Sourcery
A Discworld Novel
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4.5 • 209 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
“Delightful. . . logically illogical as only Terry Pratchett can write.”—Anne McCaffrey
Will the most unlikely hero in all of Discworld save the universe once again . . . or has his luck finally run out in this wildly funny installment in Sir Terry Pratchett’s internationally bestselling series, a hilarious mix of magic, mayhem, and Luggage.
Once upon a time, there was an eighth son of an eighth son who was, of course, a wizard. As if that wasn’t complicated enough, said wizard then had seven sons. And then he had an eighth son—a wizard squared (that’s all the math, really)—who, of course, was a source of magic, a sourcerer.
Unseen University, the most magical establishment on the Discworld, has finally got its wish: the emergence of a wizard more powerful than they’ve ever seen. But be careful what you wish for . . .
As the drastic consequences of sourcery begin to unfold, it’s up to one unlikely wizard to save them. Rincewind has survived a string of misadventures, including falling off the edge of the world—which is no mean feat when it’s flying through space on the back of a turtle and held up by four elephants. Now, he must take the University’s most precious artifact, the very embodiment of magic itself, and deliver it halfway across the Disc to prevent a mathematically blessed sourcerer from leading the wizards to dominate all of Discworld.
Can Rincewind and his tiny band, including the carnivorous Luggage, stave off the Apocalypse?
The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Sourcery is the 3rd installment in the Wizards series and the 5th Discworld book. The other books in the Wizards collection include:
The Color of MagicThe Light FantasticEricInteresting TimesThe Last ContinentUnseen Academicals
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This fifth Discworld tale ( Mort ), about a barely averted apocalypse there, reasserts Pratchett's adroitness as a storyteller. Inventive, satirical of the contemporary scene, Pratchett does not merely play with words, he juggles shrewd observations with aplomb. His creations are gently allegorical: for instance, the Unseen University Library is the repository of magic, its librarian an orangutan and its archchancellorship reserved for the most powerful magician, a ``sourcerer'' named Coin. But the author never takes himself or his message too seriously, and maintains a feather-light touch throughout. Even Death, an important minor character here, receives a distinctive voice.
Customer Reviews
Footnotes
Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page to which they apply. Bundling them all together at the end of the book detracts from the Pratchett experience.
Excellent
All of Sir PTerry's work is worthy of five plus stars. My only reason for downgrading is that the footnotes and links become skewed somewhere almost halfway through the story. And, at least, one misspelling. I love Terry Pratchett and Discworld forever! My paperbacks are worn out I love (and miss) him so much. If you haven't tried the Discworld series yet, get to it. You won't be disappointed.
Less favorite Pratchett
I'm not a fan of Rincewind, first of all. So you may love this book. I bought it because the sample was fabulous. But for me, it quickly dissoved into a series of one-liners that weren't that funny.