Sourcery
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| Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 5th novel – 3rd Rincewind story  |
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| Outline | |
| Characters: | Rincewind |
| Locations: | Ankh-Morpork Klatch |
| Motifs: | Wizards and sorcery; Apocalypse |
| Publication details | |
| Year of release: | 1988 |
| Original publisher: | Victor Gollancz |
| Hardback ISBN: | ISBN 0-575-04217-6 |
| Paperback ISBN: | ISBN 0-552-13107-5 |
| Other details | |
| Awards: | |
| Notes: | |
Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers - wizards who are sources of magic – were the main cause of the great mage wars that left areas of the disc uninhabitable. Men born the eighth son of an eighth son are commonly wizards. Since sourcerers are born the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son, wizards are not allowed to marry or have children. The first few pages of the novel deal with a sourcerer's father who cheats death by making a prophecy that Death must honour; the alternative is to risk destroying the Discworld. The rest of the novel deals with the sourcerer's plan to have wizards rule the Discworld, and the efforts of a small group – including Rincewind the Wizard, Nijel the Destroyer and Conina the Hairdresser, daughter of Cohen the Barbarian – to thwart those plans.
There are many references to geasa in the text, which are idiosyncratic curses, vows or obligations placed upon a person (usually a hero, such as Cúchulainn in Irish mythology).
[edit] Translations
| Language | Title | Round-trip translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgarian | Магизточник | Magic source | |
| Croatian | Kiselo čaranje | Sour sorcery | The Sorcerers were called Medicine Men (Vračevi), inaccurate[1] |
| Czech | Magický prazdroj | The Source of Magic | Pun on popular Czech beer "Plzeňský prazdroj". |
| Danish | Megamagikeren | The Mega Magician | |
| Dutch | Betoverkind | "Enchant-child" | 'Betover' is a conjugation of the verb 'betoveren' - which means to bewitch or to enchant - but is also a prefix that carries the meaning of 'great-great' as in 'great-great-grandfather', which in Dutch is 'betovergrootvader'. |
| Estonian | Ürgsorts | Primeval Sorcerer | |
| Finnish | Velhous verissä | Wizardry in blood | |
| French | Sourcellerie | Sourcery | |
| German | Der Zauberhut | The Magician's Hat[2] | |
| Greek | Πιάστε τον μάγο[3] | Catch the Wizard | |
| Hebrew | [4] מעשי קסמים | Acts of Magic | |
| Hungarian | Bűbájos bajok | Charming Troubles | The Sorcerers were called "Charmers" (Bűbájosok) in the book |
| Italian | Stregoneria | Sorcery | |
| Norwegian | Magiens kilde | The Source of Magic | |
| Polish | Czarodzicielstwo | Sourcery | literally something between "sorcery" (czarodziejstwo) and "parenthood" (rodzicielstwo) |
| Portuguese | Fontiçaria | Sourcery | Portugal (Font(e) = Sourc(e)) + ((Fei)tiçaria = (Sor)cery) |
| Portuguese | O Oitavo Mago | The 8th Mage | Brazil |
| Romanian | Copilul Minune | Wonder Kid | |
| Russian | Посох и шляпа | The Staff and the Hat | |
| Serbian | Čudotvorac | Miracle-maker | |
| Spanish | Rechicero | Word made up with prefix "re-" (double, repetition) and "hechicero" (sorcerer). | |
| Swedish | Svartkonster | Black Arts | |
| Turkish | Şifacı | The Curer |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Croatian translation of the title, Kiselo čaranje, isn't a literal translation. It is also inaccurate. Literally translated it would mean something in the line of Sour sorcery or Sour spellcraft , because it was translated taking into account the sour part of Sourcery. Thus, omitting the -rce in source the translation has lost the meaning of the original title.
- ^ Or The Magic Hat."Sorcery" would be "Zauberei".
- ^ Transliteration: Piaste ton mago
- ^ Transliteration: Ma'esay Kesmim
[edit] External links
| Reading order guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mort |
5th Discworld Novel | Succeeded by Wyrd Sisters |
| Preceded by The Light Fantastic |
3rd Rincewind Story Published in 1988 |
Succeeded by |
