The Discworld Series - Sourcery

[AnalogJames]

[SPOILERS]

I've just finished the Discworld novel "Sourcery" by Terry Pratchett, the third I've read so far. I only started getting into his novels after attending a conference where his daughter, Rhianna Pratchett, was giving a Q&A talk about her time in the video game industry.

I've really enjoyed the series so far, but this was hands-down my favourite. Whilst "The Colour of Magic" was a great introduction to the Discworld, I feel like the stakes in Sourcery were expressed really well. The emergence of this more "raw" form of magic that Coin and his Staff brings to the Wizards' doorstep was an interesting way of dealing with the ineffectual nature of magic in the world.

After reading "The Light Fantastic", I was wondering why Wizards were not more prominent in the world... Now we know why! They are greedy and powerhungry, but the Magic they wield had become muted and somewhat rubbish. This greed seemed to rush to the forefront of their motivations, however, once Coin showed them true power. And yet, the "Old Ways" that the Archchancellor's Hat violently defended seemed even more powerful...

In a way, the whole novel was a fight between modernity and tradition. In the end, humanity overcame this fight for power and Rincewind yet again saved the world.

I'm slowly making my way through the "Rincewind Saga" rather than reading them in publishing order, which feels like the best way to tackle the vast number of books in the series whilst following a continual narrative thread.