The Colour of Magic Discussion *Spoilers*

[michelanCello]

Yay! One of my favs!

[Tonyblack]

In an effort to get this going again - what did everyone think of the ending?

Try to imagine that The Light Fantastic was never written (there was the longest ever gap between Discworld books with these two) - how would you feel about the way Terry ended Colour of Magic?

And what (if LF didn't exist) would have happened to everyone?

[mystmoon]

i would feel rather peeved if there had been no sequel, the ending cries out for one

[swreader]

One of the reasons I dislike CofM is the cop-out way Terry chose to end this. As I have said before, I think, if this had been my first book, I'd have vowed never to read anything else by this author.

At the time I first read the book, it annoyed me--now it really makes me quite angry.

[raisindot]

In an effort to get this going again - what did everyone think of the ending?

So, "Making Money" is the next book up on the list, right? Good, good. See you in a couple weeks, then.



J-I-B

[Jan Van Quirm]

You know - I'm really never going to like Moist when so much effort by his appreciators is put into justifying how great he is. His head's big enough as it is for heaven's sake

I read MM recently for the 1st time so mercifully I don't have to read it again... yet!

OK - I can't remember when I first read CoM or LF but they were both out in paperback so it must have been between 1986-1988 I guess (cos I changed jobs then and I know I'd read both before that) so I didn't have to wait for the sequel and so I wasn't at all miffed that poor Rincewind was left literally hanging out on a limb (of a tree) off the edge of the Rim. Then I had to wait for all the others and that was pretty tough. I almost gave up on Discworld altogether at Wyrd Sisters as I really didn't think too much of it ripping off Macbeth/Hamlet, but thankfully I loved Pyramids and grew to like WS on re-reading too, so that was OK.

I've therefore never really had much of a problem with any of the early Discworld books apart from that aberration, as they generally went from strength to strength as the various series within the series came along. So far as I'm personally concerned Terry cannot write a truly naff book - there's always a redeeming quality, even with the Moist books, although if Terry pulls off a blockbuster hit with Raising Taxes then I'll be utterly amazed as I fail to see how you can write an all round entertaining book on the subject - but if you can then Terry's the guy to do it so I I guess I'm exaggerating the amazement factor

[Tonyblack]

You now have one week to read or reread Making Money for the discussion taking place on Monday 1st November.

[Verns]

I haven't posted on this thread because I just think 'meh' when I think of CoM, which didn't seem like a terribly sophisticated review.

But I did want to thank the veterans on this forum for providing some interesting insights and background information. I really enjoy reading others' opinions, particularly when they are so knowledgeable, as it helps crystallise my own feelings, which I can't necessarily articulate.

For example, I know I don't like the UU books as much as, say, anything featuring Sam Vimes (my hero!), but it's only since reading these threads that I've realised it's because, for me, they tend to be books telling jokes rather than telling stories. Unseen Academicals is just about the only UU book I have loved, probably because it has a proper story at its core. The wizards are a pretty tiresome bunch, frankly, and Rincewind the most tiresome of all.

Thanks as well for the history lesson - I came to Pratchett very late on in his writing, since I started with The Amazing Maurice, so I read CoM out of chronological order. At that stage, I was just devouring all the books, and then went back and re-read my favourites. I've read CoM only twice, I think, whereas I've lost count of how many times I've read favourites like Small Gods. For me, re-reading any book is like saying hello to an old friend. hearing all the familiar news and occasionally getting to know that friend better. But everybody has friends that just get remembered at Christmas with a card, and I'd put CoM in that category.

[sandmansbag]

it seems a different world, 1983 when this book was produced, it was the debut of Black Adder, TV AM began, Return of the Jedi and Octopussy were at the cinema.

I wouldn't call CoM a UU book, the uni only gets a passing reference.

[Who's Wee Dug]

For me it was a parody of the fantasy genre at the time and the bit in it about the two rascally rougues one in Grey and the other a barbarian was a pisstake on Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Fritz Lieber fantasy series that sold me on the books from day one, oh! Happy days.

[=Tamar]

One of the reasons I dislike CofM is the cop-out way Terry chose to end this. As I have said before, I think, if this had been my first book, I'd have vowed never to read anything else by this author.
At the time I first read the book, it annoyed me--now it really makes me quite angry.

It angered me so much that I did swear off him. I read CofM in the US SF Book Club edition when it came out, before the Light Fantastic was written, and I hated the end. I believe I must have ignored Light Fantastic when they published it because CofM was such a disappointment. I didn't give him another try until Equal Rites came out in the book club and the blurb writer was very convincing. It was years before I was reminded that Light Fantastic existed. The rest of the book was fine, I enjoyed the parodies of the SF and fantasy I'd been reading for decades, but the end ruined it, and even after Equal Rites I was wary for the next several books--until someone told me about The Light Fantastic and I got a copy. I think a lot of people had the same reaction in the US, because for the first, oh, 15 or 20 years I would find book club copies of CofM in the used book stores, never any others. I never recommend CofM as a first book unless I can give the person TLF and strongly emphasize that they are two halves of the same story.

Now I think it was an attempt to do a Monty Python style ending, because they so often randomly killed their characters at the end of a sketch because they couldn't think of anything else to do. I still don't know why that ever worked for anyone.

[Who's Wee Dug]

Terry did say that if he had to write it again it would be different.