The Colour of Magic

Discworld #1

Hardcover, 207 pages

English language

Published Oct. 12, 1989 by Colin Smythe.

ISBN:
9780861403240

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3 stars (2 reviews)

Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestsellers in England, where they have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage through the now-legendary land of Discworld. This is where it all begins--with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.

7 editions

Whimsical introduction to Discworld

4 stars

I love Ricewind story and I loved plentiful allusions to nerd culture of the 80s, but it almost reads like a really good Discworld fanfic than a Discworld book.

The storyline was scattered and it felt like three or four short-stories stitched together (by a genius).

I loved re-reading it, but it truly shows how amazing other works of Pratchett are.

Imagine dragons!

Torn between 3 and 4 stars

3 stars

Enjoyed it - a fun read!

Discworld and Sir Terry were a big part of my life growing up, he had a large impact on who I became.

I'm not sure for newcomers to his writing I'd fully recommend The Colour of Magic - I believe Sir Terry himself said to start from book three (Sourcery) - but this is an interesting historical artefact.

I plan to read through the entire Discworld series in the coming months (and years, I guess - I don't plan to only read Discworld non-stop), so starting from the very beginning to experience how Sir Terry's style developed was a key choice for me.

I did enjoy it a lot though! Torn between 3 and 4 stars. It's good! But I feel like 4 stars requires a level of excellence not quite attained here - it does feel a little disjointed at times, and some …

Subjects

  • Fantasy
  • Science fiction
  • English Science Fiction And Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Fiction - Fantasy
  • Fantasy - Series
  • Fantasy - General