9. The Light Fantastic

We make our way chaotically through The Light Fantastic, the sequel to the Colour of Magic. We don’t concern ourselves too much with the plot, for what it is - a frenetic chase across the Discworld culminating in a special effects extravaganza in Ankh Morpork - and instead talk about Terry Pratchett’s philosophy.

Gender relations: are wizards to masculinity what witches are to femininity? Hierarchy, rituals, titles, institutions, ruthlessness, all these are present at Unseen University, but with a twinkle in their eye. Extreme competence worn very lightly, which is a masculine ideal of sorts. In fact is the librarian (an orangutan) peak masculinity? An ordered mind, bordering on autism, chilled but very strong and capable of extreme violence, motivated mostly by a desire for bananas.

The terror of the mob: Terry Pratchett really hates mobs. He’s pro the individual, he cares about the idea of the individual being sovereign and thinking for themselves. He hates groupthink, and a recurring motif in his work is that nothing is more horrifying than blank eyes. He’s aware how lucky we are to live in a society that does not have mobs, and aware that we need to always remain vigilant against them.

This and much more. Not bad for a writer of baroque fantasy parody.