No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away
The Quotable Pratchett: Mort
The Quotable Pratchett: Equal Rites
No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.
The Quotable Pratchett: The Light Fantastic
No-one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.
Continue reading “The Quotable Pratchett: The Light Fantastic”
The Quotable Pratchett: The Color of Magic
No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away
With the passing of Sir Terry Pratchett and the publication of The Shepherd’s Crown, I embarked on an epic re-reading of all 41 official Discworld novels, with the goal of finishing by 31 December, 2016.
Famous for its wit and wisdom, the series offers countless quotable quotes on a variety of subjects. The quotes I share should not be considered the whole of Sir Terry’s excellent prose; indeed, there are the tasty appetizers to a succulent, nourishing meal.
About The Color of Magic
This is the first published Discworld novel; it is also the first in the Rincewind Cycle – the series of books that follow the misadventures of the “WIZZARD” Rincewind.
In this novel, Pratchett introduces us to the workings of the Disc – its mechanics, metaphysics, morality, etc – through the eyes of the Disc’s first Tourist, Twoflower.
If you’ve seen the film The Color of Magic, this book contains the first half of the film [of course there’s more in the book than in the film; there always is] while The Light Fantastic relates the events from the second-half of the film.
The Goodreads Blurb:
The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett’s maiden voyage through the now-legendary land of Discworld. This is where it all begins — with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.
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…
And Now: On to the Quotes!
The Librarian as he appears in The Discworld Companion, illustrated by Paul Kidby
Magic never dies. It merely fades away.
Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying.
Being Ymor’s right-hand man was like being gently flogged to death with scented bootlaces.
Promotion in the Assassin’s Guild was by competitive examination, the Practical being the most – indeed, the only – part.
Let’s just say if complete and utter chaos were lightning, then he’d be the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armor and shouting “All gods are bastards.”
Tourist, Rincewind had decided, meant “idiot”.
You’re just as dead if you fall from forty feet as you are from four thousand fathoms, that’s what I say.
When one’s foot is stuck in the Grey Miasma of H’Rull it is much easier to step right in and sink rather than prolong the struggle.
Rincewind often suspected that there was something, somewhere, that was better than magic. He was usually disappointed.
Lightning is the spears hurled by the thunder giants when they fight. Established meteorological fact. You can’t harness it . . . and even if you could get a harness on it, how could you get it to pull a cart?
It was all very well going on about pure logic and how the universe was ruled by logic and the harmony of numbers, but the plain fact of the matter was that the disc was manifestly traversing space on the back of a giant turtle and the gods had a habit of going around to atheists’ houses and smashing their windows.
[Octarine] is said to be a sort of fluorescent greenish yellow purple.
A man who owned a needle made of octiron would never lose his way, since it always pointed to the Hub of the Discworld, being acutely sensitive to the Disc’s magical field; it would also miraculously darn his socks.
Everyone has gods. You just don’t think they’re gods.
The Patrician of Ankh-Morpork smiled, but with his mouth only.
I assure you the though never even crossed my mind, Lord.
Indeed? Then if I were you I’d sue my face for slander.
. . .
Next: The Light Fantastic
The Complete List
Teaser Tuesday: Jacksonland
The school year and basketball season have hit their stride and should remain there until sometime in mid-March.
With that in mind, the Wheel of Time has turned to
Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*
*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.
This week’s book is Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross. and A Great American Land Grab written by NPR’s Steve Inskeep. For those that listen to him on a daily basis, one can’t help but hear him narrate his own words.
The Truly Random Number Generator send us to page 199:
But in the summer of 1829, Evarts was exactly what
Ross needed: a genuine ally who was willing to fight
alongside him as an equal. Evarts was different than
Henry Clay, who supported Indian rights but also
thought Indians were doomed. While Clay thought
Indians' "disappearance from the human family would
be no great loss to the world," Evarts placed them
on the same level as white men.
In Retrospect
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
Author: Joseph J. Ellis.
Although this book adds little new (if anything at all) to the historical record, it is both enjoyable and mostly readable – two qualities which may have helped it win the Pulitzer Prize.
My only fault is the author’s overuse of adjectives and certain phrases – after some time it felt I was reading a fluffed-up report.
4 Stars
Author: Terry Pratchett
This is both the first published Discworld novel & the first novel in the “Rincewind Cycle” – the series of Discworld books detailing the misadventures of the “wizzard” Rincewind.
If you picked up this book after seeing the film The Color of Magic, be aware that this book only covers the first part of the film; for the complete story, you’ll also want The Light Fantastic.
As this is the first book in the series, Pratchett spends a good deal more time (comparatively) discussing the actual mechanics of the Disc. Some may find this dull, while the more science-and-math minded may find such discussion downright enjoyable.
I personally find the Discworld series both witty and funny, but such accolades depend greatly on the individual. Much of Pratchett’s humor is dry and his wit relies on the readers’ knowledge of Earth’s workings and/or mythology.
The Color of Magic is fun as pure fantasy, but also contains splendid nuggets of joy for the more cerebral-minded.
5 Stars
Coming Soon
Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas C. Waller
What have you been reading?
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Oc: The Element of Magic
Sign the Petition to Name Element 117 Octarine
in Honour of Sir Terry Pratchett
The Petition
To:
IUPAC [International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
This petition is to name element 117, recently confirmed by the International Union of Applied Chemistry, as ‘Octarine’, with the proposed symbol Oc (pronounced ‘ook’), in honour of the late Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series of books.
The Discworld series has sold more than 70 million books worldwide, in 37 different languages. Terry Pratchett died in 2015 and his final book, The Shepherd’s Crown, was published in the same year. He was well-known as a lover of science and, with two well-known science writers, co-wrote a series of four books called The Science of the Discworld, which took a sideways look at ’roundworld’ (Earth) science.
Octarine, in the Discworld books, is known as ‘the colour of magic’, which forms the title of Pratchett’s first ever Discworld book. According to Disc mythology, octarine is visible only to wizards and cats, and is generally described as a sort of greenish-yellow purple colour, which seems perfect for what will probably be the final halogen in the periodic table. Octarine is also a particularly pleasing choice because, not only would it honour a world-famous and much-loved author, but it also has an ‘ine’ ending, consistent with the other elements in group 17.
Octarine is being counted as ‘a mythological concept’ under IUPAC rules, which state that elements must be named after “a mythological concept or character; a mineral, or similar substance; a place or geographical region; a property of the element; or a scientist”. The Discworld stories are certainly stories about gods and heroes, and 70 million books surely count for something.
[signed]
The Chronicle Flask & 8,000+ Others
Now, should we call it
“The Element of Magic”
or
“The Element Fantastic”
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
Don’t forget to follow me on:
Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.
Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?
Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
Running In My Head 