laislinns's review against another edition
4.0
I know that it sounds like a lame play on words, and yes, it is, but it is the best way that I can think of to describe The Light Fantastic. It really was fantastically light and just what I needed.
Over the past few months, I have been struggling through books - through one book in particular. I have been enjoying it when I get around to reading it, but it is not the kind of book that I find myself wanting to pick up. It is not the kind of book that I can read anywhere and anytime. I have to be in the right frame of mind to read it. I have to be concentrating, otherwise I find myself getting lost and having to backtrack to find out what I missed. It is a problem, because even now, when I pick it up and open the book to the page that I had been on, I have no recollection of what came before and no interest in what is going to come next. The writing is exquisite, but getting through it is a daunting task.
This is why, when I picked up The Light Fantastic, I was thrilled to find that it really was fantastically light reading. It was the complete opposite to the kinds of books that I had been reading over the last few months and it was the kind of book that I wanted to pick up and read, rather than finding it an effort to do so. There was a bit of a break in between my reading of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but that didn't hinder my reading of it in the slightest. Pratchett picked up where he left off with the story of Rincewood of Twoflower, not recapping too much - a practice that tends to annoy me in series as they spend our valuable time recapping what happened in the last book when they could be continuing the story. Pratchett doesn't waste time like that. He spends perhaps one or two sentences explaining how the characters got to where they are, in a humorous way as is always the case it would seem with Pratchett, and then he carries on with the storytelling. It is writing as it should be. It is reading as it should be. There are no drawn out descriptions, no unrequited love stories. Things happen as they happen and he tells it as it is. And I like that. A lot.
That isn't to say that there is no suspense to the book. Not at all. The book is full of suspense, and Pratchett has a way of leaving stories hanging at important moments and continuing with a seemingly completely separate story that he somehow connects at the end. It makes for suspenseful reading, but in an enjoyable way. You are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens, but you are not bored to tears by unnecessary details while you are waiting. No. Instead, you are treated to further adventures, which you suspect will somehow end up relating to the story, but are not quite sure how yet.
Pratchett is a talented writer. There can be no denying it. And now that I have read two of his books, I am utterly hooked and cannot wait to delve into more. Though I know that the next book in the series is not one relating to Rincewood, I am looking forward to getting to know some of the new characters that the Discworld can provide. Equal Rites, here I come!
Over the past few months, I have been struggling through books - through one book in particular. I have been enjoying it when I get around to reading it, but it is not the kind of book that I find myself wanting to pick up. It is not the kind of book that I can read anywhere and anytime. I have to be in the right frame of mind to read it. I have to be concentrating, otherwise I find myself getting lost and having to backtrack to find out what I missed. It is a problem, because even now, when I pick it up and open the book to the page that I had been on, I have no recollection of what came before and no interest in what is going to come next. The writing is exquisite, but getting through it is a daunting task.
This is why, when I picked up The Light Fantastic, I was thrilled to find that it really was fantastically light reading. It was the complete opposite to the kinds of books that I had been reading over the last few months and it was the kind of book that I wanted to pick up and read, rather than finding it an effort to do so. There was a bit of a break in between my reading of The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but that didn't hinder my reading of it in the slightest. Pratchett picked up where he left off with the story of Rincewood of Twoflower, not recapping too much - a practice that tends to annoy me in series as they spend our valuable time recapping what happened in the last book when they could be continuing the story. Pratchett doesn't waste time like that. He spends perhaps one or two sentences explaining how the characters got to where they are, in a humorous way as is always the case it would seem with Pratchett, and then he carries on with the storytelling. It is writing as it should be. It is reading as it should be. There are no drawn out descriptions, no unrequited love stories. Things happen as they happen and he tells it as it is. And I like that. A lot.
That isn't to say that there is no suspense to the book. Not at all. The book is full of suspense, and Pratchett has a way of leaving stories hanging at important moments and continuing with a seemingly completely separate story that he somehow connects at the end. It makes for suspenseful reading, but in an enjoyable way. You are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens, but you are not bored to tears by unnecessary details while you are waiting. No. Instead, you are treated to further adventures, which you suspect will somehow end up relating to the story, but are not quite sure how yet.
Pratchett is a talented writer. There can be no denying it. And now that I have read two of his books, I am utterly hooked and cannot wait to delve into more. Though I know that the next book in the series is not one relating to Rincewood, I am looking forward to getting to know some of the new characters that the Discworld can provide. Equal Rites, here I come!
nangears's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mjd3jaggy's review against another edition
5.0
Terry Pratchett beautifully concludes the story of Twoflower and Rincewind. Rincewind finally gets to become the hero he was destined for and Twoflower gets to watch it happen. The introductions of Cohen and Bethan round out the group nicely. The talking trees were a great bit in the story, as well as Rincewind’s refusal to believe that they are talking. Trymon is a great villain and an even better foil to Rincewind. Trymon’s lust for power plays greatly against Rincewind’s yearning for home. It also just makes so much sense for Rincewind to end up with the luggage. A fun read that gets me excited for the next one, even though it doesn’t have Rincewind.
cwe's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
evan87's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lazuli_73's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
astrochipmunk's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5