From Varnishholme to the endless flatness a wonderfully woven story. (The Carpet People - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: mpeh

Product:	The Carpet People - Terry Pratchett
Date:	23/04/01 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Charming, witty, original, clever, brilliant

Disadvantages: Been changed unnecessarily by modern day Pratchett.

I've read the original by Pratchett aged 17 and the new one that hs been 'improved' by Pratchett aged 40 something and have to say that I found the original the best. Thsi is simply a brillaint book. Suitable for children it is also imminently suited for adults as all the best children's books are.
Telling the story of Snibril Orkson, a member of a tribe of people who live in the outer edges of an empire in a carpet. Pratchett keeps things close enough to a real carpet with hairs, wood walls, the rug men, varnish holme ( a varnished skirting board I imagine) and other details to make things very recognisable and ignores reality when it gets in the way in a perfect balance creationg a charming universe thats surprisingly believable for such a simply crafted book. When I say simple I mean that the writing style is pure and not changed by too many adult influences, it really is very different from the cybnical pratchett we see in Jingo and other later Discworlds. I agree that this is what makes the discworlds brilliant but for this charming little story such cynicism would only mar the profundity of the characters struggles and desires.
Although this reads like a novel written by a young person in some aspects, a charming naiveity and a way of describing things in other aspects it reads like a maturely written book. The writing style doesn;t suffer because of the authors age and that's what really matters in a book right?
I think this is Pratchetts masterpiece and hopefuly what he will go down in history for. I've fallen i love with the carpet people and you will too.

P.S. This is a brilliant book for bed time stories for children or adults. I had it read aloud to me when I was small, have read it as a bed time story to my girlfriend and hope to read it to my kids when I get there. Truly a master work.

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