Is The Colour of Magic a good introduction to Terry Pratchett?

Reading group: Although Pratchett’s vast fictional realm is not yet fully developed in this first Discworld novel, it is already extraordinary – and extraordinarily funny

Would you recommend The Colour of Magic as a first book to someone who has never read Terry Pratchett before? Is it a good place to start with this month’s Reading group?

Those aren’t questions that I’d have thought of asking two weeks ago. But now I realise that they are open to debate. Not least because there’s been a fair bit of back and forth about them here. The argument goes that since The Colour of Magic is not Pratchett’s finest work, to focus on it is to undersell him.

Related: May’s Reading group: the novels of Terry Pratchett

Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying.

My name is immaterial,” she said.
“That’s a pretty name,” said Rincewind.

Rincewind tried to force the memory out of his mind, but it was rather enjoying itself there, terrorising the other occupants and kicking over the furniture.

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