The fifth book in Discworld—if you’re reading chronologically—is Sourcery, the third Unseen University book. Once again, we are put into the head of Rincewind to go off on another world-saving adventure. The result is… well, I’ll just wait to give my thoughts on this one for a moment. First, let’s do some basic introductions.

Today, we’re discussing the fourth Discworld book—hey, we’re about ten percent of the way there already—entitled Mort, in which the titular character is taken on as an apprentice of Death himself. Yes, the same Death we came to love and appreciate during cameos in the prior books. There’s so much to discuss here, so let’s get into it! As a note, if you have not yet read Mort, there will be spoilers in this post, so tread with caution.

Today’s post has been a long time in the making; I’ve wanted to discuss it for some time, so strap in. Let’s dive into the history and mechanics of the resurrection tropes, figure out why it’s used and why people like it, then determine whether or not it’s a trope that should keep going or whether it should finally be laid to rest.

Welcome to the third part of our Discworld Read-Along! I’m excited to be back to the read-along with everyone, and I hope you spent the last several weeks finding time to read Terry Pratchett’s Equal Rites, the third book in the Discworld series! We’re reading it chronologically, so we aren’t super far in yet! Things are improving as we leave Rincewind and Twoflower behind to focus on Esk and Granny, but there are still a few hiccups to talk about as we discuss this next book.

The Light Fantastic by the remarkable Terry Pratchett is the second novel in the vast Discworld series. It starkly contrasts with its predecessor, The Colour of Magic, yet follows it up wonderfully. In today’s read-along discussion, I’m going to talk about how The Light Fantastic improves the Discworld formula, what the book is really about, and then I’ll provide my thoughts on it before moving on to your thoughts on it, which were shared via polls. Let’s jump into this in-depth discussion of Terry Pratchett’s The Light Fantastic.

Discworld! Terry Pratchett’s extensive, beloved fantasy series spans over forty novels, and we’ve just read the first one! The Colour of Magic is a whimsical adventure following Rincewind and Twoflower across the Disc and over the brim. Today, we’re going to be talking about this entry into Discworld. I’ll give my thoughts on it, then I’ll read out and discuss some thoughts I received from other readers. After that, we’ll read the second book in the series to prepare for our subsequent discussion, and I’ll give dates for that coming up shortly.