Who pays the piper......? (Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents -Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents -Terry Pratchett
Date:	07/01/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great entry into the Discworld series that can be enjoyed by adults and younger readers alike.

Disadvantages: A little slow at the very beginning but soon picks up into a cracking read!

A Discworld novel aimed at a slightly younger audience that the rest of the series, Maurice takes an irrevelant and often satirical look at the legend of The Pied Piper. Maurice is an intelligent cat- and not just in the cutesy-wutsey-aww-just-look-at-him kind of way. Maurice can talk. As can a select group of rats in whose company Maurice chooses to reside in. Together along with a young piper they have brought into their social circle , though admittedly it is more Maurice's idea than the rats, the group have organised a very clever and lucrative scam; upon entering a small town, the rats put on a show of force and misbehave in people's kitchens. Then along comes the young lad and Maurice and, for a small fee of course, the pair rid the town of their supposed rat infestation. The rats are trying to earn enough money to get to a small island where they can start their own ratty civilisation; Maurice is just doing it for the scam and as for the kid...well presumably he doesn't have anywhere else to be....

How are the rats able to think and talk? Well, they used to feed on the rubbish at the Unseen University, home of the Ankmorpork wizards. As for Maurice- well thats a mystery, innit guv?

When the group reach the township of Bad Blintz in Uberwald however, things don't entirely go to plan. First of all there are the Ratcatchers who don't appear to have two brain cells to rub together but who are part of an extensive scam. Then there is the Mayor's daughter who is fond of telling stories and knows exactly and precisely how adventures are supposed to go. And who fits right in with Maurice and his band of brothers. And then there is the fact that there would appear to be no native rats in the town....it is up to Maurice and his group of educated rodents to discover just what exactly is going on but first they have to stay alive....

This is one of Pratchett's cleverest books to date that can be enjoyed by both youngsters and older readers as well. Satirical jabs are aimed not just solely at the Pied Piper of legend but also at traditional fairy tales (as written by the Sisters Grimm in Pratchett's world) and even good 'ol Enid Blyton gets a look in too! What makes this all the more poignant is that Pratchett has been recently diagnosed with Alzheimers which means future Discworld novels may become a bit of a rarity. It is such a tragedy that one of our most prolific and amusing authors should be crippled in such a way and, on the evidence on this novel, his absence from the literary world will be solely missed.

If you've never read Pratchett before, you should think about giving him a go. Although set in Discworld, no previous knowledge is required for enjoyment of this novel and Maurice and his amazing rodents ends up being a very clever social commentary that never fails to delight and amuse.

Summary: Think you know the legend of the Pied Piper? Think again....