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Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is #5 in the Discworld series, and brings back Rincewind and the Luggage as characters. As in previous books, the number 8 is very important. A Wizard is created when the eighth son of an eighth son is born. They are powerful enough, but what would happen if one of them had an eighth son? That would be a Sourcerer, which is someone so powerful they can create new magic. And in this book that happens, and the consequences threaten to destroy the Discworld unless Rincewind can save the day.

As before, I listened to the audiobook.



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Mort by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is #4 in the Discworld series, and takes the recurring character of Death to the center stage. Death always makes an appearance in each Discworld novel, but this is the first (but not the last!) one in which he is a main character. We learn more about how Death does his job, where and how he lives, etc. He needs an apprentice and finds one in Mort. The problem though is that Mort is not satisfied to let everyone die on schedule and tries to change fate. This will of course go wrong in hilarious ways.

As before, I listened to the audiobook.



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Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is #3 in the infamous Discworld series, and it expands on the magic properties of this place. One thing Pratchett introduces in this series is the idea that the number 8 is very important. In this novel, a great wizard who is about to die journeys to find the eighth son of an eighth son to pass on his magic, and does so, with one small problem: the eighth son of an eighth son is actually a daughter! But by the time this is noticed, it is too late that wizard’s staff is hers. Granny Weatherwax, another one of the recurring characters, is introduced here.

As before, I listened to the audio book.



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The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is book #2 in the Discworld series of Terry Pratchett, and unusually for this series, it follows on directly from the previous book. Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage fall off the edge of the world, only to rescued by the Octavo. It seems one of its eight spells is lodged in Rincewind’s brain, so to preserve the spell it must save Rincewind. Again we see the significance of the number 8 in both the name Octavo and the fact that it has eight spells.

Again, I listened to the audio book, which I really like for Discworld.



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The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is #1 in the infamous Discworld series, and it introduces us to a Flat disc world that sits on the backs of 4 giant elephants who in turn are standing on a giant space turtle, the Great A’Tuin. Rincewind, one of the periodically recurring characters, gets involved with a tourist named Twoflower and has to keep him out of trouble. We are also introduced to the city of Ankh-Morpork, and its ruler, the Patrician Vetinari. This is humorous fantasy of the highest, and Pratchett said he wanted to make “an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns.” I highly recommend it. I listened to the audio book version, and in this case I think I prefer it since the reader did genuine “voice acting” that brought it alive.



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