Rating: 
Summary: Go for the Throat! Lancre meets the vampires!
Review: Here we return to Lancre. A group of "new-fangled" vampires gets invited by good but naive King Verence. Once there they begin to take over and convince everyone (with a little help from mind control) that their way is best.Once again, we have Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat Garlick, Agnes Nitt, and regulars like the rest of the Ogg family and the weird castle servants like the falconer Hodgesaargh. But we also become introduced to new characters with staying power for future books like the Omnian priest Mightily Oats and the seemingly ever-present Igors. This is not the best book, but it is a LOT better than "Lords and Ladies" and "Maskerade." A good solid 4 stars (of course, this is only my opinion). Granny and Nanny are always a treat. Agnes and her dual personality were very funny, too. Once again, Granny finds a way to give the vampires a taste of their own medicine. The vampire stereotypes were very funny, especially the lemons (I have not heard of that one before). Igor (and other Igors) very very good, especially the way they refused to act any way but "tradithional." But Igors really come into their own in the book "Fifth Elephant." The vampires (except the previous "old count" at the end: he was funny, because of his past amicable relationship with the townspeople) were not very lovable or funny: I didn't really like any of them at all, and that was aminor complaint. But even though the plot was dramatic and serious, there were so many individual scenes that made me burst out laughing, especially the stereotypes and the relationship between the Uberwald townspeople and the pervious vampire that they kill every 50 years or so. And stuffing lemons in everyone's mouth was funny, especially when the townspeople kept trying to test Agnes to make sure she wasn't a vampire. So, all in all, a good book and excellent development of Agnes and the Igors for future books.
Rating: 
Summary: A New Level of Discworld Novel
Review: Since "The Color Of Magic" was published, readers have learned to expect a unique brand of wit and humor that is characteristically Pratchett's. What many readers and reviewers have missed, however, is the growing thread of serious issues in some of these books. "Carpe Jugulum" is, I believe, an important example of the synthesis between serious and humorous threads that are a growing characteristic of these novels. It is not a ripoff of "Lords And Ladies", as some have stated - the connection between these two books is limited to 1)bad guys come into the world and 2)they have contempt for normal people. These themes are general enough for a dozen books. An attentive reading of the book, however, shows that there is not only inspired humor, but an examination of a serious question - who are we? can we take responsibility for the hard decisions? can we pick light or darkness, or are we condemned to live in the middle? Following the fugue of character development among the 4 witches and the priest of OM reveals a gentle but serious exploation of these issues. So, read it for fun - the fun is certainly there - but appreciate that the book is far from the simple literary slapstick some people seem to expect from Pratchett.
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: Vampire books are all pretty much the same, except this one
Review: Okay, I have this odd sence of de ja vu when I read a vampire novel, I mean if you read 3 how different can the 4th be? Not this one. It's a beautiful satire and has far too many one liners and jokes like all Terry Pratchett books to really go into. It has Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax two of the witches in Lancre driving out the vampires (sorry, vampyres)who were invited in by King Verence for his daughter's christening. Possibly my favorite bit, was when the older vampires are making fun of young vampires who wear bright clothes and stay up until noon and wear their hair short and tell people that their name is Pam or Agnes.... it's a very funny quick read. I also have a hard time thinking of it being a blow off. There are bits with Granny Weatherwax that make you feel you may have just read somethingg important.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great...
Review: While I agree with others that this is not at all a rewrite of Lord and Ladies, this also is one of the weaker books in the series. The quick story is that the king has invited vampires into his kingdom - an invitation they quickly accept so they can take it all over. Of course, they have to contend with Granny Weatherwax and initially she appears to be a push-over... The vampire portions are really well done and I enjoyed them a lot. It was easy to see their motivations and empathise with them (despite their dark nature.) The witches behavior was much more haphazard and odd - none of them appear to be strong characters (except Granny, of course) and instead appear to just stumble into everything. While it's true that is a large part of Rincewind's appeal but I guess I don't expect it everywhere in the Discworld. Oh well, it is a funny book with some of the best humor he's written - I just wish the other parts were just as solid as the comedy.
Rating:
Summary: Funnier than Lords and Ladies
Review: Funnier than Lords and Ladies, we also get some Igor. The vampires are done well; these are modern vampires ("vampyres,") and there is a reason they tend to resemble Marilyn Manson wannabees. The pixies are great, the young priest is great, and the pop-horror and pop-horror-parody references come thick and fast. Granny Weatherwax features in this one and saves the day as usual, but it isn't quite clear exactly how (she has a talent for "borrowing" in which she can leave her body and take over animals, but in this case she apparently puts a bit of herself into a number of different people; this is a bit too "magical" for my taste, and seems to violate the spirit of Discworld, where magic is real, but has specific limits and constraints). If you don't care about consistency, though, this is not a bad choice.
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: What a bloody nuisance
Review: Carpe Jugulum, the 23rd Discworld novel by the ever-amusing Terry Pratchett, introduces vampires to the Disc. Having read the books out of order, and having already read all of the subsequent ones, vampires are old-hat to me. A couple of times, I had to consciously remember that this was the first and that some of the things I knew about them weren't true in this one. That being said, this is another wonderful Discworld book, a notch on his belt that looks rather toothy. A number of people have commented on the similarities between this book and Lords & Ladies, with the vampires replacing the elves as villains. While I do see some similarities, there are some marked differences as well. Carpe Jugulum, I feel, stands well on its own two feet. There is a completely different purpose behind what the vampires are doing. The Count wants to modernize his people, to get them to overcome some of the "silly" stereotypes about vampires. He doesn't want a dank, gloomy castle with webs all over the place. He doesn't see the hunt as a game where the vampire always loses. He wants to take over in order to protect himself, his family, and his very way of life. If he didn't commit some thoroughly evil deeds in the process, his goal might actually be a legitimate one. However, he does commit these acts, and thus must be stopped. This is where the book does become a little standard, with an intractable enemy facing the witches and Granny using her "headology" to save the day. I have to admit that what she decides to do is very interesting, and a nice twist on vampire myths in general. I won't reveal what she does, but suffice it to say that she turns one of the typical vampire powers back on itself in a very novel way. The plot is well-told by Pratchett, and for once the ending doesn't actually come out of left field. If you read the characters properly (especially Igor, who is also introduced in this book), then you may be able to guess what happens. As for the characters, Pratchett again excels. The witches are their normal selves (Magrat is kind of shy but shields a strong backbone when push comes to shove, Nanny Ogg is lewd and crude but always knowledgeable, and Granny is her usual gruff self with a heart underneath which nobody will ever see unless they really look), but the new witch Agnes is also very interesting. She has a second side to herself which occasionally comes out. It is a separate personality, which is invaluable in protecting her from the vampire charms. Mightily Oats is also a hoot, but deep enough that you do start to care about him. His crisis of faith isn't exactly unique, but Pratchett gives him enough differences to avoid making him unoriginal. The vampires steal the show, though, along with Igor. We have the Count, who is determined to change things. His wife, the Countessa, is going along with him but doesn't really believe in it. The kids, Lacrimosa and Vlad, don't see any point to all this. They just want to feed and play with the mortals. These four argue constantly, as the Count flashes them holy signs to harden them against the effects, makes them stay up during the day, and overall annoys them with his optimism that all of these things can be changed. He's also looking forward to matching wits with Granny, and there are a couple of times where you think that maybe Granny won't succeed. Igor, however, is the best character in the book. The vampires are sure that his lisp and the way he walks is all part of the "game" and that he doesn't need to do all of that. But Igor is a traditionalist, constantly referring to how the old "mathter" used to do things. "The old mathter loved my spider webs." He's a fun character, and I completely understand why Pratchett has used an Igor in almost every book since this one. He truly is a wonderful creation. The humour is Pratchett at his best, with some innuendo (though kids have either already heard it or wont' get it). The Witches books always seem to contain things like that, and as before, the plot is much more straightforward then is usual in a Discworld book. He seems to like using the "traditional" villains whenever they are involved, perhaps because they are the most "normal" heroes he has created. Sometimes there are some seemingly unnecessary bits, such as the little blue people (Nac mac Feegle) who help King Verence attack the vampires. However, they are hilarious, so I'll forgive the fact that they don't really do a lot in the book. The puns are atrocious (the name of the vampires' castle is "Don'tgonearthe Castle") but I couldn't stop laughing. If you like Pratchett but don't like the Witches, then this book won't change your mind. But if you haven't tried them yet, give this one a try. You don't need to have read the previous witches books (though it does help). And if you're reading this after reading the next few books, keep in mind that some things you know about vampires just aren't true...yet. What a bloody treat! David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Funny and fast
Review: Funny fast read - one of the better Pratchett books. This guy has a sense of humor akin to Monty Python. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: A different kind of vampire book
Review: Another good book in this consistently funny series. This time Pratchett pokes fun at vampire stories. Although all the books in the series pretty much stand on their own, I'd recommend starting with the first book in the series, The Color of Magic.
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