Interesting Times: Discworld, Book 17

Good ole Rincewind is manipulated by the gods and his fellow wizards to be thrown into the Agatean Empire on the counterweight planet. Meeting up with old friends, he’s forced to help determine the outcome of who the next empire would be. Getting by with his luck and amazing power of running away, he accidentally is in the right place at the right time.I’m really enjoying the Discworld books. The amount of humor makes me laugh out loud and highlight all sorts of dialogue.

I enjoyed this book so much. The gods are playing games, causing a butterfly effect. By means of a free-thinking machine named Hex, which is powered by ants and mice, Rincewind is transported from Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to the Aurient. There he reunites with some of his old friends, Ghenghiz Cohen, the Barbarian, and Twoflower. He also meets Twoflower’s beautiful daughters. Cohen and his cohorts, The Hoard, made me laugh throughout the story. WHUT??? I especially liked Teach, Mr. Saveloy, who taught The Horde some manners. The emperor is dying, so there is a large power struggle going on among the high lords. They can’t compete with Cohen, though, who appoints himself the new emperor. There’s also a revolution going on among the common people due to the book Twoflower wrote when he got back from Ankh-Morpork, What I Did On My Holidays, about the powerful wizard, Rincewind, and all their adventures. I loved all the names in this one – Two Little Wang, One Big River, Five White Fang. Luggage is also in this book, and has its own adventures. I think this was my favorite book so far.

"Interesting Times" features Rincewind, the inept wizard who prefers to run away from danger, but always ends up in the thick of it. He's been bounced through life like a "pea on a drum" along with his companion, a carnivorous, multilegged suitcase.He's not my favorite Discworld character by any means (he comes in well below the igors and the members of the Vampire Temperance Union), but Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde also stomp and wheel (as in wheelchair) through this book, so it's well worth reading.(If you do decide Rincewind is worth pursuing, start with "The Colour of Magic" (Disworld, Book 1) and "The Light Fantastic" (Discworld, Book2)).When the Counterweight Continent's Empire of Hong, Sung, Fang, Tang, and McSweeney requests a 'Great Wizzard' from Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University, Rincewind is not the first name that would have popped into my mind, but the Archchancellor, Mustrum Ridcully is much cannier than I. He knows that only Rincewind spells his (dubious) title with two 'Z's. As Ridcully puts it, "'what kind of sad, hopeless person needs to write WIZZARD on their hat?'"The reason Lord Hong requested a 'Wizzard' is rather convoluted. Basically he's looking for a fall guy to take the blame when he assassinates the current Emperor. One thing you could say about Rincewind is that he's the perfect fall guy.Unfortunately for Lord Hong, wanna-be Son of Heaven, Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde arrive in town about the same time as Rincewind, and they also think they'd like to take a shot at ruling the Empire.The Horde may be well past the age of collecting Social Security, but the old reflexes are still intact. When the tax collector, Six Beneficent Winds makes the mistake of threatening them with 'seas of blood' and 'mountains of skulls', Ghengiz Cohen and his horde of six are ready to rumble--as long as there's no siege. As one of the barbarians puts it, "Sieges are messy. I hate eating boots and rats."Not even the god of Fate can predict the outcome of the Silver Horde plus Rincewind versus the Counterweight Continent's entire army.

"Interesting Times" features Rincewind, the inept wizard who prefers to run away from danger, but always ends up in the thick of it. He's been bounced through life like a "pea on a drum" along with his companion, a carnivorous, multilegged suitcase.He's not my favorite Discworld character by any means (he comes in well below the igors and the members of the Vampire Temperance Union), but Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde also stomp and wheel (as in wheelchair) through this book, so it's well worth reading.(If you do decide Rincewind is worth pursuing, start with "The Colour of Magic" (Disworld, Book 1) and "The Light Fantastic" (Discworld, Book2)).When the Counterweight Continent's Empire of Hong, Sung, Fang, Tang, and McSweeney requests a 'Great Wizzard' from Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University, Rincewind is not the first name that would have popped into my mind, but the Archchancellor, Mustrum Ridcully is much cannier than I. He knows that only Rincewind spells his (dubious) title with two 'Z's. As Ridcully puts it, "'what kind of sad, hopeless person needs to write WIZZARD on their hat?'"The reason Lord Hong requested a 'Wizzard' is rather convoluted. Basically he's looking for a fall guy to take the blame when he assassinates the current Emperor. One thing you could say about Rincewind is that he's the perfect fall guy.Unfortunately for Lord Hong, wanna-be Son of Heaven, Cohen the Barbarian and his Silver Horde arrive in town about the same time as Rincewind, and they also think they'd like to take a shot at ruling the Empire.The Horde may be well past the age of collecting Social Security, but the old reflexes are still intact. When the tax collector, Six Beneficent Winds makes the mistake of threatening them with 'seas of blood' and 'mountains of skulls', Ghengiz Cohen and his horde of six are ready to rumble--as long as there's no siege. As one of the barbarians puts it, "Sieges are messy. I hate eating boots and rats."Not even the god of Fate can predict the outcome of the Silver Horde plus Rincewind versus the Counterweight Continent's entire army.

I am 're reading all the discworld stories in chronological order after many years....I haven't bothered read the first two Rincewind novels because I didn't particularly enjoy them first time round but having just reread this one i think I will have to revisit them. This is a great story.... Rincewind is a truly heroic coward and this book brings out the best in him. And who couldn't love The Horde and their refreshing take on life.....however brief the lives of those they meet might be. Some real laugh out loud moments, and some other great literary moments that make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

I don't have a favourite Discworld book, I love all of them. Having bought hard copies of each instalment more than once, I opted to collect them all again on Kindle. The series is an absolute must read. Although it's set in a fantastic universe where all types of magic are rife and golems, trolls, dwarves and vampires (to name a few) all exist, it satirises the world we live in and is very inciteful at times. The characters have depth and differing levels of morality and they are all just BRILLIANT. Terry Pratchett is sorely missed.

A bit of a slow burner but once it got going the trademark Pratchett humour coupled with his social conscience are here in droves. Rincewind “the great wizzard” is just about to enjoy life when the gods decide to play a game with a few thousand humans as the pawns. Try as he might to run to safety he just can’t escape doing the right thing ably assisted by the elderly Cohen and his band of geriatric barbarians. Only Pratchett could make such a bunch of murderous villains with no concept of empathy the good guys, and funny too!

The Discworld book with the special guest appearanceFor those who loved Discworld, this book was the turning point for me when Discworld started to become more polished and an universe. The Wizzards start to come into their own and their take over in the narrative from Rincewind starts to happen organically.It is a book that gets close to the mark in some places particularly with parodied culture as Terry does so well, however still feels authentic.It is the only book I found where the side story beats the main one. Cohen and the horde are fantastic and overshadows what you think would be a great character returning. Even if you don't like the wizzard stories, reading this just from them is a highlight. Is a shame they never got their own novel.RIP Terry

Again I find a book, and a Pratchett book at that, which has missed being praised. There will be other missed too but for now I will content myself with this last one.Story? and a half. With humour, Pratchetts most powerful tool, we are given insight into history, megalomania, oppression, misinformation and the abuse of the downtrodden and ignorant, kept that way by a tyrannical leadership who understand all to well what a dangerous and de stabling thing education of the masses can be. With the help of the 'Horde' and few others including our old fav raves 'The Luggage, Rincewind and Cohen a wild and somewhat magical adventure unfolds, telling as it does the history in some part of every power which has ever blighted the earth and in still too many places, still does. Which isn't funny, but here, in this novel, it is. Very. More so with hindsight.Demi quote. ish.'The rulers of this land have no need of whips'.