Sourcery: Discworld, Book 5 (Audio Download): Terry Pratchett, Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy, Penguin Audio: Amazon.co.uk: Audible Books & Originals
£2.80
Brought to you by Penguin.
The audiobook of Sourcery is read by Colin Morgan (Merlin; Testament of Youth; Belfast). BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reads the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace; Shaun of the Dead) stars as the voice of Death. Featuring a new theme tune composed by James Hannigan.
‘It’s vital to remember who you really are…. it isn’t a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong.’
An eighth son of an eighth son is born, a wizard squared, a source of magic. A sourcerer.
Unseen University, the Discworld’s most magical establishment, has finally got its wish: the emergence of a wizard more powerful than ever before. You’d think they would have been a little more careful what they wished for….
As the sourcerer takes over the University and sets his sights on the rest of the world, only one wizard manages to escape his influence. Unfortunately for everyone, it’s Rincewind.
Once again the cowardly wizard must embark on a quest: to deliver a precious artefact – the very embodiment of magic itself—halfway across the Disc to safety. If he doesn’t make it, the death of all wizardry is at hand.
And the end of the world, depending on who you listen to.
Sourcery is the third book in the Wizards series, but you can listen to the Discworld novels in any order. The first book in the Discworld series—The Colour of Magic—was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.
Read more
by Mr. Andrew J. Bidwell
It’s Terry Prartchett !
by Tony
A great story, and entertaining no doubt – though not quite as good as others in the series can be; but by no means the worst either. Worth the time
by Amazon Customer
All this books and stuff, that isn’t what it should all be about. What we need is real wizardry.
There was an eighth son of an eighth son. He was, quite naturally, a wizard. And there it should have ended. However (for reasons we’d better not go into), he had seven sons. And then he had an eighth son… a wizard squared…a source of magic…a Sourcerer.
Unseen University has finally got what it wished for: the most powerful wizard on the disc. Which, unfortunately, could mean that the death of all wizardry is at hand. And that the world is going to end, depending on whom you listen to. Unless of course one inept wizard can take the University’s most precious artefact, the very embodiment of magic itself, and deliver it halfway across the disc to safety…
Synopsis
Before I start this review just let me point out that it’s not a misspelling in the title of this book but merely Terry’s play on words.
This is the fifth book of the discworld series and a Rincewind book, the book takes many sartirical swipes at some of the biggest known fantasy books for example Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Tempest and many more. Unlike many satires this one also has a fantastic story of its own.
The story starts with a wizard and his son who is an eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son. Coins father cheats death by making himself part of his staff that’s he gave to Coin as an infant. When Coin reaches ten his father uses his wizardry to try and destroy the Unseen University and the world.
However, he didn’t count on Rincewind, his sidekick Luggage, the orangutan librarian, a wizards hat, Corina the daughter of Cohen the barbarian, an adventurer whose learning adventuring from a book and a genie who doesn’t follow the normal genie pattern.
What ensues is a journey to save the Unseen University and maybe the world too.
Pratchetts humour comes through more strongly here and the fifth book of the discworld starts to show some of what was was come in his later books.
The start of the book says ” This book does not contain a map. Please feel free to draw your own”. I couldn’t have found a better quote to describe the discworld series so far. Rules that are established in one book don’t follow through into another. Character traits and appearances change and there isn’t much structure! However I never expected anything else from Terry and this is what makes his books uniquely funny.
Once again I gave 5 stars to this book and swiftly moved onto the next book in the series
by Joan V
Rincewind and Granny Weatherwax in the same book. Great story also. Death as usual sorts it out. Brilliant TP, I read all his books time and again because they are funny, sad and magical all in one.
by S Fogarty
You cant beat Terry Pratchett.
by Matthew Sample
A good book. Amusing and well written as per all of (the late) Mr Pratchett’s books
by PictoPirate
Sourcery is another excellent Terry Pratchett novel full of fun, jokes and political satire. It follows Rincewind as he tries unsuccessfully to avoid getting involved as a powerful Sourcerer comes to town and takes over. There are a cast of new characters to enjoy, including Nijel the Destroyer and Conina the Hairdresser, daughter of Cohen the Barbarian, but it is Rincewind again who is the star of the show.
Pratchett is hitting his stride with the Discworld books now, and while I think the Equal Rites is the strongest book I’ve read so far, this is the best Rincewind book for sure.
Fans of Terry Pratchett will love this book, and if you’re new to the series, this is an excellent place to jump in.
by T. Alexander
The eighth son of an eighth son is a wizard but the eighth son of a wizard is a wizard squared a source of power, a Sourcerer. When a young Sourcerer turns up at the Unseen University it falls to Rincewind, the Discs worst wizard, to save the world along with the Luggage and the daughter of the Discs greatest hero.
While I do think it is worth a low four out of five, `Sourcery’ has never been one of my favourite Discworld books and it is probably one of the weakest of the Wizards series. I don’t know what it is I dislike about the book as the characters are interesting and while the plot is a little light it is nonetheless as funny as any of the early Discworld books. As well as this the final confrontation with the Sourcerer is also very good.
One of the things I dislike about the book is that the Luggage, while still having some great scenes, does seem to be underused as if Terry couldn’t think of what to do with it in some places. Other than this and the usual slight difference in style of the early books to the superior books later in the series, I cannot quite put my figure on why I dislike the book.
Despite my dislike of `Sourcery’ I would still give it four stars as it is nonetheless entertaining and worth reading by any Discworld fan.