Author Terry Pratchett is relatively unknown in America outside of fantasy and sci-fi circles. In his native Great Britain, it’s a whole different story. Terry Pratchett sold more books in the UK than any other author during the 1990’s, and has only been outsold by J. K. Rowling since the year 2000. The Light Fantastic is the classic second novel in Pratchett’s Discworld series.
While the events of Pratchett’s novels take place on an imaginary Discworld, they are really parodies on various cultural phenomena from our own world. The Light Fantastic makes delightful fun of the religious fanaticism that can arise from the belief that the world is coming to an end. Book burning bonfires abound, lynch mobs chase after the unconverted, and frightened hordes flee the cities like rats off a sinking ship.
Moving through all of this, we follow the (mis-)adventures of a “failed” wizard named Rincewind as he travels around the Discworld, trying to get away from anything that seems threatening, which covers just about everything.
That is, everything except for the one thing that has got everyone else in a state of panic: The Red Star appearing in the sky that keeps growing brighter and hotter by the hour. Other than Rincewind, the only other person unconcerned about the new celestial threat is his friend Twoflower, who says of Rincewind: “If there was anything at all to be frightened about, he’d be frightened. But he’s not. The star is just about the only thing I’ve ever seen him not frightened of. If he’s not worried, then take if it from me, there’s nothing to worry about.”
In the end, it turns out that Twoflower is right in using Rincewind as the barometer for any real threat to the world as they know it. Rincewind is, after all, the Discworld’s leading authority on when to panic.
Rincewind and Twoflower’s adventurous journey includes saving an unappreciative sacrificial virgin, visiting a forest of talking trees and a lair of friendly trolls, flying through the sky on a rock levitated by druid magic and through the universe in a magic gift store, and narrowly escaping the scythe of Death in the netherworlds: Things that are the stuff of myths and legends in our reality but almost commonplace on the Discworld.
But what the story really boils down to is a powerful magic spell that’s hiding in Rincewind’s brain, biding its time and waiting for the Red Star to appear, at which time it plans to reunite with seven other ancient spells that are to be read together for the purpose of turning the path of Great A’Tuin away from the menacing Red Star.
Great A’Tuin, of course, is the great sea turtle swimming through the cosmos with four elephants on its back, who in turn hold up the Discworld. Just as a clarification for those of you who still cling to the belief that all worlds in the Universe are spherical and revolve around stars by way of gravity.
The Light Fantastic is a great read and highly recommended, though I must caution, it requires great discipline in order to not laugh out loud if read in quiet public spaces such as libraries. It can be read as a standalone book or as part of the series.
