Interesting Times

A Novel of Discworld

Hardcover, 295 pages

English language

Published April 6, 1997 by Victor Gollancz.

ISBN:
978-0-06-105252-1
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4 stars (105 reviews)

"May you live in interesting times" is the worst thing one can wish on a citizen of Discworld -- especially on the distinctly unmagical sorcerer Rincewind, who has had far too much perilous excitement in his life. But when a request for a "Great Wizzard" arrives in Ankh-Morpork via carrier albatross from the faraway Counterweight Continent, it's he who's sent as emissary. Chaos threatens to follow the impending demise of the Agatean Empire's current ruler. And, for some incomprehensible reason, someone believes Rincewind will have a mythic role in the war and wholesale bloodletting that will surely ensue. (Carnage is pretty much a given, since Cohen the Barbarian and his extremely elderly Silver Horde are busily formulating their own plan for looting, pillaging, and, er, looking wistfully at girls.) However, Rincewind firmly believes there are too many heroes already in the world, yet only one Rincewind. And he owes it …

15 editions

The peak of the Rincewind series; a story of the messy art of war

5 stars

A "wizzard" from a city that isn't quite London materializes on a continent that isn't quite China, where a revolution is brewing. In trying to avoid conflict, Rincewind's typical brownian motion sets off a butterfly effect that culminates in a battle between two leaders who could not be more different: a warlord who drives his pawns in front of him and an aging barbarian who leads his long-experienced comrades on the battlefield. But Rincewind has one more surprise for the combatants--as much a surprise to him as it is to them! Maybe he can finally fulfill his desire for...potatoes?

I read this book in its original paperback release, and re-read it so many times it fell apart. This is my favorite instalment in the Rincewind series.

Review of 'Interesting Times' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Within Discworld, this pretty much checks all boxes.

This deep into the long series (17 novels) it's not really possible to review independently, and it wouldn't stand alone as well, but it was really nice to return to Pratchett's Discworld and particularly returning to Rincewind, Cohen, and Twoflower - the main characters of the first two Discworld novels, The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

In some ways Interesting Times is predictable and in other books I'd consider that instantly lethal to any sort of interest, but like most of the Discworld books the interest isn't so much in the plot as it is being led by Pratchett through the intricacies of this world and his use of metaphor to talk about human nature. In this case, the main characters head to an oppressive regime modeled on China and has a lot to say about that oppression, but …

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Subjects

  • Fiction - Fantasy
  • English Science Fiction And Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Science Fiction - General
  • Fantasy - Series
  • Discworld (Imaginary place)
  • Fantasy fiction

Lists