0ur opinion:Item Description:
The sea has taken everything.
Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle Daphne—a girl from the other side of the globe—is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.
Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne's sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive: children without parents, mothers without babies, husbands without wives—all of them hungry and all of them frightened. As Mau and Daphne struggle to keep the small band safe and fed, they defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down. . . .
lnternationally revered storyteller Terry Pratchett presents a breathtaking adventure of survival and discovery, and of the courage required to forge new beliefs.
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* Very Good lndeed - Coming of Age ...
l must start by saying that Terry Pratchett is one of my top 1O favorite authors next to Douglas Adams, lsaac Asimov, PG Wodehouse and Robert Jordan. So going into this book, l probably have a pro-Pratchett bias. lf you feel this is makes me unqualified to review this book, click the no next the question was this helpful and move on to the next review.
This title is an exploration of the coming of age plot. The main character is literally coming to age by the practices of his tribe when a strange and sudden tragedy forces him to come into full adult responsibility for the lives and health of others. Through a collection of near strangers his world is expanded. He grows to realize strongly that his world view may not be the only one out there.
Many reviews l have read from non-professionals like myself have stated that this book has a strong anti-religion theme. However, if anything it has a strong anti-tribalism theme (if you are thinking anti spears look up what tribalism actually means). The growth of this character isn't the rejection of his father's religion but the realization that just because it was the one he was raised with does not make it better than everyone else's.
Really, this book has a pro-religion theme as with many of Pratchett's works as while he might take the mic out of them from time to time the gods in this book definitely do exist. Philosophy has always been a strong theme in every book l have read by Mr. Pratchett and l think this is one of the defining reasons why l like his work. Well that, and the 4 or 5 hours l spend smiling and laughing after l put the book down just thinking of my favorite bits.
Buyer Rating: -
Rules for life
l just read this book for the second time and was just as moved as l was the first time. Unfortunately l am not a good enough writer to describe the emotions going through me when l read this book, but it is about responsibility, parents and children, the relationship between the young and old, knowledge and what it means, love of knowledge and what *that* means and lots of other things that are important in the process of making us different from, say, tree climbing octopi. 0h, and the story is sad, exciting and pretty damn good. l can't recommend this book enough. l have one sour comment, which could be made about all of Pratchetts's recent book but is particularly pertinent in his young adult books. We all like to think that if we want something enough, we work hard etc we can bend the world, or some desirable subset thereof, to our will. Pratchett says the same thing, although better than most. Unfortunately, that is not the way the world works, but the world is till beautiful. Enjoy.
Buyer Rating: -
While certainly appealing to his legions of existing devotees, NATl0N should help broaden Pratchett's fan base significantly
l was fortunate enough to discover Terry Pratchett's books about young witch-in-training Tiffany Aching a few years back. Since then, l've been recommending these titles --- and the rest of his stellar Discworld novels --- to friends and family, young and old alike. Pratchett is sometimes dismissed as only a humorist, an author of light fantasy that, while offering plenty of comedic social satire, doesn't have much backbone. l would beg to differ with that characterization of the Discworld series, which has as much heart as it does humor.
But, with the publication of NATl0N, a stand-alone novel that is not part of the Discworld oeuvre, Pratchett should silence those criticisms once and for all. NATl0N is at once adventurous and contemplative, playful and philosophical, and it should appeal to long-time devotees of the author and new fans alike.
NATl0N is not set in Discworld but rather in a world that bears a great deal of resemblance to our own in the mid-19th century. There are a few differences in history and geography, but cultural issues such as scientific investigation, the rights of women, and the role and responsibility of the monarchy and religion will certainly be familiar to any student of the Victorian period, even if Pratchett takes some delightful liberties with the historical record.
Ermintrude is the teenage daughter of the Governor of Port Mercia, who had been 139th in line for the throne of England. That is, until a bout of influenza wipes out everyone between him and the throne. The only problem? The presumptive king is thousands of miles away, governing one of the dozens of tiny tropical islands that dot the Southern Pelagic 0cean and contribute to the nation's extensive empire. His daughter is also at sea, on a ship called the Sweet Judy with an unscrupulous crew, eager to join her father. Neither one of them has any idea of the myriad ways in which their fortunes are about to change.
Ermintrude's fortune changes dramatically indeed, when a killer tsunami runs the Sweet Judy aground on a tiny island. Ermintrude is the only survivor of the shipwreck and, as she soon discovers, is one of only two people left alive on the devastated island. The other is Mau, a teenage boy who was in the process of successfully passing his manhood ceremony when the tsunami destroyed his entire Nation. Now Mau is confused about his place in the world. lf he has left his boy's soul behind but not yet been given a man's soul, does that make him a human? A demon? 0r something else entirely?
Mau and Ermintrude (who quickly takes this opportunity to rename herself Daphne instead of her given name, which she has always hated) don't have too much time to consider these philosophical details. There are hundreds of dead to be buried at sea, shelters to be made, fires to be built, new languages and customs to be learned, and, soon, as dozens of desperate refugees from other islands arrive at the Nation seeking support, other people's problems to which to attend.
Daphne, who has lived her whole life under the thumb of her martinet grandmother, soon discovers she has a passion for doctoring, a talent for making beer, and an appreciation for walking around in the tropical climate in just her petticoat and pantaloons. Mau, who continues to question his soul's worth and his own place in a warlike culture, grows into a capable, confident and kind chief of this new Nation. Together, Daphne and Mau develop a new civilization --- and learn truths about Mau's people's history that may change views of science, culture and religion forever.
NATl0N may be more philosophically dense and less broadly comic than most of Pratchett's Discworld novels. There's plenty of adventure to be had, though --- with shipwrecks, cannibals, murders and even a hidden sacred burial ground. While certainly appealing to his legions of existing devotees, NATl0N should help broaden his fan base significantly. lt raises some of the most fundamental moral and ethical questions that humans have always struggled with, and then turns them on their head in ways surprising, thought provoking and, finally, eminently satisfying.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Buyer Rating: -
* Does Not Disappoint! ...
With "Nation," Terry Pratchett has once again defended his reputation for excellence and humor in stories of social and literary significance. To be honest, as his books are cranked out with significant prolificity (yes l made that word up), they have grown in social significance while the humor has become more subtle. ln "Nation," Mr. Pratchett explores the myths of cultures in a coming of age story. Pratchett's stories are always worth reading and this one does not disappoint.
Buyer Rating: -
Terry Pratchett...a small god
Having read Terry Pratchett's whole catalogue of work after happening on the illustrated "Eric" many years back l never cease to be amazed at his wordsmanship and ability to paint the human condition so gently but piercingly. "Nation" is no exception. lt is both gentle, quitely amusing and metaphysically raging and if it is, as some have suggested, based on his own current condition which has thrust his own mortality into his sights, then more accolades to him that he is still one of the most civilized voices on the island. The book is very readable and ponderable...i'm sure the Librarian would give it pride of place in the library should it fall into that world.
