Tag: terry prachett

Review: Witches Abroad – Terry Pratchett

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Witches Abroad – GoodReads link
Having completed War & Peace last Saturday (hallelujah) I decided this week I would wind down from such an epic and return to some lighter reading to recover. For this, I returned to one of my now favourite authors to do so.
Anyone who follows my blog will know that I have a slight obsession with Pratchett and can quite easily prattle along quite happily about his books. Apologies in advance guys – I can’t usually help myself, although I will try!
Pratchett is known for using his books as a means of challenging certain ideologies or misconceptions faced in the real world, and this book is no exception. He focuses this book on stories and inevitability, or fate as you may wish to call it. I loved this as it focused on fairy tales, (predominantly Cinderella – with a twist of course) but other fairy tales also featured along the way, including Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood etc.
Whilst traveling to Genua in order for Magrat to become the godmother of Emberella to STOP her marrying the prince (get it… cinders, embers…) they stumble across a multitude of tales and inevitably get themselves caught up in them. Granny Weatherwax is the kind of character that cannot prevent herself interfering… she’s how I’d imagine a mother-in-law from hell to be; always sticking her nose in, telling you what you are doing wrong and being immovably stubborn and adamant that she has never made a mistake. Obviously. Thank the lord I don’t have in-laws – especially ones like that!
Unlike the previous Discworld books featuring the witches, I felt this book enabled the reader to get to know one of the three witches, Gytha Ogg a lot better. In the previous two books Gytha somewhat sits in the background not contributing much but she really comes into her own in this tale – let’s just say the rather “childish” topic is counteracted with a lot of twists and adult humour. Not only is she a witch; she loves and can hold her liquor (particularly rum and banana daiquiri’s) and has a very promiscuous past of which we are regularly reminded. Equally she is only human (as such) because she regularly writes home to her illiterate son, Jason. (Across the whole series the Discworld inhabitants are a little slow on the uptake of general common sense, intelligence, and the ability to spell, which also makes me laugh). Writing to your illiterate son is a perfectly logical thing to do…
During my last years of school I studied Performing Arts and for one assessment we had to create a performance aimed at children; we focused on the topic of fairy tales. In hindsight I really wish I’d read this book sooner as there are some fantastic ideas we could have … *cough cough* borrowed… Not that we ever did such a thing. Ever. Much.
This is the first book of Pratchett’s that had such an adult humour content and I’m glad it did as I think it needed it really to keep the story going for a wider audience. It was a fantastic, laugh-out-loud light read and was just what I needed.
For anyone considering Pratchett’s books, you don’t have to read the whole series. His books do actually stand alone so you would never have to read the entire forty something book long series. I’m just choosing to… because I can.
I have already started “Lords of the North” by Bernard Cornwell as my next read, albeit slowly – I’ve been busy the past couple of evenings doing some proofreading and I spent yesterday in the garden (note: not mine) breaking my back to help tidy it. Now summer is here, what are sunny bank holiday’s for if not that?! Needless to say, today has been a very chilled day in comparison so I’ve gotten loads of work done.
How do you guys spend your bank holidays? What books are on your reading lists? I’d love to hear from you. Until my next review, ciao for now!
 

Current Reading List: May 2017

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Hi guys!! I thought I would begin this week by giving everybody an idea as to what books I am currently reading, as well as a look ahead as to what I plan to read in the near future.
Currently, upon request of the author I am reading “Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith” by Shaun Hume, so expect a review to follow shortly. So far I would rate the book as a great read for anyone who loves fantasy. You could either check it out now or alternatively wait for my full review before making a decision.
The next book I have lined up is from a very famous author that I am looking to explore further – the book itself explores some pretty controversial themes. It is a story I believe a lot of people are familiar with as it has also been made into a film. I hadn’t actually realised Stephen King was the author of this book until recently and it goes to show that I really need to branch out more. (I actually came across this knowledge watching a video on YouTube of a Rap Battle between Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe… (just for giggles – here’s the link https://youtu.be/56R3hU-fWZ ).
If anyone hasn’t guessed by now you must be as sheltered as I was a couple of months ago. Yes, I am talking about The Green Mile!
The next read on my list is an absolute CLASSIC. It’s something I would never have entertained picking up a couple of years ago and I’m not sure it is entirely my cup of tea now, but I like a challenge. Not only is it a classic, it’s an epic at approximately 1,000 pages.
Any ideas as to the identity of the book yet? You’ve probably all guessed it! It’s War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. As I said before I’m not sure what I will make of this, but I’m interested to find out and I’ll for sure keep you informed of how I get on!
I think I am going in with the preconception that it is going to be hard work just because is it so LONG! I hope I’m pleasantly surprised – I enjoyed the TV adaptation made by the BBC so I remain hopeful I don’t get bogged down in all those pages.
The final book on my list for this post drifts back to something a little more lighthearted and back to my most comfortable genre. I have been making a real attempt to read Terry Prachett this year, and although it took some work getting into his writing style, I adore it now. The next installment is “Witches Abroad” and features one of my favourite characters of all, Granny Weatherwax. Here’s a couple of my favorite quotes from her just to show how awesome she is…
“Granny Weatherwax was not lost. She wasn’t the kind of person who ever became lost. It was just that, at the moment, while she knew exactly where SHE was, she didn’t know the position of anywhere else”.
“Haven’t you got any romance in your soul?’ said Magrat plaintively.
‘No,’ said Granny. ‘I ain’t. And stars don’t care what you wish, and magic don’t make things better, and no one doesn’t get burned who sticks their hand in a fire. If you want to amount to anything as a witch, Magrat Garlick, you got to learn three things. What’s real, what’s not real, and what’s the difference.”
That’s all for now folks! As ever, if you have any comments please drop me a line – and check out that video I’ve linked up if you’re up for a laugh! You won’t regret it 🙂

Review: Reaper Man – Terry Pratchett

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Hello everyone!

Following my last review of “The Pale Horseman” by Bernard Cornwell I advised that the next book I was planning on reading and reviewing is “Reaper Man” by Terry Pratchett – the 11th book of the Discworld series.

I began the series towards the end of last year and initially found the books difficult to get into; it took me three attempts to read “The Color of Magic” all the way through without mashing my brains. It is safe to say that Pratchett has a very specific writing style and sense of humour, which has grown on me, albeit over a bit of time.

There are a lot of things I could say about Pratchett. As a person I have a lot of respect for him, having come to know his background. Perhaps that is a post for me to share with you all another time. For now, I’ll focus my attention on the book to hand.

Goodreads – Reaper Man

‘Death has to happen. That’s what bein’ alive is all about. You’re alive, and then you’re dead. It can’t just stop happening.’

But it can. And it has. So what happens after death is now less of a philosophical question than a question of actual reality. On the Disc, as here, they need Death. If Death doesn’t come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can’t have the undead wandering about like lost souls. There’s no telling what might happen, particularly when they discover that life really is only for the living…

My Thoughts…

As the title suggests, this novel focuses around the role of Death. Over the years doing his duty of taking people into the afterlife and moving them on, he has acquired snippets of personality from them. He is curious about life and in previous books, has tried to experience what it is to be human. The other Deaths of the Universe deem this not to be fit – he is removed from his post and made mortal.

Whilst arrangements are made to replace Death, there is a buildup of life force on the Discworld as nobody truly dies, including 130 year old wizard Windle Poons who becomes undead, despite the numerous attempts and best efforts of the other wizards to see him off for good!

There is a particular element to the story which I didn’t really understand. We learn of the mysterious appearance of thousands of snow globes, which hatch as a result of the build up of life force. I won’t go into too much detail here, but whilst this element of the story is entertaining for humorous reasons more than anything, to me it lacks purpose. The only apparent link this plot line has to the story of Death is in relation to the build up of life force acting as a catalyst. I don’t recall any particular explanation as to where the snow globes came from, their history or previous effect on the Discworld. This is unusual for Pratchett; usually his storylines have very full descriptions and context but I was lacking understanding for this one.

With the inevitability of the Discworld and the involvement of wizards and the undead, vampires and were-people, obviously everything goes disasterously wrong. I found this part of the narrative actually left me with more absent-minded questions than answers really. Whilst trying to get my head around it in the shower I found myself thinking of questions much like the chicken and egg theory – which came first… the snow globe or the city?! Stupid I know. I have come to the conclusion Pratchett came up with the idea for this particular plotline during the early hours of the morning after a drunken night out.

Sorry Pratchett, I love the book overall, but absolutely not this part. If anybody has some better understanding of this section of the book, or I have missed something please let me know.

I have to say my favorite part of this book was the end. Whilst Death is mortal he comes to work for Miss Flitworth, helping bring in the harvest. I think she helps him to understand what it is to be human; to be imperfect but accepting of it. Whereas Death may have at one point had a very flippant attitude to life, he develops compassion for fellow humans. If you want to find out how, you’ll just have to read the book! No spoilers here! It is a very poignant and touching moment the first time he shows it so you can’t miss it! It also makes itself apparent with Miss Flitworth in the last few pages of the book, though if you’re not paying attention, you might miss some part of it. I had to read it over a few times before I understood what happened.

Overall, I would recommend the book as a good read. There are some sections I found myself wanting more from, but perhaps I have interpreted them wrong. If anybody else has read this book, please let me know your thoughts!

For my next read, I’m going to be reading the works of an author I haven’t encountered before. The book in particular I am reading is “Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith” by Shaun Hume. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you all already!