Sourcery: A Novel of Discworld

I recently discovered the Discworld series. Pratchett weaves wonderful tales of wizards, warriors, witches and magical critters. Satirical, twisted words and phrases, situations uncannily familiar to our everyday life and politics. The series is a must read. The man was a genius. I imagine him much like Rincewind!

He never disappoints. Rincewind is my all-time favorite wizzard (Yes, I know. And if you read Pratchett, you know too.) I particularly loved the part when he actually gets to cast a couple spells in this one :) Ook!

Concerning the delights of wine, women, and song, wizards can drink and croon with the worst of us (thank the gods karaoke hasn’t been invented on Discworld), but the middle pleasure is strictly forbidden. This book deals with the consequences of two wizards mixing it up with the fairer sex.

The first wizard, Ipslore the Red fathers the eighth son of an eighth son, who is a wizard squared, i.e. a sourcerer. The Lore strictly forbids wizards to breed, for fear of sourcery, because the last time it appeared on Discworld, the Apocraplypse (Pratchett’s spelling) was narrowly averted. When Ipslore’s sourcerous (Pratchett’s spelling) son crashes through the gates of the Unseen University, even the gargoyles have sense enough to flee, although not the majority of the wizards.

The second wizard, Rincewind the Inept falls in love (as does his Luggage) with the daughter of a temple dancer for some mad god. She enters the narrative while breaking into the Unseen University and stealing the Archmage’s hat. Rincewind meets Conina while drinking himself under the table at Ankh-Morpork’s coolest tavern, the Mended Drum. He soon discovers, after the requisite bloody bar fight, that his new companion also happens to be the daughter of Cohen the Barbarian. Her secret dream is to become a hairdresser, but she has to work hard at controlling her reflexes when she has a sharp object, e.g. scissors, comb, or a broken bottle in her hand.

The Discworld novels starring the cowardly wizard, Rincewind were never my favorites, but “Sourcery” also features the Librarian (who happens to be an orangutan), and a whole horde of inept wizards who suddenly turn ept when the Sourcerer appears in their midst.

One of my favorite scenes occurs when a newly empowered wizard turns Ankh-Morpork’s Patrician into a small yellow lizard.

Naturally the wizards immediately go to war with each other to determine who is the most powerful. Only Rincewind, Conina, and Nijel the Destroyer, son of Harebut the Provision Merchant can save Discworld from their sourcerous folly.

With a little help from the Librarian.

Third in the Rincewind subseries revolving around Rincewind the Wizzard and fifth in the overall Discworld series. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Discworld books on my website (http://kddidit.com/reading-books/series-info/chronological-lists-of-complex-intersected-series/#discworld).

My Take
Greed for power. It's a universal trope in the human race. And this eighth son of an eighth son is no exception. I suspect there's some brainwashing involved in this as well as this eighth son of an eighth son influences his own eighth son.

It's that third round of eighth sons that causes all the trouble because he's a "wizard squared. A source of magic. A sourcerer." It's also how Ipslore will get his vengeance against wizards for hating his humanity.

Pratchett continues to poke fun at the wizards at Unseen U, and I wonder what happened to him when he was at university. These wizards certainly sound like tenured professors too content and lazy now that they've finally achieved their security. "…work up an appetite for the evening's feast; about a dozen steps was usually considered quite sufficient" is only part of the fun.

It's choice and circumstance that enables the world to survive. Luggage has its part to play as does Rincewind and Conina and Nigel. I do love how well Pratchett engineered all this.

I am curious to know why Rincewind didn't end up being archchancellor after events in The Light Fantastic , 2.

Ooh, the bursar's robes sound pretty, right down to the vermine hood, a "skin [that] is rare and highly valued, especially by the vermine itself; the selfish little bastard will do anything rather than let go of it". The cheek.

This particular story has a focus on sex, and the fact that wizards weren't allowed any. The purpose has been lost in the mists of time *cue the eerie, lingering music*, but Coin's appearance provides the clue. That's right, mate, when wizards bump uglies too often, they have, gasp, children, and "if wizards are allowed to go around breeding all the time, there was a risk of sourcery".
"The trick relied on the laws of physics failing to spot the flaw until the journey was complete." … "There was the subtle, unpleasant sound of the universe suddenly catching on."

Hmm, while I do think it's practical to give things a good shaking up every few years (or centuries), I draw the line at book burning, although I did crack up at Rincewind's reaction to the book surgery.

Oh god, oh god, LMAO, the scene in which Conina, Nigel, and Creosote steal three of the four horses belong to the "horseman and [now] three pedestrians" of the Apocalypse.

Well, doesn't that one sound familiar? We wanted it, but when we got it, we discovered there were consequences.
"It isn't a good idea to rely on other people or things to … 'remember who you really are' … you see. They always get it wrong."
"Ook" for now.

The Story
It's Ipslore's vengeance coming of age that signals the beginning of the end. When the books in the library go wild. When ants, bedbugs carrying mattresses, rats, gargoyles are all fleeing the school.

Magic has returned to a world in which it had been waning, and now the wizards are going wild with actually being able to do magic. So wild, that they believe they can rule the city, nay, the world!

Fortunately, the greatest thief ever born is roaming the night and steals the Archchancellor's hat. She had to. The hat insisted.

The Characters
Rincewind is now the honorary librarian assistant at Unseen U. He still has Luggage, a chest that has been described as half-suitcase, half homicidal maniac and totally loyal to its owner.

Coin is the sourcerer who returns real magic to Discworld. Ipslore the Red is his vengeance-oriented staff, er, father, er, staff, er…

Conina is a thief, the "type of thief who could steal the initiative, the moment, and the words right out of your mouth". Cohen the Barbarian is her father. And Pratchett doesn't half have fun with Conina's "genetic inheritance".

Death refuses to allow absolute destiny, but he will get drunk along with Pestilence, Famine, and War. We'll have to keep that angle in mind next time the world is threatened with annihilation. It worked pretty well here…

Ankh-Morpork is…
…an ancient city "sprawling like a bag of dropped groceries" with an iridescent green river pungent with its own fetid aroma, which is ruled by the Patrician, Lord Vetinari — think Ernst Blofeld and his white cat — isn't particularly interested in rightful kings and all that rot. Wuffles is his geriatric wire-haired terrier.

Gritoller Mimpsey is vice-president of the Thieves' Guild. Ardrothy Longstaff is the purveyor of Pies Full of Personality. Whose personality, I really don't want to know. Miskin Koble runs a jellied starfish and clam stall.

Unseen University is…
…the premier school for learning about wizardry. There are eight levels a wizard can pass, providing someone on the level above him dies. Those assassination attempts certainly keep a wizard on his toes. There are also eight orders of magic including the Order of the Silver Star led by Skarmer Billias, the Sages of the Unknown Shadow is led by Gravie Derment, and Marmaric Carding who is the current head of the Hoodwinkers.

The Archchancellor Virrid Wayzgoose is the official leader of all the wizards on the Disc. The Librarian is still a wizard, somewhere under the orang-utan he's turned into. Spelter is the bursar. Ovin Hakardly is a seventh-level wizard and a lecturer in Lore. Benado Sconner is the temporary leader of the pack of wizards sent to burn down the Library.

Al Khali is…
…a desert city ruled over by Creosote, the Seriph of Al Khali and a very bad poet who spends most of his time in his Wilderness, a specially designed park designed to look wild. His palace is known as the Rhoxie. Abrim is his Grand Vizier with some rather grand ideas.

Nijel the Destroyer is a hero just getting started. He has the book and everything.

There's a genie in this one, we never do learn its name but we do learn how very overcommitted he is to making money, taking meetings, etc. Maligree was one of the last true sourcerers. Ly Tin Wheedle is the Disc's greatest philosopher. Blind Io is the leader of the gods; Offler is another god. Ice Giants appear when the gods disappear. They sound much worse than the snowman I had in my backyard this past winter.

The Cover and Title
The cover has a muted grass green background with a black vertical border on the left with wizard hats bouncing along it. In the center is a flying carpet and a whistling brass lamp steaming from both ends.

The title is all about this latest character, the ultimate wizard who specializes in Sourcery.

Once again the most inept wizard in reality must face the end of the world as Rincewind goes up against the first sourcerer on the Disc in millennia, who just happens to be 10 years old. Terry Pratchett takes Rincewind, along with the readers, on an epic quest to save the Disc and wizardry that will obviously have epic failures with hilarious results.

Along with Rincewind is Conina, daughter of Cohen the Barbarian, the greatest thief in on the Disc who wants to be a hairdresser and Nijel, an aspiring Barbarian hero. Along the way they encounter slave trading pirates, a villainous vizier, an aspiring poet emir, a magic carpet with lamp. For part of the journey Rincewind is accompanied by Luggage who gets annoyed and leaves to begin its own interesting journey in the desert of Khali before wanting to return to Rincewind's side. The situations and conversations that all the characters have are top notch hilarious throughout the book, save for the vignettes of the drunkenness of three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse that dragged on a little too long.

Overall at the end of Sourcery, the reader has a smile on his face and can't wait to see how Pratchett hilariously gets Rincewind out of the predicament he's in and what Luggage will do next.

First, new readers of Discworld books should start with #1 and not here at #5. The concept of Discworld should be understood before this point along with a few of the characters, rather difficult to properly describe characters. Also, I shall continue reading the series and I'll probably not review any future books. If you are a fan, then you'll probably continue also and a review will have little or no impact. Also, I cannot even contemplate starting one of these unless it is an ebook. Pratchett uses obscure words and having an instant dictionary is a necessity to me. It definitely enhances the fun of the book.

Regardless, this is a good little story about Discworld and brings back Rincewind, a character I like and hope to see again in future books. He saves the world!! If you've read the others, I assess it to be not as good as Mort, but entertaining nonetheless.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld does for Fantasy what Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy did for science fiction--firmly sets a story within a genre, stereotypes intact, then goes to town. Sourcery is Pratchett's fifth Discworld adventure, and while I am a bit of a completist it stands on its own fairly well. Kind of. Because in this installment we catch up with Rincewind once more as he is forced onto yet another adventure against his will. For that alone I recommend reading The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic before this one, but to each their own.

When we last saw Rincewind he had settled down in relative safety as the assistant librarian of Unseen University, the home of wizardry on the Disc. But even the University may no longer be safe.... The eighth son of an eighth son is destined to be a wizard; so much is common knowledge. But the eighth son of a wizard is something far more dangerous--a sourcerer, a conduit for raw and unstable new magic to enter the world. It has been eons since a sourcerer last walked the disc....wizards are celibate for this very reason, though they don't remember that this was the original purpose. But against all odds the Disc is once more faced with the prospect of a sourcerer.....and a return to the sheer chaos of the Mage Wars as once-staid wizards are for the first time faced with power beyond their dreams. And that's leaving aside all the discussion of the Apocralypse.....

The Discworld, being a flat world that is carried through space on the backs of four elephants, who in turn are standing - rather patiently, I think - on the back of a great turtle, is, understandably, a world awash in magic. There are magical creatures on the Disc - trolls and dwarfs and elves - and people who know how to use the magic that infuses the world. People like wizards.

If you want to be a wizard, there are ways to get there. The best thing you can do is to be the eighth son of an eighth son - that type is almost certainly destined for the more arcane arts. Once you've become a wizard, you dedicate yourself to one thing: magic. And late lunches, comfortable robes and your pointy hat, but mainly to magic. Wizards don't marry. Wizards certainly don't have children.

Except for one wizard. Ipsalore the Red, the eighth son of an eighth son, broke this law of wizardry. He fell in love, ran away from the University, and had sons of his own. Eight of them. His youngest son, Coin, was the carrier of a great power. He was the eighth son of the eighth son of an eighth son. Wizardry squared.

A Sourcerer.

Back in the old days, when the magic on the disc was much wilder, there were sourcerers everywhere. They built great castles and fought horrible wars of magic, the effects of which still scar the Disc to this day. Modern wizardry is a pale reflection of those days, and for good reason. If wizards continued to battle as the sourcerers did, the disc would be broken beyond recognition. Every wizard knows this.

And yet, when young Coin comes to the Unseen University of Ankh-Morpork, bristling with power and holding a staff possessed by the ghost of his father, the wizards are more interested in the power he can give them than the responsibility they have. A sourcerer has arisen, and a new age of magic has come, with all of the terror that implies. Coin reminds them of what wizards used to be, and the power they used to have. Through him, old men who could barely manage a simple illusion are now able to re-shape the world with their wills. With a sourcerer behind them, there is nothing these wizards cannot accomplish.

Only one man can stop them. His name is Rincewind, and he really, really doesn't want to get involved.

Rincewind is a wizard (or, if you go by his pointy hat, a "Wizzard"), although he is so deficient in magical talent that it is believed that the average magical ability of the human population will actually goup once he dies. He wants nothing more than to be left alone to live a boring, mundane life. The universe, it seems, has different ideas. Together with Conina - the daughter of Cohen the Barbarian - and Nijel the Destroyer, Rincewind has to figure out how to stop a sourcerer from destroying the world.

This book is one of the early volumes of the Discworld series, and so it doesn't quite have the depth that later books do. Oh, there's certainly a message to be found in it - mainly on the subject of identity. Rincewind identifies himself as a wizard, despite having all the magical talent of a lump of silly putty, and cannot conceive of being anything else. The sourcerer Coin, on the other hand, has been told who he is to become, mainly by the spirit of his dead (and rather monomaniacal) father. Conina has the blood of heroes in her veins, but her dream is to wield nothing sharper than a pair of beautician's scissors. And Nijel the Destroyer - who looks almost exactly the way his name sounds - desperately wants to be a barbarian hero, despite being about as muscular as a wet noodle.

Despite all of this, however, the characters succeed when they decide for themselves who they want to be. The ones who suffer the most are the other wizards - the ones who allow Coin to tell them who they are. They invest their entire sense of self in the inflated image fed to them by the sourcerer - an image of power and strength - and when it all comes crashing down around them, they are only left with shame and disappointment. In the end, the remain who they always were, and that is the tragedy of their downfall.

So if there's a lesson to be had in this book, that's it: know who you are and be it, as hard and as loud as you can. Other than that, it's a rollicking little adventure. Enjoy.

One of the great things about the Discworld novels at this point in the series (SOURCERY is the fifth book) is that the increasingly rich group of supporting characters that populate Terry Pratchett's insane universe make good stories even better. Rincewind is the main character in three of the first five novels (as well as making a brief appearance in MORT). He would not continue to be the main character in the Discworld novels, but he definitely helped hold up the series early on. The conceit of having a wizard who has virtually no magical abilities is a delicious one, as is his status as a survivor's survivor. With other returning characters like Death, the librarian (Oook), and the luggage made of sapient pearwood, along with the daughter of and the disciple of a previous character, Cohen the Barbarian, a good time is had by all, especially the reader.

Honestly does anyone read Terry Pratchett for the story? I don't, at least. I read him for his absolutely nutty collection of characters, his delightfully weird inversion of ideas and concepts, and his wonderful word play. I rarely laugh when I read Pratchett. He isn't that kind of comic writer. I find myself smiling a lot. In fact, nearly the whole time that I read him. In short, he makes me happy.

This has been an interesting undertaking. I've read a bunch of novels in the series over the years, but not in order and omitting entire groups of books. For instance, I've not really read much in the wizards and the Unseen University. I've read all of the books dealing with the Watch along with a few other random odds and ends. All of the first five books are new for me. In fact, the first novel that I will reread will be GUARDS! GUARDS after a couple of more books. But I have enjoyed these first five books immensely and I already know that i love the ones to come. My only regret is that Pratchett's physical condition might prevent him from writing many more books in the series. We can hope for a miracle treatment that will enable him to maintain his creative faculties for the longest possible time. Nothing would be better than for him to continue writing books as long as he would like.

Concerning the delights of wine, women, and song, wizards can drink and croon with the worst of us (thank the gods karaoke hasn't been invented on Discworld), but the middle pleasure is strictly forbidden. This book deals with the consequences of two wizards mixing it up with the fairer sex.

The first wizard, Ipslore the Red fathers the eighth son of an eighth son, who is a wizard squared, i.e. a sourcerer. The Lore strictly forbids wizards to breed, for fear of sourcery, because the last time it appeared on Discworld, the Apocraplypse (Pratchett's spelling) was narrowly averted. When Ipslore's sourcerous (Pratchett's spelling) son crashes through the gates of the Unseen University, even the gargoyles have sense enough to flee, although not the majority of the wizards.

The second wizard, Rincewind the Inept falls in love (as does his Luggage) with the daughter of a temple dancer for some mad god. She enters the narrative while breaking into the Unseen University and stealing the Archmage's hat. Rincewind meets Conina while drinking himself under the table at Ankh-Morpork's coolest tavern, the Mended Drum. He soon discovers, after the requisite bloody bar fight, that his new companion also happens to be the daughter of Cohen the Barbarian. Her secret dream is to become a hairdresser, but she has to work hard at controlling her reflexes when she has a sharp object, e.g. scissors, comb, or a broken bottle in her hand.

The Discworld novels starring the cowardly wizard, Rincewind were never my favorites, but "Sourcery" also features the Librarian (who happens to be an orangutan), and a whole horde of inept wizards who suddenly turn ept when the Sourcerer appears in their midst.

One of my favorite scenes occurs when a newly empowered wizard turns Ankh-Morpork's Patrician into a small yellow lizard.

Naturally the wizards immediately go to war with each other to determine who is the most powerful. Only Rincewind, Conina, and Nijel the Destroyer, son of Harebut the Provision Merchant can save Discworld from their sourcerous folly.

With a little help from the Librarian.

"Sourcery" is the fifth novel in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series, was first published in 1988 and is the third to give a starring role to Rincewind, the cowardly one-spell wizard.

Wizardry is widely seen as the most appropriate profession for the eighth son of an eighth son - however, given that it's also a celibate profession, is isn't a job that is intended to run in the family. Unfortunately, accidents do occasionally happen and the eighth son of a wizard is known as a Soucerer - a wizard who is also a source of magic. They are hugely dangerous, and will increase the background levels of magic to such a degree that other wizards may just start building towers and launch another round of the Mage Wars...

Ipslore the Red is one of the exceptions : he fled the halls of the Unseen University, married and had a family. The inevitable eighth son, Coin, is only a baby when Death arrives for Ipslore and the ex-wizard decides to choose his son's destiny. The future he picks for Coin includes wearing the Archchancellor's Hat of the Unseen University and, in an attempt to cheat Death, Ipslore enters his staff when he leaves his body. His intention is to guide Coin to his destiny....

Coin is roughly ten years old when he makes it to the University, and isn't long in taking over. When he deals with two of the Wizards - including the incoming Archchancellor - in a swift and very final manner, the remaining members of staff are understandably reluctant to stand against him. However, two of the survivors - a rather devious pair called Spelter and Carding - smell an opportunity. In seeing themselves as Coin's most senior and trusted advisors, they don't realise that Ipslore already has that role to himself.

Coin's arrival isn't universally welcomed - the rats and the gargoyles are amongst the first to flee, while the books in the University's library are distinctly unsettled. Rincewind, now acting as the University's honourary assistant librarian, is the first member of staff to realise there's something strange happening and nips off to the pub in a panic with the Librarian (an orang-utan), and his Luggage. (Luggage is a large brass-bound box, made from sapient pearwood - the same material wizard's staff is traditionally made from. It can move around by itself, has rather a vicious temper and - like Dr Who's Tardis - appears to be much bigger on the inside than on the outside). While Rincewind has been lucky enough to avoid Coin at the University, he's unfortunate enough to be apprehended by Conina at the Mended Drum. Conina, a very successful thief, is the daughter of Cohen the Barbarian and has pilfered the Archchancellor's Hat from the University. In this case, however, she stole the hat at its own request. (It is a magic hat after all...and it has realised that Coin's arrival will signal the Apocralypse). Under the Hat's instructions, Rincewind and Conina travel to Klatch, where the Hat believes there is a mind devious enough to wear it...and stand against the Sourcerer.

As usual from Pratchett, this is an easily read, rather silly and very enjoyable book.

Terry Pratchett has become one of the most popular authors alive today and his popularity is richly deserved. But not even with his fertile mind could ever have envisaged the heights to which his Discworld series would rise. This book first published in 1982 is the start of the Discworld novels and to a degree it is amazing that these books have achieved such popularity.

You would think that a fantasy world full of trolls, zombies, witches, vampires would be an alien concept to most readers. Werewolves and dwarves in the Ank Morpork city watch. Wizards running a university. All this to come in future episodes. Surely this style of writing would have a limited readership? but no the books are loved by anybody and everybody and are read by people who would not normally allow fantasy fiction anywhere near their book shelves. This is the Discworld of Terry Pratchett.

Pratchett's wit and imagination are second to none. Who else would have or could have thought of the Discworld, a world of mystery and magic sitting on the back of four elephants, who in turn are standing on the back of the great turtle A'tuin the whole lot journeying through an eternal void. Are you with the plot so far?

In this book, first published in 1988 the Discworld has been brought to the edge of disaster. The birth of a sourcerer has created magic so powerful that the Discworld is teetering on the edge of a cataclysmic war. All that stands in the way is our old friend Rincewind, who would dearly love to save the world, or at the very least the part of it that he is currently residing in at any particular moment, if you see what I mean . . .

Pratchett's books are pure escapism and a laugh a minute guaranteed.

"I get vertigo just listening to tall stories," says the inept wizard Rincewind at one point. He'd have a serious Jimmy Stewart moment if he ever tried to make his way through this story. It's classic Pratchett and classic Discworld for sure. But not as well developed as the previous books in the series.
Pratchett concocts a menacing figure in Coin, the 9-year old eighth son of an eighth son (making him a sourcerer) who comes to Unseen University (where wizards learn their trade) in an attempt to rule the world. But Coin's magic, which we are to believe is all-powerful, comes off as little more than glorified parlour tricks. Not really menacing at all. Still, the sniveling cowards the make up the elite professors of the university are a treat to read about, and save most of those scenes.
Rincewind returns, after dominating "The Colour of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic" while making a brief cameo appearance in "Mort". Here, he has a history of unwanted adventures behind him, and Pratchett uses this world-weariness to give Rincewind a cool demeanor that he didn't have in the other books. Sure, he's still cynical and pessimistic and cowardly, but with a touch of the fatalist about him. Without that addition, the character would become stagnant and boring. Kudos to Terry for an inspired bit of tweaking. On the other hand, Rincewind's constant companion The Luggage is little more than window-dressing here. He (it?) doesn't really do much, except remind us of his (its?) finer moments in previous books. Joining these two Discworld staples on their adventure are Conina the Barbarian (remember her father Cohen from "The Light Fantastic"?), a warrior princess who'd rather be working in a salon; Nijel (the Destroyer son of Harebut the Provision Merchant if you please) who learned about being a hero from a book, and is on his first gig here; and Creosote, an ignorant sovereign who's more concerned with poetry and drink than ruling his kingdom. Also, watch out for the run-in with a lamp genie that sets new standards for parody, and the continuing development of the character of the Librarian, who gets to do much more than chomp bananas and say "Ook".
"Sourcery" is probably the weakest overall of the Discworld books I've read so far. That being said, it's still a fine and fun adventure filled with many humourous moments, and well worth the read.

This is about a sourcerer. They are the most powerful beings on the Discworld, even equal with the Gods. A sourcerer happens by a wizard having eight children. Then the eighth one has eight children, and then his eighth child is a sorcerer. Sourcerers aren't generally good news.

This time what had happened was that a wizard had eight sons. Ok, so that's fine. But then, his eighth son fled the University, married, and had eight sons. And the eighth son became a sourcerer.

This sorcerer, Coin, was an infant when Death came for Ipslore, his father. Ipslore was supposed to go with Death, at least. Death was pretty annoyed when the man died and put his spirit inside the staff. And Ipslore got away with it, for Death could only take him if he destroyed the staff, but then that would destroy Coin, for the staff became his. And if Death destroyed Coin, then that would damage the whole fabric of time.

So, one day, the wizards at the Unseen University were going to elect a Archchancellor, and Coin appeared, reduced the 'one who was about to be elected' to ashes, and demanded to be chosen himself. The wizards only protested for a little, until they found out what they could do once he showed them. Sourcerers are sources of magic. And so, all the wizards were able to do anything they wanted. Produce anything out of thin air, fly, etc. Which was not good for the city of Ankh-Morpork.

Rincewind was a wizard. Or, he tried to be a wizard. He was not in the Unseen University at the time when Coin appeared. He was getting drunk (this was after he heard that a sourcerer was coming, from a gargoyle, all of which were off the walls and were leaving, and after he saw all the rats, bedbugs, and ants fleeing also), and talking with the Librarian, an orangutan who used to be human.

Then a thief comes in and takes him away (after a few incidents), telling him that the Archchancellor's hat had spoken to her and made her steal it and find a wizard to put it on. But the hat is highly disappointed with Rincewind.

And so, the usual happens. They go in search of a wizard so they can save the world (and universe) from the sorcerer.

There is, throughout Terry Pratchett's "Sourcery," a somewhat sorrowful tone being struck amidst the high spirited comedy and dramatic saving the world (again) sorts of action.

Because, at the heart of this story of how a most magical being, one whose very existence could unravel the fabric of the universe, is a scared and cruelly tormented little boy. That Pratchett keeps this in mind, and indeed, makes his salvation just as important as saving the world, is a credit to his skills as a writer and heart as a person.

The eighth son of an eighth son is a wizard. And the eighth son of a normally celibate wizard is a sourcerer, a living font of magical energies. But it's slightly more complicated than that: a father with a grudge against the magical establishment, a magical establishment (the cast of Unseen University, alternately pathetic and for once frightening) that's hungry for power, and a chain of events that quickly gets out of control all hurtle this story towards disaster.

Along the way, we get introduced to the daughter of the greatest hero in Discworld's history, who just desperately wants to be a hairdresser but finds that some things are just in her blood. We also pick up a very unlikely barbarian hero and a literary minded monarch and his fabulous pleasuredome. And, of course, the magic-less wizard Rincewind and his animate Luggage make a triumphant (well, as triumphant as Rincewind gets) return.

"Sourcery" is Pratchett's most heartfelt novel to date, and he puts the characters ahead of plot or jokes -- although there are plenty, especially concerning Conina and Unseen University -- and it makes for one of the best Discworld novels to date.

Strongly recommended.

Everyone knows the eighth son of an eighth son is a born wizard -- but now we find out that the eighth son in the next generation is born a "sourcerer," so called because he doesn't just wield magic, he's a source of it himself. (There's a reason wizards are more or less celibate.) The inhabitants of Discworld have long considered wizards merely slightly amusing fuddy-duddies, but that's because magic has been largely suppressed. There's also the question of why wizards don't rule the world, and it's because wizards aren't naturally cooperative. In fact, "deep in his heart, every wizard knew that the natural unit of wizardry was one wizard." A few thousand years ago, there were lots of sourcerers around and the Discworld very nearly destroyed itself by thaumaturical warfare. And, as rival towers go up in Ankh-Morpork and Klatch and Quirm, those days appear to have again. And the only one who might be able to save the world is (alas) Rincewind. This is one of Pratchett's earlier works and, like all the Rincewind sub-series, it's not entirely successful. The narrative seems to wander and even stalls occasionally, and the metaphors and similes (most of them admittedly funny) are simply packed in too tightly. Finally, there appears to be an unresolved continuity error, in that there's a lot of destruction in Ankh-Morpork and Klatch -- and Genua is completely destroyed, for that matter -- that simply isn't accounted for in the later Discworld novels.

This book was a little disappointing after the the previous 2 that I read. I still found myself laughing at certain times, but more often than not, I missed TwoFlower. I also found that this book focused a bit too much on the magic school and Rincewind took a back seat this time, despite this being considered the 3 book in the Rincewind series of the Disc World.

While Sourcery succeeds at being a genuinely funny story with some interesting plot developments, I feel it is weaker tham most of Pratchett's efforts. Part of this is due to it's use of Rincewind as a main character. The world's most incompetent wizard is also the one Pratchett character who goes through little if any character development. Whatever book about Rincewind you pick up, you can count on him to be completely self-centered and cowardly. The best you can say is that his running skills steadily improve.

Pratchett's thesis here is that there is something out there far more powerful than wizardry. Something that tapped right into the world's magical forces and could change reality. This something is called sourcery and you have to be an eighth son of an eighth som to even qualify. Which is why Ankh-Morpork's wizards are forbidden to marry. The last time there were sourcerers they set about trying to kill each other and very nearly turned discworld into a radioactive Frisbee. Wizards try to kill each other too, but on a much more incompetent scale.

Unfortunately, Ipslore the Red cheated, got married, and was promptly thrown out of the Unseen University. Not a fan of birth control he promptly had eight sons (his daughters were uncounted). Coin was the last, and Ipslore, angry about the death of his wife decided to make the young boy into his means of revenge. When the wizards met to elect a new Chancellor, they found a surprise candidate - a 10 year old boy with a knack for turning people into greasy smudges.

Coin turns magic upside down, gives the wizards almost inexhaustible power, and starts coming very close to starting Wizard Wars II. The unlikely team to come to the rescue is Rincewind, Conina (the barbarian daughter of Cohen - capable of wiping out entire police forces while being a hair stylist), and Nijel - who learned everything there is to know about successful barbarianism from a comic book. And don't forget the Chancellor's what, which is so appalled by the mess that it sets out on its own.

As you can see, there's quite a bit of potential for a good story here, and much of it is realized. But Pratchett sets in to repeating his jokes just a bit too early, and some funny things become less funny too soon. This book is hardly a failure, it just suffers from too much type casting (if you can call barbarian women who just want to settle down and style hair 'types'). I prefer Rincewind tales like The Last Continent, which has less Rincewind and a stronger plot. Still, you will want to read Sourcery, and you'll probably like it despite this review.

Have you ever found yourself wondering why wizards don't go forth and multiply? Perhaps it's because they're usually too old to remember how the multiplying part works, or maybe it's because they didn't have access to spam mail with all the special "performance" tablets on offer, but most likely it's just to prevent the birth of an eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son.

According to Pratchett, the little son of a gun that emerges from this equation is a super-mega-wizard called a sourcerer, someone who happens to be a source of magic and the cause of many a mage war with the accompanying wanton destruction and so on and so forth.

As you can probably tell by glancing at the title of this fifth book in the Discworld series, somewhere along the line a double eight wizard broke the rules, fell in love and had a bunch of kids, the eighth boy (this one with the unlikely name of Coin, although it DOES have a ring to it) obviously becoming a sourcerer. Soon Coin begins to cash in on his legacy, and before you know it, he's running a "Wizards Rule!!!" campaign, albeit with a little help from Dad who's sticking beside him for dear life.

Of course there's always a pesky fly or two to get into the ointment, and this time it's a mangy maggot named Rincewind (the world's most useless wizard) with his unlikely companions, Nijel the destroyer and Conina the Hairdresser (daughter of Cohen the Barbarian).

Pratchett fills this one with tons of wonderful characters, including the luggage with a mind of its own, Death with his Horseman and Three Pedestrians of the Apocralypse, a poetry-spouting royal, and a librarian who has no problems with a little monkey-business.

Insanely clever and hysterically funny.

Amanda Richards, December 9, 2006

As with all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, Sourcery is a fun read. Even so, it is the least of the seven Discworld novels I have read so far (the first six, and Going Postal). There is much humor and wordplay, but Sourcery has two fairly serious problems. Cohen the Barbarian's daughter, Conina, and a zany hero-wannibe, Nigel, are great, supplying much fun. They are supplemented by Rincewind, the inept wizard of earlier books. But oddly, Pratchett never really introduces us to a crucial character, the sorcerer Coin. This ten year old boy, the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son, is the first sorcerer in millennia on Discworld. His father has gone off the deep end, and manages upon his death to escape and reside (in spirit, anyway) in Coin's staff. Throughout the whole book, I kept waiting for a series of hilarious interactions between Coin and his father, and between the two and the wizards, but none of this happened. Pratchett simply never has us spend any time getting to know Coin. Quite disappointing. Also surprisingly, Pratchett allows this story to drive him into corners that he had a hard time getting out of: Sourcery has way too many easy plot escapes by use of magic. For those that love Pratchett, this is still a worthy read. But if you're not interested in reading all 34 Discworld novels, move on to the Wyrd Sisters, a much better book.

Can Rincewind foil the apocalypse? As you might have gathered there is a lot of running away and definitively unheroic behavior in the adventure/fantasy epic-ish narrative.

Still, don't hold Pratchett to the coals for his ridiculous plots...what makes this book, as all of the Discworld novels, are the gags--jokes might been to highbrow for this very lowbrow liberal/progressive/radical ditty on the end of the world. Almost...otherwise there'd be no other books.

4 out of 5 stars for the gags.

Good beach book for progressives.

Still on my way through Pratchett, taking it easy, reading one book a month or so, trying to cast a new light (at least for myself) on these novels. Nothing has changed with this one, it remained exactly as I remembered it, almost dull and uninspiring. Sure, there are wizards of Unseen University there (which reminds me so much of my faculty that their appearance always draws a tear in the eye), there are Shades of Ankh Morpork, Barbarians as hair-dresser wannabes, and young, droopy-eyed individuals as barbarian-wannabes. And of course, there is Rincewind, character I liked when I was 11, who today is nothing more then a giant bother in Discworld body of work. And, as you might have noticed, we have every element of Discworld novel here (Death and the riders of the Apocralipse included) but somehow it's all mixed together wrong. It feels like I'm reading "Equal rites" all over again but without any metaphorical value (or in the best-case scenario with repeated metaphor) mixed with Twoflower lookalike, and recurring trope of world being in peril. Somehow, Pratchett disengaged himself from more serious topics which he handled in Mort or Equal rites, and once again wrote a mere fantasy parody - novel that will mean something to avid readers of fantasy dime-novels, but to others, slightly less versed in the Lore, whole thing might appear a bit too much.

And there's this trouble with ideology once again. Things you don't notice when you're young and believe in whatever your author says. Let's put it like this. The whole book revolves around wizards (with a little help from a sourcerer) trying to take over the world, remodeling the constant chaos of Discworld into something much more decent. Now, in the world of Disc wizards function as a scholars, researchers of all kind, depositories of arcane knowledge and all such things. Somewhat senile silly old men which sit in their ivory towers all day long, sipping sherries and arguing about metaphysics and all that. Do you see a resemblance with the real-world Academics of all kinds? Now, problems arise when Wizards decide to leave their ivory towers and actually do something with all these knowledge that they have. Which, driven by ambition, inevitably, at least according to Pratchett, leads to nothing less of the end of the world. Question that we have to ask ourselves is this one - is end of the world really bad thing? On one hand we have colorful chaos of Discworld (our everyday life), which is nice and all but we all feel that there is something wrong with the way things are, and on the other hand we have a change - driven by science and logic, and idea that things can be better, which, quite naturally lead to destruction of current world order, destruction of system itself which can be interpreted as end of the world. Pratchett is advocating status quo, stasis of some kind, pushing academics back to their ivory towers and sentencing them on fruitless arguments in scientific magazines that no-one reads anyway and thus shutting down entire part of population which could actually contribute in making human world a bit more safer and/or enjoyable. I don't know, this isn't really a critique of the book, that has been covered in first paragraph, it's more of an observation, one that troubles me a bit these days when thinking about Pratchett and his work. A common notion or a feeling that is present in all of the opening Discworld books, something you often miss but it feels somehow important.