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The Colour of Magic

Discworld, Book 1

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The Colour of Magic

By: Terry Pratchett
Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
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Brought to you by Penguin.

Over 1 million Discworld audiobooks sold – discover the extraordinary universe of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld like never before


The audiobook of The Colour of Magic is read by Colin Morgan (Merlin; Testament of Youth; Belfast). BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reads the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; Shaun of the Dead) stars as the voice of Death. Featuring a new theme tune composed by James Hannigan.

'It was octarine, the colour of magic. It was alive and glowing and vibrant and it was the undisputed pigment of the imagination . . .'

Somewhere between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a magical world not totally unlike our own. Except for the fact that it travels through space on the shoulders of four giant elephants who in turn stand on the shell of an astronomically huge star turtle, of course.

Rincewind is the world's worst wizard who has just been handed a very important job: to look after the world's first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land. Unfortunately, their journey across the Disc includes facing robbers, monsters, mercenaries, and Death himself.

And the whole thing's just a game of the gods that might send them over the edge . . .

You can listen to the Discworld novels in any order, but The Colour of Magic is the first book in the Wizards series.

The Colour of Magic is the first book in the Discworld series and was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.

'If you've never read a Discworld novel, what's the matter with you?' Guardian

'Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own' The Times


© Terry Pratchett 1983 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Humorous Literature & Fiction Magic Satire Fiction Comedy Magic Users Wizardry Witty
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Critic reviews

One of the best and funniest English authors alive
Like Jonathan Swift, Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own, and like Swift he is a satirist of enormous talent...incredibly funny...compulsively readable.
He would be amusing in any form and his spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction.
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I was curious to find out how the notes would have been realized and I think that the sound effect is brilliant. It is perfectly managed to let the listener understand the difference of tone without taking them out of the main narration. The voice of Bill Nighy is always a joy to hear. The crowd of characters in Terry Prachett world is impressive in itself, but the ability of Colin Morgan to give a distinctive trait and characterization to each and every one of them is equally impressive. And not only to the characters, but also to the different tones of the narration. A kaleidoscope of intentions worthy of the colours of magic.

Highly enjoyable

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Colin Morgan's narration is just outstanding. Rated the story 4/5 as there are much, much stronger Discworld books, but this is a glorious refresh of the stories that started it all.

incredible refresh

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Loved every single moment. Perfectly narrated and of course Terry’s humour is unmatched and wonderful.

Absolutely Fabulous!

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I didn't enjoy the main narrator Colin Morgan, but otherwise it was a nice nostalgic experience

grating narration, otherwise pretty good

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An excellent story that is a true classic. Whilst I prefer other narrators the story itself is a true classic and great to listen to no matter who is performing it

Great story

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