The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read 1/25/24:

It always seems to get better with every read.
It's not only comforting to almost die 28... or wait, 29 times(?) but also a joy to be swallowed by your luggage.

And yet, this is not nearly anything like the complete happiness of reading Pratchett.

What a grand, magical adventure. With babies.



Original Review:

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 Spell, the casting of which will make or destroy the universe or something, and the making and breaking is ultimately left up only to him.

And he's a wizard with a hat that says "wizzard" on it. You know... to make sure people understand that he's actually one of their kind. :) I particularly loved the bits with the floating rocks and the computers of the universe and the dungeon universes and, of course, Cohen the Barbarian.

It's funny, it's BIG, and we even get to see the tourism industry take off in a really big way, even going so far as to have the very first tourist play a big part in a very special birth. Awwwww... So sweet! :)

Plotwise, I think it's well up to the standards of the rest of the series and while Rincewind falls away in people's favor, *cry* He'll always have a very special place in my heart.

And by the way, that sword is definitely smarter than him. Oh well!

Great fun! Even better the second time!

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