Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: Adventure. Fantasy. Humor. Those are the key words that come to mind when thinking of _The Color of Magic_ by Terry Pratchett. This book starts off with the meeting of Rincewind and Twoflower. Rincewind is a failed wizard who lives in the big city of Ankh-Morpork, he is scruffy, skinny, and pessimistic. Twoflower is a tourist, the Discworld's first and only. He has glasses, is rich,an insurance salesman, and incredibly naive. He also has a camera and magical luggage, which are extremely rare in this fantasy world. They meet up and through a series blunders they end up burning most of Ankh-Morpork down, but that happens a lot. Through their travels they ecounter such characters as Hrun the Barbarian and his talking sword. They find dragons, that only exist if you believe in them, they are held hostage in a mountain palace, they fight tree people, they fight ancient beasts in ancient temples, they go to the edge of the Disc (and fall off), encounter some seriously crackpot scientists, and more. All of this is seriously intriguing adventure, mixed with an equal amount of humor. Think Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but funnier and with more action. This is the first book of about two dozen set in Discworld. Discworld is a Disc of land, hundreds of miles across, that rides on the backs of four giant elephants which stand atop a giant space turtle that's bigger than the Disc, Great A'tuin (sex unkown, that stumpls Disc philosophers everywhere). They also don't know where the Turtle is leading. The second book in the series is _The Light Fantastic_, which continues where TCOM left off. Here we are back with Rincewind and Twoflower and the Luggage, and back at hilarious adventures. The Light Fantastic is funnier than TCOM because you've already been introduced to the characters and to Discworld, so there's more focus on adventure and humor. These books are cheap and joyfully read, enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An addiction that leaves you wondering whats in the ink.
Review: New to the Disc? Well you've come to the right place. This is the beginning of a world that will take you to far away places (most of which are lethal to foreigners), introduce you to the disc's most colorful inhabitants (at least the ones with the highest survival rate), and wrap you in the octrane glow of Discworld magic (which has a tendency to do what it wants to who it wants). The Color of Magic starts you on that road. Enter Rincewind see how brave, see how daring, see the reluctance overcoming the former two? Rincewind is a wizard of sorts who finds himself thrown by Fate (and Several Other Gods) into the company of Twoflower the Discs first tourist. Choas and high adventure insue propelling the two from one part of the Disc to the next leaving havoc and ruin in their wake. If your feeling left out of something special that to date you only heard dark whisperings about then heres the key, Discworlds the gate and its only one way.
Rating:
Summary: A modern classic
Review: I always feel a little upset when an author that I thought of as my own personal discovery suddenly makes it big and becomes a best-seller. Often (eg Patricia Cornwell) it is a prelude to disaster for the books and characters you have come to love. Thankfully, Pratchett has only gotten better since he rocketed to stardom. As a British paper's headline read in 1999 about (I think) the Booker Prize, "just give Pratchett the award and be done with it".Terry Pratchett is an amazing man. He is phenomenally funny. In person (if you can ever see him give a speech, go -- he had the Oxford Union in stitches); via computer (he used to lurk on alt.fan.pratchett and write hilarious comments under his own name, gracefully accept adulation, answer questions (cf Robert Jordan!!), engage in discussions and accept input(!)); and, most importantly, on paper. Simply put, the Discworld is one of the best humurous series ever written. It's not because of the milieu (fantasy) or the slapstick/satire in the books. It's because Pratchett has such a great insight into human nature: his humour comes from putting believable people with familiar traits in outrageous situations, and watching their reaction. His puns, wordplay and accurate satire of society are only icing on the cake. The Colour of Magic sets this in motion with perhaps the most beloved wizard in fiction apart from Harry Potter - Rincewind, an inept, bungling, proudly cowardly almost-failed wizard who bumbles his way into and out of all sorts of danger. Although Pratchett's style is slightly rawer in his first couple of books (in my opinion, reaching full maturity around "Small Gods") he is still outrageously funny and already possesses his scythingly accurate view of people and society. If you read this book you will be in grave danger of getting hooked on the most addictively and uproariously funny series ever. Don't worry, it's well worth the ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than most, but not the pinnacle
Review: The comparisons Pratchett receives to Douglas Adams are what drew me to the books. After reading the first in the series, I must admit that it was a nice, often humorous read. However, Adams is still the king of satire in a spec-fic world. I plan to read on in Pratchett's series to see if he can sustain creativity and freshness. One thought that came to me often as I read is that the truer comparison is to Piers Anthony's Xanth novels. In these, like Pratchett, he pokes fun at the world we live in with the suspicious parallels in the books. I checked the dates and realized, not surprisingly, that both series found their genesis at around the same time. I hope that Pratchett's works avoid the pitfall that drove me away from the Xanth novels years ago - Anthony has a distinct tendency to retread old ground in his novels. I say this in the sense of the same elements - each novel has puzzles that the adventurer(s) must navigate to get to the wizard, etc. Not so much the same exact things happening over and over, but a certain formulaic groove. The humor in Pratchett's first book is smarter and less obvious than that of Xanth, so I am hopeful.
Rating:
Summary: Where Discworld Begins
Review: Originally published in 1983, "The Color of Magic" begins one of the most popular (the author's books account for a little over 1% of all book sales in Great Britain!), prolific and unique series to be found in any genre. While it has its precedents, perhaps, in the short stories of Fritz Leiber (in the opening to this book Pratchett pays homage to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser with his characters Bravd and the Weasel), and Pratchett's style of humor has been admirably imitated in works such as Steven Brust's tales of Vlad Taltos, Pratchett remains the master of fantastic satire, punning and poking fun at fantasy as well as the society that has spawned it. Had the cast of Monty Python chosen to write fiction, it is likely work such as this would have sprung from their endeavors. And I suspect there are many who read Pratchett that touch no other fantasy. While replete with the delightful and bumbling cast of characters and imaginative, often perverse circumstances that typify and enrich Pratchett's later work, this novel nonetheless lacks the focus of much of the author's best stories, essentially a rather rambling and loosely constructed saga comprising four separate tales, patched together by the shared setting of Discworld and the characters of Rincewind, Twoflowers and the inimitable Luggage. Because of this, despite its uproarious moments of humor, it is not entirely successful. However, it is our introduction to Discworld and The Great A'tuin, Unseen University and the precincts and denizens of Ankh-Morpork, with its guilds of assassins and thieves, and so many other settings and characters that are so memorably evolved in the later books that one would be bereft were one not to begin the Discworld series here. Even with the loose composition and shifting, often abrupt turn of events, the rich humor and satiric moments that enliven and punctuate all of Pratchett's prose are in ample evidence here, foreshadowing the gems that are to follow. And, compared to the vast waste of ordinary, commonplace fantasy published each year, any work by Pratchett is certain to shine out like a star lighting the night. Don't fail to read this: you're in for some real fun!
Rating:
Summary: A Kickstart for the Discworld novels!
Review: Well, Terry Pratchett couldn't have started a series better than with his first novel "The Colour of Magic". The atmosphere of the story is so convincingly explained through the first couple of pages. The stories of the Discworld are set in a dome shaped world on the back of a giant turtle (Great A Tuin), it is here where all the action of the story takes place. Follow Rincewind and Twoflower as they journey through thick and thin, trying to make use of themselves but ending up in all sorts of bizarre difficulties. Terry Pratchett must be the first fantasy writer EVER to create such an amusing story whilst also keeping the idea of "another world".
Rating:
Summary: History of Humour
Review: This poor book has been badly insulted by a number of latter-day Terry Pratchett fans such as myself, people who must shamefacedly admit that we began the Discworld series in the middle with "Small Gods" because of the shiny turtle on its cover. But "Color of Magic," the first book in the series, does not deserve such disdain. For the yet untutored fan, "Color" is a great starting point to learn about the Discworld. The book is short, using most of its plot to describe the geography of the Disc and to introduce the earliest hero of the series, a cowardly and untalented wizard named Rincewhind. He's a thaumaturgical flop, but a comedic king. Most of the Discworld novels are complex satires of our own world. "Color" begins, though, as a straight spoof of the fantasy genre. It isn't even a complete tale without the following novel, "The Light Fantastic." But it's the first bright grain of sand in the vast, murkey Nothing. Pratchett's own imagination was already birthing such wildly beautiful concepts as intelligent luggage and working classed pixies. Slightly philosophical police already skulk through the fans' beloved city of Ankh-Morpork and try not to be noticed by any criminals. This book stands well enough on its own merit. It is a fun, Saturday afternoon romp that lets folks laugh at the "in" jokes of the fantasy genre. Non-Discphiles can file it next to "Bimbos of the Death Sun" by Sharyn McCrumb or "Bored Of the Rings" by Henry Beard and Douglas Kenney. Pratchett fans can tell themselves that the author has done better. Sure he has. The next book was better, and the one after that was jaw-dropping, and the next was eye-popping ... so don't knock "Color of Magic" until you've grokked it. If you really must be dazzled, go find the book with the shiny turtle on it.
Rating:
Summary: A fine mess
Review: In the prologue to chapter two, Pratchett writes a description of his fictional world that doubles as an interesting piece of self-analysis: "The discworld offers sights far more impressive than those found in universes built by Creators with less imagination but more mechanical aptitude." I couldn't agree more. To begin with, there is something extremely beautiful and awe-inspiring in the construction of the world itself: a giant terrestrial disc, perched upon the backs of four giant elephants, perched upon the back of an even more giant interstellar and androgynous turtle. From the get go, we know that our author-guide is blessed with a prodigious imagination. And his characters are fascinating; they are quirky in the best of ways. Rincewind, the failed wizard with one spell that even he doesn't know the effect of, is a curmudgeon of the highest order. But bless his heart, his will to live is extraordinary. He is paired with a wealthy tourist named Twoflower, who possesses a wide-eyed innocence perfect for leading our introduction to this made-up world. These two, along with Twoflower's Luggage (a chest made of "sapient pearwood" with dozens of determined legs -- ha-ha!), are a great 'Laurel and Hardy'-style duo ("That's another fine mess you got me into," says Rincewind at one point). They are comic and bumbling, with a lovable chemistry. The story, as some others have said, is less than focused. There are some sparkling scenes, but the overall narrative is rather flimsy. That's fine seeing as this is the first book in the series, and exposition should take precedence over story. But things do get confusing at times. Regardless, it is a fun ride. I've got the next two books sitting on top of my reading pile, and I can't wait to get at them.
Rating:
Summary: Wow nothing better
Review: This certainly is a book you'll want to read (even if your not asci-fi fan) I'm 12 and really thought I was in over my head withsentences such as Great a tuin the turtle comes, swimming slowlythrough the interstellar gulf, hydrogen frost on his ponderous limbsetc. But that was only the introduction. this was the first book I'veread in the series I've also read the second the light fantastic thatone was even better. I've now come to realise that the whole seriesdoes not involve the same characters as we said goodbye to rincewindTwoflower and the luggage. This book is hilarious for example (in thebook only death can claim your soul but his messangers can only killyou)in one part a dead man was sitting in his castle (I think i'm notloking at the text)saying it appears death is not in the neighbourhoodso and the suddenly death arose from behind him rolled his soul into aball of light and swallowed it. Very funny anyone whos looking for abook this is one i can recomend. Thank you Terry Pratchett
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly funny
Review: This is the first book of the Discworld series. I have read other Discworld books, but I think this one is still the best. The setting is (try guessing) the magical Discworld (carried on the backs of four elephants, which themself walk on the Great A'Tuin, the turtle that carries the whole disc world). The characters are very funny (I don't think they'd remind you of anyone you know, but so what?). Rincewind, the magician that knows only one spell and is afraid to say it, Twoflower, the first (and probably last) tourist on the disc, also an insurance (in-sewer-ants), agent, and the Luggage, a box made of sapient pearwood, the rarest tree on the disc, ready to eat anything (especially people who do bad things to his owner, Twoflower). The book is so interesting, you are not gonna be able to stop reading until you've come to the last page.
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