The Color of Magic
by Terry Pratchett
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Book Reviews of The Color of Magic
Book Review: A solid start to the series but the best is yet to come
Summary: 3 Stars
Ankh-Morpork is the greatest city on the Discworld - a flat planet carried through space on the back of four elephants standing astride a giant turtle - and has seen fire, flood, famine and even the odd barbarian invasion during its long history, but even it is unprepared for the arrival of a much more devastating threat: tourism. Twoflower is the first visitor to the city from the distant Agatean Empire, and is happy wandering around taking 'pictures' of the 'sights' with his magic box and soaking up the 'authentic' atmosphere. This behaviour in Ankh-Morpork would normally result in him having the lifespan of a mayfly confronted by a supernova, but luckily the wizard Rincewind has kindly 'volunteered' to be his guide and protector in return for not having his extremities removed by the city's Patrician, who is anxious to avoid insulting a foreign power with an army in the millions.
Unfortunately, Twoflower's attempts to introduce the concept of fire insurance to the hardy and creative business-owners of Ankh-Morpork results in an enforced flight from the burning metropolis and the beginning of a long and very strange journey across the Disc, taking in dragons, spaceships and the fabled temple of Bel-Shamharoth along the way. All the while the only spell that has ever managed to lodge itself in Rincewind's mind is very keen to get itself said, which could be a very bad idea indeed...
Published in 1983, The Colour of Magic was the fourth novel by Terry Pratchett. His debut book, The Carpet People (1971), had been a modest success, but The Dark Side of the Sun (1976) and Strata (1981) had both been remaindered and it looked possible that this might be Pratchett's last published novel unless it took off in a big way. It didn't look too original either, being a fantasy rewrite of Strata (which saw a spaceship from Earth discover a mysteriously flat planet and investigate it). Of course, it was a big success, buoyed by good reviews, and became an eventual bestseller. Pratchett wrote a direct sequel, The Light Fantastic, and then more books set in the same world with different casts of characters. As of this time of writing the Discworld series consists of thirty-six novels with the thirty-seventh due in a couple of months and Pratchett is the world's biggest-selling living fantasy author after J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. Not bad for such humble beginnings.
The Colour of Magic, as the first book in the series, of course shows the Discworld in a far more embryonic state than later books. The subtler, satirical streak that develops over the first half-dozen books or so is also missing. Instead, the novel is a much broader and somewhat more obvious pastiche of swords 'n' sorcery. The targets that Pratchett goes after are interesting as Rincewind and Twoflower encounter cultures and monsters that Lovecraft, Howard and Leiber would have found quite familiar.
For all its distance from the later Discworld books, The Colour of Magic is still an entertaining and funny book. Pratchett's previous two novels had funny elements, but had broadly been trying to be more serious, 'proper' SF books. The Colour of Magic is clearly written with more confidence and in a more relaxed style. Even today it still raises a smile, possibly as some of Pratchett's targets have come back into vogue (the Cthulu-esque section resonates a bit more these days, especially), and taken on its own merits the book is solidly entertaining. Pratchett's characterisation still needs some work and his interpretations here of Death and the Patrician are notably different from the later books, but it was from this seed that the author began his ascent to becoming one of the dominating forces of modern fantasy, and it still holds up.
The Colour of Magic (***) is a bit old-school, but still amusing and entertaining, much faster-paced than his later work but at the same time lacking some of the subtlety and intelligence of other books in the series. It is available now in the UK and USA. Sky One broadcast a television adaption of the book and its sequel, The Light Fantastic, last year, which is now available on DVD in the UK and USA and on Blu-Ray in the UK.
Book Review: Don't Judge the Series By Its Beginning
Summary: 3 Stars
The Color of Magic is the first in the extremely long and growing Discworld series. In the first novel, the central character is Rincewind, a failed wizard with a craven nature. Rincewind meets up with the Discworld's first tourist, an insurance salesman named Twoflower from a far-off continent. They pair up because Rincewind seems to be the only person in the city who can speak a common language with Twoflower. Together, they maneuver themselves through various situations, manipulated by the gods who sit above and move them like game pieces in some contest only they understand. And Twoflower's luggage, made of sapient pearwood, loyally follows along with them wherever they go.
Through this premise, they encounter a series of adventures that parody the fantasy genre. They run afoul of a dragonrider enclave, a reference to Anne McCaffrey's Pern series, and a fairly amusing one. There were a few other obvious tributes for veterans of the genre. Bravd and the Weasel were clear references to Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. Hrun the Barbarian is a standard Conan type. We are introduced to various aspects of the Discworld itself. The physics of the seasons of a flat world with an orbiting sun, and the terminology resulting from its nature, detailed in an early footnote, were interesting.
The problem with the story is that it's just a little ... dull. I did like the book, but not as much as the other Discworld books I've read. I'd read this one years ago, and the disappointment I'd felt in it after hearing so much about Discworld put me off reading any other Discworld books for a long time. But constant raving by the loyal fan base caused me to abandon my misgivings and read more of the seires. And I'm glad I did. But even after rereading the first one with a little more of the series under my belt, I decided it wasn't just a first impression. This is just not as good as some others in the series. The series can't be judged by its beginning.
This story was a little too much of a revolving door of other stories and characters. I'm not that fond of Rincewind, the main character in this one. He's not very interesting, and after a while I found him a little annoying. The tourist character, Twoflower, wasn't really consistent. Throughout most of the book, he's a sort of blissfully ignorant, cheery rube, blundering on protected from harm by his own inability to understand the danger he's in. But at a couple points in the book he becomes uncharacteristically angry or wise. Also the first time he's described, the writer says he has four eyes, but it's not really clear that this is because the person viewing him has never seen eyeglasses before. And also somehow Twoflower at some point becomes able to converse with people besides Rincewind without having a common language.
There are a few good funny lines in the book, but not enough to really say the book was funny cover to cover. There were a couple parts where I did really laugh out loud, but not enough to call this pure comedy. Pratchett is often called the "Douglas Adams of Fantasy," but I feel the comparison to Douglas Adams isn't really accurate. The sense of humor is vaguely similar, but The Hitchhiker series had something funny on almost every page, sometimes at the expense of the storytelling, which suffered a little bit with the side-conversations that went nowhere just for the sake of a laugh. For the most part, The Color of Magic was pure parody of the fantasy genre, and the humor is more subtle. Expecting a quotable "joke" as often as in the Hitchhiker series is bound to lead to a disappointment.
The other Discworld books I've read are better than this. Fortunately, one doesn't need to read all the books sequentially to get the most enjoyment out of the series. Although there are over 30 books already, there are several smaller subseries focusing on various characters. I'll probably skip all the ones that focus on Rincewind, but I plan to read several more in the series. If this is the first Discworld book you read, you may also be put off the series, but I assure you, it gets better.
Book Review: Behold the Discworld
Summary: 4 Stars
In The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett introduces us to the Discworld, a flat planet held aloft by four great elephants, all of which ride on the back of the cosmic turtle called Great A'Tuin as he (or possibly she) purposely plods through the universe toward his (or her) unknown Destination. Having read many of the Discworld novels, I was rather struck by the fact that so much of what was to come was incorporated into this original novel, not only in terms of the characters but also in terms of the unique geological, geographical, and meteorological characteristics of the most unique world in the multiverse, from the grandeur of the Rimfall "close to the edge" to the singular city of Ankh-Morpork to the previously mythical Counterweight Continent. In terms of characterization, which is one of Pratchett's most gifted abilities, many of the individuals we encounter here are easily recognizable and described in the same exact terms in later novels. The humor, which is really what makes the Discworld series so wildly popular, is also here in great abundance. Pratchett can make something very funny with a mere word, deftly structuring sentences in a seemingly simple yet utterly brilliant way that few writers can match even on their best days. This book isn't as funny as most of the Discworld books that followed, but it can still make you laugh out loud at any given moment. One thing this book does lack, in comparison with its younger Discworld brethren, is Pratchett's brilliant and heavy use of satire. It may be wrong of me to judge this novel in comparison with other Discworld novels, but I certainly think the absence of constantly biting satire explains why this book is only incredibly funny rather than downright hilarious.In terms of characters, we meet many important denizens of the Discworld. First and foremost among these is Rincewind, the most inept wizard ever to walk the halls of Unseen University. He is not even very good at failing, which says a lot in itself, but he somehow keeps managing to elude Death, which is fortunate because his attempts to stay out of trouble virtually always backfire to land him in hot water. Rincewind is a fairly taciturn individual, living his life for the sole purpose of not dying. Thus, when he finds himself serving as a tour guide of sorts to Twoflower, Discworld's first tourist, a man who finds enjoyment in the most precarious situations for no other reason than his belief that no harm will come to a tourist, he is in for a hard time indeed. Of course, he is helped as well as hindered by the Luggage of Twoflower. The Luggage is made of sapient pearwood, which means it will follow its master anywhere (and I do mean anywhere), employing a multitude of little feet for its transportation and unhesitatingly attacking any one who gets in its way. The novel basically relates four adventures of this unlikely trio of characters, taking us from Ankh-Morpork to the temple of Bel-Shamharoth, the hideous Sender of Eight, to the inverted mountain Wyrmberg where dragons exist (well, sort of anyway) and finally to the land of Krull right on the edge of the disc. Along the way, we are introduced to such wonderful characters as the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Hrun the Barbarian, and Tethis the water troll.
It is difficult to describe Pratchett's humor; it is simple yet complex, sarcastic yet meaningful, flippant yet philosophical, and often deviously subtle. Certainly, there will be some who don't "get" Pratchett or who honestly do not find him amusing in the least--such poor souls are to be pitied. Pratchett's popularity is ample proof of the fact that most people who pick up one of his books do find it highly amusing. The Colour of Magic isn't Pratchett's best work, but it sets a beautiful table for the huge buffet of laughs and joy to come from the Discworld books that would follow it.
Book Review: Light but deep
Summary: 4 Stars
The Colour of Magic is the first book in one of the most famous fantasy series ever. Discworld is to fantasy what The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy is to science fiction. Both Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams practice the witty variety of British humour that so many have come to adore, though each has his own idiosincrasies, and the similarities actually end right there. Comparing Pratchett to Adams is a mistake many have made, and will probably continue to. But the fact is they're both British and write comedy, that's all they have in common.
The series is comprised of a couple dozen books revolving around Discworld and its inhabitants. I won't go into details about the planet Discworld itself, since others have already gone on about that lengthly. I'll just add that, even though the book is only a hint of what was coming next, and Pratchett himself has admitted he had no idea what would actually come next, it is already a delightful journey into Pratchett's mind.
The characters are memorable, and even though the plot is at times a little confusing, you still get drawn helplessly into the story. The book is composed of four "chapters" that could to some extent stand alone as "long" short stories or short novelettes. So it's more of a collection of stories than a flowing novel in that sense. Still it's very much enjoyable on account of Pratchett's utter genius to create remarkable characters and interesting worlds.
There's Rincewind, the cowardly wizard who only knows one spell; there's Twoflower, the naïve tourist who came from afar to see first-hand the thieves, and warriors and wizards he's read so much about; there's the luggage, a magical piece of wood turned into a suitcase that will defend its owner and master to death; there's an upside mountain where dragons appear out of thin air from one's imagination; there's Death chasing after the cowardly wizard and always missing him by very little; there's the water troll who guards the borders of Discworld and fishes all kinds of drift material, including castaways; the list goes on and on.
There's something for everyone, as long as you're open to a little silliness. Pratchett's humour is very subtle at times, and there's often a deeper meaning behind his seemingly casual observations, if you care to look into it. Not to be missed at all, and there's plenty to choose from, since most of the books in the series can be read without knowledge of the others, and each book has a main character, some are about Rincewind, some about the witches. You'll see if you give it a try.
Don't forget to try other works by Pratchett, like the Nome trilogy, Good Omens (his collaboration with Neil Gaiman), and even his young adult works, like The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents and The Carpet People.
Book Review: Not quite what I expected after reading Adams.
Summary: 3 Stars
To many people, Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett are nearly synonymous. They're both great humorists and write some terrific satire, so the comparisons between the two seem pretty inevitable. My favorite books of all time are those in the Hitchhiker Trilogy by Douglas Adams, and after hearing so much about Pratchett and his much-praised series, Discworld, I thought I'd give it a shot. While I can see how Adams and Pratchett are parallels in many respects, I just didn't think this book had as much charm as Adams' works.As a twist of originality, the Discworld series doesn't follow one or two characters around... It focuses more on the world, telling the tales of its inhabitants. It's a pretty awkward change for most people, and it's quite a bold move on the part of the author, but I'm afraid it just didn't captivate me like I had hoped. I found myself unable to connect to most of the characters... Possibly because they weren't described well enough, possibly because they didn't express enough character to keep me excited, or maybe because Pratchett spent so much darn time talking about everything BUT the characters.
Pratchett's humor isn't quite what I had expected after reading -- and getting used to -- Adams' style. Admittedly, they're both quite similar, but I've found that Pratchett uses a lot of techniques that may be more favorable to English readers, whereas I'm just a lowly American looking for a good laugh. I got the jokes and puns he was making, but I found myself thinking they were pretty dry... Or sometimes I would recognize him trying to throw a punchline in, but it just didn't work on me. I was hoping Pratchett would get me to pause reading because I was laughing so much... But in the end, I wanted to stop reading, period.
The book has its flaws, and I'm sorry for spending so much time dwelling on them, but it also has its better points. The cities that are described, the locations that are visited, and the world of Discworld is all made quite clear to the reader. It's abnormal, and usually quite silly, but Discworld really comes alive in your mind. You soon realize that there's certainly no shortage of adventures in this flat universe, and Pratchett obviously saw the same thing or he wouldn't have written 20+ about it.
If you can get into it, I'm sure you will enjoy this book heartily. There's a lot to love about it, but unfortunately, most of it didn't appeal to me. The book didn't quite attach itself to me like I had hoped it would, but I'm not letting Pratchett off the hook just yet. I'm currently in the middle of Good Omens, another of his books, and I'm really enjoying it. I also plan on reading another Discworld book in the near future, probably number eight. Here's hoping that Mr. Pratchett can make me eat my words.