YMMV / Eric

• Broken Base: Due to being the Oddball in the Series, fan opinions vary wildly from absolutely loving it to thinking it is the worst book in the whole Discworld series.
• Genius Bonus: Vassenego is a reference to the demon Vassago in Roundworld occultism.
• Magnificent Bastard:
  • Duke Vassenego is an ancient demon who sets the plot in motion to overthrow King Astfgl and return Hell to the old ways. Realizing disembodied spirits didn't feel physical pain, Astfgl turned Hell into a boring dystopia where souls were read instruction manuals and shown vacation slideshows for all eternity. Seeking the restore a time where both demons and damned could be happy, Vassenego manipulates inept wizard Rincewind into being summoned in his place by teen demonologist Eric. Using his own magic to frame Rincewind as satisfying Eric's wishes, he sends the pair on a dangerous journey through time to distract Astfgl long enough to engineer his downfall. Bringing the pair to Hell as a final distraction, he gives Astfgl a meaningless promotion and to be left alone in a boring office doing pointless paperwork forever while he takes over as the new King of Hell.
  • In a grand parody of the Trojan War, Lavaeolus, a parody of Odysseus, is a brilliant general of Ephebe seeking to rescue the beautiful Elenor from the clutches of Tsort. Sending a wooden horse to the front gate as an obvious trap, Lavaeolus uses it as distraction to allow the Ephebians to invade from a side entrance to the city. Taking advantage of Rincewind and Eric's arrival for his second wish, Lavaeolus leads them and Rincewind's dangerous and sentient Luggage through a secret passage to the palace he discovered during early reconnaissance. Seeking to use the Luggage to massacre the Tsortean leadership, he instead meets with and convinces Elenor and her children to return home and end the war as bloodlessly as possible.
• Oddball in the Series: This book is sometimes considered one with respect to the Discworld series, given its short length, different publisher, unusual themes (more at home in Good Omens in some ways) and the fact that the events therein are never referred to again (except for a Continuity Nod in The Last Continent when Rincewind mentions in passing that he's met the Creator). Even the writing style is jarring, feeling more akin to the first couple books before Pratchett matured his writing.