Valon tanssi (1986)

4 stars

A terrific finisher (?) to the Rincewind - Twoflower story. Picks up the cliffhanger of the first book and carries the same energy and humor to the very end of it.

I recommend that you read it if you like light-hearted comedy fiction or are a Pratchett fan! ( )

It is said that one should first read [b:The Color of Magic|34497|The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)|Terry Pratchett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390582240s/34497.jpg|194190] and THEN The Light Fantastic, but as this is my first Pratchett novel AND it is also said that all novels can be read as stand-alone stories, I didn't want to visit another bookstore to see if they had the first book in the Discworld series.

I've seen Terry Pratchett's name and the titles of this series countless times over the years, but never bothered to read any of them, fearing that one must indeed read them in chronological order, like with e.g. Dragonlance.

But then you are in need of new (despite having tens of other unread books) reading material, something light, easy, funny. Pratchett is then a logical and easy choice, as the Discworld novels are readable as stand-alones. There is an order, though, as certain characters come back now and then. For each of these characters, there's an "order" you can follow if you want to read more about them specifically. See, for example, here.

Perhaps I indeed should have read The Colour Of Magic first to understand who Rincewind and Twoflower are, their relation, etc., but I didn't really miss any prehistory of their adventures when reading The Light Fantastic.

In this second book the story revolves around a Book of Spells the Octavo. All eight spells must be read/said at the same time to avoid eternal doom (a crashing meteorite obliterating all). Of course, Rincewind, Twoflower, Luggage (a living chest, loyal to Twoflower the tourist), Cohen the Barbarian, Bethan, and many more characters bring the story and world to life. A lot of crazy stuff happens and Rincewind's weirdness reminded me, on occasion, of Fizban (the god Paladine disguised as a confused wizard in the Dragonlance series). Also, brilliant ending. Simply awesome stuff here.

Pratchett has a way with humour, often very dry humour, typically British, you could say. Many times it works, sometimes it's not as good as e.g. [b:Cardboard Box Of The Rings Omnibus|1017103|Cardboard Box Of The Rings Omnibus (Cardboard Box of the Rings, #1-3)|Adam Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1180267996s/1017103.jpg|1003227].

Also, the book (they probably all are) is not divided into chapters, but there are breaks and little characters instead. It's a different way of reading, yes, but as it's one big story with different scenes and happenings... it's like in a tv series or film, you could say, when they change from one place to another.

In any case, my first encounter with Pratchett's witty, rich and humourous style has pleasantly surprised me. I can therefore say about The Light Fantastic: recommended! I'll definitely read more of this series. ( )

The Light Fantastic begins exactly where The Colour of Magic left off, so we’re back with Rincewind and pals, and dealing with The Spell.

Unfortunately just like the first book this is very much a straightforward comic fantasy story. It is a send-up of fantasy tropes but purely for the laughs, there is very little of the social commentary and smarts of the later Discworld books.

It is still amusing and very readable however. I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. I had memories of not really liking this one, but I guess maybe my expectations were low so I ended up pleasantly surprised. If you haven’t read any of the Discworld books then you’ll have nothing to compare it to, and it won’t fall short. And a Terry Pratchett book is always fun and worth a try.

Next up, Equal Rites. ( )

Rincewind and his tourist buddy, Twoflower, return in The Light Fantastic, book #2 of the Discworld series. Rincewind is still an inept wizard, and Twoflower is still a sweetly bumbling visitor, snapping photos of everything, even Death himself.

This time, the spell Rincewind carries in his head is needed to save the Disc from doom. Everyone is searching for him, but his usual ridiculous exploits make him incredibly difficult to find. From falling off the Disc to finding flying rocks in the sky, this book is a continuation of the glorious and horrible exploits of the worst wizard in the world and the first tourist with his ever-present attack luggage.

I first read this book when I was in college in the 80s. I loved the humor and sarcastic social commentary. Then life intervened spiriting me away from Discworld for a couple decades. I come back now to discover that Pratchett increased the few books that existed back then into 40 books! I am in heaven! I wish I had read these when they first came out...but you know....marriage, kids, divorce, work....things happen. I'm just very happy to be able to re-read the books I enjoyed in the 80s and discover all the lovely tales I missed!

It isn't often that a book makes me laugh out loud. But this lovely book had me doing just that constantly. Pratchett was a wizard of words, and created such a wondrous, funny world for us all to enjoy. I hope somewhere his soul is joyously sitting at a table playing Bridge with Death, who still doesn't understand bidding conventions.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre. It's a hoot filled with intelligent, witty humor!

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This book continues on with Rincewind and Twoflower's journey, and you find out how much of a ( )