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matildarae's review against another edition
2.5
The first 60 pages enthralled me and then the plot became a mess that was very hard to follow and understand. What saves the book is Pratchett's clever turns of phrase and dialogue, but overall, it's sloppy and relying on satire and parody more than the book can stand.
mewie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
rainbowofcrazy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
4.0
Everyone said the first few Discworld books weren't... great, and I totally get it. I struggled bad with The Colour of Magic. In comparison, The Light Fantastic was a much bigger improvement, and IMO Sourcery continues on the improvement train.
I admit I missed Twoflower and his absence felt very present! New characters are introduced and while they're also interesting, they just couldn't fill the Twoflower shaped hole in my heart. On the plus side, I loved continuing on Rincewind's journey and he gets to shine here, and some of the other characters that I adored in the previous books, got to really shine here as well.
Of course what truly shines is Pratchett's whimsical and hysterical writing, with a healthy dose of, dare I say, absurdity. I love to highlight passages that make me smile or small blurbs that stand out to me, and this book is just very thoroughly highlighted yellow. (digitally. no worries.)
I did still struggle through reading this in general, as I've found that my ADHD brain prefers reading the Discworld books in small bits and pieces (so far. I've only just begun!) Thankfully I feel like the short almost-chapters-but-not are practically written for my ADHD to enjoy in small bites. The first half did feel quite slow though, but once it picks up more, it was smooth sailing.
Personally I adore Rincewind. He is quite the 'angry rabbit' when he needs to be and I love that about him. I'm looking forward to more!
I admit I missed Twoflower and his absence felt very present! New characters are introduced and while they're also interesting, they just couldn't fill the Twoflower shaped hole in my heart. On the plus side, I loved continuing on Rincewind's journey and he gets to shine here, and some of the other characters that I adored in the previous books, got to really shine here as well.
Of course what truly shines is Pratchett's whimsical and hysterical writing, with a healthy dose of, dare I say, absurdity. I love to highlight passages that make me smile or small blurbs that stand out to me, and this book is just very thoroughly highlighted yellow. (digitally. no worries.)
I did still struggle through reading this in general, as I've found that my ADHD brain prefers reading the Discworld books in small bits and pieces (so far. I've only just begun!) Thankfully I feel like the short almost-chapters-but-not are practically written for my ADHD to enjoy in small bites. The first half did feel quite slow though, but once it picks up more, it was smooth sailing.
Personally I adore Rincewind. He is quite the 'angry rabbit' when he needs to be and I love that about him. I'm looking forward to more!
stianbond's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
paulach's review against another edition
3.25
Bardzo chaotyczna, nawet jak na Pratchetta. Z drugiej strony z wiekiem bardziej rozumiem i doceniam Rincewinda, który jest kolejną świetną postacią ze Świata Dysku.
chrisbiss's review against another edition
2.0
I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in order.
I've realised - possibly for the second time in my life, given that I historically avoided Rincewind books - that I don't particularly like Rincewind as a main character. He's very passive, with things happening to and around him rather than being driven by him, and that bothers me. Sourcery very much suffers from this problem. Rincewind does become a little more proactive towards the end, but by that point it's too little, too late.
I really wanted this book to be about Coin and the staff that contains his father's soul, which is what the opening section promises us. And it is about that, but because it's shown to us through the point of view of a character who spends most of his time running away and actively trying not to be a protagonist, we don't really get to see any of the interesting stuff. I get that that's sort of the point of Rincewind as a character - he's very much an anti-hero in a Pratchett sense, rather than the general meaning of that term - but it just doesn't work for me.
I think this is the first book in the series I'm going to say I actively disliked. It isn't bad, and it probably suffers from coming s raight off the back of a top-tier novel like Mort, but it's definitely (for me, anyway) the weakest of these first few books even when we account for how rough and prototypical The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic are.
2/5. It's fine.
I've realised - possibly for the second time in my life, given that I historically avoided Rincewind books - that I don't particularly like Rincewind as a main character. He's very passive, with things happening to and around him rather than being driven by him, and that bothers me. Sourcery very much suffers from this problem. Rincewind does become a little more proactive towards the end, but by that point it's too little, too late.
I really wanted this book to be about Coin and the staff that contains his father's soul, which is what the opening section promises us. And it is about that, but because it's shown to us through the point of view of a character who spends most of his time running away and actively trying not to be a protagonist, we don't really get to see any of the interesting stuff. I get that that's sort of the point of Rincewind as a character - he's very much an anti-hero in a Pratchett sense, rather than the general meaning of that term - but it just doesn't work for me.
I think this is the first book in the series I'm going to say I actively disliked. It isn't bad, and it probably suffers from coming s raight off the back of a top-tier novel like Mort, but it's definitely (for me, anyway) the weakest of these first few books even when we account for how rough and prototypical The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic are.
2/5. It's fine.
miffyhelen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
ymberlenis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5