Reviews

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

grumpybakerjames's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sminismoni's review against another edition

2.0

The first of Terry Pratchett's famous Discworld novels, The Colour of Magic introduces us to its geography and some of the eccentric inhabitants, giving a taste of the series to come. The prose is in Pratchett's unique descriptive style, with witty asides and absurdities, and his boundless imagination is already on display.

So why 2 stars? Well, I felt as though this book was the first attempt of a master craftsman, still honing his skills. While all the elements of future works were there, they are as yet two dimensional and unrefined. The humour is few and far between, the characters a little on the flat side, and the plot a little too jumpy (pace is not quite right). This is why such a short book took me so long to read.

indium's review against another edition

3.0

I had very fond memories of this book, but I think they were a bit nostalgia tainted. Pratchett is still witty, but there is just more chaos and less structure than I remember.

mercedes_lara's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Disc World is quite difference from other fantasy book I have read. I enjoyed it, but there are some things that simpli were not completely my style. The jokes are funny and I loved the philosophical undertone in some sections.

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

While I love the world and theoretically everything that happens in this book, I kind of struggled with getting invested, and I'm not really sure why.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cellassis's review against another edition

3.75

A bit all over the place, but I had fun. As a non native English speaker, this book has made wonders for my vocabulary.

sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. I enjoyed it enough to go read more in the series, (and I've read at least one other Discworld novel and enjoyed it much more) but this felt all over the place. My favorite character is the trunk, which is kind of sad. There were a lot of characters in and out of the story and I couldn't keep track of anything from the worldbuilding to the characters to even the plot. It just felt really scattered. There were super interesting pieces, but as a whole it just didn't really work for me.

jcoryv's review against another edition

4.0

Strange beginning to Discworld. Fun and funny. Not sure which I’ll read next.

b0nk's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

joshtenet's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0