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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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About this listen

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

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.
All stars
Most relevant
I like this new version of the audio book. I have both versions but this one has more life to it, even Death. I like that Terry’s favoured notes are done by Bill Nighy, he adds an extra dimension to the usual read. I was a bit skeptical about these new versions but now I prefer them. Colin wrote the foreword for Paul Kidby’s ‘Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld’ which details just how much a fan he is. It’s much better to have someone who knows the material than someone who is just doing the next job they were hired for.

Read by a fan.

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Absolutely loved it!!! Fabulous story & truly wonderful narrator!! Thank you so much Terry Pratchett & Colin Morgan!!

Fantastic!!!

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Have read this book a few times and thought I'd try the audio version. Found the performances delightful.

Great narration of a favourite book

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Overall I loved everything even if I slept through most of it but seriously it is amazing story voice acting and everything!l

I love the way she voices the characters!

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This narrator is excellent! He creates and sustains an array of character voices that bring Pratchett’s eccentric and imaginative beings to life.

Phenomenal narrator

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