Rating: 
Summary: Humor and magic
Review: "The Light Fantastic," the second book in the Discworld series, starts where the first book left off, almost to the second. Bumbling wizard college dropout Rincewind, along with his tourist companion Twoflower, get a reprieve from their fall through the void of space. In the meanwhile, Discworld is moving steadily towards collision with an ominous red star that threatens the existence of life, the universe, and everything. Only the eight great magic spells can save the world, and since one of those spells is lodged in Rincewind's mind, he reluctantly must play an important role in the race to save Discworld.Even funnier than the first in the series, this book introduces Cohen the barbarian, a geriatric anti-Rambo hero who is far fiercer than he looks. The reader is treated to the Keystone Kops antics of the senior wizards as they try to track down Rincewind and save the universe. There is a hilarious scene where Twoflower teaches Death how to play bridge. The story is full of gnomes, dwarves, trolls, and talking trees, as well as a gingerbread cottage. The reader is enlightened on the power of persuasion and the danger of flowery metaphors, and even gets a peek into the mind of the great turtle A'Tuin to learn its current destination. Slapstick, parody, biting satire, word play, and philosophy are all here to enjoy. The plot is neatly tied up at the end, so at this point you can move forward to another book in the wizardry series, or switch to one of the other Discworld tracks. But in either case, there is much more to explore in the wacky and magical world of Terry Pratchett. Eileen Rieback
Rating: 
Summary: color of magic: Part 2
Review: You definitely have to read the Color of Magic before this book, in my opinion, and as I said in the color of magic, I wouldn't read either as your first Discworld Novels. Not much to say that I, or other reviewers, haven't said. This book continues pretty much immediately after the Color of Magic with Rincewind and Twoflower. The whole issue of the octavon (or however you spell it)--the one spell Rincewind knows and which scares all the other spells out of his head--is resolved.
The only real problems I had with this book was that I think his point was a bit fuzzy, the storyline not his sharpest, and the end anti-climatic and drawn out. But again, I started to like Rincewind better after these two books and understand more about the Luggage. I still recommend it, but with the caveats that it's not as good as his later stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Come for a spin, it is a fun ride
Review: For those of you that are not familiar with Discworld, let me give you a very brief introduction to this magnificent world, which has the shape of a disc, and stands on top of four elephants, which in turn are supported by a giant turtle named A'Thuin. Philosophers have asked themselves two questions throughout history: a) what is the turtle's sex? b) where is the turtle going? Pratchett assures us that we are very close to finding the answer to the second question.
Now, I have to tell you, if you have not read "The Color of Magic", you should get it and start your journey there. This second book stands on its own, but it is considerably more enjoyable if you have the prior book as background. Besides, "The Light Fantastic" picks up the action exactly where "The Color of Magic" ended. Rincewind, the most inept magician in Discworld, and Twoflower, the extravagant tourist, are in a spaceship in the space surrounding the Disc. But soon enough Rincewind is expelled from the ship and starts to roam through the cosmos.
Meanwhile, in the cellars of the Unseen University, the Octavo, a book left behind by the Creator of the Universe, is showing a disturbing behavior. The Octavo contained the eight most important spells (eight is a crucial number in Discworld) in the world until Rincewind had one of them accidentally transferred to into his head. Now, the eight spells are needed by Hogswatch night or Discworld will be destroyed. This places Rincewind in a very important role, but one that may be extremely dangerous too.
Pratchett's humor is sublime; the author presents cleverly crafted situations that show dazzling parallelisms with our world. One of the funniest comments I found in this book has to do with Christopher Columbus and the reason why ships look as if they are disappearing over the edge of the world. Another tool used by the author is choosing a known character and create a satire around it. In this case, we meet Cohen the Barbarian, who as you can imagine reminds us of Conan. Cohen is / was the greatest hero in Discworld, but now he is old and not even close to the prime of his life. You can certainly imagine how much fun Pratchett makes of this poor character. In some cases though, the satire is so complex that it is hard to notice all of the witty remarks.
Another big plus for this series are the characters. Besides Cohen the Barbarian and Rincewind, we are delighted with the presence of Death. This character shows up mostly unannounced of course, loves to party and tries to remain stress free. On the other hand, we have Twoflower, who clashes constantly with every other inhabitant of Discworld, is really weird, and shows striking similarities to the people in our own world! My recommendation for those of you that like unscripted spontaneous fun is that you should seriously consider picking up this series. On the other hand, those that like linear narrations and tidily created worlds, may want to pass this one up, since as Pratchett himself says "you can't map a sense of humor".
Rating: 
Summary: Red Star at Night....
Review: "The Light Fantastic" is the second book in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld Series. He has gone on to win the Carnegie Medal for "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" and was awarded the OBE in 1998.
"The Light Fantastic" follows on directly from "The Color of Magic", and focuses on the same two characters : Rincewind and Twoflower. Twoflower, from the Counterweight Continent, is the Discworld's first tourist and had employed Rincewind (a single-spell wizard, a native of Ankh-Morpork and a coward of some renown) as his guide. As "The Color of Magic" closed, both characters were close to Krull - Twoflower was boldly going where no tourist had gone before, while Rincewind was in a rather precarious position. (You could say "The Color of Magic" finished with a cliff-hanger). A standard wizard may have been able to save himself, but the only spell Rincewind knows came from the Octavo - the Creator's spell book, which had been carelessly left behind after the universe's completion. He doesn't know what it does, but it's so powerful that no other spell is brave enough to stay in his head. Fortunately, as the book begins, the spell realises that any harm to Rincewind may be fatal to itself - so, it contributes to Rincewind and Twoflower finding a way out of their current situations.
While "The Color of Magic" saw the two characters generally running away in random directions, there seems to be more of a point to their actions in this book. Rincewind has started suffering from homesickness and wants to return to Ankh-Morpork. His spell is also rather keen on this idea. This, Rincewind suspects, is connected to the strange new red star that has appeared in the sky - he fears it may also involve saving the world. The pair's journey back to Ankh-Morpork involves sacrificial virgins gingerbread cottages, trolls, druids and the Discworld's greatest hero - Cohen the Barbarian.
While I enjoyed this instalment more than the previous one, I'd still recommend reading "The Color of Magic" before "The Light Fantastic". This book continues the story began there, while the pair form a prelude to the seventeenth Discworld book, "Interesting Times". Pratchett's books are always very funny, while Rincewind and the Luggage are strong selling points. Definitely recommended !
Rating:
Summary: A delightful story and further exploration of DiscWorld
Review: The second DiscWorld novel picks up right where "The Color of Magic" left off, continuing the adventures of Rincewind, a wizard-school dropout, and the inexhaustibly optimistic astral tourist, Twoflower. Their continued pitfalls and escapes flesh out Terry Pratchett's amusing world while poking fun at the conventions of fantasy novels. We meet satirical characters such as Cohen the Barbarian and a female warrior, the Henna-Haired Harridan. This entry is fast-paced and unceasingly funny, although there is a barrage of jokes in the first third of the novel that slow down the pace. (Jokes, even clever jokes, have a way interrupting the flow of a story.) The tone does not allow for a great of suspense, but the story is thoroughly enjoyable and Pratchett's narrative voice does not fail to entertain.
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett's pleaser after Color's teaser
Review: The Color of Magic had such a lousy ending. I'm so glad Pratchett decided to fix it in the begining of his second book, because he took us all on an adventure that's hard to forget.
As Rincewind, the failed wizard, and Twoflower, the tourist, fall off the edge of the Disc, something alters reality, bringing the two bumbling heroes to a rather rough stop on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. As the two desperately attempt to figure out where they are and why, they find themselves hunted by wizards determined not to see Rincewind survive his journey back to the city of Ankh Morpork.
Unlike the first Discworld Novel, this one actually has a strong, single, coherant plot which builds and builds all the way up to the increadible conclusion while keeping your diaphram muscles busy heaving with laughter, or just causing giggles of glee. This book also shows off Pratchett's fantastic descriptive abilities as he weaves a world of magic, mystery, and pure beauty. If you enjoy the work of Douglas Adams, or just like fantasy and/or humor in general, than you'll love this second book in the Discworld series.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: The entire discworld series is great, with some lesser books. The Light fantastic is one of them. Terry Prachett seemed to have to many good Ideas and tried to cram them into a small book, so the book seems to jump around alot. Other than that the book is decent. My favorite character is the luggage
Rating:
Summary: Humor and magic
Review: "The Light Fantastic," the second book in the Discworld series, starts where the first book left off, almost to the second. Bumbling wizard college dropout Rincewind, along with his tourist companion Twoflower, get a reprieve from their fall through the void of space. In the meanwhile, Discworld is moving steadily towards collision with an ominous red star that threatens the existence of life, the universe, and everything. Only the eight great magic spells can save the world, and since one of those spells is lodged in Rincewind's mind, he reluctantly must play an important role in the race to save Discworld. Even funnier than the first in the series, this book introduces Cohen the barbarian, a geriatric anti-Rambo hero who is far fiercer than he looks. The reader is treated to the Keystone Kops antics of the senior wizards as they try to track down Rincewind and save the universe. There is a hilarious scene where Twoflower teaches Death how to play bridge. The story is full of gnomes, dwarves, trolls, and talking trees, as well as a gingerbread cottage. The reader is enlightened on the power of persuasion and the danger of flowery metaphors, and even gets a peek into the mind of the great turtle A'Tuin to learn its current destination. Slapstick, parody, biting satire, word play, and philosophy are all here to enjoy. The plot is neatly tied up at the end, so at this point you can move forward to another book in the wizardry series, or switch to one of the other Discworld tracks. But in either case, there is much more to explore in the wacky and magical world of Terry Pratchett. Eileen Rieback
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not as good as the Color of Magic.
Review: This is the second book in the chronological world of Discworld and also the second book about Rincewind, Twoflower, and Luggage. The first book leaves a cliffhanger and The Light Fantastic gets straight into it. The idea for it is awesome, but there is no satisfaction. No answer to how the problem is solved. It is just solved. It kind of leaves you saying to yourself "What Happened?" Then everyone is happy and it is over. All in all not a bad book, but read another Rincewind Novel if possible. (Color of Magic, Interesting Times, Sourcery, Eric, The Last Continent)
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.
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