Flipping Through Pages #8 - The Light Fantastic (A Book Review)

I will miss discovering Terry Pratchett.

It’s a singular event in my short life that will stay with me long into my bibliophilic journey even when I complete this series.

His understanding of satire is so well done that I forget to laugh and just gape as understanding floods my humour, making me realize this is a man who will be in sync with fantasy in a way that I couldn’t even dream of.

The Light Fantastic is further proof that we are just exploring the start of Discworld, as more players come into the picture even as others are kept back maybe to be seen another day. The world building is amazing, as nice little nods to elements in the first book come into play in a major way as a world ending threat arrives. Also, a highlight is how Pratchett is drawing from multiple cherished stories and breathing new life into them through his own unique lens.

It also brings Rincewind into wonderful focus through elements of his past that are key here, moulding him into a hero unlike most. Reluctant to the extreme, pragmatic beyond madness and despite a lack of inclination towards all things magical, a true survivor. And he becomes an amazing

After the introduction of Hrun in the last book, we have Cohen the elderly barbarian come into the picture (no prizes for guessing where he is from) and others like a sacrificial girl and a gnome ( or is it an elf? No, definitely a gnome) living in a gingerbread house. Pratchett again shows wonderful mastery as he picks and chooses characters from literary lore and gives them his own unique spin, making us smile at the references and yet coming to love the ones he has given birth to.

The best segment is again to do with Death (can I say that he is my favorite character in this series already and I can’t wait to read his own miniseries in Discworld!) and Rincewind showing a heroic nature I didn’t believe he possessed.

I don’t think he did either.

It all ends wonderfully with an end of world scenario that brings full circle a crucial point in the first book, and ends in triumph for our intrepid heroes. And its ingenious how Pratchett resolves it – everything falls into place wonderfully (tending towards a little too much).

Till next time. As a wise man says, you haven’t really been anywhere until you’ve got back home.

So, I give it 8.5 out of 10.

+The new characters especially Cohen are wonderful
+Beautiful evolution of our main characters
+That wit and humour!
+World Building imagery is god tier

-Things tie up too neatly near the end