Sourcery

A wizard manipulates existing magic through spells and training. A sourcerer is a source of magic itself — an uncontrolled fountain of primal power that predates the rules wizards use. The return of sourcery is treated in the novel as a catastrophic event akin to reopening a sealed disaster.

First published on 26 May 1988 by Victor Gollancz Ltd, in association with Colin Smythe. It is the fifth Discworld novel and the third Rincewind book.

Conina appears only in Sourcery. She is Cohen the Barbarian's daughter, whose combat instincts are hereditary but whose personality is entirely her own. Her character is a riff on the barbarian-hero tradition applied to someone who deeply resents being good at violence.

Nijel is a would-be barbarian hero who is the opposite of the type — pale, slight, and working from a beginner's guide to heroism. His partnership with Conina provides much of the comedy in Sourcery's middle sections.