No other books even come close to the genius of Discworld, the greatest Fantasy parody of all time. The Discworld is a giant disc carried on the back of four giant elephants, which stand on the back of A'Tuan the great turtle, who is swimming through the depths of space. It began with the two books The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, but ever since has grown phenomenally. At the time of writing, the 29th Discworld novel, Night Watch, is the most recent. The Discworld is filled with all manner of weird and wonderful characters, from Rincewind, the Wizzard who doesn't even know how to spell Wizard, to Death, the guardian of the underworld who has rather a black sense of humour, to the librarian of Unseen University who is only able to say one word: Ook! Discworld turns every single feature of your average fantasy - from the noble hero, to the powers of magic, to the perfect romances - completely on its head! Be warned: in Terry Pratchett's world, nothing is sacred. Also, a special note to all my fellow Aussies: I personally recommend The Last Continent, in which Rincewind ends up stranded in a bizarre land where there's always a drought, and where everyone eats these disgusting things called meat pie floaters. If you're looking for a series that is never politically correct, set in a world where the sun shines only when it can be bothered, and featuring a new colour called Octarine (which is the colour of magic), then the Discworld is the series for you!
Author: Terry Pratchett
Year published: 2003
Filed in: Sci-fi / fantasy