Here is where it all began, the birth of the Discworld series, and the introduction of perhaps the most incompetent wizzard (yes, that is wizzard with a double z) in all of literature: Rincewind. In this book we find the first mention of the fascinating twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, and of course we are able to observe the benefits of owning luggage made from sapient pearwood.
You might be wondering, why would I possible only give this book a 3 star rating? I first read The Color of Magic almost 10 years ago, when I stumbled upon it while browsing in the University of Utah bookstore during a break between my graduate school classes. I was looking for something entertaining and light, something that would take my mind off the boring business text books that required so much of my time. The book delivered. I was immediately hooked, and over the last 1o years I've read all 36 of the Discworld novels. So, why 3 stars? Who, or what, has outshone this Discworld classic? The answer is easy, it's Terry Pratchett himself.
The Discworld novels have only gotten better as Pratchett keeps writing, both in complexity and execution. After reading Thud! (number 34), my favorite Discworld novel of all time, The Color of Magic feels a little less polished, and I realize how spoiled I've become. I'm trying to remember how I felt the first time I read this book, but I can't. I've lost the remembrance in the haze of too many books over too many years, but it must have really blown me away. I remember buying the next four books in the series at the same time, so it must have impressed me. That isn't to say that this book isn't good. It is! It just can't compare to later Discworld novels. So, if you haven't ever visited Discworld before, start at the beginning, so you can appreciate this book for yourself, in the way it should be. One caveat, it does end with a bit of a cliff hanger, so have The Light Fantastic handy.

This was my first meeting with Terry Pratchett, whose books I have been warmly recommended on a number of occasitions, and I must agree with the multitudes of readers out there who claim to have enjoyed it. It is funny and original without being absolutely reformatorily groundbreaking, somewhere in between Douglas Adams, Jerome K. Jerome, and Tolkien. The style may seem a bit untraditional, for example does Pratchett not make use of chapters in his work (often not, anyways), and it can, at times, seem a quite random series of events that are playing out in front of you, and not a tightly woven story with a clear progression through time and space. This, upsetting as it might be, to my mind actually seems rather fitting to the Discworld world, where things are not as we are used to them here on earth.

My guess is, that this is not a book for everyone, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't at least think it a bit humourous. For fans of D. Adams and fantasy in general, I think it should be rather much of a hit.

There's not a whole lot I can say plot-wise that hasn't already been discussed - The Discworld is a flat world on the back of a giant turtle (The Great A'Tuin) and sandwiched between in a kind of pachyderm filling are the four elephants that keep things steady.
The story itself is, unlike later Discworld stories, divided into a number of parts, each dealing with a different section of the adventures of Rincewind the inept wizard (who wears a pointy hat with the word "Wizzard" on it - even though he knows only one Spell, and it's debatable as to whether he learned it or the Spell learned him) and the first ever tourist Twoflower.
They balance each other out, with Rincewind's natural cynicism and pessimistic attitude continually being buffered by Twoflower's naive yet hopeful outlook on practically everything, as the pair find themselves encountering imaginary dragons, barbarian heroes, trolls, thieves, assassins, and even Death himself. Of course, the Luggage (made of Sapient Pearwood and roaming around on hundreds of legs...) is disturbing yet endearing as well.
This is a book that I enjoy reading and re-reading when I cannot bring myself to start something new - hence the title of my review. I admit the first read through was a little jarring - Pratchett is not just another fantasy author. At first the story seems a little silly, a little borrowed, a fraction absurd (and it is meant to be), however one needs to look a lot deeper into the story, past the outer layers of comedy, to find that this book is actually telling a story deeper than the genre usually allows.
A fine first Discworld book, a favourite old read of mine, and definitely one worth picking up, whether you're a newcomer to the Disc or a seasoned traveller.

Good read, though not as entertaining as some of the later ones I have read. That said, a great start to the wonderful Discworld series and an entertaining and enjoyable read.

It's a good read, but it's not quite as wonderful as Terry Pratchett's later books. I guess he just hadn't quite settled in his niche yet.