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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The devil may hath power, September 9, 2005
to assume a pleasing shape according to Hamlet but only on Discworld could the devil or any demon assume the shape of Rincewind. But that is exactly what Terry Pratchett calls up in "Eric", Pratchett's Discworld homage to Faust.
Eric, the protagonist, is a teenaged `demonologist' from Pseuodopolis. Eric is also a spoiled brat according to Eric's parrot. Eric was trying to summon a demon in order to have the demon grant Eric's wish for power, women, and eternal life. Instead, through a series of Discworldian circumstances Eric calls up Rincewind, last seen locked in the Dungeon Dimensions (Sourcery).
What follows is a Discworld version of a Hope and Crosby Road movie that parallels Faust. Eric and Rincewind travel to the ends of time (actually the beginning of time among other places) and Rincewind faces adversity and the threat of death in his own inimitable fashion (feet don't fail me now).
There are some great set pieces in Eric. DEATH makes two brief, but very funny appearances. First, when the Wizards determine something strange is going on they summon DEATH and demand answer. Of course, they realize quickly that perhaps they should speak to him in the same manner that people in Ankh Morpork speak to the Patrician. Later in the book, DEATH patiently awaits the moment for life to begin is priceless Pratchett fashion. Having the universe start with a paper clip and not a big bang was a very appealing concept.
Similarly hilarious is Rincewind's trip to the new and improved version of hell. Physical torture has been replaced by endless viewings of someone else's holiday slides, elevator music, and the recitation of thousands of pages of regulations only a hellish bureaucrat could construct. Interestingly, Rincewind's conversation with a creator of universes who takes special pride in the creation of trees had a nice resemblance to Slartibartfast from Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who award for creating the jigsaw like coastline of the fjords of Norway.
Despite these typically brilliant bits Eric lacked some of the cohesion found in most of the other Discworld books I have read. Apparently, Eric was originally published as a graphic novel and the illustrations went a long way towards fleshing out the story line. In a sense this version seems to be akin to reading a comic (a very good comic book) without the comic art. There does seem to be something a bit lacking.
However, even if Eric is not Pratchett's finest Discworld book it is still very much worth reading. There is an old cliché that a bad day of fishing is better than the best day of work. In this instance I think it fair to say that a good but the best Discworld book is better than the best that many other authors can put out. I recommend this book to any Discworld fan. I would not recommend this to anyone new to Discworld. Eric works best once one has got to know a bit about Discworld generally and Rincewind specifically.
Eric, despite any flaws, is still very much worth reading.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Discworld anomaly, December 31, 2002
When last we left the inept wizard Rincewind (way back in Sourcery, the fifth Discworld novel) he was trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. He returns quite unexpectedly to the real world at the behest of the unique planet's only demon hacker Eric, who also happens to be a twelve-year-old kid. Having conjured a demon to grant him whatever he desired, Eric is rather disappointed to find that the "demon" Rincewind cannot really do anything at all except give lessons in how to run away from danger. All Eric wants is to rule the world, meet the most beautiful woman to have ever lived, and to live forever. Rincewind insists that he can't just snap his fingers and grant wishes, but said finger snapping miraculously takes him, Eric, and (always lagging behind) the Luggage to the land of the Tezumens where Eric is hailed as a god (pity the Tezumens hate their god so much). Later they wind up in ancient Tsort during the climax of the great war with the Ephebians; here Eric meets the world's most beautiful woman and is not impressed, while Rincewind finds an ancient ancestor pursuing the art of war without having to fight or creating a fuss. Next stop is the very creation of the Discworld itself, complete with creator-if you want to live forever, after all, you have to start at the beginning. The journey is far from complete, though, until Rincewind and Eric make their way to Hades, a land suffering (or not suffering, to be precise) under the micro-management of the new King Astfgl. Finally, we find out what has really been going on all along, and Rincewind and Eric try to find a way to get back home. Eric is a play on the Faust concept; you can tell because the word Faust is crossed out and replaced with Eric right there on the cover of the book. Conjure a demon, demand your heart's desire, that sort of thing. It is really an unusual Discworld novel. It is short for one thing, less than half the length of most in the series, the kid Eric is about the only child one ever finds anywhere in the Discworld and is annoying enough for all the ones we don't see, and, despite his constant troubles, we really don't see very much of Rincewind's back gradually fading away from us as he runs from danger. The book isn't that bad, really-the story is pretty good once you grasp all of it, there's an entertainingly irritable parrot that makes up for his small vocabulary by referring to things as wossname all the time, and we get a very revealing look at the Discworld's realm of eternal punishment. Still, Eric is just not fulfilling and never strikes a strong chord with the reader. I view it as quite the Discworld anomaly. Just because it isn't as good as Pratchett's other novels does not mean it is not funny, witty, and enjoyable, though.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun enough, July 2, 2002
Possibly the shortest and most plotless Discworld novel, "Eric" nevertheless has some enjoyable commentary and spoofing, two of the things that Terry Pratchett does well and delightfully. Hardly his best, but not his worst.In the aftermath of "Sourcery," Rincewind is lost in the Dungeon Dimension. But in a million-to-one-chance, he is drawn back into the real world by a fourteen-year-old demonolist awash in hormones and delusions of grandeur. Eric is convinced that Rincewind is a demon, and is demanding three things: that Rincewind make him live forever, give him control of the entire Disc, and give him the most beautiful woman in the world. Rincewind, unsurprisingly, can't do these things. An unwary snap of the fingers sends Eric, Rincewind, the Luggage, and a very sarcastic parrot to the land of the Tezumens, who serve the bloodthirsty demon-god Quetzovercoatl. Their misadventures in the void of non-creation, back in time to the topless towers of Tsort, and finally to hell itself give Eric what he wishes -- or does it? The first word that comes to mind to describe "Eric" is SHORT. This book is slim even with the larger typeface and margins, but in Pratchett's spare style it packs a fair amount of story into the 200 pages. Old favorites like Rincewind and the Luggage return; Eric steals many of the scenes he's in, as he is obsessed with women and power, but whiny and immature - a teen boy with delusions of grandeur. Pratchett adds some delightful spoofing of the Aztecs, especially their preoccupation with human sacrifice and feathered headdresses, and the Trojan War (in which we meet his versions of Odysseus and the relatively plain Discworld counterpart of Helen of Troy), complete with "toppleless towers" and a wooden horse. His vision of a revamped hell -- in which demons show vacation slides to damned mortals -- is somewhat reminiscent of Craig Shaw Gardner's Netherhells, but is perhaps the funniest part of the book. And Pratchett's cleverness shows up in the "fulfillment" of Eric's wishes -- it's a clear example of "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." Rincewind is gradually growing in dimension, beyond "cowardly wizard," and shows that he does, in fact, have some brains and thought processes. Eric is a twitty teenage boy, a little too clueless to be plausible. And the parrot really steals the show; his acid wit, aggressive demeanor, scruffy appearance, and constant use of the word "wossname" make him a hilarious essential. It's too bad he doesn't appear again in the series. "Eric" is hardly the best book in the series, but it does make a nice diversion for readers who enjoy madcap antics and spoof-filled stories.
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