The Colour of Magic is the first Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. In it we are introduced to the topography of Discworld – a disc on carried on the back of four elephants which, in turn, are carried on the back of a giant turtle. We meet recurring character Rincewind, a wizard who failed to graduate from the Unseen University. In company with Twoflowers, Discworld’s first tourist, we explore some of the planet, meeting dragons, trolls, gods – and Death!
Terry Pratchett comes up with some brilliant, funny and well thought-out ideas in The Colour of Magic. His definition of the Big Bang hypothesis made me laugh out loud. There’s a water troll called Tethis, a nod to the pre-historic Tethys Sea that existed here on earth from about 200 million years ago. There are dragons that have to be imagined into existence, and only stay around for as long as the imaginer is conscious.
Other recurring characters who appear in The Colour of Magic are Death and the Luggage. Death should need no explanation. He appears in person when a wizard is about to die, which happens to Rincewind several times in this book. (He doesn’t die, otherwise it would be a very short story and the subsequent novels would be very different.) When thwarted, Death takes out his frustration on whoever or whatever happens to be nearby, even if it’s only a may fly. The Luggage is amazing. It’s a large chest that contains whatever it’s owner needs, which is fairly normal for luggage. What’s not normal is that it has hundreds of tiny legs and will follow its owner wherever he goes. If it is separated from its owner, the Luggage will do whatever it takes to join up with him again – and I do mean anything. It will protect it’s contents against anybody who tries to steal them, although it does allow Rincewind to take food and water when he’s hungry. It’s also very good at devouring monsters and anybody else who gets in its way – part suitcase, part homicidal maniac.
The Colour of Magic is the first Discworld novel I’ve ever read. I bought it because I wanted to read something less serious for a change. I wasn’t disappointed. The characters and situations are weird and wacky, but nothing is badly thought through. This may be my first Discworld novel, but it certainly won’t be my last.
