FaustEric

FaustEric (which heretorefore I will refer to as Eric to save sanity) is a strange creature. It's certainly part of the Discworld canon, but isn't really a book; it's more of a novella, clocking in at about half the length of a full novel. I understand it was originally meant to be a graphic or at least illustrated novel.

As you can guess from the title, Eric is meant to be a parody of the classic German tale Faust, which deals with a doctor's deal with the devil. In this case, the devil is played by none other than Rincewind, who finds himself leading the titular Eric (a rather nerdy teenaged demonologist) around space and time, unwillingly granting his three wishes. The book parodies, in true Pratchett fashion, such things as the Trojan Horse, ancient Mayan rituals, and skewers contemporary office environments a la Dilbert.

While the book is witty and entertaining, it's also quite shallow; I might go so far as to say it has the least amount of character or serious plot of any other book in the series. Even the original The Colour of Magic, which is a straight-up fantasy pastiche, provides some food for thought with Rincewind's plaintive desire for the world to all "make sense" rather than be run by magic.

Eric is a short, enjoyable romp, and a nice read for half the price, but don't expect to take anything home from it.