37. Sourcery by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #5)

After the gut-turning weird fiction of Laird Barron and the dark mind of Gillian Flynn, I needed a change.

DISCWORLD! Come for the tropes, stay for the casual nudity.

It took me three tries to get into Terry Pratchett's mind, but once I was there, you'd be hard-pressed to dig me out with a fork. This is the third Discworld book I've read this year (I'd link to previous reviews at this point, but we all know I'm writing these out-of-order), and they just keep getting better and better.

Sourcery is the fifth book, the story of a "sourcerer" or human well of wild magic. Long ago, other sourcerers laid convoluted waste to large swaths of the world, leading a magical detente and a non-binding agreement for wizards not to father children. For you see, wizards are the eighth son of an eighth son, and sourcerers are the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son. And, as the story opens, we find out that one was just born to an angry wizard father who creates a prophecy to cheat Death (the personification of which is not amused).

The rest of the book is the collision course between the (slightly) older boy-sourcerer and those traditionalist forces at the center for Discworld wizardry, the Unseen University. And, happily, this brings the inept wizard Rincewind back to the fore.

For those who can't remember (who can blame you?), Rincewind was the arguable main character in the two-book story that started off Pratchett's series, The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic. A failure at practical wizardry, he knows in his heart of hearts that he was meant to be a wizard. Accompanied by the Luggage (a carnivorous travel chest), the two are flung into the midst of a growing magical war that could tear the Disc apart!! Also there are barbarians, a talking hat, a well-read orangutan and the threat of the Apocralypse, the apocryhal apocalypse, an event no one is exactly sure will happen or, if it does, when that will be or what will presage it.

I enjoyed this one, quite a lot. There were a few dragging passages, but not a whole heck of a lot. These Discworld books are short, and Pratchett, while long-winded for the occasional comedic purpose, practices concise writing at all steps. He doesn't even add extra pages for chapter breaks - because there are none! More than his previous four books, he succeeded in painting the otherworldly locations and battles without flowery language. And knowledge of language is maybe Pratchett's strong suit. It allows him to twist convention and seed each page with his astounding wit.

Pratchett's humor walks a fine line between the goofy and the dry; I'd say it's the presence of satire mixed in that tempers the zanier moments. Given that this is the third book of his I've read this year, I've found myself wondering why it took so long and if, perhaps, being American is some impediment to discovering his quintessentially British work.

(Or maybe it's because of a slipshod publisher not knowing how to market these books here.)

Have you read other Discworld books before, but somehow skipped this one? If so, pick it up, and you'll enjoy it.

I would not recommend it for first-timers, however. Either of the previous two (Equal Rites, Mort) are a little more intro-friendly. Of course, since I read all series in publication order (the order intended by the author's subconscious creative self), I should just guide you to that two-part story mentioned earlier. It's really works best as one book.

I leave you with the original* wraparound paperback cover art, by the late Josh Kirby.

-EMH

*I've seen the same image a few other ways, either the background changed or slightly different coloration.