And Then I Read: INTERESTING TIMES by Terry Pratchett

Rincewind, the reluctant and unskilled wizard, is my least favorite lead character in the Discworld series, so I wasn’t expecting too much from this title featuring him, but there are enough other characters of interest, places of interest, and amusing situations to have made it a fun read. Rincewind is generally not tied to the wizards of Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork, but here he’s magically sent by them as a “representative” to the distant Counterweight Continent, which it turns out is much like imperial China in our own history. Rincewind arrives suddenly, and almost immediately is running for his life, as usual, from all kinds of trouble and commitment, but he’s gathered in by a band of ancient mercenaries led by Genghis Cohen who have plans to invade the imperial city and palace. There the Grand Vizier Lord Hong is plotting to kill the Emperor in a devious way that will put the blame on others so he can take control of the empire himself. A ragtag band of idealistic peasants make up his main opposition, and Rincewind is soon involved with them as well, since one of them is an old companion. The hapless wizard tries to convince everyone around him to run away while they can, but of course they don’t listen. And as usual, Rincewind finds himself at the center of the battle that’s about to begin.

Entertaining and recommended.

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

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