Eric: A Novel of Discworld

Rincewind returns to the Disc's plane of existence in the 9th installment of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, unfortunately the inept wizard's return is not one of the series' best.

Rincewind returns to the Disc, unfortunately an inept teenage demonologist named Eric has conjured him from dimension he was trapped in and believes him to be a demon. What Rincewind and Eric do not know is that they are pawns in a game by a demon lord against the reigning demon king who has 'modernized' Hell. Rincewind and Eric find themselves running through history, namely backwards, to the point before history began with not only Luggage trailing them but the Demon King himself upset by the fact that a human is "pretending" to be a wizard and stealing a young "recruit." And then the pair have to literally surviving from one end of Hell to the other before Rincewind is able to take up where he left of his boring, yet terrifying life in "Sourcery."

While the humor was present in the book, it wasn't as good as previous installments including previous Rincewind centric ones. The short length resulted in the ending to be tied up quickly with the sudden introduction of the demon lord's masterplan and it's end result happening in about two pages. Overall it felt like Pratchett wanted to get Rincewind back on the Disc for future adventures and wrote a short story to get him back, the book wasn't bad but it didn't feel like a "true book".

Fourth in the Rincewind fantasy sub-series and ninth in the Discworld overall series. This one finally resolves events from Sourcery , 3.

If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Discworld books on my website.

My Take
Okay, so it's a cliché about summoning Death (and demons), but Pratchett still makes me laugh and want to text it to everyone I know. If only to cheer them up and for me to have company in rolling on the floor, laughing. Death is too funny in dealing with these hidebound wizards who haven't had to think on their toes for ians, er, I mean aeons.

The story is an excellent example, lol, of being careful what you wish for. Yes, it's much better in getting this point across than Sourcery was.

You know, I never really thought about Quezovercoatl and his requirements as a god. The demon king makes some excellent points about why sacrifice, endless war, total destruction, etc., are not helping the demon cause. Who'd'a thunk? Then there's that whole wheel thing. Why is it that they "never worked properly however often you laid them flat and pushed them…"? Oh, lol, I do love the "plain-chant whinge". Who knew priests could be so real! Then again, it doesn't take long before the Tezuman wise up. If only it would work that way with Isis, those nasty terrorists.

Pratchett also makes an excellent point about what all those years would have actually done to our world's Helen of Troy. Hmm, Homer certainly did gloss over that one, lol.

Ah, now if only warfare today could be as civilized as warfare amongst the Klatchians. Wonder if anyone ever thought of making a mockumentary? It'd be right up Monty Python's alley.
And Rincewind is finally getting the hang of how to deal with young Eric.

"'You didn't have to go and kick me!'

'You're quite right. It was an entirely voluntary act on my part.'"

Oh no! Seems that young Eric has the wrong end of the stick here, ROFLMAO!
"'You, lad,' he said. 'Want to be a soldier when you grow up?'

'No, sir.'

The man brightened a bit.

'That's the stuff,' he said.

'I want to be a eunuch, sir,' Eric added."

I do adore Lavaeolus' viewpoint about battle! If only more generals embraced it!

See, see. Writers need to pay attention to this point that Rincewind makes. People don't want to read about everyday life or unfair looking people.

Huh. That bit about the Creator certainly explains why God never seems to be around when we need him. And if you are going to time travel be sure to take an egg-and-cress sandwich along. Littering acceptable.

Who knew Hell could be worse? Gardeners will gnash their teeth, and others will want to puncture their ear drums. Luckily for the demons and the damned, there is hope for going back to the old ways, back to merely torturing souls.

Never thought about this one, either, and Rincewind makes another good point. There's boredom and then there's BOREdom.

Don't forget to keep an aunt handy.

The Story
It's an invisible runner passing throughout the world, screaming "ohgodsohgodsohgods" and other similar words that can't be printed. As it passes through bits of the world, those bits change into snow globes, yellow elephants, you know.

It's a young demonologist who "rescues" Rincewind, and that's only the start of it since he demands three wishes of Rincewind the "Demon".

The Characters
Rincewind is an inept wizard trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. Lucky for him, Luggage is still loyal despite those nasty words in Sourcery .

Eric Thursley is a pimply faced young wart who lives at Midden Lane in Pseudopolis and is determined to rule the world forever with a luscious babe at his side. Oh, he's also a demonologist. He's got this parrot too.

Unseen University is…
…the premier university for learners of magic. Its Librarian had once been a wizard but much preferred being an orang-utan. The new Archchancellor is Ezrolith Churn, who really doesn't want the job.

Death is lurking about.

The city of Ankh-Morpork is…
…the most crowded city on the Disc and finally pacified. A city invaded numerous times by invaders who find that "they didn't own their own horses any more, and within a couple of months they were just another…"

The three wishes
The Tezuman are very similar to the Mayans. Very similar. Only, Quezovercoatl isn't quite the same. Ponce da Quirm is the last of the expedition's prisoners. He's been searching for the Fountain of Youth. Too bad no one told him what to do before drinking from it.

The Tsortean Wars bear a strong resemblance to the Trojan Wars, and I did enjoy getting a first hand introduction to Lavaeolus (translates as Rinser of Winds and Eric believes he's an ancestor of Rincewind's), Discworld's version of Odysseus. Private Archeios is reduced to babysitter, but not for long. Turns out Luggage can hold at least four men as Corporal Disuse and his squad found out. Elenor is their Helen of Troy. She was "kidnapped" from her own people, the Ephebians. King Mausoleum wasn't a bad sort. Cassie is one of the Tsortean children.

The Creator at least is more interested in building worlds. He's got a backlog.

Pandemonium is…
…Demon City. Hell to us. Now, you must know that demons are traditionalists, so when King Astfgl ascends the throne, no one is happy about the changes he insists upon. Duke Vassenego, one of the oldest demons, has been waiting for years for young Eric to call him. Urglefloggah, Spawn of the Pit and Loathly Guardian of the Dread Portal, is essentially the doorman. And he keeps forgetting his lines. Azaremoth, the Stench of Dog Breath, is annoyed by the lack of proper torture to Sisyphus. Vizzimuth is forced to read to him. Duke Drazometh the Putrid and Earl Beezlemoth are part of the plot.

The Dungeon Dimensions are terrifying wastelands that exist outside the Disc and everywhere else. There are Things that live there, horrible Things that want to break through into the warmth where they'll end up destroying the world.

The Cover and Title
The cover has a mint green background with a narrow black border on the left side with hourglasses representing the time travel. The author's name and title are in a blue-purple to complement the purple in the parrot's wings and tail. A snarky bird, he's perched above a wire basket — I don't even want to think why.

The title is the cause of this trip through time and dimensions, young Eric, the annoying little demonologist whom we can only hope has learned his lesson.

The Discworld novels starring the inept wizard, Rincewind were never my favorites, and I think "Eric" is probably the least interesting of the lot. In fact, this fantasy is the closest Pratchett ever gets to a 'standard' plot: boy (Eric) summons a demon (Rincewind, who was sent to the netherhells in "Sourcery") and demands the standard three wishes.

Eric is a teen-ager, with hormones on overdrive, so perhaps you can guess at least one of his wishes. Alas, when he finally meets Helen of Troy (Elenor of Tsort), she turns out to be dumpy, middle-aged, and surrounded by children.

Well, it was a long siege.

Poor Eric is eventually disappointed in all of his wishes, but Rincewind's Luggage becomes a god--or at least is worshipped as one.

There is a subplot involving demons, who make it appear as though Rincewind is actually granting Eric's wishes. Hell is a huge bureaucracy where the gofers and clueless bosses and suck-ups all have exoskeletons and/or horns.

In fact "Eric" very much resembles a Dilbert cartoon combined with a Discworld travelogue.

Rincewind and his gawky adolescent master visit the Tezuman kingdoms ruled over by the Great Muzuma, and are almost sacrificed to the god Quezovercoatl.

They drop into the Tsortean War out of the rear end of a gigantic wooden horse, and Eric meets Elenor of Tsort before the topless towers burn down.

Still very much on the run, Eric and his hapless 'demon' end up in...well, let the characters describe it:

"'So we're surrounded by absolutely nothing,' said Rincewind. 'Total nothing.' He hesitated. 'There's a word for it,' he said. 'It's what you get when there's nothing left and everything's been used up.'"

"'Yes. I think it's called the bill,' said Eric."

Travelling by magic is not for the weak of stomach. The boy and his wizard finally end up in a cave with a single door.

The sign over the door states: "You Don't Have To Be Damned To Work Here, But It Helps!!!"

Is Rincewind back where he started?

According to the author, "it is essential that the proper use of three wishes should bring happiness to the greatest available number of people." Obviously this does not include Eric and Rincewind.

The Discworld novels starring the inept wizard, Rincewind were never my favorites, and I think "Eric" is probably the least interesting of the lot. In fact, this fantasy is the closest Pratchett ever gets to a 'standard' plot: boy (Eric) summons a demon (Rincewind, who was sent to the netherhells in "Sourcery") and demands the standard three wishes.

Eric is a teen-ager, with hormones on overdrive, so perhaps you can guess at least one of his wishes. Alas, when he finally meets Helen of Troy (Elenor of Tsort), she turns out to be dumpy, middle-aged, and surrounded by children.

Well, it was a long siege.

Poor Eric is eventually disappointed in all of his wishes, but Rincewind's Luggage becomes a god--or at least is worshipped as one.

There is a subplot involving demons, who make it appear as though Rincewind is actually granting Eric's wishes. Hell is a huge bureaucracy where the gofers and clueless bosses and suck-ups all have exoskeletons and/or horns.

In fact "Eric" very much resembles a Dilbert cartoon combined with a Discworld travelogue.

Rincewind and his gawky adolescent master visit the Tezuman kingdoms ruled over by the Great Muzuma, and are almost sacrificed to the god Quezovercoatl.

They drop into the Tsortean War out of the rear end of a gigantic wooden horse, and Eric meets Elenor of Tsort before the topless towers burn down.

Still very much on the run, Eric and his hapless 'demon' end up in...well, let the characters describe it:

"'So we're surrounded by absolutely nothing,' said Rincewind. 'Total nothing.' He hesitated. 'There's a word for it,' he said. 'It's what you get when there's nothing left and everything's been used up.'"

"'Yes. I think it's called the bill,' said Eric."

Travelling by magic is not for the weak of stomach. The boy and his wizard finally end up in a cave with a single door.

The sign over the door states: "You Don't Have To Be Damned To Work Here, But It Helps!!!"

Is Rincewind back where he started?

According to the author, "it is essential that the proper use of three wishes should bring happiness to the greatest available number of people." Obviously this does not include Eric and Rincewind.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series always entertains with a snarky, intelligent wit and humorous banter. This jaunt to hell and back is filled with alternate moments throughout history, a meeting with one of The Creators, and a bunch of colorful imps and demons in hell. And also, the beloved Luggage has returned with Rincewind. An entertaining, short read, Eric is perfect for lightening your spirits and a bit of vacation reading.

I had to finish my year out with another Pratchett joint, and Eric was next on my Discworld list. It seems to be one of the quickest and more spacey of the Discworld novels, and reads a lot more like a simple juvenile lit book in terms of its pacing, plot structure, and overall execution... But the adult jokes throughout seem to be the more impressive and redeeming parts of the novel. I had a great time as I read (including the chicken/feather joke, as well as matter usually materializing as paperclips but occasionally Kate Bush albums).

It was fun and a quick read, but nowhere near the brilliance of many of Pratchett's other work. I did enjoy the Faustian basis, and every time Pratchett invokes some great work that audiences of a certain bent might be familiar with, his true magic is shown on the page.

"`Multiple exclamation marks,' he went on, shaking his head `are a sure sign of a diseased mind.'"

I LOVE TERRY PRATCHETT/DISCWORLD/RINCEWIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem. I aten't crazy.

Like a lot of people I first read Pratchett when I was a teenager and have stuck with him well into adulthood. So, going through a dry spell in reading where everything I picked up seemed to, well, suck, I was immediately drawn to a small paperback that'd fallen off my shelf - "Eric", a book I haven't read since I was 12 (I'm now 28). Coming to a beloved book after 16 years is great as you know you'll like it and you've all but forgotten everything in the story.

Eric is the Disc's first demonologist hacker who summons a demon to grant him three wishes. Except the "demon" is Rincewind, the Disc's most inept wizzard (the second z is intentional as Rincewind can't spell), who happens to have gotten stuck in the Dungeon Dimensions and, by chance, wound up in a teenage boy's bedroom. The three wishes Eric asks for - To be Ruler of the World; To Meet the Most Beautiful Woman in All History; and To Live Forever, should be easy to arrange. I mean, when have wishes ever gone wrong for anybody in a story, especially one with "Faust" crossed out on the cover?

I'm delighted to say that my impressions of the novel haven't changed in 16 years and that I still loved reading this. It's still fresh and funny and fast paced and so damn entertaining. It reminded me exactly why I fell in love with Pratchett's Discworld in the first place and what propelled me through all of his books so quickly.

Here are some quotes from the novel that I adored:

"The gods of the Disc have never bothered much about judging the souls of the dead, and so people only go to hell if that's where they believe, in their deepest heart, that they deserve to go. Which they won't do if they don't know about it. This explains why it is so important to shoot missionaries on sight."

"Rincewind had been told that death was just like going into another room. The difference is, when you shout `Where's my clean socks?', no-one answers."

"No enemies had ever taken Ankh-Morpork. Well technically they had, quite often; they city welcomed free-spending barbarian invaders, but somehow the puzzled raiders found, after a few days, that they didn't own their horses any more, and within a couple of months they were just another minority group with its own graffiti and food shops."

Great, right?

It also makes me sad to see the decline in his writing recently. I got through a third of "Snuff" in about a month and gave up thereafter. I haven't returned to it in nearly a year. Also, those Tiffany Aching books are pretty diabolical - I know they're aimed at "Young Adults" but really, kids can read the "adult" Discworld books. I did, and I turned out fine. Plus the adult humour is really subtle and will go over a kid's head. I didn't pick up on it when I was 12 but at 28? Yeah I noticed it. Pratchett's really clever like that and his books can be read for all ages. Those Aching books are just pandering and condescending. Kids, teenagers, are smarter than that and should just read the regular Discworld stuff rather than go for Discworld Lite. And yes, I realise the decline in writing is linked to his Alzheimer's which I couldn't be more saddened by, but still. Reading this early Discworld book and comparing it to his most recent one is really eye-opening. There aren't any quotes from "Snuff" that I'd type out to read to myself over and over, unlike "Eric".

"Eric" is set after the events of "Sourcery" but before "Interesting Times" - both books I encourage you to seek out if you enjoyed this - but it can be read as standalone book too. It might even be the best introduction to the new reader of Pratchett. Rincewind and the amazing Luggage (a steamer trunk with dozens of tiny legs that's sentient but silent) are the main characters, there are appearances from Death and the Librarian, and you get a tour of the Disc courtesy of the three wishes that takes Rincewind and Eric across time and space. The story is straightforward and you don't need to have read the half dozen or so titles that preceded it - it's a satire on the legendary Faust story. Seriously, you can just jump on board with this book and, if you like Pratchett's style, continue on your way. And due to it's shortness, It's the perfect sampler.

I have to mention the Luggage - I'd forgotten why I was so enchanted with the Rincewind stories and it's partly RIncewind for his cowardly wit, but it's also for the Luggage. They've got this great chemistry like a buddy cop story where one of the cops doesn't speak and might be homicidal. Luggage has some amazing scenes in this as well, particularly his introduction which is so fantastic and funny so I won't spoil it here. And Pratchett's humour has never been more prevalent than in this story. Here are some more quotes I loved:

"There's a door"
"Where does it go?"
"It stays where it is, I think"

"What're quantum mechanics?"
"I don't know. People who repair quantums, I suppose"

And these two gems about war:

"The consensus seemed to be that if really large numbers of men were sent to storm the mountain, then enough might survive the rocks to take the citadel. This is essentially the basis of all military thinking."

"The sergeant put on the poker face which has been handed down from NCO to NCO ever since one protoamphibian told another, lower ranking protoamphibian to muster a squad of newts and Take That Beach."

"Eric" is just a really, really fun read. I loved it, it was just what I needed to remind me why I love reading and that a truly good book trumps nearly everything else in the world.

Never read Pratchett? Check out "Eric". Been a while since you read early Pratchett? Check out "Eric".

to assume a pleasing shape according to Hamlet but only on Discworld could the devil or any demon assume the shape of Rincewind. But that is exactly what Terry Pratchett calls up in "Eric", Pratchett's Discworld homage to Faust.

Eric, the protagonist, is a teenaged `demonologist' from Pseuodopolis. Eric is also a spoiled brat according to Eric's parrot. Eric was trying to summon a demon in order to have the demon grant Eric's wish for power, women, and eternal life. Instead, through a series of Discworldian circumstances Eric calls up Rincewind, last seen locked in the Dungeon Dimensions (Sourcery).

What follows is a Discworld version of a Hope and Crosby Road movie that parallels Faust. Eric and Rincewind travel to the ends of time (actually the beginning of time among other places) and Rincewind faces adversity and the threat of death in his own inimitable fashion (feet don't fail me now).

There are some great set pieces in Eric. DEATH makes two brief, but very funny appearances. First, when the Wizards determine something strange is going on they summon DEATH and demand answer. Of course, they realize quickly that perhaps they should speak to him in the same manner that people in Ankh Morpork speak to the Patrician. Later in the book, DEATH patiently awaits the moment for life to begin is priceless Pratchett fashion. Having the universe start with a paper clip and not a big bang was a very appealing concept.

Similarly hilarious is Rincewind's trip to the new and improved version of hell. Physical torture has been replaced by endless viewings of someone else's holiday slides, elevator music, and the recitation of thousands of pages of regulations only a hellish bureaucrat could construct. Interestingly, Rincewind's conversation with a creator of universes who takes special pride in the creation of trees had a nice resemblance to Slartibartfast from Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who award for creating the jigsaw like coastline of the fjords of Norway.

Despite these typically brilliant bits Eric lacked some of the cohesion found in most of the other Discworld books I have read. Apparently, Eric was originally published as a graphic novel and the illustrations went a long way towards fleshing out the story line. In a sense this version seems to be akin to reading a comic (a very good comic book) without the comic art. There does seem to be something a bit lacking.

However, even if Eric is not Pratchett's finest Discworld book it is still very much worth reading. There is an old cliché that a bad day of fishing is better than the best day of work. In this instance I think it fair to say that a good but the best Discworld book is better than the best that many other authors can put out. I recommend this book to any Discworld fan. I would not recommend this to anyone new to Discworld. Eric works best once one has got to know a bit about Discworld generally and Rincewind specifically.

Eric, despite any flaws, is still very much worth reading.

As Pratchett fans know, the several dozen tales set on the Discworld aren't a single series, or even a cycle. They're a collection of skeins of stories featuring a variety of focal characters, though many of these overlap in various ways. (The two best subseries, I think, are those about the witches and those about Night Watch of Ankh-Morpork.) The very first Discworld novel was The Colour of Magic (1983), the protagonist of which was Rincewind, a failed student wizard whose principal talent is the ability to survive by running away from things very, very fast. He's also gifted with incredible luck, which is not a bad thing to have. He's followed everywhere by the Luggage, which has hundreds of tiny legs and is impossible to lose. To my mind, the Rincewind subseries, which includes this book, is one of the less successful areas of Pratchett's work. Actually, this is a pastiche of the Faust legend. Eric is an adolescent demonologist trying to summon up a demon to grant him the traditional three wishes, but somehow he ends up with Rincewind (who is theoretically dead, having finally been blown up in Sourcery). Although Rincewind is not even remotely a demon, Eric thinks he is, so he ends up having to act like one. Or so he thinks. As usual, there are a lot more things going on than the reader realizes at the beginning. Eric announces he wants (1) to rule the world, (2) to meet the most beautiful woman in all of history, and (3) to live forever. And then, of course, the problems begin. But somehow, though it's certainly not a bad book (I don't think Pratchett is capable of writing a truly bad book), the dialogue isn't as snappy or as drily funny as usual, the characters aren't as engaging, and the plot doesn't suck you in holding your breath. The palace revolution in Hell is nicely done, but in any of the better Discworld novels, it would be just part of the background. Ah, well. No one gets it exactly right every time.

The Discworld novels starring the inept wizard, Rincewind were never my favorites, and I think "Eric" is probably the least interesting of the lot. In fact, this fantasy is the closest Pratchett ever gets to a 'standard' plot: boy (Eric) summons a demon (Rincewind, who was sent to the netherhells in "Sourcery") and demands the standard three wishes.

Eric is a teen-ager, with hormones on overdrive, so perhaps you can guess at least one of his wishes. Alas, when he finally meets Helen of Troy (Elenor of Tsort), she turns out to be dumpy, middle-aged, and surrounded by children.

Well, it was a long siege.

Poor Eric is eventually disappointed in all of his wishes, but Rincewind's Luggage becomes a god--or at least is worshipped as one.

There is a subplot involving demons, who make it appear as though Rincewind is actually granting Eric's wishes. Hell is a huge bureaucracy where the gofers and clueless bosses and suck-ups all have exoskeletons and/or horns.

In fact "Eric" very much resembles a Dilbert cartoon combined with a Discworld travelogue.

Rincewind and his gawky adolescent master visit the Tezuman kingdoms ruled over by the Great Muzuma, and are almost sacrificed to the god Quezovercoatl.

They drop into the Tsortean War out of the rear end of a gigantic wooden horse, and Eric meets Elenor of Tsort before the topless towers burn down.

Still very much on the run, Eric and his hapless 'demon' end up in...well, let the characters describe it:

"'So we're surrounded by absolutely nothing,' said Rincewind. 'Total nothing.' He hesitated. 'There's a word for it,' he said. 'It's what you get when there's nothing left and everything's been used up.'"

"'Yes. I think it's called the bill,' said Eric."

Travelling by magic is not for the weak of stomach. The boy and his wizard finally end up in a cave with a single door.

The sign over the door states: "You Don't Have To Be Damned To Work Here, But It Helps!!!"

Is Rincewind back where he started?

According to the author, "it is essential that the proper use of three wishes should bring happiness to the greatest available number of people." Obviously this does not include Eric and Rincewind.

Hallo, Rincewind!

This book serves as a sequel to Sourcery, which left our favourite wizard trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. It concerns a pimply faced demonologist called Eric, trying to summon forth a demon, to grant him three wishes. Instead, he summons Rincewind.

The thing is, it's an oddity. It seems to exist solely as an excuse to bring Rincewind back. I'm not sad that Rincewind is back, I like the little inept wizard; it's just that it seems that the book wasn't thought through properly. It's less than half the length of most other Pratchett novels. For someone new to the series, I wouldn't recommend it because it doesn't do a very good job of introducing the characters. As a continuation of the Discworld saga, it does nothing to advance the world. Oh, there are a couple of promising leads in the beginning, involving the wizards of Unseen University and our other favourite character, Death, but they never materialise. It's just disjointed.

Still, it's got Rincewind, and it's got Pratchett's trademarked humour, so I quite liked it. But honestly, that was the only difference between a two and a three star rating, for me.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be? Eric, a young demonology hacker, is trying to summon a demon to grant his three, rather conventional, wishes granted. Unfortunately, instead of summoning a demon from hell, he only manages to summon Rincewind, Discworld's least competent wizard. And because this is Discworld, Eric's wishes are not granted in ways that at all resemble his true desires. His wish for mastery of the kingdoms of the world almost leads to them becoming a ritual sacrifice. His wish to meet the world's most beautiful women lands them in the middle of the Discworld analog to the Trojan war, and his wish to live forever takes them back to the beginnings of the universe.

Along the way, Pratchett manages to satirize the Aztec and ancient Greek cultures, but he saves his best for last. Rincewind and Eric finally find themselves in Hell, where they discover that it has been taken over by a bureaucratic overlord who is making the demons' lives a true hell. This is Dante's Hell re-imagined in ways that only a true paper-pusher could envision.

As always, Death makes an appearance, this time with great comic effect. And the funniest scene in the Trojan war send-up stars the Luggage, the trunk of sentient pearwood that follows Rincewind, no matter where (or when) he goes. Fans of Discworld should enjoy this, but it would probably also amuse fans of Homer or Dante as well.

"Eric" is the ninth novel in Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series and was first published in 1990. It sees a return for Rincewind, who was last seen heading for the Dungoen Dimensions at the end of Sourcery. However, it seems he took a wrong turn somewhere and has finished up in Hell - though, unsurprisingly, he's desperate to escape.

To his massive relief, this book sees Rincewind find a way back home - when he's summoned as a demon by a teenage amateur demonologist called Eric Thursley. The spotty little twerp wants the usual three wishes - dominion over all the kingdoms, to meet the most beautiful woman who ever lived and eternal life - and he expects his summoned demon, to do as he commands. Rincewind, naturally, tries to point out that he isn't a demon but a pretty pathetic wizard. However, all the usual commands and restraits that were designed for demons are working on Rincewind...and somehow, when he clicks his fingers, he apparently CAN do as Eric commands. Unsurprisingly, these commands land them in all sorts of trouble - which is terrible news for Rincewind, as all he wants is a nice, quiet, boring life. Worse still, the Demon King is keeping a very close eye of how things pan out. Eric was supposed to have summoned Duke Vassenego...and he isn't at all pleased that Rincewind somehow took the Duke's place.

"Eric" is shorter and (somehow) a little 'lighter' than most Pratchett books. (I believe that originally it was heavily illustrated by Josh Kirby - though my copy is un-illustrated). It's most obviously a parody of "Faust", though there are nods in several other directions - the Aztec Empire and a couple of Greek legends for a start. Naturally, it's still very funny - and I was glad to see Rincewind getting back to the Discworld - but, overall, I'd still say Pratchett's done better.

Eric is a demonology hacker who is trying to summon a demon to answer his worldly desires. Unfortunately, due to a slight malfunction, the demon he summons turns out to be a wizard called Rincewind. To Rincewind's own bemusement, he ends up helping Eric achieve his goals, but wasn't reckoning on the side-trips to a remote jungle kingdom, the greatest war in history, the dawn of time and hell...

Eric is a bit of an oddball Discworld novel. Although listed as the ninth book in the overall series, it's not published by Corgi but by Gollancz instead, with a different cover design as well. It's also the shortest book in the series by far, coming in at 150 pages. The explanation is rather straightforward: it was originally a large-format illustrated book written by Pratchett primarily as a vehicle for the late Josh Kirby's artwork. As a result the story had to be streamlined and more of a travelogue of various locations rather than having a deep and complex narrative. In fact, it's reminiscent of the later book, The Last Hero, with the difference that Last Hero has been kept in print as an illustrated book rather than becoming a 'proper' novel.

Shorn of its illustrations, Eric is a rather simplistic and lightweight tale. It does some good stuff, like resolving Rincewind's cliffhanger ending from Sourcery (although leaving him on another one here), and there are a few good laughs, but it's all rather shallow, to be honest. Pratchett's depiction of Hell here seems to be at odds with the rest of the Discworld multiverse and although it becoming a bureaucratic, middle-manager's paradise is a funny idea, he doesn't really have the space or time to go into it in much depth. Essentially the book is an excuse for a bunch of obvious gags and filling in a few more locations on the Discworld not previously seen.

For all that, it raises the odd smile and, more interestingly, I have been informed by Gollancz that they are planning to reprint the fully-illustrated edition in the future, which should be worth checking out.

For now, Eric (***) is a very fast, briefly entertaining diversion from the main Discworld sequence. It is available now in the UK and USA.

When last we left the inept wizard Rincewind (way back in Sourcery, the fifth Discworld novel) he was trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. He returns quite unexpectedly to the real world at the behest of the unique planet's only demon hacker Eric, who also happens to be a twelve-year-old kid. Having conjured a demon to grant him whatever he desired, Eric is rather disappointed to find that the "demon" Rincewind cannot really do anything at all except give lessons in how to run away from danger. All Eric wants is to rule the world, meet the most beautiful woman to have ever lived, and to live forever. Rincewind insists that he can't just snap his fingers and grant wishes, but said finger snapping miraculously takes him, Eric, and (always lagging behind) the Luggage to the land of the Tezumens where Eric is hailed as a god (pity the Tezumens hate their god so much). Later they wind up in ancient Tsort during the climax of the great war with the Ephebians; here Eric meets the world's most beautiful woman and is not impressed, while Rincewind finds an ancient ancestor pursuing the art of war without having to fight or creating a fuss. Next stop is the very creation of the Discworld itself, complete with creator-if you want to live forever, after all, you have to start at the beginning. The journey is far from complete, though, until Rincewind and Eric make their way to Hades, a land suffering (or not suffering, to be precise) under the micro-management of the new King Astfgl. Finally, we find out what has really been going on all along, and Rincewind and Eric try to find a way to get back home.
Eric is a play on the Faust concept; you can tell because the word Faust is crossed out and replaced with Eric right there on the cover of the book. Conjure a demon, demand your heart's desire, that sort of thing. It is really an unusual Discworld novel. It is short for one thing, less than half the length of most in the series, the kid Eric is about the only child one ever finds anywhere in the Discworld and is annoying enough for all the ones we don't see, and, despite his constant troubles, we really don't see very much of Rincewind's back gradually fading away from us as he runs from danger. The book isn't that bad, really-the story is pretty good once you grasp all of it, there's an entertainingly irritable parrot that makes up for his small vocabulary by referring to things as wossname all the time, and we get a very revealing look at the Discworld's realm of eternal punishment. Still, Eric is just not fulfilling and never strikes a strong chord with the reader. I view it as quite the Discworld anomaly. Just because it isn't as good as Pratchett's other novels does not mean it is not funny, witty, and enjoyable, though.

I loved the first five
1. The Colour of Magic 1983 Rincewind
2 The Light Fantastic 1986 Rincewind
3 Equal Rites 1987 The Witches, The Wizards
4 Mort 1987 Death
5 Sourcery 1988 Rincewind, The Wizards

because they were unique. After that they were sorta just more of the same. Eric is different. Unique.

I'm in the process of reading:

11* Reaper Man 1991 Death, The Wizards
14* Lords and Ladies 1992 The Witches, The Wizards
15* Men at Arms 1993 The City Watch
19* Feet of Clay 1996 The City Watch
25* The Truth 2000 Ankh-Morpork, The City Watch, The Ankh-Morpork Times
26* Thief of Time 2001 Death, Susan Sto Helit, The History Monks
29* Night Watch 2002 The City Watch, The History Monks
31* Monstrous Regiment 2003 The City Watch, The Ankh-Morpork Times
33* Going Postal 2004 Moist von Lipwig, Ankh-Morpork
34* Thud! 2005 The City Watch
36* Making Money 2007 Moist von Lipwig, Ankh-Morpork

My library got a donation of TP paperbacks. :o)

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 was first published in 1988 and is number six in the Discworld novels.

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 produced by one of the funniest minds writing today. Surely this type of writing would have a very limited readership. Not a bit of it, new books by Pratchett are almost as eagerly awaited as are the current J. K. Rowling offerings.

What do you do when you are fourteen years old and live on a place as crazy as the Discworld. Well, whatever fourteen year old boys do wherever they live. Make a nuisance of themselves. Eric has achieved that magical age of fourteen, how, nobody knows and has decided that as he is a little devil himself he might as well try and raise a few more, with less than successful results. What he does manage to raise is our old friend Rincewind, a wizard. Now what Rincewind doesn't know about wizardry really isn't worth knowing. No really it isn't worth knowing. Of course where Rincewind goes, the Luggage will surely follow. Now this really is worth having, a piece of luggage that never gets lost and it does, it always manages to find you. What a boon for the modern day airport.

The usual hilarious mayhem occurs, hocus pocus, the old three wishes trick and even a trip to hell, not to be recommended for the those of a nervous disposition. Hell that is, not the book which is hilarious and should be recommended to anybody and everybody.

Possibly the shortest and most plotless Discworld novel, "Eric" nevertheless has some enjoyable commentary and spoofing, two of the things that Terry Pratchett does well and delightfully. Hardly his best, but not his worst.
In the aftermath of "Sourcery," Rincewind is lost in the Dungeon Dimension. But in a million-to-one-chance, he is drawn back into the real world by a fourteen-year-old demonolist awash in hormones and delusions of grandeur. Eric is convinced that Rincewind is a demon, and is demanding three things: that Rincewind make him live forever, give him control of the entire Disc, and give him the most beautiful woman in the world. Rincewind, unsurprisingly, can't do these things.
An unwary snap of the fingers sends Eric, Rincewind, the Luggage, and a very sarcastic parrot to the land of the Tezumens, who serve the bloodthirsty demon-god Quetzovercoatl. Their misadventures in the void of non-creation, back in time to the topless towers of Tsort, and finally to hell itself give Eric what he wishes -- or does it?
The first word that comes to mind to describe "Eric" is SHORT. This book is slim even with the larger typeface and margins, but in Pratchett's spare style it packs a fair amount of story into the 200 pages. Old favorites like Rincewind and the Luggage return; Eric steals many of the scenes he's in, as he is obsessed with women and power, but whiny and immature - a teen boy with delusions of grandeur.
Pratchett adds some delightful spoofing of the Aztecs, especially their preoccupation with human sacrifice and feathered headdresses, and the Trojan War (in which we meet his versions of Odysseus and the relatively plain Discworld counterpart of Helen of Troy), complete with "toppleless towers" and a wooden horse. His vision of a revamped hell -- in which demons show vacation slides to damned mortals -- is somewhat reminiscent of Craig Shaw Gardner's Netherhells, but is perhaps the funniest part of the book. And Pratchett's cleverness shows up in the "fulfillment" of Eric's wishes -- it's a clear example of "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."
Rincewind is gradually growing in dimension, beyond "cowardly wizard," and shows that he does, in fact, have some brains and thought processes. Eric is a twitty teenage boy, a little too clueless to be plausible. And the parrot really steals the show; his acid wit, aggressive demeanor, scruffy appearance, and constant use of the word "wossname" make him a hilarious essential. It's too bad he doesn't appear again in the series.
"Eric" is hardly the best book in the series, but it does make a nice diversion for readers who enjoy madcap antics and spoof-filled stories.

I don't think "Faust" (or, rather, "Eric") deserves the scorn it has received. It is only a lesser Discworld novel because it is so short. Call it a novella, get over your preconceptions, and dive in for the fun.
The chief element of fun here is the welcome return of the (ineffectual) wizard Rincewind. He is my favourite Disc-denizen. When last we left him in "Sourcery", he was in a curious predicament, trapped in a dimension he couldn't run away from. Summoned to our world by a 13-year old demonologist (the title character), Rincewind must figure out how to grant wishes. This is all a very curious set up, kind of flimsy and flaky. Fortunately, Pratchett uses it as a diving board into a grand pool of hilarious satire.
Pratchett touches on some large issues in this slender volume. We get a sarcastic retelling of the Trojan War, and then a dip into the Odyssey. There's a section that concurrently examines both the beginning *and* the end of the universe (this is Douglas Adams territory Pratchett is treading in, and he more than holds his own). And we get a neat trip to Hell, that satirizes both eternal damnation and corporate culture (not a groundbreaking comparison, I know, but still a funny bit in Terry's hands). Eric (the character) is nothing more than Twoflower-lite. But that's okay, because the relationship between Twoflower and Rincewind in the first two Discworld books ("The Colour of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic") was golden. Eric continues in this tradition, his youthful ignorance and passion meshing perfectly with Rincewind's cynicism and cowardice.
My one complaint is that I wanted to spend more time in each location with these characters, and for the life of me I can't figure out why Pratchett didn't stretch this book out to usual length. I guess he wanted to leave us wanting more. I did.

Any fan of Terry Pratchett's work knows that his satirical tongue knows no boundaries, especially when it comes to lampooning other famous literary works. "Eric" may be the most straightforward rip-off/homage since it is a reworking of "Faust" (with 'Faust' crossed off each page heading and 'Eric' written next to it). As always, Pratchett's humor is in full force throughout this interesting ride through history, space, time, and Hell.

When Eric, a thirteen-year-old demonology hacker, tries to conjure a demon to grant him three wishes, he is surprised to find he has conjured the inept wizard Rincewind. Rincewind is pleasantly surprised to find himself out of the Dungeon Dimensions where he has been trapped, but less happy to discover that he has the to power to carry out Eric's wishes. What follows is the two of them snapping through time in Eric's effort to rule the world, meet the most beautiful woman on the Disc, and to live forever. However, things are not always what they appear to be and one must word one's wishes quite carefully.

"Eric" is a very quickly paced book, and while Rincewind is a familiar character, the qualities and dilemmas that make him an annoying one are just about overlooked in this Disworld trip. Rincewind is at a loss, as always, as he and Eric try to find their way back to Ankh-Morpork, alive. "Faust" has never been quite so funny, but some of the magic has gone out of the story. And while "Eric" has its fair share of demons, they are humorous rather than diabolical, which is something the plot could use a small shake of.

I am, of course, Terry Pratchett's biggest fan, and normally willing to defend the man against just about any accusation. In this case, however, I'm afraid that I must agree with the consensus. "Eric" is one of Pratchett's most mediocre novels. It is short and hasty, for beginners. The main character is a major pain in the neck and not much more. The humor is fairly sparse. As a whole, the book doesn't seem to have much point.

Rincewind, last seen in the Dungeon Dimensions, gets summoned by a bizarre rite of wizardry that was intended to produce a demon. The summoner was Eric, a pint-sized teenager with a naughty parrot and a serious acne problem. Eric has three little wishes: to rule the world, see the most beautiful woman in existence, and live forever. Fate, however, has some tricks to play. The ensuing series of events will carry this non-dynamic duo to the usual set of exotic locations and wild adventures, before depositing them more or less where they started.

Eric is the main problem with the book. Being mainly just unpleasant and unable to learn, he has no appeal and we don't have anyone to cheer for. Moreover, the relationship between the two main characters never seems to gel. "Eric" is, in short, a largely pointless book. The Pratchett humor is there in small doses. I particularly appreciated a conversation between the Devil and Death which alone may be worth the price of the book.

ERIC is definitely worth reading, but it doesn't compare very well with the other Discworld books. As many have noted, it is a pastiche on FAUST, but it borrows nearly as much from THE AENEAD and Dante. The whole idea of Rincewind -- not, I have to confess, one of my favorite Discworld characters -- serving as Mephistopheles to Eric's Faust, was a good one, but I frankly enjoy Pratchett's more original stories than his parodies of more established classics. There are a number of good moments in the book and I always enjoy scenes with the Sapient Pearwood Luggage, but the overall story isn't as strong as his other books. I'm absolutely delighted to have read the book and at some point I'll probably reread the entire series again. I definitely won't skip it. But having finished it, I'm now nearly a quarter of the way through my goal of reading all the books in the order of publication, now having read nine of the thirty-eight books. I've already started MOVING PICTURES. Terry Pratchett is such a treasure. I pray that his health holds up for many years (I strongly recommend the BBC documentary that he recently made -- TERRY PRATCHETT: LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER'S) and that he is able to complete many more books in the series.

A friend of mine hooked me on the Discworld series not that long ago. She has been reading them in order of publication and afterwards lending them to me. I had found until this moment that while I have enjoyed every book, the Rincewind novels have not been my cup of tea.
I found the extreme cowardice of Rincewind annoying. He showed no curiosity, no love, no qualities which made me interested in his continued well being. This has not truly changed in Eric, but for several reasons, I definitely enjoyed this adventure more than his previous.
First of all, the book is short! At just under 200 pages, Rincewind did not have much of a chance to get on my nerves. Second of all, Terry Pratchett weaved in several very interesting ideas. The honeybees of Death, the Faust tale, a comparison of demonology with computer programming, cowardice as impetus for strategic battle, and so much more!
Finally, there was the fact that over the course of four books concerning our "wizzard", Terry has slowly been humanizing him. Not too much. He's still an abject coward. But, there have been little moments where you realize that there is (slightly) more to Rincewind that running in terror from everything he encounters. He is reasonably intelligent, for example. Do not let his ineptitude at magic lull you into taking him for a complete fool (sorry King Verence!).
Anyway, I highly recommend this and the rest of the Discworld books to anyone with a love of fantasy, humor, or intelligent fun!

Eric is more of a Discworld novella than it is a novel. At 154 pages, it's not very substantive. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a quality book. However, in this case, I'm sorry to say that Terry Pratchett dropped the ball a little bit. It's another Rincewind adventure, and like most of the other Rincewind books that I've read, it fails for the most part to entertain.
I've never been a fan of Rincewind or his luggage, which I know makes me unusual for a Discworld fan. Unfortunately, Eric continues the trend of sub-par Discworld adventures featuring the incompetent wizard. I just didn't find it that interesting or funny, and the main saving grace is that it's short. If it had been longer, I think my rating would have been less. The idea is clever, a parody of Faust with Rincewind unable to fulfill any of the functions that the devil does in the original play. The execution of it isn't even that bad, though it's not up to Pratchett's usual standards.
I guess my main problem with it is that Rincewind seems even a lesser part of things than he usually does. The luggage saves his bacon a couple of times, and the other times things just happen and outside forces end up dealing with things. I think he actually solves a problem himself once in the whole book. The concept of an observer who would rather be sitting home bored than actually taking part in all of these adventures may be a good one, but I don't find it very interesting. Because of that, Pratchett has to make the situation worth my while in order for me to like the book. Eric doesn't do that. There are amusing bits here and there, a wry comment or a funny situation, but as a whole it doesn't work for me.
Once again, Death gets the best part of the book, and he's only in it for two scenes. The part at the beginning of the book where the wizards attempt to call forth Death to tell them what's going on is hilarious, with it not working quite as the wizards planned. He always seems to get the best lines in any Discworld book. There are a few other parts of the book where I actually laughed (like where Rincewind becomes a living part of history by tripping over something and setting the city on fire), but the overall affect, for me anyway, was "ho-hum."
The thing that brings this book up to 3 stars, though, is the rendition of Hell that Pratchett has. Astfgl has made hell a boring place rather than a fiery place, because he's realized that souls can't really feel any pain, so eternal physical torment really isn't that bad when the soul can't feel anything. So he makes it intensely boring instead, with people chained to rocks and forced to listen to stories of hernia operations and vacations on the various circles of Hell. I found this idea very inspired, and had to laugh at quite a few of the bits here. I don't want to ruin any of the jokes here, since they were most of the funny ones in the book, but suffice it to say that Hell was the best part of the book, and the only real saving grace.
The book's ending, though, is as uninspired as the rest of the book. It's a bit anti-climactic and not very well-done. Once again, Rincewind is saved by the actions of outside forces (not even the luggage saves him this time) and things start looking up for him again. Pratchett gives a rundown of what's happened to the various places that Rincewind and Eric have visited, but even that is only mildly amusing and not up to Pratchett's normal standards.
I know there are fans of Rincewind out there. I've read a few reviews, and even they think that this is one of Pratchett's weaker efforts. If you're a fan of his, you may enjoy this book, though I would suggest checking it out from the library rather than buying it. If you're not a fan of his, than you may want to skip this one (unless you're like me, and want to read every Discworld book out there). Thankfully, it's short, so you won't spend too much of your life with this one.

First things first: "Eric" is the shortest Discworld novel to date. Even printed in a larger type face, it's slim on the bookshelf placed next to the rest of the series.
What that means is that Pratchett didn't provide this novel with multiple interwoven plots, there isn't the female friend/companion who turns into a love interest (a staple of his novels) and all of the action is very narrowly focused on failed wizard Rincewind's escape from the Dungeon Dimensions, where he was trapped at the end of "Sourcery."
He gets out when Eric, Discworld's would-be Doctor Faustus, a spoiled brat turned amateur demonologist, summons a demon from Hell and gets ... well, him. Somehow, Rincewind has been gifted with the power to grant Eric's rather venal wishes. These take the duo (trailed by Rincewind's sentient and extremely dangerous Luggage) through time and space. Along the way, we get parodies of Aztec religion and Ponce de Leon, a particularly well-done riff on the Trojan War (superior in every way to the quicker one in "Pyramids"), visit the beginning and end of the universe and see what Hell is really like.
Without the need to slow down for a B-story, Pratchett moves through the story at a rapid clip, making this one of the best Rincewind tales to date, as well as tying up a loose end. (Pratchett has a bad habit of doing that with Rincewind; the first Discworld novel ended with him falling off the edge of the planet.)
Know that you're getting what amounts to a novella in a novel's packaging, but otherwise, "Eric" lives up to the high standards Pratchett has set with his previous works.
Recommended to fans of Discworld and Pratchett's collaboration with Neil Gaiman, "Good Omens."

Rincewind, Discworld's premiere bumbling wizzard (sic), is at it again: being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time he's pressed into service by an aspiring demonomancer named Eric, who is able to wangle three wishes out of the deal with his "demon". Of course, they come true in the least-expected ways...

This book is a less-than-subtle parody of Goethe and Marlowe's "Faust" (minus any actual "sell your soul" angle), though the obvious parody makes the book all the more enjoyable for those of us who have read the original Faust plays. Even if you don't know them, it's very easy to follow along, and still quite enjoyable. As per Pratchett, we get the usual snarky social sarcasm, chuckles galore, and even a few laugh-out-loud moments.

This is an early book by Pratchett, and holds up quite well to his later, more polished (and comparatively complex) works. It's just under 200 pages, and I was able to read it in one day. I actually found that satisfying: a Pratchett "quick fix". Highly recommended for fans and newcomers alike.

This is the 9th in Pratchett's Discworld series. Alternatively, it's the 4th in the Rincewind subseries ("The Color of Magic," "The Light Fantastic," "Sourcery," "Eric," "Interesting Times," and "The Last Continent"). The book is merely OK. It's a fun, short read, but has a very shallow, linear plot. Its sole purpose is to be a vehicle for the return of Rincewind. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, but it's just too short to have any depth. The version I have is 197 pages long, whereas these books normally run around 250 pages long. That doesn't sound too bad until you look at some of the typographic tricks the publisher uses to stretch the apparent size of the book: they use a bigger type face than normal, use one-and-one-half line spacing instead of single-spacing, and then increase the margin sizes. All in all, I'd estimate this book to be equivalent to about 100 pages: merely a short-story -- a novella at best.

Mostly because of its length (or lack thereof), I give this book a merely OK 3 stars out of 5. If you skipped it entirely, you'd really miss nothing of the series except the actual mechanism of how Rincewind gets back.

The edition I read was the original "Discworld story" illustrated by Josh Kirby--however, this version was only published in Great Britain (I purchesed it on-line from the UK). The pictures are enjoyable and add to the story, but aren't essential.

Rincewind is fleeing through the nether regions, though his flight echoes through Death's Domains and Ankh-Morpork. He has chances of a million to one of escaping, which of course means that he will be summoned by a fourteen year old "demonology hacker" named Eric.

In the tradition of Rincewind tales much of Eric is spent fleeing from one danger or the other, and always suspecting apparent good fortune. As with Twoflower, Rincewind's companion Eric doesn't believe that he is just an inept wizard--rather he must be a powerful and crafty demon!

Besides being a parody of the German tale of Faust, Eric contains several other parodies and mockeries as is quite traditional for Pratchett. All in all I thought it was a good showing.

While this is the fourth Rincewind novel it doesn't require strictly require knowledge of the previous volumes and thus could serve as an introduction to the Disc. If you're a longtime fan then you should definately read this tale, though if you can find the illustrated edition I would recommend that one over the purely textual version.

Any rating of Pratchett has to be on the Pratchett (P) scale, not on the rankings assigned to mere mortals (MM). On the MM scale, this scores six out of five. Comparing P to P, it barely rises to ordinary, despite the potential it started with.

Eric is the archetypal geek boy. He has employs precocious mastery of the most dangerous technologies Discworld has to offer - google "Radioactive boyscout" for analogies. Also, he isn't too up on the boy/girl thing despite his overheated interest in whatever it might be. So, when he hacks his way into almost the right space-time continuum, he summons Rincewind: refugee extraordinaire.

The usual crew appear only in the person of Death - the Crasher of Every Party - Rincewind, and the Luggage. (Not so keen on R, but L keeps me coming back.) Discworld has me as a return customer, but this book isn't the reason.

- wiredweird

This is the story of Eric Thursley, a young man with three small ambitions--he wants to rule the world, live forever, and secure the love of the most beautiful woman who ever lived. To achieve his goals, Eric attempts to summon a demon. Through a cosmic fluke, he gets Rincewind, Discworld's most incompetent wizard. Bound by the rules of the netherworld, Rincewind grants Eric's wishes, but not in the manner Eric expects. Over the course of the novel, Eric learns that there is only one thing worse than wanting something--actually getting it.

Pratchett does some funny riffs here, putting a humorous spin on such classics as The Iliad and The Odyssey. Especially funny is the Tezuman tribe, who, like Mark Twain, have concluded that God is a malign thug. This pessimistic, sour bunch has a score to settle with their creator, and when Eric shows up claiming to be the big kahuna, chaos ensues. If you're looking for a quick read, that's funny, fast and clever, this one's for you.

"If there is any power in demonology, the demons have it", and young Fau-- Umm, Eric just doesn't get it.

Rincewind, the incompetent sourcerer and eternal coward travels from one end of the Discworld's history to the other, and to hell and back. The (pause for sinister effect) Luggage is much in evidence, as is a highly suspect parrot. The title character is a young demonologist who summons Rincewind (not really a demon, as previously mentioned).

What Eric doesn't know is that hell has new management, and that new management is capable of inflicting greater torment and suffering than anything envisioned by Heironymous Bosch. The new prince of hell, the new management, is in fact a manager.

Pratchett was a little off his game in this one, but I understand that it first came out as a graphic novel. This would explain the lack if his usual sparkle in the text only version. Not a bad read, just not (five) stellar.

Another Discworld novel, this one a takeoff of (what else?) Faust, here depicted as a teenaged demon summoner who summons none other than Rincewind, the magician. As with The Colour of Magic, the Rincewind set is largely an excuse to jump to new and different places in Discworld; the explorations here are loosely tied to the three wishes made by Eric, but only tightly enough to allow Pratchett's usual gleeful anarchy and fun. The weakness of the Rincewind books (at least, the two I've read) is that they're missing the intricate plotting of Pratchett's best work, but while that makes them lesser achievements, I found it no less funny and entertaining than any of his work. Even if I didn't like anything else, the modern version of Hell was absolute hilarity to me. In other words: even lesser Discworld is still really fun stuff.

I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.

A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.

Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!

Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.

Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.

I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"

I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.

A near perfect rendition of the classic story of a boy and
his genie...in Pratchett's own wicked style, the boy being
a teenaged demonology hacker who's always wanted three
wishes, and the genie becoming Rincewind, the most incapable
and idiotic wizard on the Disc who can't keep his fingers
under control. One of the best Terry Pratchett books I have
ever read, just passing below the perfect mark because of
it's short length. Even when it has ended, it leaves you
hungering for more.

In a review, the reader tries to create a sense of the book; the task is to boil down the essence of the work and to summarize and give opinion about the quality of the object in a very subjective manner. I am making a project of finding that essence in the most constrained manner possible. Here, I present you with a haiku review. I hope you like the review and take under consideration a purchase of the work.

As much as I have
enjoyed the discworld, this one
is quite weak.

So-Rincewind likes running from danger... we know that. So now he's running through the Dungeon Dimensions. The fact that a teenage demonologist wannabe has him on a leash doesn't seem to slow him down all that much.
It's Pratchett who slows down his pace in this book. There's little new in character development, mainly because Rincewind has little character at this point to develop (and had little character to start with!). Some reviewers think that this is a negative point-I disagree. Still, overall the book is too short on development. There's a nice parody of the Trojan wars that sets up Rincewind for an encounter with his Counterweight Cousin later on-so at best, this is a book of continuation.
It appears that Prachett didn't have many concepts to develop, and that's a shame. Considering all the people who'll eventually end up in Hell, it would seem he'd have lots of material.
It still has Pratchett's humor-but this time it's a bit dry. OK read, and keep it in your collection. Otherwise, a bit of a yawner.
Heavens to... Murgatroyd!

This is a gutted version. This novel is meant to be illustrated, and this version here is just the stripped out text hence it's small size and page count. If you intend to read this book many the store sellers have the book in the original glossy full color illustrated format titled "The Illustrated Eric" for nearly the same price (although without the wonderful the store shipping.)

Oh, man. I love Pratchett. His humour just brings me back to my childhood. Love it. Also, I have fallen madly in love with Luggage. I would pay a lot of money for a living Luggage.

As always, Nigel Planer does an excellent job. I love that he reads faster than many narrators so I don't have to turn the speed up quite as high.

Lot of fun, even by Discworld standards, and definitely doesn't skimp on the humor or deep insights. Feels like not much happened, but it was on the short side. What did happen was fun. And I always give bonus points for appearances of my favorite character of all time, The Luggage.

What can I say? Pratchett's books are all the same -- that is, the same level of quality, at least so far, leaping around in the Discworld series and others. And that quality is unfailingly a splended mix of humor and fantasy, with jabs at current politics and any kind of idiocy. Those characteristics are melded with really good stories. I'm sorry our lives are finite, his, and mine. I'd like to read his books forever.

I loved The Color of Magic, book #1 of the Discworld series. It was everything I want in a book, with humor and silly puns and delightful characters. Then I began to wait and wait and wait. I felt compelled (yes, I'm a bit anal) to read book #2 next. Today I could wait no longer. I dove into Eric and took a trip to Hell, climbed out of the Trojan Horse, and chit-chatted with a (not "the") Creator. Clever stuff.

Ah, but I must be off. Mort awaits.

Only fairly funny are rather damning words when applied to any work by Pratchett who is one of the most amusing writers alive. Usually quite funny while being profound and dealing with some of existence's questions, Eric is one of the novels that is not a can't-put-it-down experience. Yes, some nice commentary about the hellishness of modern management. Yes, Rincewind and the Luggage once again run for their lives. It's the sort of novel one must read because it is Pratchett and there are some enjoyable moments. Because it is Pratchett it's better than loads of other things one might read- it's just not the best Pratchett. But of course, worth a read just because.

Let's be frank. <i>Eric</i> is easily the least of the Discworld novels, both in length and in quality.
Perhaps it's because Pratchett was trying to mimick the pessimistic style of his friend Douglas Adams (this is especially apparent when Rincewind and Eric meet the Creator of the universe). Perhaps it's because the "plot" is an incoherent series of wacky, madcap adventures. Perhaps it's because the main character is Rincewind, who despite his status as a fan favorite is less likeable than any other Discworld protagonist. Perhaps it's the lack of a strong villain to tie it all together. In any event, <i>Eric</i> manages to belittle Pratchett's powerful vision, turning what might have been a glimpse into the history of the Discworld into a cut-rate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
If you're a budding Pratchett fan, you'll have to read this sooner or later. Just don't expect it to approach the quality of <i>Feet of Clay</i> or <i>Soul Music</i>.

Based on other reviews, I almost skipped reading this book in the series. Boy am I glad I didn't! I thought this book had a lot of funny moments, it was a quick read (which I prefer), and had constant adventure. The other characters were the funniest part of this story, not really Rincewind and the Luggage themselves.

I'd definitely recommend reading this one. If for some reason you don't like it as much like the other reviewers, you at least know it's a short read!

I just read some of the other reviews and now know this was originally a graphic novel. That explains why while reading this book I thought something was missing. I never figured out the point of this book. It is hilarious with Pratchett's brilliant word play. But again I definitely felt like something was missing with the plot and no point to the story. Don't start with this book if you haven't ever read a Disc World book.

Another great book by my guilty pleasure author. So much fun to read - at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. Eric is, as the jacket cover suggests, the story of Faust, except in Pratchett's version, the main character is a pimply-faced, precocious teenager trying to use magic to attract girls. Terry Pratchett never disappoints. He's awesome.

Rincewind's career as a demon is far more successful than his life as a wizzard (sic). Just by clicking his fingers, he grants the traditional three wishes of adolescent demonist hacker Eric.

The satire in this book, however, is not directed at the traditions of Faust or Aladdin - Pratchett seems to have real affection for these potentially soft targets. Rather, he describes the politics of Hell: a savage reflection of modern corporate politics. The Demon King's devastating insight is that, for a demon to incite a whole nation to conquer, slaughter, torture and sacrifice their neighbours is, in the long run, far less damaging than telling them 'to labour day and night to improve the lot of their fellow man.'

Among the book's strengths are its brevity, pace and its oblique insight into the implications of some of our traditional ideas. Nearly all Discworld novels are brilliant, but this one stands out as the masterpiece.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld at its finest. Rinsewind and Eric go through time and places in the land of Discworld's demons. These demons have amazingly human-like foibles and propensities. Lots of fun!

i usually am a humble slave of all terry pratchett books - simply relishing each book. i didnt like this one. it didnt flow as well as the others. i frequently asked myself how one part of the story led to another. it just didnt make sense to me in parts. what more, i find eric really annoying. in summary, i was disappointed with this book. i wouldnt recommend it. its not one of terry pratchett's better books. buy mort, small gods, or the truth. those made me fall in love with the discworld series.

I really like all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld (fantasy) books, including this one. You will best enjoy reading them in the order published, but they're good on their own. They have a unique, fey humor: I expect you will like all or none, so if they're new to you, get just one to begin with.

This is my second read. I don't remember liking it as much as I seem to have loved it this time. What does memory have to do with it. Rincewind is added again, namely, running away.

It's fast-paced and quick wit made it a fast read.

Some of my favorite quotes---

Or, Rincewind goes to Hell. In other words, Pratchett has decided to again spoof another couple of pieces of writing.

A young lad wants to do the whole power, fame, women, etc. thing and tries to summon a demon. Much to his disappointment, he gets Rincewind.

You also get Death, the Librarian, the Luggage, and a parrot.

ERIC is one of the few total misfires in the Discworld series. In taking on the Faust story, Pratchett adds nothing to it, creating a forgettable, Faust-lite character in a teen aged Eric who thinks Rincewind (For reasons that stem from Sourcery) is the demon who will grant his wishes. Using the Faust template seems to be a natural for Pratchett but doesn't work in this book. The plot is wafer thin and the humor seems forced, often the problem when Rincewind is present in any capacity. When a series runs for awhile the quality can ebb and flow, this is definitely an ebb tide book.

I thought this book was simply okay. There are some definite laugh-out-loud moments, but it's not one of Pratchett's best books. I found it worth the read, but if I were introducing someone to Pratchett for the first time, I would most likely go with something else.

This is not a very good Discworld book. It's nice to see Rincewind, but although I've nothing against books that are plotless, per se, but it just doesn't work here. It feels forced and pointless, and Eric is a totally unappealing character. Still, it's quite short, so you can probably read it in an hour or so, if you're really devoted to having read every Discworld novel...

I found the book enjoyable, but too short. It reminds me, for some reason, of Pratchett's "Johnny Maxwell" trilogy. I found "Eric" amusing, slightly stereotyped in its description of Hades, but with references which definitely tie it into the Discworld series. Why shouldn't Hell be similar to a large corporation? That was the unsupportable objection of one reviewer who may not have followed Pratchett from "Strata" forward, as he has matured into a very good, probably excellent, writer of fantasy with a terrific sense of fun and overall humor. Yeas, he does, at times, moralize, but who doesn't, given the chance?

I have read 10 of Terry Pratchett's books and I have to say this is one of the best so far, its short and sweet and is not to boring. I especially like the bit in hell, but Iam suprised to see that the luggage wasn't used more in the story, anyway, I say read this now!

I found the book enjoyable, but too short. It reminds me, for some reason, of Pratchett's "Johnny Maxwell" trilogy. I found "Eric" amusing, slightly stereotyped in its description of Hades, but with references which definitely tie it into the Discworld series. Why shouldn't Hell be similar to a large corporation? That was the unsupportable objection of one reviewer who may not have followed Pratchett from "Strata" forward, as he has matured into a very good, probably excellent, writer of fantasy with a terrific sense of fun and overall humor. Yeas, he does, at times, moralize, but who doesn't, given the chance?

I have read 10 of Terry Pratchett's books and I have to say this is one of the best so far, its short and sweet and is not to boring. I especially like the bit in hell, but Iam suprised to see that the luggage wasn't used more in the story, anyway, I say read this now!

Terry Pratchett has, in his other work, produced some of the finest fiction ever written, period. Therefore i have higher expectations of his work and judge accordingly. This little book, by Pratchett standards is an embarrasment to the entire series. Apparently the author felt it necessary to reclaim his inept 'wizzard' from the depths of the dungeon dimensions, possibly to appease his fans, so he whipped out this little fart of a story and then moved on. Poor Rincewind deserves better than this, and anyone planning to read their first discworld tale should avoid this trash like the plague. If you really <i> must </i> find out how Rincewind got away from the Dungeon Dimensions, this book is worth about [$$$] or less; personally, i think he'd have done better to wait and write the wizzard's revival into the beginning of 'Interesting Times' I'm sure the wizards of Unseen University could have summoned him themselves for the purpose of that story. I hear that this was originally to be a graphic novel with lots of fine pictures, but i don't really see how any amount of artwork could do much to help this pathetic work; it's missing the character developement, plot work, and the general magic that makes Terry Pratchett what he is, I've read other Pratchett books which I didnt feel were his best, but this is the only book by this author that i would ever call his worst.

I have enjoyed most of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, so the very poor quality of this one came as quite a shock. _Eric_ has no real depth and includes no substantial development of Discworld or any of its inhabitants. Yes, there are occasional humorous elements, but they all feel like cheap rehashing of material from earlier in the series.
I wouldn't exactly say that I disliked the book; it was more of a "null" experience that didn't make any noticable impression on me at all. That's far below par for Pratchett, and it makes reading the book a waste of time (even though it is mercifully short).
In all honesty, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Even if you want to read the whole Discworld series, don't bother with _Eric_. Rincewind is back in the primary world, and the rest of the story is just filler.

This book was a very nice job done by Pratchett. The story is very creative, and the characters are hilarious. The only downfalls I spotted are the shortness of this story and the end leaves you hanging somewhat. Besides that, this is a really funny book

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found it quite humorous. No, it's not as "in depth" as most of Pratchett's books and it is quite short. However, I found this to be very refreshing. It was a nice change of pace from the other Discworld stories. It is a great "light" read and a good story.

A near perfect rendition of the classic story of a boy and
his genie...in Pratchett's own wicked style, the boy being
a teenaged demonology hacker who's always wanted three
wishes, and the genie becoming Rincewind, the most incapable
and idiotic wizard on the Disc who can't keep his fingers
under control. One of the best Terry Pratchett books I have
ever read, just passing below the perfect mark because of
it's short length. Even when it has ended, it leaves you
hungering for more.

I mean that it would be almost plausible for me to have not read this book. It's short, and it was written in a hurry. It did have good parts, like all the Discworld books, and was important for the Rincewind line of adventures. But other than that...

Im not too sure what the point of this book was. OK, we needed to get Rincewind out of the Dungeon Dimensions, but this book seemed like a filler so PTerry had more time to write Moving Pictures. The Pratchett magic wasn't in this one, but I did like some of the bits with the demons.

i love terry pratchett's work; i've read plenty of great discworld books, and even a few that i thought were just mediocre (by pratchett standards) but this book is crap. just a sorry pitiful excuse for bringing back rincewind from the nether regions. if you've never read terry pratchett, do NOT start with this. and if you're just dying to know how Rincewind got back into the discworld... well, save yourself the 5 bucks and dream up your own story, its bound to be better than this. i don't feel that pratchett put his best efforts into this, rather, i get the impression someone begged him to bring back rincewind, maybe shoved some money in his face until finally, the author said, "yeah, fine, i'll write it tonight while i'm on the toilet"

i just wished he'd flushed.

This one seems a bit tedious at first with the parrot, but about 1/4 way through, things pick up and the parrot disappears. Happily, the story features Rincewind and The Luggage.In it we learn the history of the universe and how the world (Discworld) was created. There are great scenes with the Demons and their brand of Hell is truly hellish.Eric is a new character who does not seem to appear in any other Discworld novel. It's OK, because, like his parrot, he's not particularly interesting.

What a great spoof of Faust. Both the dry and overt humor throughout the story kept me interested and chuckling from start to finish. These books are always such a refreshing change of pace in order to get some good laughs when reading.

An alternate world of twisted history and magic. Fundamental rules explained with unique logic and humer through the adventures of a hapless wizard Rincewind and Eric a 15 year-old randy necromancer. Hell will never be the same. Great fun!