
'The Colour of Magic' by Terry Pratchett is the first book in the Discworld series, introducing readers to the adventures of Twoflower, the Disc's first tourist, and Rincewind, a failed wizard who becomes his guide. The book is a humorous and whimsical fantasy satire that cleverly turns fantasy tropes on their heads, featuring a variety of eccentric characters and imaginative situations. The writing style of Terry Pratchett is described as witty, clever, and full of clever wordplay that creates a detailed and fantastical world for readers to explore.
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From The Publisher:
'His spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday
NAMED AS ONE OF THE BBC'S 100 MOST INSPIRING NOVELS
The Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .
In the beginning there was…a turtle.
Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place which might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different.
Particularly as it's carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules.
But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc's very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world's first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land.
Unfortunately, the person charged with maintaining that survival in the face of robbers, mercenaries and, well, Death, is a spectacularly inept wizard…
The Discworld novels can be read in any order but The Colour of Magic is the first book in the Wizards series.
Ratings (375)
Incredible (51) | |
Loved It (129) | |
Liked It (118) | |
It Was OK (51) | |
Did Not Like (23) | |
Hated It (3) |
Reader Stats (932):
Read It (380) | |
Currently Reading (9) | |
Want To Read (370) | |
Did Not Finish (26) | |
Not Interested (147) |
7 comment(s)
While I do not hate this book, I do not love it either.
English humor is fun and enjoyable at times, but this book is like a strange drug indused dream with the mixture of fantasy and 'our world'.
There is nothing wrong with the story-telling nor the characters, it is just a bit too 'out there' for my liking. I will give the rest of the series a pass at this time.
I liked the idea of the story. I think it for me it caused me anxiety and frustration.
I will definitely not recommend this to anyone who is new to Discworld. I have read almost all the other series in Discworld and I was craving for some Pratchett comfort reading, so I decided to pick this up. As almost everyone agrees including the author it is definitely not his best work, but if one sets their expectations right they can still enjoy this book. The transitions are very jarring and confusing, so I would suggest treating each chapter as a separate short story.
Also I finally managed to get the collector's library edition for this. Yaaay :D
I hate this book
This was an interesting fantasy world where it’s a world disk balanced on three elephants and a turtle.
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I just picked it on a whim because people said Terry Pratchett’s books are great. It makes sense his first novels are the weakest, I was lost at times in this novel because it would swap POVs at the drop of a hat and back. The world building is interesting where Rincewind is a failed Mozart who only knows one spell and tasked to follow the enthusiastic tourist, Twoflower. The dynamic is fun even if the connective tissue tying the story together is scrambled.
It is entertaining and worth it if you’re familiar with a lot of standard fantasy tropes and want to have a laugh. Hitchhiker’s Guide for the fantasy set.
Light-hearted, sort of like a fantasy version of Hitchhiker's Guide. Fairly short read. The series starts getting good with book # 3
About the Author:
Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal, as well as being awarded a knighthood for services to literature. He died in March 2015. terrypratchettbooks.com
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