Monday, January 12, 2009


Author: Terry Pratchett
Originally Published: 2008
Length: 367 pages
Personal Enjoyment Factor: 4.5/5 Rating:4 .5/5 (78 Customer Reviews)

It seems the last few books I have reviewed have been right on par with the average rating. How comfortably average I am! We'll see how long that lasts.

I have many things to do today, but this book is due at the library so I'm trying to squeeze in this review. To help me out, here's Pratchett's own summary and thoughts on his latest novel:

I really enjoyed this one. It was thought-provoking and philosophical. There was a satisfying balance between tragedy and comedy. I loved the characters. I know a good villain is always exciting to read about, but I was especially drawn to the goodness of Mau and Daphne as the question the things they have been taught in their separate societies and learn to sacrifice their own needs to help others. Two (of my own) thumbs up!


  1. I get so ridiculously excited when I see that someone else really enjoyed this book too :D

    The lack of villains is common in his books, and some say it's something that really makes Discworld different, because a lot of fantasy stories seem to have them. I actually like that about him. I mean, I agree that a good villain is fun to read about, but usually this allows his characters to be up against complex and diverse things. And the villains he does write are always fascinating.

  2. Can I be shamefully honest and admit that until I started reading book blogs I had never really heard of Terry Pratchett? Now I am always reading something about him or his books. I think I am going to have to expand my horizons and pick up one of his books soon.

  3. Hi Chain Reader,

    This is the webmaster of

    You may not realize this, but it is generally considered unacceptable etiquette among website owners to "hotlink" images. (What you've done in this post is use an image off my site in yours--now every time someone visits your page, the image gets pulled off my site's files, which uses up my bandwidth.) I would appreciate either your hosting the image on your own, or more explicit attribution to my site. (I'm sure I'm not doing a very good job explaining this. Send me an email at if I'm not clear.) I'm sure you don't mean any harm or anything, which is why I'm writing this comment to tell you. :)

    Like I said, send me an email and we can work something out!


  4. Shoshana,
    Thanks for letting me know--this is where my lack of technical knowledge causes problems! My husband was able to tell me how to fix the problem, and I will do it right now, and also know to avoid it in the future:-)

  5. Nymeth,
    Everyone has their own taste in books that is to be respected, but it is very exciting when someone agrees about a great book! I hope to discover more of Discworld someday. The only one I've read is Wee Free Men.

    It was actually the same for me--I had never heard of him. And he's written so many books! It's a killer for the TBR list!

  6. I haven't read any Terry Pratchet either but he has been recommended to me by a friend. I actually looked for one of his books one day at the library and saw so many that I didn't know where to start, so I didn't. It sounds like it must be okay to pick up anywhere?