Plot summary: Rincewind gets temporally and spatially lost (this seems to happen to him a lot) and ends up on Discworld Australia. He doesn't want to be on Discworld Australia. Also it has three names: Xxxx, EcksEcksEcksEcks, and Fourecks. Meanwhile, a bunch of the Unseen University's faculty are trying to find him because the Librarian (who's an orangutan) keeps turning into random objects and Rincewind is the only one who knows the Librarian's true name, which would allow the wizards to fix him. Except they get stuck on a deserted island with weird plants.
Since this is Discworld Australia, and Mad Max is set in Australia, we have to have Discworld Mad Max. With horses and carriages. Really, this entire book is poking fun at Australia stereotypes. (For example, there's a mentioned character called "Tinhead Ned" who's clearly a reference to Ned Kelly. And there are drop bears. And Rincewind accidentally invents Vegemite.)
Rincewind's courageous strategy for basically anything is to run away very fast (i hear singing). This is not how Discworldians usually respond to danger, and it makes Death very interested in Rincewind's lifetime, which is so mutated (as a result of him running away from stuff and getting sent through time a lot) that Death keeps it on his desk as a conversation piece.
While we're at it, I'll also mention the horse Rincewind gets: it will not fall off anything. Anything. This includes completely vertical surfaces and, as he discovers, the ceiling.
Were this a videogame, I'd rate it: T15+ for crude humor and swearing.
Favorite lines:
"I warn you, I'm a desperate man," Rincewind said, bringing his hand around. Most of the cooks dived for cover.
"That's a ladle, mate," said a watchman, kindly.
Page 299.
"We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they're elected. Don't you?"
"Why?"
"It saves time."
Page 335.
"There he is!"
The gaoler and the captain of the guard were jogging along the quay. The gaoler was waving encouragingly at him.
"Nah, nah, it's all right, you don't have to run!" he shouted. "We've got a pardon for you!"
"Pardon?" said Rincewind.
"That's right!" The gaoler reached him, and fought for breath. "Signed . . . by . . . the prime minister," he managed. "Says you're a . . . good bloke and we're not to . . . hang you . . ." He straightened up. "Mind you, we wouldn't do that anyway, not now. Best bloody escape we've ever bloody had since Tinhead Ned!"
Page 388.
Appearances of Death count: 7.
(Endnote: This is actually my first encounter with the apparently famous Rincewind, other than him getting mentioned in Unseen Academicals once.)
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