Pratchett relies heavily on parody for his effects, particularly in this first Discworld novel. But the parody is born out of love, not contempt. Pratchett has read many thousands of pages of fantasy, and the inexhaustible comic vein of his work is set in a genuinely exciting yarn in the best cliffhanger tradition.

No author since P. G. Wodehouse has indulged in such sustained wordplay while telling a good story. For example: "Rincewind tried to force the memory out of his mind, but it was rather enjoying itself there, terrorising the other occupants and kicking over the furniture." Those with a taste for linguistics will enjoy Pratchett's deconstruction of such words as "insurance" ("inn-sewer-ants") and "echo-gnomics" ("reflected sound of underground spirits").

Thus, Pratchett employs a rare mixture of inspired foolery and nonstop action. His technique in literature might usefully be likened to the sort of film that would...