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Carpe Jugulum

Carpe Jugulum

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A BRILLIANT BOOK
Review: V. Funny and just generally a great book!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The Witches' Return to do...what, exactly?
Review: Terry Pratchett is the master of so many genres, it must be hard to stay fresh, yet he does not even make the attempt in "Carpe Jugulum". The story is a virtual re-write of another boring tale from Pratchett's pen, "Lords and Ladies", and it seems to me that his increasing dependence on letting the characters weave their own stories is losing steam. The Witches no longer seem fresh; their personalities, once intriguing and mystical, have grown stale and predictable; and even the new characters, the Magpyrs and Mightily Oats, are given paper thin veneers to their characters. I almost screamed aloud at the predictable "Granny saves the day" ending, which I wish that Pratchett would get away from.

In its defense, the book is slick and well written, as are all of the Discworld books, but "Carpe Jugulum" leaves (pardon the pun) a bad taste in the mouth. Rincewind's "The Last Continent" got better with repeated readings, (though it is still not a worthy successor to arguably the best Disc book, "Interesting Times,") and the Guards novels compete with one another in cleverness, but it seems that the witches books have lost their charm. "Wyrd Sisters", "Witches Abroad", and even "Equal Rites" were all brilliant stories with new characters bursting to acquire identities. The dark "Lords and Ladies", the horrible "Maskerade" and "Carpe Jugulum" have all shown that the bloom is off the rose; the latest Disc novel, "The Fifth Elephant", is another Guards novel, and let's hope that Terry has decided that Vimes, Angua, Carrot, Ramkin and Vetinari are where the future of the Discworld lies. And come to think of it, we haven't had a good Death book in about 4 years...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Why not keep English covers?
Review: Another Pratchett book arrives with another inexpressive american cover! Pratchett's current american publisher has a penchant for abstract, crudely rendered covers most inferior to the lively, baroque cartoons used on the original english editions. (Pratchett's old american publisher, NAL, often substituted american cartoons for english, but at least they kept up with the spirit of the thing.)Is the work of Josh Kirby and other british artists being kept off american covers by some copyright convention fluke, or just the poor taste of Pratchett's american publishers?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: Once again Pratchett comes up with a good story, certainly better than the dire Lost Continent. But still is it me or is he beginning to lose his touch. With books like Interesting Times, Maskerade and Feet of Clay he was on a role, classic after classic. Now with Carpe Jugulum all he can manage is a Lords and Ladies rehash. This is by no means a bad book, the plot works and it is still extremely funny but compared to some of the others this is a slight dissapointmment.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Pratchett Magic Continues to Spin Discworld!
Review: The book starts slower than most Disc novels, but the end is fabulous. The Disc struggles again with modernity as a family of Up-to-Date Vampires abandon the superstitous Ueberwald for the Kingdom of Lancre. Multiple personalities abound as Agnes, Magrat, and Nanny form a coven as the Maiden, the Mother, and ... er... the other one. I loved Granny's showdowns with Vampires and Death.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best!
Review: I simply loved it! Since I bought it I already read the books several times just in case I missed some jokes - and indeed I did... not just once. Whoever likes Vampyres - either old-fashioned or modern - is going to love this book. I especially got to like the witches who I did not favour more than any other character before this book. Agnes prooves that she is more than just "the one that poures the tea" and Nanny that she can be an "old crow". From the first line on I never got bored or could lay the book aside. It's sparkling of wit and creativity. Hilarious!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb - Absorbing - Funny and re-readable
Review: Great book full of humor, religion, witchcraft and undead. Oats has to be the best new character out of the last few books and I hope he is featured in more to come.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very funny - Terry Pratchett at his best!!!
Review: I have always felt that Terry Pratchett was at his best writing about the witches. They seem to be written with such pleasure. In Carpe Jugulium, the side plots are great and the ending was a surprise. I read the last page and started all over again. Thank you, Terry!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An imaginative and thrilling Discworld story.
Review: "Carpe Jugular" was an excellant book. The continuation of events in Lancre, where "Maskerade" had left off, were well-crafted. The introduction of the modern-thinking Count Magpyre and his two Gen-X kids as the threat to the tiny kingdom was interesting. Especially the resemblence of his two teenage kids to the 'cooler then thou' goth culture that has appeared in the youth culture. The appearance of the gnomes, (er..pixies), was hilarious. Pratchett's humor was best convied through the hard-working, but under-appreciated, Igor and King Verence II. I say, read this book. It's humorous, insightful, and will even surprise you, occasionally.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Novel Worthy of the Discworld Genre
Review: After the tepid and mediocre "Last Continent," I despaired of anything worth mentioning in "Carpe Jugulum." However, Pratchett has managed to pull off a stunning novel that just blew me away! The best character in the novel had to be Mightily Oats, the Omnian priest, who struggles with his faith (among other things). A character after my own heart, he is indepth and well thought out. There are several funny scenes involving him, but overall he serves as an exploration into the complexities of faith and fire. A great meditation on religion, evil, and not drinking what any little blue pixies tell you to. Look for a cameo by Brutha!


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