(The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic), by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Ross, and Scott Rockwell.*
If someone had started me out on The Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic, I would have pitched the book across the room and never come back. And the BBC version of the combined stories? Sorry, but that was a huge letdown. **
I mean, really? Can you think of a less-sympathetic character than Rincewind? How, in God’s name, can you either relate to him or want to be Rincewind?
Fortunately, I was started out on Moving Pictures. Not a great Discworld novel, but at least it didn’t involve Rincewind. Now, later, Rincewind becomes a somewhat-sympathetic character, and by the time you hit The Last Continent, I’m okay with him. Terry Pratchett has become so good, he can make even a Rincewind an enjoyable character. Somewhat.
My favorite character is Granny Weatherwax. She doesn’t have much truck with the Rincewinds in this life, and neither do I.
That being said, the graphic novels are my favorite version of the first two Discworld stories.
The art’s not great, but it shows, very nearly, the things I imagined in my head, and then some. The men aren’t all superheroey, except when it’s funny. The women are all pretty with big boobs, but TP really didn’t develop any decent female characters in the first two books, anyway (in fact, nobody’s female, unless it’s funny). You know what? Wyrmburg turned out pretty neat, and the hookboots finally made sense. Twoflower looks like the basis for Arthur in the Tick. Vetinari looks shockingly young (he should look young, at that point). The graphic novels look like something a D&D lover would have written and drawn, for better or worse, and I’m fond of them for it.
I can’t recommend it for anyone who loves the series with a love beyond all loves. People who love things get mad about adaptations. But I recommend it for anybody who remembers what it’s like to be twelve and reading cheesy comics and loving All Things D&D.
Sadly, I wasn’t one of those people. I was far too serious back then. But I got better.
*I’m assuming you know the Discworld.
**I get to use extra footnotes in any review of a work by Terry Pratchet. Also, the Hogfather adaptation was brilliant, totally worth hacking the region codes on the DVD player for.
Might have to pick those up.