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Sourcery cover art

Sourcery

By: Terry Pratchett
Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The audiobook of Sourcery 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's vital to remember who you really are.... it isn't a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong.'

An eighth son of an eighth son is born, a wizard squared, a source of magic. A sourcerer.

Unseen University, the Discworld's most magical establishment, has finally got its wish: the emergence of a wizard more powerful than ever before. You'd think they would have been a little more careful what they wished for....

As the sourcerer takes over the University and sets his sights on the rest of the world, only one wizard manages to escape his influence. Unfortunately for everyone, it's Rincewind.

Once again the cowardly wizard must embark on a quest: to deliver a precious artefact - the very embodiment of magic itself—halfway across the Disc to safety. If he doesn't make it, the death of all wizardry is at hand.

And the end of the world, depending on who you listen to.

Sourcery is the third book in the Wizards series, but you can listen to the Discworld novels in any order. The first book in the Discworld series—The Colour of Magic—was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.

©1988 Terry Pratchett and Lyn Pratchett (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"May well be considered his masterpiece.... Humour such as his is an endangered species." (The Times)

"One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest." (George R.R. Martin)

What listeners say about Sourcery

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Really rubbish character voices

The original read by Nigel Planer was far far better. Why have you done this Audible?! I want the version I originally bought. Bring it back.

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6 people found this helpful

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Enjoyable

I'm really starting to enjoy this series. The writing is excellent and very funny. But, what makes the whole story really enjoyable is the brilliant narration.
Colin Morgan is a first class actor and, manifestly, a narrator. Once again I found myself laughing out loud at his use of many different voices - the man is a genius.

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6 people found this helpful

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Great book, bad performance

I’ve read sourcery many times and listened to the Tony Robinson version and I love the story, but this version was at times unbearable. Some of the main characters voices are like nails on a blackboard and they completely ruin the experience. Not enjoyable. Also, the music before and after each footnote read by Bill Nighy seems completely pointless and interrupts the flow even more.

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Oh Dear

The curse of over-characterisation strikes again.

A wonderful story rendered virtually impossible to listen to by the ridiculous voices employed for so many of the characters - as if a focus group had been formed and every daft idea got straight through into the narrator's performance.

I did try - very hard - but a couple of hours in I just shrugged a final time and returned the book.

I'm afraid that this means that the remaining 'Wizards' books will have to be avoided too - which is a great shame - the new readings of the Witches books were a joy.

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4 people found this helpful

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Brilliant new production

For everyone who already knows that this series is great, these new productions are a lovely way to revisit Discworld. The old audiobooks are still good, but if you’re new to it, this is a fantastic way to experience these stories for the first time. The narrator is perfect; he absolutely nails the tone and gets all of the characters just right.

My only complaint is Bill Nighy’s delivery of the footnotes. He’s a great actor, but I don’t know why he’s chosen that deadpan style. I always thought of the footnotes as TP talking to us, and he had much more twinkle and sprightliness in his voice. Nighy sounds more like he’s doing Hitchhiker’s Guide. He doesn’t ruin it at all, but it does feel like a mistake in an otherwise perfect production.

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Please bring back the old recordings

I really dislike the new audio recordings that have been made for these books. Having different voice actors throughout really disrupts the listening experience for me. I appreciate that some people like the new version more - so please start selling both versions!

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3 people found this helpful

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Wonderful

So love Terry Pratchett’s imagination, irreverent humour and compassionate understanding of the human condition. Colin Morgan was fantastic. His range of voices is incredible.

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Brilliant Characterisation!

I'm not as huge a fan of these early books as I am of the later ones, and I'd mostly forgotten this one, but Colin Morgan is an excellent narrator. He puts life into even the most minor of characters. His ability to create the right voices is fantastic.
Most enjoyable.

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A good book read painfully

I tried, I really did but when voices range from bland to nails on chalkboard even the love of Discworld comes up short. Good thing Stephen Briggs version is still available.

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Good if new, Repeating if not your first discworld

Good if new, Repeating if not your first discworld
Good humor, sudden ending
uhk

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2 people found this helpful