I don’t have a lot to say about Eric. This is the shortest Discworld book, and yet, as with the earlier entries starring Rincewind, we see more of the Discworld than in Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, and Guards! Guards! combined. This makes sense if you consider that Pratchett originally wrote this to be an illustrated work, but that only goes so far, especially considering there are so many wonderful characters and corners of the Disc that are not in this book. There are some really fun and interesting ideas in Eric, but we never get to spend enough time with any of it for it to leave much impact. In this 150-page novella, Pratchett crams in satires of Faust (the adolescent demonologist, Eric), Mesoamerican civilization and conquistadors (the Tezumen Empire and Ponce da Quirm), the Trojan War (Tsort vs. Ephebe), the book of Genesis (the Creator of the universe), and Dante’s Inferno (Hell as ruled by the Demon King Astfodl). It’s a lot. I would have much preferred spending an entire book with any one of these than yet another Discworld sampler starring Rincewind.
That said, Eric is probably my favorite of the first four Rincewind books, and I would sooner revisit and recommend this than its predecessors. Rincewind is best served in small doses, and this book certainly does not overstay its welcome.
The Once and Future Lit 