Well I don't care if you think that it's simplistic humour, I like Terry Pratchett's discworld series. They are nothing but humourous, escapist fantasy and if reading offers anything, then it should occasionally allow us all to escape (and smile).
There isn't a Discworld novel I haven't read, several I have read numerous times - but I certainly am not going to type thousands of words here attempting to claim them for a more high-brow audience. Pratchett's humour manages to be both subtle and obvious at the same time, he is at his best when using his invented world to lampoon the madness of our own.
The later Discworld novels do this best - when looking at such important issues as war, racism and the power struggles between nations as well as the lives of the people who make up those counties and who die in their wars . If you want a light hearted look at the ridiculous justification for war and the use of racism to do this, you could do worse than read Jingo - a thinly veiled discussion of the first Gulf war that could have been written about the more recent, ongoing adventure. Though Pratchett's more recent attempts to discuss war, in Monstrous Regiment miss the mark by a wide margin it has to be said.
The Colour of Magic is the first Discworld novel and as such is not the best. For serious fans of the Discworld, there are probably a few errors and ambiguities but this was the work of someone starting out on an odyssey of writing that world develop a whole new world, to entertain and amuse millions. As such it shouldn't be knocked too much and deserves a quick read when your feeling tired after a long day at work and need a few quick laughs.
Related Reviews
Pratchett - Thud
Pratchett - Going Postal
Pratchett - Wintersmith
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