I had a lot of expectations going into this book, having really liked Good Omens and hearing tons of praise about Pratchett's works, particularly the Discworld stories. When it finally came time to get to the first book of the series, I was braced for anything, whether it would be excitement or disappointment. So, let's just get to it.
Rincewind is a failed wizard merely trying to find his way in life when he comes across the strangest and most dangerous thing ever seen in Discworld...a tourist. A simple man named Twoflower has come from the Counterweight Continent looking to see the sights with a camera and Luggage full of gold...and teeth. Rincewind soon finds himself Twoflower's unwilling guide and the two of them seek out all the exciting sights that Twoflower has longed to see...including bar fights, dangerous temples, and dragons. Of course.
If I was going to use one word to describe this book it would be...cheeky. The whole book has that wonderful, cheeky, British humor that I happen to love. It's remarkably dry humor that captures Rincewind's exasperation, Twoflower's naivety, and the confused and sometimes murder-y reactions of everyone they come across. One of my favorite gags was right in the beginning: Rincewind is trying to explain how the Twoflower's camera works and so just tells the people he wants to photograph that there's a little demon inside the box that paints their picture, while privately thinking that the box captures the image using light...only to discover that there actually is a tiny demon in the box that paints the photos. The tiny ways in which the book plays with your expectations is a ton of fun and I really enjoyed it.
The book is set up, not as one long story, but as four short stories with their own beginnings, middles, and ends. While they do come together to tell one long, cohesive story, it does mean that it starts over and re-explains things over again at the beginning of each segment. This didn't bother me too much, but some people might find it a bit repetitive. That seems to be something that most people aren't sure about when reading this book. The set-ups take a lot of time, but I found the pay off to be worth the wait. There's just a lot to get through until you get there.
This is the book that sets up the Discworld and it does so wonderfully. I found that I really liked this place. The characters are a ton of fun, the set up of the world and the logic on which it runs is incredibly imaginative, and, as I said earlier, the cheeky tone is just spot on. It was never really "laugh out loud" funny, but it's defiantly fun and will leave you smiling the whole time you're reading. There's a reason Discworld has become known for being one of the best developed literary universes and anyone looking to get into it has my seal of approval.
Final Verdict
This book was a lot of fun. While the set-up and pacing took there time, there was a lot of humor and character that I really enjoyed. If you feel like exploring Pratchett's world for yourself, than I'd say that it's definitely worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller
Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242
Next Time: Desperate Castle Wives....
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