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The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2)

by Terry Pratchett

3.79 · rating details · 19,929 ratings · 514 reviews

In The Light Fantastic only one individual can save the world from a disastrous collision. Unfortunately, the hero happens to be the singularly inept wizard Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the world...

Mass Market Paperbound, 272 pages

Published February 2nd 2000 by HarperTorch (first published 1986)

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Dec 06, 2007

Qt rated it

Shelves: humor, science-fiction, fantasy

I liked this one even more than the first book of the series! I thought it was hilarious, and I found the storyline easier to follow.
There were a couple times where I was a bit confused, but I really enjoyed it and thought it was funny and exciting, with a thrilling ending.

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Jan 15, 2012

Jasmine rated it

Shelves: british, box-4

Open confession for the first half of this book I was asking myself why I was reading, to which I could only respond I liked the other one. A lot of this book feels extremely shallow. Not I'm so pretty and my hair smells terrific shallow of course. I believe that a book should somehow challenge and expand you. I didn't clearly get that from the first chunk of this book. That is what I mean by shallow.

The last half of the book once things start happening is very entertaining. I have ...more

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Aug 01, 2008

Jamie rated it

I'm pretty sure people have told me about Pratchett and his Diskworld series before, usually working in the phrase "He's the Douglas Adams of fantasy" into the description. But the problem was that I always felt that I had had enough of Adams after the third Hithiker's Guide to the Galaxy book, and whenever I scanned Pratchett's section in the bookstore I was immediately put off by not knowing where to start reading among the approximately five hundred thousand Diskworld books. I'm gla...moreI'm pretty sure people have told me about Pratchett and his Diskworld series before, usually working in the phrase "He's the Douglas Adams of fantasy" into the description. But the problem was that I always felt that I had had enough of Adams after the third Hithiker's Guide to the Galaxy book, and whenever I scanned Pratchett's section in the bookstore I was immediately put off by not knowing where to start reading among the approximately five hundred thousand Diskworld books. I'm glad I finally took the time to find out that these two books, The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, jointly comprise the first tale in the series, and that they were definitely worth reading.

The Diskworld books are essentially satire of the high fantasy genre, or at least that's the foundation upon which everything else is built. This pair of books follows the misadventures of Rincewind, a utterly inept and thoroughly cowardly wizard, and Twoflowers, a clueless traveler who happens to be in possession of both endless optimism and a magical suitcase that's always wandering off and messily devouring people who get in its way. Things go from bad to worse for the two as divine powers both deliver them into and yank them out of all kinds of fantastic perils.

As someone who grew up reading plenty of this kind of thing and playing a lot of Dungeons& Dragons, I'm familiar enough with the genre and trappings that Pratchett lampoons. Yes, there's the Conan parody, there's the Dragonriders of Pern tribute, there's the in-joke about Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. But that's easy. The thing that made me almost immediately fall in love with these books is the author's dry wit and his ability to derive humor not only from the absurdity of the story (and believe me, it gets plenty absurd) but also from just good old fashioned turns of phrase, wry commentary, and jokes. The guy just has an amazing ability to stuff five or six jokes into a single sentence, most of them making masterful use of that trusty standby of British humor, irony. It's really smart and really funny, and the fact that it builds on the inherent silliness of the high fantasy genre is just icing.

I should also note how imaginative Pratchett is, which is a useful quality given his subject matter. He bounces his heroes from one (generally horrible and dangerous) situation to another at a frantic pace, and his ability to come up with new material and new situations amazes me. And while many of them are obvious parodies of fantasy staples, just as many seem to be wholly new creations. As one small (and obligatory) example, the Diskworld itself is a flat coin of a world that rides atop four enormous elephants, who themselves ride on the back of a colossal turtle with two continent-sized flippers that it uses to swim slowly through the cold reaches of space.

But at the same time, if I have one complaint about these first two books, it's that they're almost maniacal in their plotting. While it's nice to see Pratchett's considerable imagination and humor on display as we go from situation to situation, the first book reads like an extended doodle with little plot and a whole "gods playing games with mortals" subtext that's entirely dropped in the next book. There's also one Conan the Barbarian parody that's abruptly dropped in favor of another Conan the Barbarian parody who Pratchett apparently liked better. It's not until the latter part of the second book does an overall plot come into play, but honestly I was enjoying myself so much I really didn't mind. Expect to see lots more Discworld books reviewed here in the future. (less)

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Jul 28, 2008

Jeff Straub rated it

· review of another edition

Terry Prarchett is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Not only are the stories rich, funny, and enjoyable, but the format of the storytelling itself adds a whole separate dimension to the books. Pratchett clearly has an incredible understanding of, and love affair with, the English language, and that makes me not want to put these books down.

From spending two pages arguing with the reader about why the female barbarian does not wear impractical sexy barbarian clothes, to ...more

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Jun 08, 2008

Mark rated it

Shelves: recentlyread

Second in the Discworld series, which I think is at 36 books now. So get reading! We continue the saga of Rincewind and Twoflower, the hapless duo who must once again save the world. Pratchett subtly satirizes everything in our “real” world but very unsubtly sends up all things “swords-and-sorcery,” the fantasy, myth, sci-fi universe. To give a sample of TP doing his thing, here’s a passage describing a character perhaps familiar to fans of such genres or Frank Frazetta illustrations:

...more

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Mar 22, 2008

Chris Gottlieb added it · review of another edition

Don't offend any Druids: This is the second Discworld novel, following the story of Rincewind the inept "Wizzard" and Twoflower, the Disc's first (and last) tourist. All of the previous characters return in what is a genuinely funny sequel.

I do not read these books in order, I admit that, and the style of writing has changed somewhat with the newer books like "Going Postal" and "Thud!" but the earlier books are without doubt, extremely funny.

I won't ruin it for ...more

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Feb 05, 2008

Bonnie Gayle rated it

Shelves: reviewed, library-books, fantasy-sf, series-in-progress

This is the second Discworld book, and I found it just as funny as the first, with perhaps a more straightforward plot, which I appreciated. It's very much a continuation of the first book, so I would recommend reading that one before this.

Rincewind is back again, and the spell trapped in his head is the only thing that can keep the world from coming to a flaming explosive end at the hands of a giant red hot comet that is getting closer and closer to the Discworld.

The w...more

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Dec 19, 2011

Maurizio Vicedomini rated it

· review of another edition

Da: http://www.mauriziovicedomini.heliohost.org/2011/09/recensione-la-luce-fantastica-terry-pratchett/

Ed eccoci al secondo romanzo di Pratchett, che da quanto ho capito è l'unico 'strettamente' legato a un altro (in questo caso Il Colore della Magia, recensito già).
Questa volta ci occupiamo de La Luce Fantastica, che ha ancora come protagonista il mago inetto Scuotivento, il turista improbabile Duefiori e, naturalmente, il bagaglio.

In questo romanzo si nota subito la differenza di stile, l'umori...more

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Jan 26, 2011

Melissa rated it

Shelves: fantasy, humor

After having read the first book (and not really enjoying it) I decided to keep plodding through as there had to be a reason so many people like Pratchett. While I was still less than impressed with this book, I did enjoy it more than I did the first. As much as I hate to suggest it, if you haven't read the Colour of Magic before this book, you should to get the background on the characters.

When we last left them Rincewind (the failed wizard) and Twoflower (tourist to the area) had bee...moreAfter having read the first book (and not really enjoying it) I decided to keep plodding through as there had to be a reason so many people like Pratchett. While I was still less than impressed with this book, I did enjoy it more than I did the first. As much as I hate to suggest it, if you haven't read the Colour of Magic before this book, you should to get the background on the characters.

When we last left them Rincewind (the failed wizard) and Twoflower (tourist to the area) had been escaping danger, falling a lot, and fighting off evil creatures; finally they are dropping off the end of the world when the book ends. One should note, Discworld is precisely that, a disc that is sitting on the backs of four elephants which in turn are standing on a giant turtle. So it is possible to fall off the edge.

So now they are suddenly restored to an upright position on the disc and safe. They don't know where they are, and the trees are talking, there's gnomes, and an edible house in which to shelter is right there for the eating. Rincewind is having trouble with the spell locked in his head, and that same spell has become interesting to the rest of the wizards in the world when a big star is headed straight for them. So now Rincewind has to help protect Twoflower from crazy star people, rogue bandits, trolls, and other dangers. All the while, he's in trouble himself.

The characters in this were a little better developed than in the others. Rincewind is lets face it, a kind of boring character despite the fact that he's the main character in these books. Twoflower is little better and somewhat annoying at times. The luggage, of course, being an animate object that doesn't talk is as interesting as it can get (at least it eats people). It was the minor characters that really stood out in this novel. Cohen the Barbarian, was well, awesome. Despite being old and barely able to talk, he was the man. The trolls and gnomes also had a lot of pizazz as well.

Pratchett's writing is very jumpy. He has a million things to say and tries to express them all in one not very long book. He has a ton of books and I think that he could have just made more to include all the things he wanted to put out there. He uses a lot of humour, and while most of its cheesy, he did have a few moments that made me chuckle.

I'll keep reading the series, and hopefully like with this one, they'll keep getting better.

The Light Fantastic
Copyright 1986
241 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2010 (less)

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Dec 14, 2011

Xirxe rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, fantasy, humor

Rincewind, so ziemlich der erfolgloseste Zauberer der Scheibenwelt, ist noch immer mit Zweiblum, dem ersten (und vermutlich auch letzten) Touristen dieser Welt unterwegs. Nachdem beide über den Rand der Scheibenwelt stürzten, schien alles verloren - doch oh Wunder, die Scheibe hat sie wieder. Aber unversehens droht neues Unheil: Ein roter Stern droht unaufhaltsam alles zu vernichten und Rincewind scheint der Einzige zu sein, der dies verhindern kann. Doch er will nicht so richtig...
Pratch...more

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Nov 02, 2011

Христо Блажев rated it

“Фантастична светлина” осветява поредните проблеми пред Ринсуинд
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/06/blog...

Нищо не е свършило в “Цветът на магията”. Приключенията на нашите герои – Рунсуинд и Двуцветко ни най-малко не са приключили, особено след като целият Дисков свят се налага да се промени, за да спаси живота им при адски успешния им опит да скочат от ръба. Осемте магии от много странната магьосническа книга Октаво твърдо държат Ринсиунд да оцелее за момента, в който тряб...more

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Sep 24, 2011

David Sarkies rated it

Shelves: comedy

This is the sequal to the Colour of Magic, and the second book in the discworld series. Now, the Discworld novels are not strictly sequential, and while it is not necessary to read them in order, because the books tend to be grouped into the main characters (such as the Wyrd Sisters, Death, and Rincewind) it is helpful to read the earlier books before the later books.
If found this book to be better than the Colour of Magic, and one of the reasons is that it actually had a plot. The first ...more This is the sequal to the Colour of Magic, and the second book in the discworld series. Now, the Discworld novels are not strictly sequential, and while it is not necessary to read them in order, because the books tend to be grouped into the main characters (such as the Wyrd Sisters, Death, and Rincewind) it is helpful to read the earlier books before the later books.
If found this book to be better than the Colour of Magic, and one of the reasons is that it actually had a plot. The first book simply have Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage, stumbling from incident to incident, and finished up by falling off the edge of the discworld. This book begins where the last one ended (and the 'Heros' are saved, however I won't say how), but it turns up that Discworld is heading towards a star and the closer to the star Discworld gets, the weaker the magic gets. It is believed that the only way to save discworld is to cast the eight spells of the Octavian, however one of them happens to be trapped in Rincewind's head, so he suddenly discovers that he is the centre of attention.
Rincewind is the classic 'unlikely hero' in that there is nothing about him that stands up, and in fact he is a bumbling fool. However, despite bumbling everywhere, he manages to actually succeed (though more through luck than any skill). He does have some companions. One of them is Cohen the Barbarian. True to Pratchett's style, his barbarian is not the thumping muscular brute that Conan is, but rather a toothless old man with a club. However, while he may be past his prime, he is still a formidable foe, and still has sex appeal.
The other interesting character is the Luggage. It is what its name says it is, that is a large chest, with lots of feet, and a pretty psychotic personality. It is more like a pet than an object, though one should not get on its wrong side. In fact, it does play some important roles in the books, and in the end is gifted to Rincewind when Twoflower decides to return home.
All in all I enjoyed this book, though unfortunately you have to read the first one first to understand this one. At least it has a plot.(less)

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Jun 12, 2011

Ian Hrabe rated it

Oh Rincewind, you lovable scamp. By nature, I can't will myself to read later books in the series (with the exception of the tremendous "Guards! Guards!" and really, based on that assessment, I really SHOULD throw in some later books), but this was a big step up from "The Colour of Magic" although good god I wish there were chapters. That's not even a criticism, merely a slow-reader running a marathon (a short marathon, mind you, like a fourth of one) with a broken leg and sa...more

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May 11, 2011

Arwen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: discworld

Imagine a disc carried by four elephants which in turn stand upon the back of the Great Turtle A'Tuin. Imagine this disc is a world where the height of computing is a bunch of stones standing in a circle and where barbarian heroes come in all shapes and sizes... (And ages.)

'Radiating from the book was the light that lies on the far side of darkness, the light fantastic. It was a rather disappointing purple colour.'

The only real sequel of the discworld series, TLF picks up...more

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Apr 26, 2010

Bertrand rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, humour

Les annales du Disque-Monde constituent l’œuvre majeure de l’anglais Terry Pratchett, qui y a gagné ses galons d’humoriste reconnu et vénéré. Avec plus de 30 volumes au compteur, voilà une série qui a séduit bien des lecteurs et suscité un enthousiasme sans cesse renouvelé. Un monde plat et rond, porté par quatre éléphants eux-mêmes juchés sur la carapace d’une énorme tortue. Tout ça a de quoi surprendre. Sur ce gigantesque disque, un univers inspiré des romans de fantasy, peuplé de dieux, sorci...more

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Mar 02, 2010

Andrew Breslin rated it

· review of another edition

I just returned this to the library and had to pay a fine of $3.25, for which I am holding Terry Pratchett personally responsible.

I've read a half dozen or so of his books, and voraciously devoured all of them, until this one, which I did not finish. I had, in fact, forgotten about it completely until the library called to chastise me. None of his previous books ever earned me librarian ire, because I was typically so enthralled that I'd read the book and return it within a few d...more

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Dec 04, 2009

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

If you read The Color of Magic, you most probably got this book as the the one preceding it (the aforementioned The Color of Magic) ended with Rincewind falling off the edge of the Discworld.... talk about a "cliff-hanger ending". In this one we'll go from there to what could be the end of the Discworld itself and possibly, well everything else. It all depends on Rincewind....scary thought that.

"Synopsisizers" (I believe I just made that word up, so bear with me, ...more

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Nov 26, 2009

Ben rated it

Shelves: fantasy, humor

When we last left them, Rincewind, Twoflower and the Luggage were falling off the edge of the world seeing the four elephants that hold up Discworld while standing on the back of the Great A’Tuin the sky turtle who navigates space, but someone, something, or some things need Rincewind to stay alive, so , miraculously, falling off the edge of the world doesn’t prove fatal. And that is just the beginning. Our three protagonists meet all sorts of fantasy characters, from Cohen the Barbarian, to D...more

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Sep 22, 2009

Graham rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humour, fantasy

Pratchett’s second Discworld book, the follow-up to The Colour of Magic, is easily as good as its predecessor and the two can very much be seen as a continuation of the same story. Rincewind, Twoflower and the Luggage are rescued after falling off the edge of the world, and now embark on a new adventure to halt a colossal star which is approaching rapidly.

The book follows very closely the spirit of Pratchett’s first adventure, whilst expanding the Discworld mythos and introducing ma...more

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Jun 13, 2009

Hilarie rated it

The Light Fantastic, Prachett's 2nd Discworld novel, picks up almost immediately where the first, The Color of Magic ended. Rincewind, the Discworld's most inept wizard finds himself saved from certain death, by being magically transported to a talking forest after falling off the edge of the Disc. It turns out that one of the eight great spells, the one trapped inside his head, has plans for him which luckily don't include his demise. Rincewind and Twoflower the tourist soon find themselves ...more

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Jan 15, 2009

Laura rated it

Shelves: discworld

Since The Colour of Magic ends with a rather literal cliffhanger, I felt compelled to read this one and bring Rincewind and Twoflower to the end of their adventures. In some ways this second Discworld book is slightly better than the first; you can already see the gears turning as Pratchett starts to get a feel for the sheer scope of the satirical possibilities offered by the Discworld.

One thing I have always enjoyed about the Discworld books is Pratchett's ability to create, right ...more

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Oct 04, 2011

Wildkin rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People with vivid imaginations

Recommended to Wildkin by: In store promotion in 1989

Shelves: ankh-morpork, discworld, rincewind, the-luggage, twoflower, cohen-the-barbarian, ysabell, dungeon-dimensions

This book follows on from the Colour of Magic so it's best to get both of them set up and ready to go together.

So the story continues from the point where the Duo of Rincewind and Twoflower have just left the Discworld in the spacecraft that was designed to allow the discovery of the sex of the Great A'Tuin, and this is where the story heads in a sightly different direction. The Octavo back in the Unseen Universary sences that a spell it left in Rincewinds head os about to be lost from...more

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Aug 12, 2011

Lara rated it

I know that it sounds like a lame play on words, and yes, it is, but it is the best way that I can think of to describe The Light Fantastic. It really was fantastically light and just what I needed.

Over the past few months, I have been struggling through books - through one book in particular. I have been enjoying it when I get around to reading it, but it is not the kind of book that I find myself wanting to pick up. It is not the kind of book that I can read anywhere and anytime. I h...moreI know that it sounds like a lame play on words, and yes, it is, but it is the best way that I can think of to describe The Light Fantastic. It really was fantastically light and just what I needed.

Over the past few months, I have been struggling through books - through one book in particular. I have been enjoying it when I get around to reading it, but it is not the kind of book that I find myself wanting to pick up. It is not the kind of book that I can read anywhere and anytime. I have to be in the right frame of mind to read it. I have to be concentrating, otherwise I find myself getting lost and having to backtrack to find out what I missed. It is a problem, because even now, when I pick it up and open the book to the page that I had been on, I have no recollection of what came before and no interest in what is going to come next. The writing is exquisite, but getting through it is a daunting task.

This is why, when I picked up The Light Fantastic, I was thrilled to find that it really was fantastically light reading. It was the complete opposite to the kinds of books that I had been reading over the last few months and it was the kind of book that I wanted to pick up and read, rather than finding it an effort to do so. There was a bit of a break in between my reading of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but that didn't hinder my reading of it in the slightest. Pratchett picked up where he left off with the story of Rincewood of Twoflower, not recapping too much - a practice that tends to annoy me in series as they spend our valuable time recapping what happened in the last book when they could be continuing the story. Pratchett doesn't waste time like that. He spends perhaps one or two sentences explaining how the characters got to where they are, in a humorous way as is always the case it would seem with Pratchett, and then he carries on with the storytelling. It is writing as it should be. It is reading as it should be. There are no drawn out descriptions, no unrequited love stories. Things happen as they happen and he tells it as it is. And I like that. A lot.

That isn't to say that there is no suspense to the book. Not at all. The book is full of suspense, and Pratchett has a way of leaving stories hanging at important moments and continuing with a seemingly completely separate story that he somehow connects at the end. It makes for suspenseful reading, but in an enjoyable way. You are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens, but you are not bored to tears by unnecessary details while you are waiting. No. Instead, you are treated to further adventures, which you suspect will somehow end up relating to the story, but are not quite sure how yet.

Pratchett is a talented writer. There can be no denying it. And now that I have read two of his books, I am utterly hooked and cannot wait to delve into more. Though I know that the next book in the series is not one relating to Rincewood, I am looking forward to getting to know some of the new characters that the Discworld can provide. Equal Rites, here I come!(less)

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May 23, 2011

Stacey rated it

Shelves: fantasy

I'm a latecomer to the Discworld, having just discovered it a couple of years ago. Whenever I need a good laugh-out-loud escapist novel, I know Sir Terry can deliver. I started with the Tiffany Aching series*, and have managed to read 7-8 of the little Discworld suckers** so far, and enjoyed every one of them immensely, including this one.***

*Actually, and just so I don't bring the wrath of the ghost of Olaf Quimby II down on me, I discovered Pratchett via Good Omens many years ago, ...more

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Sep 15, 2010

Michael Minutillo rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, humorous

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 26, 2011

Lucy Furr rated it

Shelves: discworld, fantasy

Much like The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic was also just as good the second time around. It was even better than I remembered it to be, and I remembered it to be pretty damned good.

Here is the blackness of space, the myriad stars gleaming like diamond dust or, as some people would say, like great balls of exploding hydrogen a very long way off. But then, some people would say anything.

TP’s puns and jokes are always funny (lutest!), but its passages like the one...more

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May 26, 2009

Tony duncan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: sci fi fantasy comedy

so far maybe not qutie as good as the first, but likely because I am prepared for the style and the absurdity. Still very enjoyable, and I like the new characters. In the last book, Rincewiond was bout the only magician, and he is a terrible one. now we get to meet the real top flight magicians at the magic university and how cutthroat and self centered they are. only about 100 pages in, but i am missing the gods a bit!
finally finished it. A bit different than the first. Lots; more magic i...more

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Jul 13, 2011

srevans added it

Far more readable than Colour of Magic and closer to Pratchett's current style. It helped that, unlike in Colour, the plot progressed at a steady and reasonable pace instead of jumping around trying to parody one fantasy convention after another.

Bits that caught me by surprise and made me laugh most:

• It should be pointed out that currently Great A'Tuin was very pleased and contented, and feelings like that in a brain the size of several large cities are bound to radiate o...more

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Mar 14, 2011

Janeen-san rated it

· review of another edition

The Light Fantastic was a great read! It is the second book in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, and the story focuses on the tourist Twoflower and the wizard Rincewind, beginning seconds after the first book left off: with Rincewind and Twoflower falling off the edge of the world!
A strange red star is approaching the Disc, and many are worried. The wizards at the Unseen University are trying to figure out what it could possibly mean, and a certain wizard named Trymon is hungering f...more

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Jan 28, 2012

Harold Ogle rated it

Shelves: fantasy, humor

The Light Fantastic is another Discworld novel. The books tend to be "about" one set of characters or another that Pratchett likes to return to again and again - this follows that mold, though to be fair, I should point out that, at this point in the series (the second book) none of the other sets of characters existed. So this is another Rincewind novel. Like all the Discworld novels, it is in no way necessary to read the novels in any particular order, but The Light Fantastic does pi...moreThe Light Fantastic is another Discworld novel. The books tend to be "about" one set of characters or another that Pratchett likes to return to again and again - this follows that mold, though to be fair, I should point out that, at this point in the series (the second book) none of the other sets of characters existed. So this is another Rincewind novel. Like all the Discworld novels, it is in no way necessary to read the novels in any particular order, but The Light Fantastic does pick up about where The Colour of Magic ended. This is in keeping with the nature of the Rincewind stories: they're all comic action, like a slapstick serial (think Tarzan or Indiana Jones movies with a lot more silliness), so the literal cliffhanger of the first book is almost required. Swashes are buckled, escapes narrowly made, derring is done, and sticks are slapped aplenty in this book. Reading the Discworld novels are interesting, because you can really see the progression of the author over time. The Rincewind stories - particularly these early ones - have a young man's enthusiasm for dramatic action and physical humor, unlike the much more sedate comedies he's written in more recent years.

Basically, the set-up is this: Rincewind was a student at Unseen University, where he snuck into the vault holding the Octavo (the Dread Tome containing the Eight Elder Spells). While there, one of the spells snuck into his brain and hid there. Interestingly, this is pretty much the same premise as the later and vastly inferior "Keys to the Kingdom" series I've reviewed elsewhere (Mister Monday). The effect of the renegade spell here is to both make Rincewind incapable of doing any magic (all lesser magic is scared of the Big Spell) and to make him the target for pretty much everyone on the Disc with any interest in magic. So the book is pretty much one big chase scene. While everyone is chasing Rincewind and his companion Twoflower (the fabulously wealthy tourist with the sapient pearwood Luggage), the Great A'Tuin (the giant turtle on whose back stand the four colossal elephants who bear the Discworld on their backs) is swimming purposefully through the void toward a glowing red object outside of the galaxy. As the story unfolds, the Discworld draws closer and closer to the red star, and the world population panics more and more. A number of recurring characters are introduced, including Cohen the Barbarian (the octogenarian terror) and the Unseen University Librarian (who is transformed into an orangutan just before we first meet him). Also, a number of recurring concepts are given a fair amount of attention here: the Dungeon Dimensions (home of Cthulhu Mythos-style abominations intent on the destruction of the universe), and the Great A'Tuin (at this point, Pratchett is still plumbing the planetary turtle idea for comedy, which he essentially abandons in later books when the focus of his stories is less on absurdity and more on lightly comic character studies). In the end, Rincewind saves the world by saying the spells, which result in eight Great A'Tuin hatchlings following the Discworld back to the galaxy. Rincewind is able to do magic again, Twoflower leaves for home and gives the Luggage to Rincewind.

In the 80s there was a definite glut of comic fantasy: the Myth Adventures books by Robert Asprin, the Xanth books by Piers Anthony, most of the Warlock books by Christopher Stasheff, the Garrett P.I. books by Glen Cook, several series by Craig Shaw Gardner. Pratchett's early work like The Light Fantastic fits right in with those, though there has always been less sexually suggestive content in his work than either Asprin's or Anthony's. What's interesting and somewhat unique about Pratchett is that his works show a much clearer evolution of style over time than any of those other authors. The earliest Rincewind books are generally very funny and quite exciting, whereas later Discworld novels are often funny and inspiring, with a focus much less on the grand scale fantastic elements of the setting and more on interpersonal character interactions, often focussed on satirizing one particular aspect of society. All of the Discworld novels are good, but this progression is the only legitimate reason to attempt to read the novels in order.

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About Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel,...more

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“Inside every sane person there's a madman struggling to get out,' said the shopkeeper. 'That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person.” — 134 people liked it

“Grinning like a necrophiliac in a morgue.” — 82 people liked it

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The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2)

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