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    The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel
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    The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel
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    The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel
    Ebook278 pages4 hours

    The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel

    By Terry Pratchett

    4.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Humorously entertaining. . . subtly thought-provoking. . . . Pratchett’s Discworld books are filled with humor and with magic, but they're rooted in—of all things—real life and cold, hard reason.”—Chicago Tribune

    Bumbling wizard Rincewind and hapless tourist Twoflower have survived a host of misadventures . . . only to face annihilation as a red star hurtles towards the Discworld in this gloriously funny second installment in Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series (also the second book in the Wizards collection)

    It’s just one of those days when nothing seems to go right—and a most inopportune time for the first tourist ever to set foot in Discworld—accompanied by the carnivorous Luggage—to extend his already eventful vacation, even if it’s not quite by choice. A monstrous red star is on a direct collision course with the Discworld and the future appears uncertain at best.

    Discworld needs a hero to save it from total destruction. Unfortunately, it’s got the bumbling Rincewind, still recovering from the trauma of falling off the edge of the world. The alternative couldn’t be much worse. . . .

    The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but The Light Fantastic is the second book in the Wizards collection. The other books in the collection include:

    • The Color of Magic
    • Sourcery
    • Eric
    • Interesting Times
    • The Last Continent
    • Unseen Academicals
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061801150
    Unavailable
    The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel
    Author

    Terry Pratchett

    Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

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    Reviews for The Light Fantastic

    4.5/5

    166 ratings54 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Not his best but still a lot of fun -- a really quick read.
    • 4/5
      Another strange twisting of the Disc wherein Rincewind once again manages to survive. And the luggage gets a new owner.
    • 5/5
      I just love Rincewind. What else is there to say?
    • 5/5
      Terry Pratchett weaves together a number of different threads to create a very pleasing story with a humorous bent. It is a pleasure to read.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The fantasy novel that Terry Pratchett paints is extraordinary. I found myself constantly laughing aloud. Read it faggot
    • 4/5
      I think I still am not as enthralled with the Wizards arc as with some of the others in this series, but still, this was a very good book. The further adventures of Rincewind, Twoflower and the Luggage, with the addition of Cohen the Barbarian, gave me plenty of chuckles as well as some hair-raising moments, even though I was pretty sure everything would turn out OK. Definitely recommended.
    • 4/5
      To truly enjoy Pratchett's Discworld novels, requires two things: a love of fanciful silliness, and a reasonable working knowledge of the real world.

      I've heard it said that the Discworld books are too "far out there" for some folks. IMO, these books are an assessment of your experience/knowledge of history/science/philosophy/religion/etc. I say this, because everything in this book is a spin/joke about something in the real world. So the more you already know, the more you will laugh.

      Pratchett's breadth of experience/knowledge is awe inspiring. The man can do funny spins on Mongolian culture, druid religious practices, geological nomenclature, integrated circuit materials, and probably tons more things that I simply don't yet have the experience needed to 'get' the joke. Well, I'll have to work on that.
    • 4/5
      Once again, as with The Colour of Magic, I was glad to have watched this on television first as it made things less confusing (I listen via audiobook during work, so it occasionally turns into background noise for my other thoughts and I don't realize what is happening until it's too late and my options are to move forward or try to figure out at what point I stopped listening). I have heard that the series gets better (and I'm prone to believe things like that as The Dresden Files got much better with time), so I'm eager to listen to some of the later books.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyed Pratchett's tongue-in-cheek humour throughout this novel. I picked these up again since I read them when I was much younger.
    • 4/5
       Rincewind & Twoflower were last seen disappearing off the edge of the world, but this world is not the usual kind and this proves no impediment to the story. Introduces a barbarian hero, deals with the birth of worlds and the importance of going home.



      This is one of the few books in the series that requires you've read the previous book - this series make little sense at the best of times, but you really would miss half the joke without the first one.
    • 5/5
      Ebook. Very entertaining. I was actually laughing out loud at multiple parts. Definitely recommend for anyone who enjoyed The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I will read more of this series whenever I am in the mood for something funny and entertaining.
    • 4/5
      In this second Discworld novel we continue to follow the exploits of the wizard to be Rincewind and the Discworld's first tourist, Twoflower. At the end of the previous book we saw Rincewind and Twoflower going over the edge of the world, each in a different way and after a miraculous escape from their doom find themselves back on the Disc for a grand adventure in which they meet Druids about to sacrifice a juicy virgin, Cohan, the world's greatest hero, mysterious shops, gorgeous female mercenaries, and creatures from another dimension. We also discover why Rincewind is such a failure at wizardry, and perhaps some redemption. Can be enjoyed on its own, but works best if you have read The Colour of Magic
    • 5/5
      This book made me laugh. A lot.
    • 4/5
      I like this series so far. Of course I had just read 2 books. The junction of a pretty negative character with one that just can see the reality on things because he is a tourist and has a different point of view makes things interesting while reading. The sarcasm of the author is amazingly funny. And after I imagine the discworld in the book 1 ( the color of Magic) this was easier to read having a mental image of that crazy world .. Looking forward to read the next one.
    • 5/5
      Another 'fantastic' book by Terry. It was a shame i didn't read the book before the TV dramatisation of this book (along with the colour of magic). I thouroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down, sooooo many things were omitted from the tv staging.
    • 4/5
      My second foray into the Discworld. I've been told that the first two books are sort of background for what's to come, so I'm going to stick with the series awhile longer. Amusing, certainly, but I wasn't particularly drawn in by this one.
    • 4/5
      In this the second book of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, we continue with the adventures of Rincewind, Twoflowers and best of all, the Luggage. (I love the Luggage!) We meet with Cohen the Barbarian (love it!), trolls with diamond teeth, feisty maidens being sacrificed to prevent the red star from crashing into Discworld, and even at the end have an opportunity to share in Great A'Tuin's blessed event. Pratchett's wit, humour and intelligence are sharp and rapid. Reading this at bedtime proved problematic, in that in a somnolent state I'd completely miss the lampooning of some real world star, and have to go back and reread just so I wouldn't miss out on yet another delightful giggle. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much reading books in my lifetime. I'm hooked. Completely, hopelessly hooked on Pratchett's Discworld. Some of the best entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, and I daresay destined to become classics in generations to come.
    • 4/5
      Always fun to read along a discworld novel, although Rincewind isn't my favourite character so far. I'm not really sure why. But Rincewind and Twoflower do make for an interesting duo! The Luggage is still wonderfull and I feel it has gained more of a personality in this book. (Compared to 'The Colour of Magic'.) I've been happy reading this book as it has made me smile many times during the course of the last few days. I have yet to come across a Discworld Novel that I don't like!
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this one more than I have in the past and more than The Colour of Magic (which I read last year).I love the sense of humour, there were so many bits that I wanted to quote that it was really hard picking which ones I should use. Some are just little throw-away lines, but others go on for pages and pages!Sometimes I get confused about what's going on in the Discworld stories, because they're so fast moving. Didn't happen this time. I think reading it quickly helped. :-)
    • 4/5
      This book continues off where The Color of Magic finishes off. The protagonist is still our friend Rincewind, the incompetent and cowardly wizard along with the rest of our party including Twoflower, "The world's first tourist," and The Luggage. The pace from the first book really continues here right from the start as Pratchett really hits a groove early on and keeps it going throughout the entire story. His excellent sense of humor and satirical wit really shine here as the book is really funny on many different levels. His ability to incorporate so many references to other fantasy and the real world so seamlessly is fantastic.While I guess it would be possible to read as a standalone book, reading The Color of Magic before The Light Fantastic would be recommended. This is one of the only true sequels in the Discworld series, and most of the novels can be picked up out of order. The Light Fantastic really builds up to a fun conclusion as we see the character of Rincewind develop a bit from his normal almost pathetic self. Overall, a great conclusion to the story of The Color of Magic and definitely recommended for those who enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      Better than the Color of Magic, Pratchett has shown improvement in this novel. There are still parts which seem a little slow and disconnected from the main plot, or perhaps those sections of the main plot are just a little dull. However, in the end, the pieces really come together in what is an amazing climactic scene. The highest point of action is the most potent and also most vulnerable part of a story, and as long as it is done well, the reader cannot truly be disappointed. And Pratchett fortifies the climax of this story with everything the reader could want: our characters step up to do amazing things while never stepping out of the bounds of their flaws, everything that happens is epic yet not so epic that is becomes detached from the rest of the plot, and nothing happens in the way the reader anticipates as is Pratchett's signature style.
    • 4/5
      'I mean - you know the Horse people's yurt, where we were last night?''Yesh.''Would you say it was a bit dark and greasy and smelt like a very ill horse?''Very accurate description, I'd shay.''He wouldn't agree. He'd say it was a magnificent barbarian tent, hung with the pelts of the great beasts hunted by the lean-eyed warriors from the edge of civilisation, and smelt of the rare and curious resins plundered from the caravans as they crossed the trackless - well, and so on. I mean it,' he added.'He'sh mad?''Sort of mad. But mad with lots of money.''Ah, then he can't be mad. I've been around; if a man hash lotsh of money he'sh just ecshentric.'"The Light Fantastic" continues the story of Rincewind the failed wizard, who is working as a tour guide for Twoflower (the Disc World's first tourist) and his magical Luggage, started in "The Colour of Magic". As Rincewind struggles to keep himself and Twoflower alive, and cope with the great spell that is hiding in his mind, the Great A'Tuin is carrying the Disc World directly towards an ominous-looking red star, and the people are beginning to panic.Not as good as later Disc World novels, but still very funny and worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Short and punny. This is some respects is the first full Discworld Novel. CoM contains four short stories, but here the action follows through continuously. The book opens with a horrendous duex et machina - Pratchett finished CoM with his heros falling off the Edge of the World. Suddenly he's faced with the prospect of having to write the sequel. Oh no, my heros! they're falling off the Edge of the World! Quick cast a spell to change the entire world so that they aren't. Its very very contrived. The rest of the book proceeds as normally as Pratchett book can. The Disk is heading towards annihilation in the light of giant Star. The main body of Wizards learnthat only Rincewind can help them whent he end times are near. They set out - independantly - to track him down. Rincewind meanwhile has found Twoflower again, and the famous (and now ancient) barbarian Cohen. But he's getting homesick for Ankh Morpock. A few of the more famous characters are properly introduced. Luggage is obviously the star. But I've only just realsied that this is the first mention of Swires the gnome - who later joins the Watch. The creation of the famous Librarian, is merely a passing mention here, adapted too within days by the senior wizzarding staff. There are lots of really dreadful puns inserted (often forcibly) all over the place. That is the main hightlight of this book really. the biting satire hasn't really kicked in yet, adn there's almost no social commentry either. Rincewind manages to be less annoying than usual. I smiles in a few places, but unless you think puns are really funny, Pratchett has written many far more humerous books.
    • 3/5
      A slightly confusing but often very amusing book, second in the Discwold series. My absolute highlight had to be the section where Death attempts to play bridge.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite of the series. Pratchett is hilarious. I would recommend reading it!
    • 4/5
      A great continuation from the first book, and I'm still impressed at the writing style I mentioned in the first book that terry's form of writing reminded me not so much as writing, but as a delightful series of plays on phrases and paragraphs, that all just happened to fall in a certain order that makes sense.
    • 2/5
      I thought this one was ok, but I didn't like it as much as the first one.
    • 3/5
      Great little read with lots of puns and fun. The luggage is probably the most fun of all.
    • 5/5
      I love The Light Fantastic. This is my second or third time reading it - the first time(s?) I read it were when I wasn't as familiar with the whole series. Now that I am, I'm starting to really like Rincewind. I think he's an awesome character, especially his relative pragmatism (and eventual - though reluctant - heroism) in the face of all the Discworld insanity. I wish I had read this directly after The Color of Magic, because I couldn't quite remember how they had ended up falling off the Rim, which is where the book starts, but I recalled enough of the details to be able to follow the book anyway.
    • 4/5
      Picking up, right where The Color of Magic left off, The Light Fantastic seeks to answer most of the unanswered questions of the Octavo, how one gets ahead at the Unseen University, key points in tourism, the role of dentistry in a barbarian's later years, gender politics in the warrior class, the religious afterlife aspirations of trees and the inherent risks of philosophy in the life of a troll. Of course, as the ominous red star gets bigger and bigger in the sky each day, this could well mean the end of everything for Discworld and all of these questions.Pratchett moves the adventure briskly in this installment as the pressure of introductions and the need to force traveling companions together is no longer necessary. As an added bonus, this newly found real estate seems to leave room for humor to find room to roam more freely. Of course, it's still a fun adventure story about friends true and finding the strength to use the strengths you've always had, but aren't they all? Well, most of them probably don't have orangutan librarians...