Reviews - The Light Fantastic

3.62k reviews for:

The Light Fantastic

Terry Pratchett

3.9 AVERAGE

librarian_sorceress's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

laurenzin's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

kiarrahope's review against another edition

5.0

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jpsjps's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

Liked this one a lot. I feel like this book flows better than The Color of Magic. Also, the ending was fantastic. The humor was still on point and I enjoyed all of the fun characters. I’ve heard the first two books are the weakest so I’m excited to continue.

housemfd's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing 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

mackinnonanna's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

zachreadsfantasy's review against another edition

3.0

The Light Fantastic is a step-up from Terry Pratchett’s first Discworld book, The Color of Magic, simply because it was more focused with an overarching story. The wacky adventures of Rincewind and Twoflower are still all over the place though and often venture into territory that can only be described as silly and absurd. I’m just starting my journey with Discworld books and I hear they get much better than this. I hope that is true. Part of me is starting to wonder if these just aren’t my style though.

First, the humor is great. Pratchett is hilarious. I laughed out loud many times at several unforgettable lines and passages. I recognize why people like this stuff. I want to be clear that I am not questioning my preference for this style of book because I’m too dense or don’t get it. Yes, it makes me laugh. Second, and sadly though, I personally want more from my books and stories than just humor and silliness. I want to feel a range of emotions when I read. I want depth and intrigue. I did not find that here. When stories rely so heavily on humor, other aspects like the action, character development, and plot tend to suffer.

We’ll see if I am able to count myself part of the crowd that adores these Discworld books as I continue chipping away at them. I plan to pick one up every now and then for a quick change of pace. Hopefully they just get better from here.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Book 1: The Color of Magic 2/5
Book 2: The Light Fantastic 3/5