Rating: 
Summary: Witches vs. Vampires -- not a chance, with Granny involved
Review: Pratchett takes the wonderful whimsy of his famous Discworld and mixes it with a dash of nasty horror. This time out Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the other witches of their coven must protect their homeland of Lancre from an incursion by a clan of vampires who have been training themselves to be immune to such things as garlic and religious icons (it's all psychosomatic, you see). Pratchett, as always, is brilliantly funny and biting with his satire. No target is safe. As the title of the book implies, Pratchett's motto seems to be "carpe jugulum... go for the throat."I must admit, as far as the series-within-a-series Discworld books go, it took time for me to warm up to Granny Weatherwax. She and her coven have become some of my favorites among Pratchett's creations, though, and this book was perhaps their best outing yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Great!
Review: This is the twenty-third book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle. Anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does.
This book returns us to Lancre, a relaxed land under the guardianship of a group of witches, the foremost of whom is Granny Weatherwax. But, when king Verence invites a family of vampires from Uberwald to the naming of his new daughter, they decide that the invitation was to take the country over. But, Count de Magpyr isn't your run-of-the-mill vampire - he eats garlic, plays with holy symbols, watches sunrises, and does not fear Granny Weatherwax. Can Mistress Weatherwax save Lancre from descent into a modern vampiric hell? Perhaps, but first she must keep herself alive!
This is another great Discworld book, one of my favorites. As with many of the later Terry Pratchett books, this one is not laugh-out-loud funny like the early ones were. I mean, it is quite funny, but even more so, this is a suspenseful book that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are fascinating, and the plot is great!
So, if you like the Discworld books in general, then be assured that this is one of the greats. And, if you are a fan of witches, then this is just the book for you! I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Granny and Nanny versus the undead
Review: Those of us who grew up watching Hammer films know better than to invite a vampire into our castle. But suppose you are the new jester-turned-king of a small principality on Discworld, and you want to be friends with all of your neighbors, even if they happen to be undead. (Hint: always check to see if a country has a disproportionate number of 24-hour Walgreens before issuing your invitations). Not only does King Verence invite a family of vampires to his daughter's christening, his invitation to the powerful witch, Granny Weatherwax goes mysteriously astray. Foopahs abound. Granny Weatherwax closes up her cottage as though she never means to return. Her friend and fellow-witch, Nanny Ogg is upset by King Verence's choice of a priest of Om as the official baptizer--a priest who relies on bits of strategically placed paper to jog his uncertain memory--which is how the little princess ends up with the name 'Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling of Lancre.' Of course, Lancre did once have a king named, 'My God He's Heavy the First.' This is obviously going to shape up as one of the most disastrous christenings since Sleeping Beauty got the shaft (or more correctly, the spindle) from the thirteenth fairy godmother. Then events take a turn for the worse when the vampires happily chow through Nanny Ogg's special garlic dip without a single rumble of indigestion. I love all of the Granny Weatherwax/Nanny Ogg Discworld novels, and even though "Carpe Jugulum" tackles some unusually serious themes (its vampires are truly evil, unlike the loveable, teetotalling Otto in "The Truth"), it is still vintage Pratchett and vintage Granny. It is amazing how an author of such absurd fantasies can still convey such a bone-chilling description of evil. Pratchett is much more than a 'simple' comic novelist.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful addition to Discworld series
Review: Vampires have invaded Lancre and any fan of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick won't be disappointed with their adventures. Magrat has gone through some pleasing changes, and Agnes ("She that calls herself Perditax") has become a very interesting addition to the coven. _Carpe Jugulum_, like all the other Discworld novels, is not simply straight-forward fantasy, or just an amusing read. It's difficult to review a Discworld novel because they manage to be both amazingly funny and poignant at the same time. There are some truly beautiful moments in this book, and I cried with laughter more than once on reading it. If you enjoy humorous fantasy, you'll never find anything as remotely funny as Pratchett. If you're tired of having your intelligence insulted by the usual, tired fantasy plot devices and characters and don't mind thinking, I heartily suggest this book and all the other Discworld series.
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