History Literature / TheColourOfMagic

* [[Literature/DragonridersOfPern Pern]] (The Dragons of the Wyrmbeg, especially since the riders use exclamation marks in their names in a similar way to how [=McCaffrey's=] Dragonriders use apostrophes)

* Literature/ConanTheBarbarian (Hrun the Barbarian -- note that Creator/RobertEHoward used quite a few EldritchAbominations, and indeed considered CthulhuMythos canonical in Conan's world)

** Death sawing at the tree in which Rincewind is curled up is an homage to TheSeventhSeal.

** In his first appearance, Rincewind is actually kind of a jerk. He fleeces Twoflower out of his money and only helps him to avoid punishment from the Patrician.

** Death acts psychotically, randomly killing people out of spite, unlike his later sympathetic view on humanity and seeing his role as a duty.

* SocietyOnEdgeEpisode: As an EstablishingCharacterMoment for [[HumansAreBastards Ankh-Morporkians as a whole]]: a fire started in the rougher part of town soon spreads. Rich citizens are soon selflessly [[KickTheDog hacking down the bridges that span the river]] so the panicking crowds won't be able to invade.

* DarkSkinnedBlonde: Taken to Drow-like extremes with the natives of Krull, whose skin is pitch black and hair, pale like moonlight.

* CollapsingLair: Bel-Shamaroth's temple collapses after the EldritchAbomination retreats back to its own dimension. The description of how Time re-asserts its claim upon the site is fairly vivid.

* [[DragonridersOfPern Pern]] (The Dragons of the Wyrmbeg, especially since the riders use exclamation marks in their names in a similar way to how [=McCaffrey's=] Dragonriders use apostrophes)

* DungeonsAndDragons (The VancianMagic system, in which spells take up a certain amount of space in one's head, and are usually named after their creator - also a scene in which the gods literally play dice with the fates of men, [[RandomEncounters teleporting a troll into Rincewind's path]])

* RecoveredAddict: Sam Vimes has been on the alcohol wagon since the end of the book and stayed there, despite considerable temptation, even keeping a tipple in his desk as a kind of permanent test.

!!Contains examples of:

** The only spell Rincewind was able to learn. [[spoiler:Subverted, since he doesn't get to use it, at least not in this book. In [[TheLightFantastic the next one, though..]]]]

* AndroclesLion: A fairly straight example; Rincewind saves a frog from being swept over the Edge and it later turns out to have had The Lady "riding in its mind".
** Being that The Lady is...The Lady, it is implied she set this up herself
* AntiHero: Rincewind, who is not merely cowardly but surprisingly greedy compared with his later appearances, debuts as a Type V.
** At this point, he hasn't had his fill of cruel and unusual geography and still expects to be a great wizard, with all that entails, so being greedy is understandable.

** Death here is a sadistic murderer and casual killer, very ''very'' much unlike his later sympathetic portrayal.

*** Considering how badly Rincewind did at University, he may simply have misremembered his history lessons. For that matter, the lessons themselves could've been wrong, given how many other things the UU wizards are clueless about.

* AlienGeometries: Bel-Shamharoth's temple is made up of eight-sided stone slabs. Yes, ''only'' eight-sided stone slabs (although it doesn't say they're ''regular'' octagons...)

* MichaelMoorcock The concept of the Eternal Hero and the Companion to Champions. Rincewind as an incompetent ''Elric'' who can neither cast spells nor use weapons. The Black Sword that sucks souls to Hell - here a sword that drags people into a Hell of boredom and ennui as it grabs the ear of the listener and ''will not let go''. Capricious and chaotic Gods playing with human life for kicks.

** The Bel-Shamharoth example is subject to an RunningGag of Rinceworld, and even the book's narration dancing around the number:

* FictionalColour: Octarine, the titular Colour of Magic. It's said to resemble a sort of disappointing fluorescent greenish-yellowish-purple.
** This may be based on the colour of the afterimages one sees after looking into a bright light.

The very first ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel, from 1983. Unlike most of the later ones, it was primarily a vehicle for Creator/TerryPratchett to ''directly'' mock, play with, and deconstruct other fantasy series, rather than the much broader field of his later work. Introduced his interest in using nuclear physics (his previous area of expertise as a scientific journalist) as a metaphor and parody for how magic works.

Written as a travelogue in which cowardly failed wizard Rincewind and FishOutOfWater Twoflower, the world's first tourist, travel much of the Disc while running away from things with big teeth and men with swords.

Was adapted (with quite a lot of AdaptationDistillation) by Sky TV in 2007, together with ''Discworld/TheLightFantastic'' (but the whole thing was known as ''Film/TheColourOfMagic''). It was also adapted into a graphic novel (again with ''The Light Fantastic'') to celebrate the Discworld series' anniversary. Unlike the TV adaptation, this was mostly a straight adaptation of the book, even keeping significant amounts of narrative and not merely the direct plot.

Unlike later Discworld novels, is split into six parts rather than a continuous chapterless piece.

The titular Colour of Magic is Octarine, the eighth colour, the pigment of the imagination. Depending on the scene, it's either invisible or blacker than black if you aren't a creature that can see magic, like a wizard or cat. If you can see magic, it's a sort of disappointing purplish-greenish-yellow.

* DungeonsAndDragons (The VancianMagic system, in which spells take up a certain amount of space in one's head, once said are used up, and are usually named after their creator - also a scene in which the gods literally play dice with the fates of men, [[RandomEncounters teleporting a troll into Rincewind's path]])

The very first ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel, from 1983 (followed by ''Discworld/TheLightFantastic''). Unlike most of the later ones, it was primarily a vehicle for Creator/TerryPratchett to ''directly'' mock, play with, and deconstruct other fantasy series, rather than the much broader field of his later work. Introduced his interest in using nuclear physics (his previous area of expertise as a scientific journalist) as a metaphor and parody for how magic works.

** The Patrician, to the point where many fans refuse to believe it's the same person as the Vetinari of later books, despite WordOfGod.

** The Patrician is flabby, capricious and eats rare delicacies. Despite WordOfGod, many fans refuse to believe it's the same Patrician as the thin, coldly logical, ascetic Vetinari.

** Hrun says that swamp dragons are extinct; they prominently appear in later books, like ''Discworld/GuardsGuards''
*** Rincewind notes to himself that he's never seen Hrun outside of Ahnk-Morpork before, and when Hrun is out doing the heroing thing he's very different from the drunken lout Rincewind has previously seen. It's quite possible that swamp dragons are extinct apart from being kept as pets and he's never noticed them in cities because on arrival in any city Hrun goes into the first tavern and drinks until he runs out of money or bartender's patience.