'Nation' A Treasure (Nation - Terry Pratchett)

Member Name: Redmedic

Product:	Nation - Terry Pratchett
Date:	29/10/08 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Darkly comic and highly readable

Disadvantages: May not be suitable for young children

'Nation,' Terry Pratchett's most recent and possibly final novel, is a shift away from his highly-successful Discworld series, which now numbers over 30 titles. In it, the characters inhabit a world similar to our own, in roughly 1800. Mau, a teenage boy who lives on a island in the pacific ocean returns to his village after a tidal wave to discover that, tragically, everyone he knows is dead. To add to his troubles, a large ship has also been washed up, bringing with it more dead bodies and one survivor - a girl.

Stripped of his heritage and faced with the massive tasks of trying to re-instate the traditions of his forefathers, protect his island and the other surviors from maurauders, and understand what on earth the strange girl is saying, Mau finds that he and the survivors have built a nation.

A roller-coaster read of adventure, discovery and loss, this book will appeal to both children and adults as it takes a fresh look at the concept of belonging, of cultural identity, and of loss. With a hint of Robinson Crusoe, this witty and darkly brilliant book makes a potentially fantastic final flourish for Pratchett, and is an excellent introduction to the genre of fantasy.

Summary: A tale of shipwreck, adventure and of belonging,