The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Book Description

In The Color of Magic, the well-meaning but remarkably inept wizard Rincewind encounters something hitherto unknown in the Discworld: a tourist! Twoflower has arrived, Luggage by his side, to take in the sights. Unfortunately Twoflower has cast his lot with a most inappropriate tour guide—a decision that could result in Twoflower’s becoming not only Discworld’s first visitor from elsewhere . . . but quite possibly, portentously, its very last. And, of course, he’s brought Luggage along, which has a mind of its own. And teeth.

Review

The Color of Magic starts Pratchett’s renowned Discworld series. In it, Pratchett introduces us to his vibrant and absurd world, where anything is possible and chaos reigns supreme.

The story follows Rincewind, a failed wizard with an affinity for running away, and Twoflower, a naïve, optimistic tourist from a faraway land. Together, they embark on a journey through Discworld. This bizarre world is the perfect stage for the series of misadventures that befall our hapless heros.

If you’ve read none of Pratchett’s 41 Discworld novels, you’re in for a great treat. Pratchett wrote each as a stand-alone book, so you can read them in any order. I started with Going Postal, the 33rd novel in the Discworld series.

Although the stakes can be very high in any of the Discworld novels, the books have a decidedly cozy feel. Pratchett’s masterful storytelling highlights the absurdity of his character’s choices. This makes their impending doom funny rather than threatening. To make the novels even funnier, characters from one subseries often pop up in other books, still cracking their inside jokes.

Pratchett’s world sucked me in right away, so I wanted to read where it all started in The Color of Magic.

A Whirlwind Tour

Unlike many of the later Discworld novels, the focus of The Color of Magic seems to be the setting of the Discworld. I got the sense that Pratchett used the novel to delve into what the Discworld was… or could be.

Not only do we get a glimpse into the world building that is to come, we are taken on a tour of the world, literally to the very edges of the rim.

Compared to The Color of Magic, the later Discworld novels are character driven, and more firmly planted into a very real-feeling Discworld. Even so, this first novel still combines elements of fantasy, humor, and social commentary into a recognizable Pratchett novel. I adore his vivid and eccentric characters, and The Color of Magic doesn’t disappoint. 

Pratchett’s prose is a joy to read. He scatters clever wordplay, puns, and one-liners throughout the book. While I didn’t find it as funny as his later novels, his sharp comedic timing and knack for creating memorable dialogue kept me giggling throughout.

The Color of Magic is a must-read for fans of fantasy, comedy, and satire. And if you’ve read and loved any of the Discworld series, I’d highly encourage you to go back and discover where it all began.

Content Warning

Alcohol, Sexual Innuendo, Profanity (mild), Violence

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Quino Al on Unsplash