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The Color of Magic

The Color of Magic

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I laugh so hard it hurt
Review: Look, if you are a fan of fantasy, then pick this book up. It will have you in stitches. This is where the whole Discworld series gets it start.
Pratchett is on par with Christopher Moore and Douglas Adams.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A so-so start to the discworld series
Review: In many a movie series or book series, the first installment tends to be a classic. With the colour of magic, it seems to me that Pratchett was still refining his writing chops and that this installment is inferior to his later discworld efforts.

Sure, The Colour of Magic introduces you to the nuances of the discworld, but the first half of the book is incredibly dull and pointless. I'm told the second book in this series is much better, maybe I'll check that one out next. An okay read, but for completists only. As discworld is not a continuous series, you can skip this one and explore one of his later, better efforts instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Colour Started it all...
Review: Since "discovering" the books on a trip to England about 12 years ago, I've been hooked. The Colour of Magic (English Spelling) is a refreshing, ironic twist on the common fantasy novel - and funny to boot.

On re-reading, I had to drop it to 4 stars, only because Terry Pratchett's newer works have raised the bar for writing in general.

One of the most famous fantasy series around, they are still fresh with 25+ books so far written. Enjoyable, enigmatic, you even have to think occasionally.

Cheers,

BilFish

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: the first Discworld novel shows the promise of the series
Review: The Color of Magic is the first of 27 (at the moment) novels set in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Discworld is a strange world. On one hand, it reminds me of Piers Anthony's Xanth , but Pratchett's tone is more serious and the world is less childish than Xanth . They share the concept of taking ideas from the real world and twisting them into something else. Anthony twists real life things into puns, Pratchett twists them in order to satirize them. Pratchett is much more effective this way as a writer. After reading countless reviews that make mention of Discworld, I finally decided to start the series. I began with the understanding that it is the later books that are best, as Pratchett had not yet hit his stride with the humor. That's fine, I knew what I was coming up against. Sort of.

Pratchett doesn't just take aspects of the real world and twist them, he twists much of the rules of conventional fantasy. Everything is a farce, even as he tells a story. At times, I wasn't sure what the plot was, but everything was interesting. During much of the story, I found things mildly amusing, and on several occasions I found something funny. Nothing to compare to what I've heard about later books.

The plot follows a failed wizard named Rincewind as he acts as a tour guide for Discworld's first tourist, Twoflower. Twoflower is somewhat of a bumpkin and Rincewind has incredibly bad luck, so along with luggage that follows them around, they end up in predicament after predicament. To attempt to detail the plot out would be folly as it would make no sense to anyone who hasn't yet read a Discworld novel.

While not quite as good as I had hoped, it is enough to keep me reading a few more novels in the Discworld to see if things are really as good as everyone seems to say.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Maybe the Hippest Book Ever...
Review: There are only so many different ways that we reviewers can tell you, the potential buyers, how great a book or series is. I remember, back in the day...several monthes ago...when I was the potential buyer reading reviews, and I thought to myself, "Self, you're cool, you've got a pretty good sense of humor, and you're at least...moderatly...intelligent. Can all of these glowing reviews be serious?" Yes they are. It is now just under half a year since I bought The Color of Magic, I recently finished the 25th book in the series, and Pratchett still manages to hold my attention.

What's so great about Pratchett? It is not that he is simply funny; he's smart. Most of his humor is, too. Pratchett does not insult the intelligence of his audience by explaining his humor. He assumes that you are going to get it, and he also assumes that you are going to understand any allusions he uses to make his books amusing. (i.e. Gormenghast, Faust, any Shakespearean play...) His footnotes are more like short stories than references.

Long story short: Pratchett is amazing, funny, smart, cool, entertaining, engaging,...er...a...ma..mammal,...and...ah...british. Anyway, see what we are all gushing about, try a Pratchett book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Amusing and above average, but not stellar
Review: Rincewind the (mostly) failed wizard is forced into a series of adventures with an insurance risk assessor "tourist" named Twoflower. Along for the ride is Twoflower's sentient, mobile, and ferocious luggage.

I'd heard many good things about the Pratchett's Discworld books, and so decided to start the series with the first published book. It wasn't quite what I expected. Don't get me wrong, Pratchett is a very good writer, but this book didn't reach out and grab me like I thought it would. Perhaps I'd read too much about how funny the Discworld books are. This one had a number of chuckles (some laugh out loud) but generally read more as consistently amusing than roll-on-the floor funny. Most of the fun comes from the interaction between Rincewind's pathetic, survivalist instincts, and Twoflower's tourist mindset. Pratchett also pokes fun at various fantasy clichés -- the magic sword, the brave hero, and the gods, to name a few. The main problem with "The Color of Magic" is that much of the story wasn't funny or unique enough to push it above the level of ordinary good fantasy.

I can see lots of potential in Pratchett's writing so I'll definitely read more of the Discworld series. It often takes authors a few books before they hit their stride and I suspect that this is the case for Pratchett.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The birth of one of the best parodies around...
Review: Discworld is a great imaginative world which pokes fun at sci-fi novels and everything around, and it all starts here. In the first book Rincewind is drawn by Fate to lead an eager tourist and inn-sewer-ants salesman, Twoflowers, around his home of Anhk-Morpork. However, as usual to Rincewind's luck, they find themeselves in a little trouble and end up in most crazy situations such as flying dragons, soul-eaters, and even the risk of falling of the planet.
This is an insane parody, and the only science fiction I read, that launched the incredable world and undenible humor from the mind of Terry Prachett. My particular favourite scene is where Rincewind ends up "inside a dragon"... or so he thinks...
My only gripe with this novel is that this version has abandoned the beautifully painted front cover illustrated by the late Josh Kirby; instead utilizing the horrible cover you see above you so it loses a mark. Try to find the Discworld novels with Kirby's artwork on them, some of his work is just as compelling as the actual stories are.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but not what I was lead to belive
Review: It was not what I was lead to belive it was, he is not like Dougles Adams, but that is not a bad thing, this is a good book and enjoyable, I have from this book go to read another one, and will read a 3rd one later..

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The first book in a fantastic series
Review: If you want to see where it all begins, here it is. We get introduced to Discworld and it's essential "flavor" I have the entire series and would give it 7 stars if the rating went that high.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting Beginning
Review: I admit that I did not read this series in order. Fortunately, I started with #8 Guards, Guards! which is a first book for Pratchett's City Watch series. The Color of Magic, though not among the best, is still good - a necessary introduction to the Discworld. This is where I first met Rincewind and the Luggage. I have not read the later book about Agatea, Twoflower's country of birth, but I can't wait to see what life is like there.


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