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The Light Fantastic

(Discworld #2)

Terry Pratchett

3.97 · Rating details · 109,851 ratings · 3,198 reviews

'What shall we do?' said Twoflower.
'Panic?' said Rincewind hopefully. He always held that panic was the best means of survival.

As it moves towards a seemingly inevitable collision with a malevolent red star, the Discworld could do with a hero. What it doesn’t need is a singularly inept and cowardly wizard, still recovering from the trauma of falling off the edge of the ...more

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Kindle Edition, 293 pages

Published November 24th 2009 by Transworld Digital (first published June 2nd 1986)

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Start your review of The Light Fantastic (Discworld, #2)

Nov 14, 2014 Lyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Reading Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series makes me smile. Because of his writing I invented the "Smile-O-meter" which measures smiles per book. Pratchett always scores high.

Three years after Terry Pratchett published The Color of Magic, the first Discworld book, he published the second, The Light Fantastic, having decided convincingly that this was a worthwhile project.

Though the action in The Light Fantastic takes over immediately following the events in the first book, Rincewind has ...more

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Jan 05, 2019 Adrian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, zz-owned-books, read-again, fantasy-and-magic, humorous

Review to follow tomorrow, but tell me why have I waited so long to re-read the Discworld books.

And the honest answer is, well for a while I didn't have a copy of any Discworld novel, due to the fact that (as I think I've mentioned before (oh no am I getting so old I'm repeating myself ?) ) I lost so so so many books in one of my house moves, Discworld novels amongst them. And then somehow I forgot just how good the books were.

So The Light Fantastic picks up where The Colour of Magic left off ...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-shelf, fantasy

Re-read with buddies!

I'm still very much enjoying these early Pratchett books, especially in mind that I'll be seeing a *lot* more of these folks in the near future. And even if I'll mainly be focused on folks I haven't seen yet, anyway, I'm still enjoying what may as well be an overview primer of the whole Discworld universe.

That being said, I think Rincewind is given a bad rap in the series. I love the hell out of him. He's the ultimate bumbling idiot under the geas of a penultimate Eighth ...more

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Jul 21, 2016 Helen 2.0 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, magic, brs-done, fantasy-epic, own, read-16

I adore Terry Pratchett. I don't know how to elaborate on that so I'll just share some of my favorite moments in Light Fantastic.

Snarky social commentary:

She is there, down below the mines and sea ooze and fake fossil bones put there by a Creator with nothing better to do than upset archaeologists and give them silly ideas.

Not for the first time she reflected that there were many drawbacks to being a swordswoman, not the least of which was that men didn't take you seriously until you'd
I adore Terry Pratchett. I don't know how to elaborate on that so I'll just share some of my favorite moments in Light Fantastic.

Snarky social commentary:

She is there, down below the mines and sea ooze and fake fossil bones put there by a Creator with nothing better to do than upset archaeologists and give them silly ideas.

Not for the first time she reflected that there were many drawbacks to being a swordswoman, not the least of which was that men didn't take you seriously until you'd actually killed them, by which time it didn't really matter anyway. (...) But she was too big to be a thief, too honest to be an assassin, too intelligent to be a wife, and too proud to enter the only other female profession generally available.

General humor:

Someone who spent his life living rough under the sky knew the value of a good thick book, which ought to outlast at least a season of cooking fires if you were careful how you tore the pages out.

Magic! So that's what it felt like! No wonder wizards didn't have much truck with sex!

"She's not bad," said Twoflower. "She's going to marry a friend of ours."
"Does he know?"

Most people on the Disc were currently in a state of mind normally achievable only by a lifetime of dedicated meditation or about thirty seconds of illegal herbage.

The lamest pun ever:

"Rincewind, all the shops have been smashed open, there was a whole bunch of people across the street helping themselves to musical instruments, can you believe that?"
"Yeah," said Rincewind. "Luters, I expect."

The Luggage remains my favorite:

The Luggage said nothing.
"Look he's not my responsibility," said Rincewind. "Let's be absolutely clear about that."
The Luggage said nothing, but louder this time.

"Um," said Twoflower. "Yes. That's about enough, I think. Put him down, please."
The Luggage gave a creak of betrayal at the sound of its master's voice.

I might briefly have shipped Rincewind and Twoflower in this moment:

(Rincewind, about Twoflower) He just looks at things, but nothing he looks at is ever the same again. Including me, I expect.

...more

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Jul 12, 2013 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Put two of my favourite Discworld characters,the Luggage and Death, into the same book and I am obviously going to be happy! This was a reread of this book which I read the first time many years ago. Pratchett obviously improved his writing as the series progressed and his books became more sophisticated, but these early works are still a delight. I love the humour, the characters, the story and the sheer imagination of the man.
The world is poorer without him but thank goodness he left us so ...more

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Sep 05, 2015 Evelyn (devours and digests words) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bagful-of-laughs, a-touch-of-satire, fantastical, favourites, writing-i-would-love-to-imitate, urban-fantasy, cover-porn, great-characterization, unique-story-lines, mind-fucked

"Inside every sane person, there's a madman struggling to get out. That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person."

The second installment in the Discworld series is a bigger, funnier delight. One heck of a Laugh Out Loud read.

Something I consider very special in Sir Terry Pratchett's works is that many authors can pull off a joke every once in a while in their stories but Mr Pratchett managed to keep the whole thing comical, while at the time satirical. Not ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Jen/The Tolkien Gal/ジェニファー rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"You still love Terry Pratchett, after all these years?"
"Always."
- Gandalf, Return of the Jedi.

Jokes aside, my teen years were marked by edginess, heavy metal, nihilism and Terry Pratchett. I think the latter was never a phase; he is an author that will always be in my heart and in my head, providing bellyache-inducing laughs whenever Death has an identity crisis (which is always) or when Nanny Ogg is trying to explain to her seemingly infinite children who their real fathers are(and lying ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars (yes, I actually liked the first one a bit better)

"The important thing about having lots of things to remember is that you've got to go somewhere afterward where you can remember them, you see? You've got to stop. You haven't really been anywhere until you've got back home."

Thus, this second book in the Discworld series is about the continued adventure of Twoflower, the very first tourist, and Rincewind, the failed wiz(z)ard with only one spell in his head.
We get to know more about 3.5 stars (yes, I actually liked the first one a bit better)

"The important thing about having lots of things to remember is that you've got to go somewhere afterward where you can remember them, you see? You've got to stop. You haven't really been anywhere until you've got back home."

Thus, this second book in the Discworld series is about the continued adventure of Twoflower, the very first tourist, and Rincewind, the failed wiz(z)ard with only one spell in his head.
We get to know more about that spell in particular and how it caused Rincewind to fail at being a wizard. Moreover, we get to see much more of the Unseen University and their machinations.
At the beginning, we start where the last novel ended and I really think the two books should be considered one story. Twoflower in the ship and Rincewind and the Luggage without a mode of transportation have "gone overboard". However, the most magical book on the entire Dicworld (the Octavo) can't let Rincewind die so magic saves them.
From there, they continue their journey through odd landscapes (a very peculiar forest for example) and meet new people (like Cohen, a parody of Conan the Barbarian).
Oh, and to make matters more interesting, we then find out that the Discworld is about to be destroyed unless the eight spells of the Octavo are being recited in time. (view spoiler)
What I also liked was the portrayal of DEATH's domain (not to mention (view spoiler))! But then again, I always had a weakness for the bony fella. ;)

Again, the book had some interesting spins on ideas, witty observations about ~~our~~ the Discworld, as well as funny moments, but nothing groundbreaking or laugh-out-loud. As I stated before, I think this and the first should be regarded as one piece, because of the story and because of how it was delivered so it's no surprise there isn't much more to say about this except for what has already been said in my review for the previous volume.
However, I will point out that one of the saviors in this story and a wonderful character all on its own, was luggage! I really liked the little guy with his right-action-at-the-right-time interventions and "comments" on certain matters.

I marked a few lines and passages in this book again but am leaving you with this, one of my favourites:
"Inside every sane person there's a madman struggling to get out. That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person." ...more

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Aug 01, 2008 Jamie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 glad I 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 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. ...more

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May 05, 2014 Gary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

This book was every bit as fun as the last- maybe more so. Since this is number two in series order, I am getting a feel for where the author was at the point in time it was written. The character development seems more vivid. Rincewind, the Luggage, the Druid sacrifice girl, and the over the hill barbarian fighter are characters that will live with me long after this series is done.
This story has more of a quest feel to it than the last one did. It definitely builds to a strong climax. In order ...more

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Jun 10, 2014 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015, humor, fantasy, own, author-male

Executive Summary: I enjoyed this one a lot more than The Color of Magic, and it made me glad I read that book first rather than starting with one of the later in the series.

Full Review
A moment of silence for the passing of a great man.

It's a shame it took the passing of Terry Pratchett for me to give this series a second chance. I've had numerous people tell me how much I'd like it. It was recommended again to me when I said I was in a funk and wanted something light and fun just a few days ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 Lindsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The story picks up where the first one left off, with Rincewind, Twoflower and the Luggage in dire peril. They're mysteriously saved and plonked down in the middle of a magical forest. Meanwhile an ominous red star has appeared in the sky of the disk and it appears to be growing each night. The Wizards of Unseen University want to read the Octavo to save the Disc, but Rincewind still has one of the Eight spells stuck in his head, so the hunt for the wizard is on.

I have no idea how many times ...more

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May 30, 2016 RJ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

Laurel and Hardy. Riggs and Murtaugh. Oscar and Felix. And continuing the grand tradition, the Discworld's own Rincewind and Twoflower. This time the story centers around the Octavo and the 8th spell lodged in Rincewind's head as Discworld plunges towards a fiery red star that may spell doom for the entire planet. Lovecraftian influences are prominent in the early and late goings, although most of the book is a lighthearted slapstick parody of the fantasy genre. The story often appears ...more

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Jun 12, 2016 BrokenTune rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

So, that's how Rincewind ended up with the Luggage! Right,.....

I have been wondering about this for years. Now I know.

There is no doubt that Terry Pratchett was a master at snarky humor and fantastic world building. No doubt at all. Yet, it takes me forever to get through some his books because his adventures often end up going off in tangents...and I'm not drawn into the Discworld universe enough to necessarily want to follow those side-stories that may or may not become relevant in a later ...more

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Dec 03, 2007 Qt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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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Jun 06, 2017 Cathy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

This is not for me anymore. 15 years ago I read the first handful of Discworld books and liked them well enough. But even then this type of comedic writing wasn't really my cup of tea. Now it definitely isn't. Too little plot, too absurd. I laughed a few times, but the story did not engage me much.

My favourite scene was Death learning how how to play Bridge. The druids were fun. And the bits with the trolls. Cohen was a great character.

The idea behind the Discworld is a great one and I heard ...more

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Jul 08, 2017 Lata rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, x2017-read

1.5 to a very grudging 2 stars. Mostly slogged and skimmed my way through this second Discworld installment. Did not smile, chuckle or laugh at anything, found everyone tedious, with the exception of Twoflower and Luggage; I am inordinately fond of Luggage, who remains the standout for me(view spoiler). I was not fond of any other characters or anything else in the story. Which was far, far, ...more

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Sep 04, 2018 Malum rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: discworld, fantasy

What can you say about a Discworld novel? They are British, they are silly, and they are hilarious. This isn't Tolkien or Martin, but when you are laughing this hard and this often, you won't really care.

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Dec 26, 2017 Mattia Ravasi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Video review
Featured in my Top 20 Books I Read in 2017

So good it's unfair - there's a joke every three words and it's still thrilling, and occasionally heartbreaking. Surprinsingly better than The Colour of Magic.

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Apr 24, 2015 TL rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I enjoyed this more than the first book (eve though I do like that one), the pacing was better and the characters more "there" and comfortable in their own skins.

It seems/feels to me Mr. Pratchett hit his stride and had more fun writing this one (I could be wrong)... We get to see more of Rincewind's personality in here and he comes into his own some more.

Twoflower, gotta love him :)

Cohen and Bethan were fun to know, wish they would have had a bigger part though. Cohen was pretty spry for his ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Celise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-adult, owned-read

The important thing about having lots of things to remember is that you've got to go somewhere afterwards where you can remember them, you see? You've got to stop. You haven't really been anywhere until you've got back home."

The Discworld is a Disc sitting on the backs of four elephants, standing on the shell of a giant turtle that is slowly swimming it's way through Space...

And as befits a world so ridiculous, it is filled with an array of equally ridiculous and loveable characters, ...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it really liked 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, please) anyway, "the people who ...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: well-i-think-its-funny

Several of the other reviewers have singled out for special praise the Xena parody with the more appropriately dressed warrior princess. She was indeed very fine, but my personal favorite was the bit where the Stonehenge-type astronomical ritual unexpectedly develops a glitch. "Looks like software incompatibility!" says the know-it-all Neolithic geek. "The Spiral Chant doesn't work on concentric circles!"

And, while we're on rocks, I also loved the trolls, harking back to their glory days in ...more

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Oct 27, 2014 Barry Pierce rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014, 20th-century

This is reminded me of just how great Terry Pratchett is. His writing and humour is just fabulous and his characters are brilliant. However the plot of this novel is quite reminiscent of a wet tea towel. It doesn't hold a flame to The Colour of Magic and I'm quite glad that Pratchett gave up on the idea of doing sequels after this novel. It's overall very meh with a sprinkling of ugh.

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May 16, 2011 Toby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: funny, fantastical

Unseen University but not as you know it.

With my awful and dreaded exercise regime continuing so too does my revisit to the early works of the Discworld thanks to the readings of Nigel Planer.

Rincewind, last seen falling off of the disc has been saved from certain death once more thanks to spoilers that won't be mentioned and now must save the disc from a fiery death and evil wizards.

The problem with going back to these early novels is that things arenlt as you remember them. It's like an ...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Becky rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humorous, ebook_kindle, 2015, fantasy, multi-dimensional, reviewed

I didn't really care for The Colour of Magic. So I wasn't sure what to expect from The Light Fantastic, but I figured either it would be more of the same, or slightly better. And thankfully, it was slightly better. There was a plot! (Of sorts.) And a single storyline! (Mostly.) And humor! (I lol'ed once.)

All are things that Colour didn't have - at least not in my opinion. But I can't say that I loved Light. I'm thinking that it might just be me, though. I like humor, and I even like bizarre ...more

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Feb 25, 2018 Anuradha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who like satire. a lot.

Shelves: drama-drama-drama, time-travel, el-clasico, satires, favourites, it-s-just-a-beast-under-your-bed, trippy, favourite-authors, ghosts, they-call-it-literary-fiction

I didn't think it could get better than the first one, but oh, it got monumentally better so. Pro tip: you're going to have to read the second one right after the first, because it really won't make sense otherwise. Full RTC.

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Jul 28, 2008 Jeff Straub rated it it was amazing · 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 subtle word ...more

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Apr 13, 2018 Cameron Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved the Discworld books as a young fella, and returning to them now has been an absolute delight.

The Light Fantastic begins with Rincewind the failed wizard, Twoflower the tourist, and Luggage the luggage falling off the disc. As Rincewind has a very powerful spell in his head, the universe reconfigures itself so that he doesn't die.

Now, if you have no idea what the Disc is, it's a world where many of Terry Pratchett's adventure's take part on. It happens to be disc-shaped, resting on the ...more

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Jun 04, 2017 Vavita rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although I liked the first book very much, there was no real plot to it. I enjoyed the first book but I didn't know where it was going.
Now, we finally know why what happened with one spell and Rincewind happened. Also we see real character development for Rincewind. Very cool!
The new character, Cohen, is amazing and funny. I enjoyed reading his bits.
I am trapped by Prattchet. Getting the third book now!

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Around the Year i...: The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett	1	13	Oct 22, 2017 09:28PM
Nothing But Readi...: Pratchett, Terry ; The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2), Informal Buddy Read, Start Date TBC 2015	19	165	Dec 30, 2015 02:08PM
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About Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett

32,938 followers

Born Terence David John 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, ...more