I have known about Terry Pratchett for a long long time (ok so who doesn't??), and although I knew that I had to read something by him one day I wasn't really in any hurry. A few months ago a new second hand bookstore opened close to me and they had the entire Discworld series at a really cheap price, but they closed down before I could decide whether to buy them or not. More recently I started going to the library after discovering that they do have quite a few books that I would like to read, and there I was faced with Terry Pratchett again. Loads of books by Terry Pratchett that is. I knew that The Colour of Magic was the first book in the Discworld series, so I went for it even though I have read that you do not need to read the series in any particular order.

If you have never read any of the Discworld series before, I would say this would be a good start since it describes the concept of Discworld and includes a bit of history on it as well. It is no secret that Discworld is a flat world, supported by four elephants which are standing on a giant turtle called Great A'Tuin. This book starts in the city of Ankh-Morpork where a tourist with the name of Twoflower has just arrived accompanied his suspicious chest referred to as The Luggage. The main protagonist of the book, Rincewind the inept wizard, finds himself a guide for the tourist and from there the journey begins. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the city of Ankh-Morpork is set on fire and the two of them find themselves fleeing for safety. Unknowing to them, their journey is controlled by the Gods, who are playing a board game. On their way, the characters end up in a temple, find themselves on an upside down mountain which is home to imaginary dragons, and finally come close to going over a waterfall at the edge of the disc when they are saved by a sea troll. They are taken to Krull, where the Krullians have built a space capsule and intend to send it to space to find the gender of Great A'Tuin.

When I started this book I wasn't sure where it was going, the strange names and whacky concepts were a little confusing. However once I got used to it I totally loved it! A lot of it is based on reality, just twisted in a way that is barely recognizable. The interesting take on the Big Bang theory, for instance, was the first thing that drew me to the story, but I will let you read the book and find out for yourself what that was about. This book is full of adventure, and with all the bizarre happenings it definitely doesn't get dull. I have also fallen in love with the characters in this book, especially Rincewind and Twoflower, even though they are quite silly. Death is a most interesting character and the same can be said for Hrun the barbarian who is obsessed with himself.

I can't help but think that this series is like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy of fantasy. It is a very enjoyable read, and quite funny at times too. This is great for when you want a light book to immerse yourself in and forget about life's troubles. I do need one of these myself from time to time! I definitely plan to check out other books in this series. ( )

The Discworld series is widely acclaimed by critics and readers alike. It's been compared to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, among other things. And you know, it's terribly clever. The idea of the Discworld itself, a plate of a world spinning on the back of a turtle and supported by elephants, is delightfully preposterous and is only enhanced by the collection of bizarre characters that inhabit it. I would have gobbled up this series with relish...about ten years ago. Now, while I found it to be a very light and fun read, I do not feel inspired to search out any of the other books. ( )

I've reviewed this novel for the benefit of Romanian readers here:
http://tesatorul.blogspot.com/2008/05... ( )

I must admit I was disappointed. I expected more.I played the PC Discworld games years ago and they were great. Based on this one book I'm not sure I see why the series is so popular. The book was funny in parts, but it just jumped around so much you got frustrated. I might read the next one and see if it is better. ( )

Pre09:

Yes, it is kind of a fantasy Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Characters: I really just didn't care for many of them here. Rice doo-wah was wishy washy.
Plot: The short stories kind of strung together, but it was more about the humor than the doing.
Style: This is why you read this books. It indeed is funny. And there really is no reason for a map in any fantasy book. 'Here be Dragons' is more than enough. ( )