The Color of Magic (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett (Epub)

Description

A writer who has been compared to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams, Sir Terry Pratchett has created a complex, yet zany world filled with a host of unforgettable characters who navigate around a profound fantasy universe, complete with its own set of cultures and rules.

Imagine, if you will . . . a flat world sitting on the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. In truth, the Discworld is not so different from our own. Yet, at the same time, very different . . . but not so much.

In this, the maiden voyage through Terry Pratchett’s divinely and recognizably twisted alternate dimension, 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 and, unfortunately, 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.

User’s Reviews

Review “Ingenious, brilliant, and hilarious.” (Washington Post) From the Back Cover Imagine, if you will . . . a flat world sitting on the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. In truth, the Discworld is not so different from our own. Yet, at the same time, very different . . . but not so much.In this, the maiden voyage through Terry Pratchett’s divinely and recognizably twisted alternate dimension, 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 and, unfortunately, 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.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This is the first book in the Discworld series, but my 6th Discworld book that I’ve read. I started with the Tiffany Aching series (which was a great introduction to Discworld!), and thought I’d go back and start at the beginning.I really loved the Tiffany Aching series, but struggled to get immersed in this book. I found I wasn’t nearly attached to any of the characters in this book compared to Wee Free Men where I was immediately invested in Tiffany, her brother, and all the Nac Mac Feegles. The one “character” in Color of Magic that I somewhat cared about was Twoflower’s Luggage. I think what made this challenging to get in to the book was the main storyline was interrupted with snippits of “gods” controlling movement or position of the characters, and I still don’t know what that was about.I loved all the descriptions of Great A’Tuin, the giant turtle on which the four elephants that hold up Discworld are standing on. There’s a lot of great stuff in this book, I just found a lot of plot not very interesting.I am going to keep reading Discworld, because I believe there are more Discworld books out there that I will really love. I am so glad I didn’t start with this one, because there’s no way I would have continued the series based on this book. I love Pratchett’s later writing style and have high hopes for other Discworld books, especially the Witches series.

⭐ Wow. I don’t know how it is I’ve never read a novel of the Discworld before, but I am tremendously grateful to have rectified this oversight.A failed wizard. A tourist from an unknown place. Semi-sentient luggage. A somewhat easily thwarted Death. These are the characters we follow across a world that ranges from sort of traditional fantasy to science fantasy. In the course of this tale, they will encounter great heroes, sometimes misunderstood villains, locales that are bigger on the inside than the outside and strange gods that seem to have only moderately more understanding of things than our protagonists.His comedic presentation is undeniable. The scope of his creativity is as impressive as it is daunting and his perspective is unique and utterly refreshing. Dragons as creatures of pure creation, powered by imagination and an active mind? Death (as a conscious, if somewhat imperfect entity) that becomes petty when unable to collect its due, so instead it collects the life of a nearby cat (leaving it with the magic eight instead of the normal nine lives)? The fact that, on occasion, falling from great heights permits trans-dimensional travel? Genius.Pratchett’s prose is eminently accessible, which makes this book not only a breeze to read but rather difficult to put down. He may not have the sheer command of language that Vance and Leiber did, but he is every bit their equal in terms of sheer imaginative prowess, wit and tale-telling. Truly, one of the titans of fantasy and an incredible storyteller.TLDR: A must read for any fan of humorous, ingenious and surreal fantasy. On to the quotes:”Precisely why all the above should be so is not clear, but goes some way to explain why, on the disc, the Gods are not so much worshipped as blamed.””He’s got a box with a demon in it that draws pictures,” said Rincewind shortly. “Do what the madman says and he will give you gold.””No, what he didn’t like abut heroes was that they were usually suicidally gloomy when sober and homicidally insane when drunk. There were too many of them, too.””The Disc gods themselves, despite the splendor of the world below them, are seldom satisfied. It is embarrassing to know that one is a god of a world that only exists because every improbability curve must have its far end; especially when one can peer into other dimensions at worlds whose Creators had more mechanical aptitude than imagination. No wonder, then, that the Disc gods spend more time in bickering than in omnicognizance.”

⭐ This is at least second time that I’ve read The Color of Magic. I am a die-hard Terry Pratchett and I absolutely love the Discworld. While I find this first book in the series somewhat less developed than the later books, it’s still a great read. I can really see how far PTerry developed both the world and the characters when I compare this book with the later ones. I understand that most people don’t actually start with this first book, but it really is a great jumping in point because the stories and the characters only get better with each successive novel. I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who loves fantasy and humor. You can’t beat PTerry’s wisdom or wit.

⭐ I waited far, far too long to start reading this series, but now that I’ve started, I’m never going to be able to stop. Pratchett earns his title of one of the best fantasy writers in existence, combining large scale, intricate world building with hilarious prose.The story starts off with telling us what’s so special about Discworld. Disworld is actually a flat plan, a ‘disc’, if you will, resting on the back of four giant elephants, which are themselves standing on the shell of an even more giant turtle crawling through space. Things only get more ridiculous from there. Pratchett introduces us to two great characters. The first, Rincewind, is a washed out drop out of the local wizard college, who a knack for both languages and finding his way to trouble. The second, Twoflower, is a foreigner bored with his life as an insurance salesman, who comes to Rincewinds city as tourist looking for adventure, and willing to pay for it handsomely. Together, the two traipse across the Disc on all sorts of wacky adventures.I want to compare Pratchetts writing to Douglas Adams, or even Kurt Vonnegut, but that wouldn’t be accurate. Those authors are massively cynical, and while Pratchett can do satire, his humor is much more kind-hearted. You really just need to read the book for yourself to see what I mean.

⭐ I read Good Omens long ago, then was enamored by Neil Gaiman, and had “been meaning to read” Pratchett the way many people have been meaning to travel through Europe. I finally have, now that he’s gone and I myself am faced with learning how to live disabledly.Of course, Moving Pictures was the first book of his I’d heard of, being the first Rush album I owned (they’re a big deal, give their instrumentals a listen if you’re squeamish about the vocals) and when i learned Discworld was a “series” of sorts, that wouldn’t do.As an opener, this book was nothing short of perfect medicine. I highly, highly recommended this book (and Good Omens) to anyone with a desire for flight who is also a lover of great characters and epic bard-like tales of heroism, folly, and accidental genius. Or both…

⭐ For once, I actually have negative things to say about the copy of the book itself–that is to say, the aspect regarding the front and back covers and all the paper smushed between. This Harper edition is kinda ugly, as are almost all their other reprints for this series. The text formatting is unnecessarily enlarged, the pages are too narrow, and the cover art…bleggh. Compared to the hyperactive (though not wholly faithful) cover art done by Josh Kirby, the artwork for this edition is bland and makes me upset. Anyway, all that aside…This is a pretty good start to a pretty great series. When I picked it up, I had absolutely no idea what to expect–I didn’t know who Terry Pratchett was and had no clue what Discworld was all about…I didn’t even know it was humorous. What a delightful surprise this was. It’s the type of fantasy series that really hits home with fans of the genre (the first few pages feature a nice nod to Fritz Leiber, for instance), but pretty much anyone can enjoy these books and their piercing wit.As a plus, this first story is quite literally all over the place: it’s packed to its rims with world-building and features a pretty large cast of characters–all genuinely lovable–for such a short work. And yet, it’s all very fun and easy to follow. As for its shortcomings, I didn’t realize them until I read more of the Discworld books: the actual plot doesn’t really materialize until the second book (though it doesn’t really need to, honestly). And once you get used to Pratchett’s comedic style, some of the characters might become indistinct. But hey, that only happened to me because I kicked things into overdrive and bought a load of his other books. I wouldn’t recommend doing that, but I definitely recommend this book among several others (Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Small Gods, etc.)By the way, if you purchase this book and know what you’re in for, you might as well get the second, The Light Fantastic, as the two books are essentially a duology.

⭐ If there were any justice in this cold, dark, giant turtle-free universe, I would’ve discovered the Discworld series long ago. When The Colour of Magic came out in 1983, I was a voracious fantasy reader, played D&D regularly, and loved my swords and sorcery with a side of snark and slapstick. This book would’ve been my soulmate.Thankfully, middle-age me still reads plenty of fantasy, I still play D&D every week, and perhaps more than ever, I have a strong appreciation for the value of humor. So, who cares if I made my way to Discworld a few decades behind schedule? A soulmate is a soulmate.If you’re debating whether to jump into the novel (and possibly the entire series), here are a few of the book’s best features, which might sway your decision:1. The world is familiar. Absurdities aside, the surface of Discworld is a pretty straightforward fantasy setting, complete with its own magic system and the vaguely medieval feel that we’ve come to associate with fantasy fiction. If you’re the kind of person (like me) who enjoys that sort of environment, you should be right at home here.2. Pratchett is clever, but not too clever. In lesser hands, this novel could’ve devolved into a series of hollow jokes and winks at the audience. The absurd physics (a flat planet, a turtle all the way down), the wordplay (think Douglas Adams turned up to 11), and the references to classic fantasy works (stand-ins for Fafhrd, the Gray Mouser, and Conan all make appearances) could easily turn The Colour of Magic into a nearly 300-page-long SNL skit. Thankfully, Pratchett makes sure that there’s a compelling story at the heart of it, which saves it from itself.3. It’s funny. Personally, I think most fantasy and sci-fi takes itself far too seriously (looking at you, Malazan Book of the Fallen). That’s fine if you’re a writer like Tolkien or Le Guin or Jemisin and you can pull it off, but most author’s can’t. Their writing becomes laughably over the top, pulling the reader out of the narrative. Pratchett has taken the opposite tack, leaning into the ridiculous and camp, and in the process, he’s created a unique, memorable universe.I admit, I’m always apprehensive about jumping into series—especially long ones like this—but with one book under my belt, I’m really looking forward to more.

⭐ I had this book in my wish list for several years, finally took some time this summer to read it and it was very enjoyable. It reminds me a bit of Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy meets fantasy. I have read several others in the series and I agree with many of the reviewers, the writing and stories get better as you go along (I think this is true with most writers, I liked the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” better than the first two Narnia books). But I did enjoy both “The Color of Magic” and “The Light Fantastic” enough to keep going. “Mort” has been my favorite so far . . .I am going to focus on the different editions you can purchase.A+ – the hardback copies by Gollancz, very high quality. The paper is a nice feel, the print is very good, the covers are a soft cotton, they do not have dust-jackets (like all their hardback books), but the covers are designed very uniquely. I hope they have the entire series, looks like they have a lot of them.B+ – the paperback copy by Harper. This was the first copy I obtained, it is also very good, the paper, cover, and print are very high quality. The only down side to these, is there is no uniform editions. I believe they only printed the first three books, then after that another publisher stepped in and so the appearance of the books look very different from the others.C+ – the mass market paperback copy by Harper Collins. This was a very cheaply produced book. The first two books I got, were good quality (all ordered new from amazon, btw), paper was good, cover, and print were all good. Then the third and fourth books were definitely low quality. The print was poorly done, some passages appeared blurry, poor print job. The upside to these are the uniform look. The downside, terrible quality production.If you are looking for an interesting set of fiction, I absolutely love Pratchett’s imagination and writing style, I bought all his other story collections, then I would definitely check out this series. I don’t have any preference about where you start, some reviewers really are not fans of the first two, I thought they were good enough for me to keep going, but I definitely think they get better. I also like the stand alone nature of the stories, so I can pick the themes I enjoy the most to focus on and read.As far as which edition to buy, you might want to start with the mass market, they are cheaper, then if you like them, go with the other paperbacks. I have enjoyed the first five or so that I have read, I am now buying only the hardback editions.Enjoy! . . .

⭐ Set in a world called Discworld this first book in a series takes place on a planet that is atop four elephants that are atop a giant turtle. The world is flat and it is believed that you can fall off the edges of it into nothingness. There are gods who play with humans over a game of dice. In this world there is a wizard named Rincewind who isn’t much of a wizard seeing as he didn’t finish his training much less go to school because he snuck into a secret room where a dangerous book was held and opened it and one of the dangerous spells leaped out into his mind causing him to be unable to remember any other spells.Rincewind runs into an oddity, a tourist, from the mythical Counterweight Continent where gold is everywhere. And this stranger, Twoflowers, is carrying a magic box made of sapient peartree that will follow and protect it’s owner to the ends of the earth. Inside this box is lots of gold and he is giving it away to pay for stuff that costs much less than what is owed and is being taken advantage of. Rincewind offers his assistance and speaks a language both men can understand as Twoflower doesn’t really speak the local language. He just has a phrasebook.Soon everyone in Morpork is interested in stealing the box of gold. But they’re in for a rude surprise when the box bites back. Twoflower wants to see all the rough stuff. A bar fight, heroes, dragons, and a whore house. Rincewind at first obliges but then gets the feeling that he needs to leave because the town is in danger, so he goes to buy a horse and gets brought before the law for stealing a horse that he couldn’t buy with the money he gave him. The law tells him that the Emperor of Morpork wants to keep this man safe and that is Rincewind’s job now and if he does the charges will be dropped.Rincewind’s feeling about the town being in danger prove prophetic because the whole town soon burns to the ground. But he and Twoflowers make it out alright. The two go on an adventure the likes of which Twoflowers is very happy about, but has Rincewind worried as hell because they keep running into dangerous situations but somehow getting out of them. And Death is chasing Rincewind who was supposed to die on the day of the fire in another city but didn’t.I had very high expectations for this book as I had heard so much about the series and how wonderful it was. Perhaps my expectations were too high as I was sorely disappointed. I can’t really explain why I didn’t like the book, I just didn’t. Maybe it was my mood when I read it. That happened when I read the first Harry Potter book for the first time. I was bored and ended up putting it down to try again at a later date. Maybe I should have done so with this book. It ends as a cliffhanger and to find out what further happens to Rincewind and Twoflowers I guess you have to read the next book which is The Light Fantastic. I don’t know if I will read it or not. Maybe this series deserves another shot after all I’ve heard about it. Anyway, I give this book three stars out of five stars.QuotesNo, what he didn’t like about heroes was that they were usually suicidally gloomy when sober and homicidally insane when drunk.-Terry Pratchett (The Color of Magic p 39)Magic never dies. It merely fades away.-Terry Pratchett (The Color of Magic p 137)Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying.-Terry Pratchett (The Color of Magic p 213)

⭐ This is the first entry in the Discworld series. Discworld is a world very much like ours…but turned sideways and viewed through the eyes of an author with a brilliant, if somewhat juvenile, sense of humor (which…full disclosure…is right up my alley). In each book, some modern things are explained….from the Discworld perspective. Here, for example, insurance policies are explained as a mis-pronunciation of a foreign word, brought to Discworld by an actuary who speaks not a word of the local language(s).The essence of this volume is that the gods play dice with the world…this refuting the essential Einstein theory against which he spent most of his life beating his head against the wall, that the world can not be explained by randomness….which is exactly what quantum theory does.You may have noticed I said nothing about the plot. Well, the plot is so madcap it defies summary. Let’s just say it includes, turtles, elephants, dragons, the edge of the world, rocket ships, and water trolls….oh, and a walking hostile piece of luggage insanely loyal to its owner. If that summary doesn’t peek your interest, you probably won’t like the book. If it does, then go forth and prepare to enjoy yourself.

Keywords

Free Download The Color of Magic (Discworld) in Epub format
The Color of Magic (Discworld) Epub Free Download
Download The Color of Magic (Discworld) 2013 Epub Free
The Color of Magic (Discworld) 2013 Epub Free Download
Download The Color of Magic (Discworld) Epub
Free Download Ebook The Color of Magic (Discworld)