We met Death in the three previous Discworld novels. In The Colour Of Magic, he (for want of a better pronoun) had seemed a somewhat quixotic individual, prone to fits of random destruction, while in The Light Fantastic, he was more introspective and humanlike, going so far as to have a house and an adopted … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 4: Mort
Category: Fantasy
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites
This one came as a bit of a shock. There were no ties to either of the previous books – save a surname shared by a character in this and in The Light Fantastic – and there were fewer jokes, although it was still very funny. The story was quite different, too: the world was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 3: Equal Rites
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic
When we left Twoflower and Rincewind at the end of The Colour Of Magic, they were plummeting to their doom off the edge of the Discworld. As endings go, that one felt pretty final. After all, it’s hard to survive falling off the side of a flat planet into space. However, the solution is pretty … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 2: The Light Fantastic
A Novel Ian Likes: The Hour Of The Dragon by Robert E. Howard
I normally open each column with a summary of the story or premise of whatever it is I like that month, but this time I’m jumping straight in with an extract, because it’s the only way to do The Hour Of The Dragon justice. Conan (of "The Barbarian" fame) is making his way home to … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: The Hour Of The Dragon by Robert E. Howard
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic
This is where it all started, really. Sir Terry had written three novels and a ridiculous amount of short stories prior to this but it wasn’t until The Colour Of Magic came out on the 24th November 1983 that he finally achieved a significant measure of success. Like his previous novel, Strata (1981), this was … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 1: The Colour Of Magic
A Cultural Juggernaut Ian Likes: The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s one of the most famous stories in all of twentieth century literature: Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, is given a ring by his uncle Bilbo, who came by it during his adventuring days when he was younger. However, Frodo is informed by the wizard Gandalf that is in fact the Ring of Power, forged by … Continue reading A Cultural Juggernaut Ian Likes: The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction
Next month sees a significant anniversary of a beloved series. It has fans all around the world who love the amazing adventures that the characters have had in a variety of different settings. I am, of course, referring to Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. On the 24th of November (the day after that other DW-initialed series … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective: an introduction
A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Priscilla is struggling to make ends meet as a waitress while trying to create the perfect perfume in her spare time. Alobar has a problem: if he displays any signs of aging, his reign as king will come to an end. Pan, though, is coming to terms with the fact that nobody believes in him … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
A Novel Ian Likes: Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
Peter Lake is a cat burglar. One night he breaks into the mansion of Isaac Penn, newspaper magnate and whaling enthusiast, and meets Beverly, Isaac’s daughter. They instantly fall in love and embark on a mad, whirlwind romance that they know will end in tragedy… because Beverly has tuberculosis, for which, in late Nineteenth Century … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
A Series Ian Likes: The Chronicles Of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Corwin wakes up in a hospital. He’s clearly been in an accident but he has no memory of it… nor of his life up until this moment. Escaping from the hospital he learns that he was put in it by people posing as family members, so he goes in search of them. Discovering a woman … Continue reading A Series Ian Likes: The Chronicles Of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Stuff Ian Likes 