Sourcery
by Terry Pratchett

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Book Reviews of Sourcery

Book Review: Magic from the Source
Summary: 2 Stars

While I give Sourcery two stars, it is a better book than Equal Rites, the only other Discworld book that I gave two stars to. It's much more like 2.75 stars, if that were possible. This is for three reasons: The Librarian, Nijel the hero in training, and Conina, the thief who finds Rincewind. The Librarian is an ape who used to be a human wizard, until a magical accident lost in history turned him into an ape. He found that he likes it better as an ape, and has refused any attempts to turn him back. When Coin comes to take over, the Librarian must safeguard all of the magical texts in the University before Coin can destroy them. It's amazing how much characterization that Pratchett can give him when the only thing he can say is "Oook." However, his actions give him a certain nobility. He safeguards the Patrician of the city when Coin turns him into a lizard. While he's barricaded himself in with his books, he's not above showing Rincewind what he needs to do in order to save everything.

Conina and Nijel are the other two saving graces. Pratchett does great things with his characterization of these two. Conina is a thief and warrior who wants to hide her lineage and just be a hairdresser. However, the fantasy conventions of her profession are too powerful for her. When she's surrounded, she can't bring herself to surrender, no matter how much she wants to. Instead, she must kick some tail. She's very dismissive of Rincewind when she finds out how incompetent he is, but she still feels responsible for him and helps him out whenever she can. Nijel is young warrior still getting his feet wet in this hero business. He has read the manual, but he doesn't have much practical experience. When things start to get out of hand, he always retreats to what the book says. His naivete is very touching at times, and very funny at other times.

The only bad thing about the two of them, and this brings to mind the first problem in the book, is the "romance" that starts between them. Conina finds herself drawn to Nijel, and Nijel to her. In Nijel's case, it's obviously a bit of the warrior convention: the hero gets the girl, who falls all over him. However, it doesn't fit Conina's characterization at all, and the scenes where they make eyes at each other just seem too unbelievable. Then Pratchett seems to dismiss the whole thing, having Conina make a couple of harsh comments to Nijel. Finally, at the end, it comes back again, out of the blue. It feels completely arbitrary.

The characterization of the rest of the cast is almost as bad. None of the other characters are really developed. Coin and the wizards fulfill their roles, but that's about it. The wizards are scheming back-biters, but that's the extent of their characters for the most part. The Sariph of Al Khali is fairly one-note as well, playing the stereotypical Sultan of Arabia with harem who, while he compliments women extensively, is only interested in them telling him stories. He's not very interesting, and I didn't find him very funny. Every time there's a woman present, he finds himself making lavish compliments ("Has anyone told you that your neck is as a tower of ivory.") He drinks a lot. But that's about it. There is a genie who is amusing at times ("Let's do lunch!"), but he starts to wear thin as well after awhile. Rincewind is just Rincewind, a coward who ends up doing the job despite himself. I have never really cared for him that much (with the exception of The Last Continent) because I don't find him that funny. And the intelligent luggage is just annoying, and it doesn't do anything interesting in this book. It just takes up space.

Other characters are in the book just for the jokes they can provide, a failing that happens a lot with early Pratchett. The Four Horsemen are the best example. While the most prominent member is hilarious as always (Death, of course), the other three are there just for a long-running joke about being in a bar and forgetting what they're supposed to do. While it's amusing for a time, it starts to grate when Pratchett keeps coming back to them and the same thing occurs.

All in all, this book is one to skip unless you're a completist. It's too bad, too, because Rincewind as a concept is interesting. However, of the four Rincewind books I've read, only one has been any good. I'll be giving the other two a try, but I'm not holding my breath.

Summary of Sourcery

When last seen, the singularly inept wizard Rincewind had fallen off the edge of the world. Now magically, he's turned up again, and this time he's brought the Luggage.

But that's not all....

Once upon a time, there was an eighth son of an eighth son who was, of course, a wizard. As if that wasn't complicated enough, said wizard then had seven sons. And then he had an eighth son -- a wizard squared (that's all the math, really). Who of course, was a source of magic -- a sorcerer.

Literature & Fiction Books

• Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy