The Light Fantastic
by Terry Pratchett
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3542)
Read in April, 2008
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...more
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Pratchett in Bestform: "The Light Fantastic" schließt inhaltlich an den ersten Teil der Scheibenwelt-Serie, "The Colour of Magic", an.
Das Buch beginnt genau da, wo der erste Teil endete: Der verhinderte Zauberer Rincewind und der erste Scheibenwelt-Tourist Twoflower fallen vom Rand der Scheibenwelt... Durch den einzigen Zauber, der in Rincewinds Kopf Platz hat (unfreiwillig dort hinein gelangt), werden die beiden zwar gerettet, haben dann aber ein ganz anderes Problem zu ...more
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Read in February, 2008
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 wizards who know ...more
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 wizards who know ...more
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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 illustration...more
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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. <br /> <br />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 funn...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
people who claims they have a sense of humor
Funny, satiric, enjoyable, everything you love about Pratchett's is there, yet there is something left hanging. I dunno. So far, I have only read 2 Pratchett's novels, being Equal Rites and The Light Fantastic, and now I am already on the third one, Eric.
I like Equal Rites, my first introduction to Pratchett's. And then The Light Fantastic, but something is bugging me with it. I dunno, perhaps, too many deaths or supposed deaths or questionable deaths, I dunno, people gone missing, be it in...more
I like Equal Rites, my first introduction to Pratchett's. And then The Light Fantastic, but something is bugging me with it. I dunno, perhaps, too many deaths or supposed deaths or questionable deaths, I dunno, people gone missing, be it in...more
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Read in December, 2007
Book 2 of the Discworld series was even more enjoyable than the first! I really liked this one; I thought it was hilarious, even funnier than the first. And unlike the meandering "plot" of the first book, this one had a much more cohesive storyline.
True, there were still one or two scenes which didn't add anything to the action (but they were funny, so I didn't care :-)), and at times the reader has to infer what happened, which can be distracting. Also, I am a bit confused as to th...more
True, there were still one or two scenes which didn't add anything to the action (but they were funny, so I didn't care :-)), and at times the reader has to infer what happened, which can be distracting. Also, I am a bit confused as to th...more
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10 comments
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 subtle w...more
From spending two pages arguing with the reader about why the female barbarian does not wear impractical sexy barbarian clothes, to subtle w...more
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Read in January, 1992
This was the first Pratchett book I read. I was looking for some humorous fantasy and, if I were a normal person, I'd be ashamed to say that I bought the book solely because of a blurb on the back cover. "Funnier than the Bible." In retrospect that wasn't the best recommendation for a comedy. But I'm not normal so I'm not ashamed to say that.
I was pleasantly surprised by how funny the book was. Pratchett makes fun of everything. Having read a lot of Conan books in high school, I took...more
I was pleasantly surprised by how funny the book was. Pratchett makes fun of everything. Having read a lot of Conan books in high school, I took...more
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Read in June, 2005
recommended to Zigforas by:
the Peitzmans
A favorite exchange:
But somehow the wrath of the gods would have been better than the sound of that voice…The voice didn’t believe in gods, which in Rincewind’s book was fair enough, but it didn’t believe in people either.
…“Come to gloat?” whispered Rincewind. Death shrugged.
I HAVE COME TO SEE THE FUTURE, he said.
“This is the future?”
A FUTURE, said Death.
“It’s horrible,” said Rincewind.
I’M INCLINED TO AGREE, said Death.
“I would have thought you’d be all for it!”
NOT LIKE THIS. THE DEATH OF THE WARRIOR OR THE OLD MAN OR THE LITTLE CHILD, THIS I UNDERSTAND, AND I TAKE AWAY THE PAIN AND END THE SUFFERING. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS DEATH-OF-THE-MIND. ...more
But somehow the wrath of the gods would have been better than the sound of that voice…The voice didn’t believe in gods, which in Rincewind’s book was fair enough, but it didn’t believe in people either.
…“Come to gloat?” whispered Rincewind. Death shrugged.
I HAVE COME TO SEE THE FUTURE, he said.
“This is the future?”
A FUTURE, said Death.
“It’s horrible,” said Rincewind.
I’M INCLINED TO AGREE, said Death.
“I would have thought you’d be all for it!”
NOT LIKE THIS. THE DEATH OF THE WARRIOR OR THE OLD MAN OR THE LITTLE CHILD, THIS I UNDERSTAND, AND I TAKE AWAY THE PAIN AND END THE SUFFERING. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS DEATH-OF-THE-MIND. ...more
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Read in May, 2007
I've read a lot of Terry Pratchett books recently, thanks to Paperbackswap.com. I, however, recently stopped, as I realized the books were evaporated _as I read them_, often times not even waiting until I'd finished them before they vanished into brain ether. And they take a day to read, so it's not like they take so long I was forgetting important details.
I like candy, even brain candy, as much as the next guy, but these books are more like brain Chinese food. An hour later, you're hungry f...more
I like candy, even brain candy, as much as the next guy, but these books are more like brain Chinese food. An hour later, you're hungry f...more
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Read in May, 2008
Pratchett isn't funny in the way Douglas Adams is funny, but his Discworld is imbued with a sense of humor that is often subtle, occasionally boisterous, and everpresent. His puns are few and, like a good pun ought to be, groan-worthy (this is not Xanth, thank god), like when he describes a tree's voice as having "timbre" or a group of musical-instrument-stealing-heathens as "luters."
Discworld is a fun ride, and like a good meringue it's well-crafted and you oughtn't expe...more
Discworld is a fun ride, and like a good meringue it's well-crafted and you oughtn't expe...more
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Read in August, 2008
so the rumors were true. the discworld books (thus far) do seem to be following the getting-better-as-you-go-along trend. which is awesome, becuase this book was exponentially better than the first one.
i'm just a little sad because i'm fairly certain this is the last time i will get to have twoflower and rincewind and the luggage all together, because i love them. especially rincewind (who in my head is played by the irish guy from the first couple episodes of angel... and is nothing at all ...more
i'm just a little sad because i'm fairly certain this is the last time i will get to have twoflower and rincewind and the luggage all together, because i love them. especially rincewind (who in my head is played by the irish guy from the first couple episodes of angel... and is nothing at all ...more
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Read in April, 2008
previously read prior to 2003
Rincewind and TwoFlower embark on yet another adventure: the end of the Discworld is drawing near, but Rincewind with the assistance the 8th Great Spell that lodged itself in Rincewind's brain (thereby scaring off any other spell, making him the least competent wizard ever) may just be able to save the day.
While I think Pratchett's later Discworld novels are a great improvement over the earlier, more parody-based stories, it was still a fun read and ...more
Rincewind and TwoFlower embark on yet another adventure: the end of the Discworld is drawing near, but Rincewind with the assistance the 8th Great Spell that lodged itself in Rincewind's brain (thereby scaring off any other spell, making him the least competent wizard ever) may just be able to save the day.
While I think Pratchett's later Discworld novels are a great improvement over the earlier, more parody-based stories, it was still a fun read and ...more
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The Colour of Magic was the reason it took me two tries to get into Discworld. On the second try, I went with the Watch novels, and fell for Discworld hard. Eventually I read The Colour of Magic - it was as crappy as I remembered - and fully expected not to enjoy The Light Fantastic either, based on what other Discworld fans told me. Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised. It's funny, and the story is great, and it's written in about the same style as the later Discworld novels, which was great...more
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Read in April, 2007
"Twoflower didn't just look at the world through rose-tinted spectacles, Rincewind knew- he looked at it through a rose-tinted brain, too, and heard it through rose-tinted ears."
"He supposed there were some people somewhere who had control over their lives; they got up in the mornings, and went to bed at night in the reasonable certainty of not falling over the edge of the world or being attacked by lunatics or waking up on a rock with ideas above its station. He dimly rememb...more
"He supposed there were some people somewhere who had control over their lives; they got up in the mornings, and went to bed at night in the reasonable certainty of not falling over the edge of the world or being attacked by lunatics or waking up on a rock with ideas above its station. He dimly rememb...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
Monty Python enthusiasts
If the five books in Douglas Adams' increasingly poorly-named Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy weren't enough for you, I'm delighted to inform you that there are many many Discworld novels besides The Light Fantastic, and they all have the same kind of quirky wordplay and cheeky humor that British sci-fi/fantasy wields so endearingly. Not deep, to be sure, but fun forays across the Discworld, following the adventures of Twoflower, the world's first tourist, and Rincewind, a singularly ba...more
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Read in September, 1999
Date read is a guess. Rincewind, my personal favorite of the Discworld characters I've met so far, returns as the unlikely hero in this wonderful world created by Terry Pratchett. Not quite as funny as the first book, mostly because I find that first Discworld book to be really, really good, and I'm a bit stingy with my 5-stars. This is a great series that I think just about any reader of speculative fiction will love. Highly recommended!
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Read in April, 2008
There weren't any...chapters. It was just...book.
Well, it was better than "The Color of Magic." Rincewind more likable, the humor a bit less broad, and a bit more of the unique Terry Pratchett comes through. Still, here, the plot was secondary, and it was mostly a vehicle for Pratchett to be funny and irreverent. Not up to the quality of Tiffany Aching, which have more narrative substance and still plenty of humor.
Well, it was better than "The Color of Magic." Rincewind more likable, the humor a bit less broad, and a bit more of the unique Terry Pratchett comes through. Still, here, the plot was secondary, and it was mostly a vehicle for Pratchett to be funny and irreverent. Not up to the quality of Tiffany Aching, which have more narrative substance and still plenty of humor.
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I appreciated the sentiment of this book, which was wacky sci-fi for British people, but I did not think it was funny. I'm not sure how he got a series of "Discworld" books published, considering it felt like a poor impression of one of my favorites, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Actually, don't tell, but I returned it to the library before I totally finished it.
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