Hilarie
Rating:
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Satire, Parody
Reading Challenges:  10 for 100+ in 2009, Discworld Reading Challenge

The Light Fantastic, Prachett's 2nd Discworld novel, picks up almost immediately where the first, The Color of Magic ended.  Rincewind, the Discworld's most inept wizard finds himself saved from certain death, by being magically transported to a talking forest after falling off the edge of the Disc.  It turns out that one of the eight great spells, the one trapped inside his head, has plans for him which luckily don't include his demise.  Rincewind and Twoflower the tourist soon find themselves enraging some druids, meeting up with Cohen the "aged" barbarian (seriously, imagine Conan the Barbarian if he lived to the ripe old age of 87), and trying to save the Discworld from the clutches of a power hungry wizard and the mysterious red star which appears to be on a collision course with the Disc itself.

This is a great read, and an improvement over Pratchett's first Discworld novel, which is saying something.  Pratchett's parody of barbarian heroes and sword-wielding wenches is especially hilarious.  This is a great read, and one that I recommend for those who don't take their fantasy too seriously.  Pratchett is especially fond of wordplay.  I found myself sometimes reading lines a second or third time, just to relish the joke.  This is definitely a read which rewards your full attention.  It isn't especially necessary to read The Color of Magic first, but it will make things a bit easier to understand.