228 pages
English language
Published Aug. 13, 2005 by Harper.
The Colour of Magic is a 1983 fantasy comedy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the Discworld series. The first printing of the British edition consisted of only 506 copies. Pratchett has described it as "an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns."
One of my least favorite Pratchet novels - I'm doing a completest read starting here - and it's still quite good.
This book is a hilarious exercise in some of the most impressive worldbuilding I've ever seen. Exploring Discworld through the lens of a wizard who doesn't cast spells, the most unflappable tourist known to man, and a carnivorous luggage chest was a riot.
I'm not sure that there's actually a lot to specifically highlight about the book. It's just all-around a great read with great characters and a fun story.
Ok look, this wasn't a bad book. But it wasn't a good book. It was a chore to read and I'm not entirely sure if I truly liked it. However, I definitely liked the characters and it made me more curious about the whole of Disc World as a setting. I'm as excited to read more as I am to be done with this one.
I know that people think Terry Pratchett is terribly funny, but it's a bit of a slog to get through this one. Sorry.
Fun, if zany. A bit looney-tunes - there's no reach overarching story of Rincewind and Twoflower, but they stumble from hijink to hijink along with a parade of characters with silly names.
It feels a little like fantasy sketch.
Just as much fun the second time through! And this time I got more of the jokes such as "reflected sound of underground spirits" = echo-gnomics = economics :-)
A reread though it felt so long ago I had forgotten much of this. You can tell its his first of the amazing series as its overambitious at times, quite picaresque, and later books have the characters somewhat more rounded and developed.
My first Discworld novel, and I really enjoyed it!
An entertaining read poking fun at some classic fantasy tropes and characters. It didn't turn me into a Disc World fan, but it did hook me enough to give the next book a try.
Just silly and wonderful! Terry Pratchett created an amazing universe where nothing logical happens, but it is a lot of fun!
Over the years I've dipped into the Discord books now and then and really struggled to get what the fuss was about, I usually found them boring and gave up. Then I decided to give them a proper go and start reading from book 1, suddenly things clicked and I was converted.
The characters are brilliant, the story is mad and moves along at one hell of a pace. The luggage is my hero!
Pratchett has his own unique writing style and if you can get into it then you're in for a great reading experience.... some of us though have to fight our way in. :)
I wasn't sure what to make of this series before I read it. I worried it would be juvenile or zany in a way that might embarrass more than entertain me. I was pleasantly surprised. Terry Prachett doesn't go for the laugh out loud hysterical jokes (in this, the first book of the Discworld series, anyway) but his voice is entertaining and his ideas are funny in a gentle way.
What surprised me most of all was how poorly written this book was and how much I didn't care; just goes to show the power of a likeable voice. That is the real draw to this read. The characters were amusing but not filled out enough to really care about, the plot is all over the place and not particularly clever, but the very present narrator is quickly engaging and fun to read. Everything from the humorous descriptions of setting …
I wasn't sure what to make of this series before I read it. I worried it would be juvenile or zany in a way that might embarrass more than entertain me. I was pleasantly surprised. Terry Prachett doesn't go for the laugh out loud hysterical jokes (in this, the first book of the Discworld series, anyway) but his voice is entertaining and his ideas are funny in a gentle way.
What surprised me most of all was how poorly written this book was and how much I didn't care; just goes to show the power of a likeable voice. That is the real draw to this read. The characters were amusing but not filled out enough to really care about, the plot is all over the place and not particularly clever, but the very present narrator is quickly engaging and fun to read. Everything from the humorous descriptions of setting to the by-the-bye explanations of how Discworld operates are what makes this story worth reading. I don't know if the characters in this novel carry over to the next books in the series and I don't care. That's how likeable Prachett's voice is (and the lesson I could learn most from him as a writer).
I've been meaning to start reading Discworld novels for some time because of Terry Pratchett's famous sense of absurd humor that is close to my heart. I must say he didn't disappoint me and I am looking forward to more adventures of failed wizard Rincewind, a weird insurance agent Twoflower, currently on a holiday as a tourist and of course his sapient pearwood chest following him everywhere. Beware, there be dragons!
The best fantasy book I've ever read. Funny, fast, and very well written.
