Nation - Terry Pratchett

Nation by Terry Pratchett. ~ About the Author ~ Terry Pratchett is one of the best known of Fantasy writers out there. He began writing in 1983, and when I first began reading his books (I read his second novel The Light Fantastic just after publication) no-one really knew who he was! It couldn't be more different today, and this has lead to one bizarre claim to fame - In the UK, he holds the record for the greatest number of books that are shoplifted! Pterry (as many of his fans will refer to him, harking back to a particular novel) does more than just write about a fantasy world. He includes puns, cultural and historical references and ...  Read the complete review

Mau thinks he is the only known survivor of "The Wave". He returns to his home island of "Nation" scared and alone ready to give himself to the Dark Current. Then the Grandfathers start shouting at him, a Ghost Girl arrives and everything changes. "Nation" is a weird novel even by Terry Pratchett standards. Pratchett has a monopoly on a certain wonderful brand of weirdness in the form of his magical and iconic "Discworld" series. However, "Nation" is something of different entity. A departure for Pratchett, "Nation" takes him away from his comfort zone and away from his established old ...  Read the complete review

All societies have their Right of Passage initiation into manhood ceremonies for their young men and The Nation isn't any different. Many such ceremonies involve the elders of the tribe and sometimes painful surgery but Mau, hero of our tale, has no such audience: his trial is carried out very much alone. He is marooned on the Boy's Island, 20 miles away from his home, where he has to survive, make or find tools, build himself a boat and get himself back to his island home, only after which will he be acclaimed by his tribe and win his man's soul. And so he sets sail. The Honourable Miss Ermintrude Fanshaw has problems of her own: she is 140th in line to ...  Read the complete review

I'm not normally a fan of Terry's writing outside of Discworld, however this book peaked my curiosity and when Waterstones had a half-price offer on, I picked it up and brought it home. For a book I wasn't expecting to be so impressed with, I read it in just over a week of bedtime reading! For those that don't read Pratchett, he created the Discworld, which is a parallel of our own world except with magic and trolls and Corporal Nobby Nobbs. Most of his books have been set there, and a few of those books have reached a broader audience as movies made and broadcast by SkyTV. One of his non-Discworld books, Johnny and the bomb, was also made into ...  Read the complete review

Nation by Terry Pratchett is a brilliant young adult novel that can be enjoyed by both adolencents and adults. It offers a refreshing change from the wonderful discworld novels that Pratchett is more commenly known for, but maintains his origional wit, comicality and excellent absurdity. The novel peels back its stratum efficaciously to unveil philosophies regarding life, death and faith. The story revolves around a teenage island boy called Mau and is set in a fantastical yet recognisable 18th century world. It begins with Mau stranded on the Boys Island, a place of important rite of passage, where he must build a raft to ...  Read the complete review