The Light Fantastic really is fantastic!
Review: Even better than the Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic takes the reader from the edge of the world to the unimaginable Wyrmberg, from a gingerbreadhouse to the deepest cellars of the Unseen University. A red star is threatening to destroy our beloved Discworld, and who can save it but Twoflower, Rincewind (last seen dropping off the end of the world), an old barbaric geezer, a luggage with more legs than one can count and one of the 8 great spells plus a wonderful array of silly, funny, innovative and original characters.
Still as intriguing as The Colour of Magic, this book is even funnier, but still (luckily) not as ravishingly mad as The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, to which many draw unfair and impossible paralells. This story is very different and holds more suspence wrapped in good fun than any other book I've ever read. Will Rincewind and co. stop the malevolent red star from destroying the Disc? An ingenious ending awaits you, so what are you waiting for! This book is so cheap, you can't afford to miss it.<
Rating: 
Summary: Better than #1, but Skip It
Review: The plot continues unbroken from the first book, but Pratchett's style has settled down dramatically into more-or-less its current form. This one is not episodic but a single story; it moves well, it is fairly funny, and the main plot line involves the Discworld's arrival at a giant, menacing red star, the spell stuck in Rincewind's head, the gender of A'Tuin, the great turtle, and the reading of the Octavo, the most powerful magic book. We visit Death; we meet Cohen the Barbarian. At this point I'm fed up hearing about the Luggage; Pratchett's insistence on trying to make an animated trunk funny and menacing just bores me. The story concludes in a satisfying way, and we find out why pretty much the whole gang of wizards from Unseen University, introduced in the first book, is replaced by a new gang of wizards in the later books. While this one is decent, it is a continuation of the wretched first book, so I'd only read it if you're feeling up to taking on the whole Rincewind sequence, in order.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not his best
Review: This second novel in the Discworld saga is a continuation of the story begun in the first book, The Colour of Magic. Actually, it begins about five minutes after the end of that book, with Rincewind, the incapable wizard falling through space after having tumbled over the edge of the world. But the spell lodged in his head saves him (as well as Twoflower the tourist) in order to save itself, and Rinceworld is launched unwillingly in an effort to save the world. Great A'Tuin, the celestial turtle on the back of which the Discworld glides slowly through the universe, is headed toward a distant, very red star which will probably bring all Disc life to an end. But it has its reasons. As always, Pratchett introduces a number of new and quite delightful characters, especially Cohen the Barbarian, the greatest hero in history -- as evidenced by his very advanced age. With all that, though, I just couldn't get as caught up in this one as in MORT or SMALL GODS. But even a B-minus novel from Pratchett is better than the best many humorists ever produce!
Rating:
Summary: Read it
Review: I am a long time fantasy fan, but a relative newcomer to Pratchett. I read "The Color of Magic" last year and enjoyed it quite a bit. I read "The Light Fantastic" last week and I liked it even better. The idea is still the same: a wild adventure story with lots of diversions. The difference is that Pratchett's writing is more consistently funny this time around. The jokes are sharper are more witty, and there are more of them. Pratchett serves up some well deserved swipes at fantasy conventions, and accomplishes more memorable wordplay. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Ample continuation of the Discworld series
Review: If you enjoyed "The Color of Magic" or any of the other books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, you will probably enjoy this as well. It continues the story of Twoflower and Rincewind as they bungle their way through saving the universe, or at least Discworld, from a collision with a great red star. New characters are introduced, such as Cohen the Barbarian, an 80something hero currently suffering from chronic back pains. Like a great series, it closes some doors in the ongoing saga, while showing others to be explored. The book reads quickly, though perhaps you wonder if the characters would catch on as soon as the reader. More of Discworld is explained too, which is interesting for readers. (Though a disappointment for those left from the cliffhanger of "The Color of Magic" My main knock is that the level of satire does not go much above escapism. Or if it did, it was lost on this reader. Ultimately the book provided some mild thought, and an escape, but not much more. But perhaps I shouldn't have asked for that either. Bottom line is if you enjoyed his other novels, you will probably enjoy this one too.
Rating:
Summary: The saga continues
Review: The Light Fantastic is the sequel to The Colour of Magic, and it picks up the story where CoM left off. Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage, all of them last seen dropping off the edge of the disc, are now back on the disc again (through the intervention of the Eighth Spell), and heading towards a show-down with the evil Trymon, the recent Archchancellor of Unseen University. The story takes place under the menacing presence of a malevolent red star, threatening to collide with the Disc. And who is the only one able to (reluctantly) avert the disaster? You guessed it...
On the way our heroes run into an abandoned gingerbread house (while being chased by wizards), they have an encounter with a tribe of druids who are trying to get their monolithic computer to work, they visit the home of Death where they encounter Death's psychotic adopted daughter (who will later figure prominently in the fourth Discworld novel), they have a run-in with the fanatical star people, and much more. The Light Fantastic was originally published three years after The Colour of Magic, and the Discworld is now beginning to look a lot more like the Discworld we have all since come to know and love. There are no chapters in this book (a Pratchett trademark), and the story is much more in the vein of the later Discworld novels, although there are some noticeable differences. The wizards are still assassinating each other as a way of promotion, for example, and none of the well-known wizards from the later stories are as yet present.
There is no sign of Hrun the Barbarian in this story, but we are instead introduced for the first time to the very elderly Cohen the Barbarian, the greatest hero ever to have stalked the disc. Another stock character appearing for the first time is the Librarian (this is where he originally got changed into an orangutang). The story also introduces the trolls, the gnomes, and the dwarves (or, more precisely, one dwarf and one gnome) among the many races of the Discworld, although the trolls in this book are very different from what they will later come to be.
This could in a way be seen as the real beginning of the Discworld saga, since most of the trademark characteristics are now in place. It's a very funny story, with several laugh-out-loud episodes, but it's also already beginning to show the signs of the thoughtfulness of later Pratchett novels. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Histerical. This book is histerical.
Review: The first book was interesting but many people didn't respect it for obvious reasons. It's just so different from the later books, so you really have to be a the right mood to enjoy it. The Light Fantastic is where Practchett adopts his normal writing style, and Rincewind continues to do what he does best. Death also imporoves. In the first book, he was evil, and wanted Rincewind to die and hated him for not doing so. In this book, he's not the sentimentalist that he''l become in Mort, but he's no longer dispicable. He actually starts to show his kind side in this book. The other characters continue to do well. Rincewind is a big favorite, because he's also coming up with interesting comments and his cowardice is so extreme, it's hard not to like the guy. Twoflower is meant to contradict Rincewind's cowardlyness, and does so well. The Luggage is as homicidal as ever. Cohen the Barbarian comes in here, and he's instantly likeable. The Librarian is also introduced in this book, one of my favorite characters. I can't explain much about the plot without ruining the ending to The Color of Magic, so let's just say it's entertaining, and builds up to a fine climax. Discworld is still not as modern as it will be, but I like it anyway. It's fun to see all the fantasies parodied. I enjoy when Discworld is seen as a fantasy parody world, which doesn't happen too often in the series. Overall, this is an excellently entertaining book, and that's that.
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