Discworld #1
“He started it.”
Rincewind
Rincewind is not having a good life. He flunked out as a wizard due to a bet, and now he is stuck playing tour guide to the first tourist on Discworld. Their antics are amusing at first but quickly lose their luster. Death is the best part of the book, but I was delighted to see THE END.
Rincewind, Twoflower, and the rest of the zany cast put their all into being neurotic, oblivious, and absurd. The over-the-top hijinks, frantic action, and abrupt scene changes made it hard to follow the story. There were multiple times where I had to re-read a passage to figure out what had just happened, especially later on in the book.
Rincewind certainly has his hands full keeping Twoflower’s exuberant obliviousness in check, but it works well initially. By the end, I felt as worn out as Rincewind with his antics. Their thunder was stolen by the luggage and Death when he made an appearance. The Sapient Pearwood luggage was underappreciated as the best fighter on Discworld, although Rincewind learned a healthy fear of its capabilities. Death was the one character that made me laugh as he just wanted Rincewind to be a good wizard and let him reap his soul.
If you are a fan of books full of sheer insanity, this one is worth checking out. It didn’t jive for me, but I might check out another Discworld book to see if they get any more coherent.
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