Book:The Colour of Magic

The Colour Of Magic
Cover art by Josh Kirby
Co-author(s)
Illustrator(s)	Josh Kirby
Publisher	Colin Smythe
Publication date	November 1983
ISBN	086140324X
Pages	206
RRP
Main characters	Rincewind, Twoflower, the Luggage
Series	Rincewind Series
Annotations	View
Notes	The first Discworld novel
All data relates to the first UK edition.

Blurb

On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet ...

Plot

The story starts with the telling of the manner of the Discworld. The world itself is a flat disc that rests on the back of four giant elephants named Berilia, Tubul, Great T`Phon and Jerakeen, who (in turn) rest on the large shell of a giant World Turtle called Great A`Tuin who swims through space. On the Disc it is further known that the small kingdom of Krull has been sending teams of men over the Edge to look at the Turtle and the four Elephants and proved that they are real, but they do not know the sex of Great A`Tuin.

Far away in the hubwards direction Ankh-Morpork, the most famous and oldest city on the Disc, is burning. This burning is being watched by two of the local heroes, Bravd the Hublander and his partner Weasel. They are joined shortly after by Rincewind (a failed wizard who had looked at the great spell book the Octavo and then flunked out of the Unseen University) and the Disc's first tourist Twoflower (who has passed out after falling off his horse which he failed to ride) and after them comes the Luggage (a walking suitcase that has half a mind of its own and has a homicidal attitude to anything threatening).

Rincewind then explains to the two local heroes his story about how he had met Twoflower. Several days ago Twoflower had arrived from the Agatean Empire that is on the infamous Counterweight Continent. He has a large amount of gold (which makes various men try and rob him) that he thinks is not a lot of money. He attracts the attention of Blind Hugh who sends Cripple Wa to tell the two greatest thieves in Ankh-Morpork, Ymor and Stren Withel, and Hugh himself leads Twoflower to the Broken Drum, a local inn owned by Broadman.

Twoflower pays for his room (using more money than the inn and staff are worth) and is followed in by the Luggage which gets Rincewinds attention because it is made of sapient pearwood. Speaking in Trobi, Rincewind and Twoflower talk to each other while Broadman runs to an Alchemist to check the gold coins that Twoflower had given him. The Alchemist says that it is 'technically false coinage' (local coins contain less gold then seawater). Word soon spreads that a large amount of gold has entered Ankh-Morpork and various thieves start to come together.

Back at the Broken Drum, Rincewind has been hired to be a guide to Twoflower but after receiving pay he runs off. Buying a horse Rincewind tries to leave the city but his horse is shot by the guards. The Patrician tells Rincewind that he will spare his life if Rincewind will keep guiding Twoflower and keep him from getting in trouble or killed. Going back, Rincewind rescues Twoflower from a tavern fight and they head out to 'look' at the city, taking pictures with the Iconograph. Soon the two find themselves separated and Rincewind is almost killed by Withel but he escapes.

The Patrician receives a request from the Grand Vizier of the Agatean Empire to make sure Twoflower does not return so he sends the master of the Assassins Guild to kill Twoflower. Rincewind backtracks to the Broken Drum to find that the Thieves, Assassins, and the newly created Guild of Merchants all want Twoflower, who is currently selling Broadman In-sewer-ants (Insurance). The three groups start to fight with each other. The gutter wizard Rincewind meanwhile has an unexpected meeting with Death who offers him a horse.

Refusing, Rincewind rescues Twoflower from the fight while Broadman sets fire to the inn to get the money from the In-sewer-ants and is offered a match by a hollow voiced stranger (Death, and you know what happens next). Of course the fire becomes a large fire ball that sets fire to those parts of Ankh-Morpork which are flammable (most of them) hence finishing the backstory.

We now learn that the events taking place are controlled in a board game played by The gods and Rincewind and Twoflower are controlled by The Lady and Fate is trying to be kill them. He brings forth the most impossible piece: the Sender of Eight, Bel-Shamharoth. Rincewind ends up hanging from a branch (with a snake wrapped on it and under a wasp nest) and is hanging above a pack of wolves. Death again tries to claim him but Rincewind knocks the wasp nest down by accident causing the wolves to flee. Safe, Rincewind is taken prisoner by the tree nymph for breaking a branch, he of course has a lucky break and is able to instantly get to Twoflower.

They meet Hrun the Barbarian and banish the Sender of Eight, causing Fate to lose the game, and the three of them go to the Wyrmberg, an upsidedown mountain filled with dragons. Twoflower thinks of a dragon and ones pops up in front of him while Hrun is offered to become a King by Liessa the princess. Leaving Hrun behind. Rincewind and Twoflower use Twoflower's dragon to escape but flying too far away from the Wyrmburg the dragon fades and they drop out of the air.

For a moment or two they are transported to Roundworld until the Luggage leaps in and they fall into the Discworld sea near the Edge. They are rescued by the Circumfence (a fence that wraps around the Edge) and meet a water troll from another world and then are transported to Krull to be sacrificed to the god Fate while Fate himself confirms the up-coming deaths of Rincewind and Twoflower. They escape their jail with help from the Lady and get into two space suits meant for the passengers of the Potent Voyager, a ship that is about to be sent over the Edge. At that moment the Luggage comes in (wrapped in seaweed) which gets the attention of everyone who figured out that Rincewind and Twoflower are imposters. Twoflower starts to climb in the Potent Voyager and Rincewind starts to climb in after him but then the Voyager starts to slide down.

Desperately a group of men come up and try and stop the Voyager but that only makes Twoflower fall into the cabin below and the latch locks behind him leaving Rincewind outside. Then '...sparkling like a salmon, [the Voyager] dropped into the sky and over the Edge. A few seconds later there came a thunder of little feet and the Luggage cleared the rim of the world, legs still pumping determinedly, and plunged down into the universe.'

Rincewind safely lands on a tree on the very Edge and is confronted by Death again, but Rincewind points out that he hasn`t broken anything and is still alive. Death turns out to be a small demon Scrofula and Rincewind argues with him and, just as the demon is about to kill him, the tree gives way. Rincewind starts to fall off the Disc and then clearing the planet he falls, and falls, and falls....

Cover

The cover illustration was drawn by Josh Kirby. Like most of his pictures the illustration is very busy and filled with a great number of details. It presumably shows a scene inside the tavern The Broken Drum. In the foreground of the picture the Luggage can be seen running away on several small feet. Notably, is the drawing of Twoflower running down the stairs. It can be seen that the artist decided to take a passage on page 16 literally where it says "(...) Blind Hugh began, and found himself looking up into a face with four eyes in it." However, Terry Pratchett only wanted to state that Twoflower was wearing glasses.

Characters

Main characters

• Bel-Shamharoth aka "The Soul Eater", "The Sender of Eight"
• Hrun, the Barbarian, aka Hrun of Chimeria
• Liessa Wyrmbidder aka Lianna (possibly a typo)
• the Luggage
• Rincewind, and his Roundworld alias, Dr Rjinswand
• Twoflower, and his Roundworld alias, Jack Zweiblumen

Minor characters

• Arch-Astronomer of Krull, who kills Dactylos
• Bravd the Hublander
• Broadman, owner of the Broken Drum
• Death
• Disease, subordinate of Death (another name for Pestilence?)
• Lio!rt Dragonlord and Liartes Dragonlord, brothers
• Druellae, a dryad
• Famine
• Fate
• Garhartra, Guestmaster of Krull
• Goldeneyes Silverhand Dactylos
• Gorphal, student of the Agatean Empire, works for the Patrician
• Greicha
• Blind Hugh, a beggar
• Twoflower's iconograph imp, unnamed imp that nonetheless has a speaking part
• Blind Io
• Kring (the magic sword)
• K!sdra, a dragon rider
• The Lady (Luck)
• Laolith, Liessa's dragon who eats a flying pig
• Loremaster of Wyrmberg, who, among other things, notes that "It is forbidden to fight on the Killing Ground"
• Marchesa, a female wizard
• Ninereeds, Accountmaster and Twoflower's dragon
• Offler
• The Patrician
• Bronze Psepha, a dragon
• Rerpf, representative of the Guild of Merchants and Traders
• Tethis, an alien sea troll
• Cripple Wa, a beggar
• Weasel
• Stren Withel, Ankh-Morpork's second greatest thief
• Ymor, Ankh-Morpork's greatest thief

Mentioned

• Alohura, Goddess of Lightning on Trob
• Archmandrite of B'Ituni, former owner of Kring
• Archmage of Ymitury, robbed and killed by Bravd and Weasel
• Captain Eightpanther, maker of rock-hard dwarf bread-like biscuits, Captain Eightpanther's Travellers' Digestives
• Boy Emperor, who permitted Twoflower's journey and ordered the Patrician to protect him
• Chance, a god
• Codice of Chimeria, presumably (but not really) killed the last dragon
• Destiny, a god
• Zlorf Flannelfoot, president of the Assassins' Guild
• Fredor, possible owner of the Crimson Leech
• Gorrin the Cat, a thief
• Grinjo, an assassin
• Kerible the Enchanter
• Master Launchcontroller of Krull
• Night, a god
• Nine Turning Mirrors, Grand Vizier of the Agatean Empire
• Ninereeds, to whom Twoflower was apprenticed
• Olden Ones, who bound magic to obey the Law of Conservation of Reality, possibly another name for the Old High Ones, to whom even the gods must answer
• Pasha of Redurant, former owner of Kring (also known as Pasha of Re'durat)
• Pitchiu, person whose tomb is protected by Dactylos' Metal Warriors
• Reforgule of Krull, known for his theory that the disc revolves to distribute weight fairly on the four Giant elephants
• Scrofula, an ineffective demon
• Sorca, group of people who built the Light Dams of Great Nef, as designed by Dactylos
• Erig Stronginthearm
• Terton, who also mans the Circumfence, is attacked by The Luggage, and escapes to the Great Nef
• Urabewe, a nation of dark brown people
• Urmond, an assassin
• The Watch, who carefully refuse to intervene in a bar fight until everyone is either dead or has run away (in stark contrast to their later appearances)
• Heric Whiteblade, barbarian hero
• World Elephants, Berilia, Jerakeen, Tubul, Great T'Phon
• Zchloty, a coin
• Black Zenell
• Zephyrus, god of light breezes, named after the word zephyr
• Cohen The Barbarian

Locations

• Agatean Empire aka Golden Empire
  • Bes Pelargic, Twoflower's home (mentioned)
  • Red Triangle district, where the odds against a house catching fire are 538-to-1
• Ankh-Morpork
  • Wizards' Quarter (mentioned) (also called Magicians' Quarter and Magical Quarter later in the book)
  • Unseen University (mentioned)
  • Merchants Street (mentioned)
  • Crimson Leech (mentioned)
  • Deosil Gate (mentioned)
  • Pearl Dock
  • The Broken Drum
  • Temple of Small Gods (mentioned)
  • Hub Gate (mentioned)
  • Arena (mentioned)
  • Whore Pits
  • Beggars' Guild (mentioned)
  • Brass Bridge (mentioned)
  • Temple of Seven-Handed Sek
  • Plaza of Broken Moons
  • River Gate
  • Leaning Tower
  • Rime Street
  • Frost Alley
  • Groaning Platter tavern (mentioned)
  • Short Street
  • Filigree Street
  • Widdershin Gate
• Mount Awayawa (mentioned)
• Bathys, Tethis' home world
• Brown Islands (mentioned)
• Caderack Mountains (mentioned)
• Chirm
• Circle Sea (mentioned)
• Counterweight Continent (mentioned)
• Dunmanifestin
• Chirm (mentioned)
• Ecalpon (mentioned), "no place" backwards
• Gonim (mentioned)
• Gorunna Trench (mentioned)
• Great Nef (mentioned)
  • Dehydrated Ocean (mentioned)
• Hades, another name for Hell
• Howondaland (mentioned)
• The Hub (mentioned), spire of green ice 10 miles high
• Ice System of Zeret, a non-Discworld world affected by Rincewind's transfer to/from Roundworld
• Klatch (mentioned)
• Krull
• Mithos (mentioned), incredibly rare blue milk diamonds come from the clay basins there
• Morpork Mountains
• Orohai Peninsular (mentioned)
• Palace of the Seven Deserts, built by Dactylos
• Pseudopolis (mentioned), Death stalks the streets there, "rescuing" citizens from the White Plague
• Rammerorck Mountains (mentioned)
• Mount Raruaruaha (mentioned)
• Rehigreed Province, where vul nuts are grown
• Temple of Bel-Shamharoth
• Trob (mentioned)
• Turnwise Ocean (mentioned), separates Agatean Empire from Ankh-Morpork
• Wyrmberg

Sentient Species

• Dryads
• Gnolls
• Humans
• Sea Trolls
• Trolls

Supernatural Entities

• The Creator (mentioned)
• Demons (mentioned)
• Death
• Gods
• Imps
• Old Dark Gods from the Dungeon Dimensions

Miscellaneous

Things and concepts mentioned:

• 7a
• Ajandurah's Wand of Utter Negativity, a powerful wand wielded by Marchesa
• Atavarr's Personal Gravitational Upset, a spell that makes people think they're sideways
• Big Bang Hypothesis, theory of creation parodying Roundworld theory with the same name
• Black Oroogu, a language with no nouns and only one adjective (which is obscene)
• High Borogravian, a language
• Chelonaut, Krullian equivalent of astronaut
• Chimeran, a language (interestingly, the language is "Chimeran", even though the country is "Chimeria" (with an 'i'), unless the two are unrelated?; Rincewind mentions "Chimera" (no 'i') later in the book)
• Circumfence, a strong fence around the edge of a large part of the Disc
• Fresnel's Wonderful Concentrator, a spell used to create a lens that skims across water, powered by the hate of hydrophobes. On Roundworld, a Fresnel lens concentrates light.
• Gamblers' Guild
• Ghlen Livid, a drink made from the vul nut, which allows the drinker to see into the future
• gnomes and pixies, as having died out when Man came to the Disc (though this clearly wrong as we meet gnome Buggy Swires in The Light Fantastic and the Nac Mac Feegle in the Tiffany books)
• Grey Miasma of H'rull, proverbially sticky substance, parody of quicksand
• Infernal Combustion Enigma, a powerful spell, whose name parodies the phrase "internal combustion engine"
• Mage Wars
• Octarine, the colour of magic, after which the book is titled
• Octiron, metal that radiates magic, parodies uranium, but sounds like iron
• Octogen, gas that radiates magic, parodies radon, but sounds like oxygen
• Octarine Fairy Book, a book with pictures of dragons
• Potent Voyager, the Disc's first? spaceship
• Rimbow, 8-colored rainbow seen at the edge of the Disc
• Sea grape, a kind of jellyfish
• Steady Gait Hypothesis, theory of creation parodying "steady state"
• Sumtri, an island and its language
• Vanglemesht, a language
• Vestcake's Floating Curse, a spell

Other:

• In 1989 The Colour of Magic had a new hardcover reprint which featured a new Foreword by Terry Pratchett.

Roundworld References

• Magnox, a type of nuclear reactor
• TWA, an airline

Television

Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic
ASIN	B001EM1E8A
IMDB	1079959
First Broadcast	23-24 March 2008
Broadcast Channel	Sky One
Director(s)	Vadim Jean
Producer(s)	Rod Brown & Ian Sharples
Writer(s)	{{{writer}}}
Starring	David Jason, Sean Astin, Tim Curry, Christopher Lee (voice)
Duration	184 minutes
Episodes	2
Series	Rincewind Series
Annotations	Annotations for Book:The Colour of Magic
Notes
Preceded by	Terry Pratchett's Hogfather
Followed by	Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
All data relates to the UK home release.

• Rincewind - David Jason (Only Fools And Horses, A Touch Of Frost, The Darling Buds of May, Terry Pratchett's Hogfather)
• Twoflower - Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Goonies)
• Trymon - Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legend)
• Death (voice) - Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man, The Man with the Golden Gun, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith)
• Lord Vetinari - Jeremy Irons (Die Hard with a Vengance, Dead Ringers)
• Cohen the Barbarian - David Bradley (Harry Potter series, Hot Fuzz)
• Bethan - Laura Haddock (Honest, How Not To Live Your Life)
• Galder Weatherwax - James Cosmo (Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting)
• Head Librarian of the Unseen University - Nicolas Tennant (Terry Pratchett's Hogfather)
• Liessa - Karen David
• Herrena - Liz May Brice
• Arch-Astronomer - Nigel Planer (The Young Ones)
• The Luggage - Richard Da Costa
• Lumuel Panter - Roger Ashton-Griffiths
• Zlorf Flannelfoot - Miles Richardson
• Kring - James Perry
• Broadman - Stephen Marcus (Terry Pratchett's Hogfather)

The TV adaptation also adds characters unreferenced in the original book like Hector Tugelbend and Ransak Boggett, who are essentially "placeholder" characters added for completion who are referenced only once, with minimal information, and then dissappear again.

Graphic Novel

The novel was adapted into a series of four comics illustrated by Steven Ross. These were then collected into a single edition in 1992 and then later in 2008 combined with the other collected edition based on The Light Fantastic into the omnibus The Discworld Graphic Novels The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

In 2008 The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic were reprinted together in a 25th anniversary edition with illustrations by Stephen Player.

Other Adaptations

The novel was serialised and broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 show 'Women's Hour' the same year as its release, 1983.

The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic were adapted into a text adventure video game The Colour of Magic in 1986.

It was adapted into a second video game for mobile phones, Discworld: The Colour of Magic in 2006.

Elements of the book were used in the playtext The Rince Cycle by Stephen Briggs in 2015.

Gallery

First Edition Cover

Cover by Josh Kirby

Compact Edition 1995

Cover by Stephen Player

21st Anniversary Collectors Slipcase

21st Anniversary Hardback 2004

Paperback 2004

Audio Cassette

Audio CD

US Cover 2005

US Cover 2013

Unseen Library Edition

Illustrated Edition by Stephen Player

Omnibus with TV Cover

Paperback 2012

Spineless Classics Edition

Collectors Library Edition

External Links

• The Colour of Magic Annotations - The Annotated Pratchett File
• The Colour of Magic at the Internet Movie Database

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