Read All About It: The Light Fantastic

I can't say it enough--I love everything about the style of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. I can't get through a page without smiling and falling in love with this series. I know that The Light Fantastic is only the second book of the Discworld novels, but I have firm plans to savor the rest of this fantastical series for a long while.

The Light Fantastic picks up where The Color of Magic left off, with Rincewind and Twoflower falling off the edge of the world. Through an unexpected turn of events, the two appear back on land in a forest, and Rincewind is starting to think that the spell in his head might just have something to do with his unfortunate luck.

He's mostly, unfortunately right, and resigns himself to it. Well, almost.

Image Source: goodreads.com

Rincewind is an interesting character because of how much he just doesn't want to be involved in anything. Fate seems to have it out for him, and he can never get away from being at the center of the action. As a reluctant hero, Rincewind is endlessly relatable, and his ability to squeeze his way out of any situation is highly enviable.

Still in the companionship of Twoflower, the pair come across new members of their journeying party, including a legendary hero and a mistakenly-rescued sacrificial woman. They'd say sorry for rescuing her, but it would be a lie, and anyways it's better to just go along with them. This book draws you deeper into the crazy universe that is the Discworld, and gives you a closer look at the very foundation of the Disc, A'Tuin the turtle, and his journey across space that terrifies many of the residents on the Disc.

Everything in these books is described in immaculate detail, personified or elaborated upon, and it helps to separate this fantasy universe from our own by giving everything fantastic characteristics, or a motive, or a funny or horrifying backstory. It's refreshing to read a book where every normal characteristic has been turned on its head and almost tediously described, because it made me think hard about how this universe fit together, and how I could interpret each action or reaction in that context. If you don't like extensive world-building, or crazy fantasy worlds in general, these books will probably let you down. But if you can look past the sometimes confounding order of the Discworld universe, it offers limitless potential for humor and enjoyable craziness.

The characters themselves are lovable and chaotic, with strange motivations, morals, and plans of action. And each is more interesting than the last. My particular favorites are, of course, the Luggage and Death, because they're so unique and, dare I say it, adorable. Everything about these novels fills me with joy, but especially those two.

At this point, I'm convinced that this entire series is a well-translated script of a Dungeons & Dragons play-through, and Pratchett was a particularly gleefully-sadistic Dungeon Master playing with equally crazy friends.

And I'm so here for it.

Hop on board the Discworld train (well, turtle) and read this wild ride!