Rating: 
Summary: Oh no...
Review: I read this a while ago when it came out in the UK. After the severe mediocrity of The Last Continent, I was really hoping this would represent a return to form for the Discworld series. Alas, this hope has been dashed...Probably the worst aspect of this novel (aside from the almost total lack of anything really funny) is the number of utterly irrelevant side plots. The pixes, for instance. They appear briefly, and they do...absolutely nothing significant. It's bizarre: it seems as if Pratchett just forgot about them or got bored with them (they really aren't very interesting) and decided to just phase them out. The phoenix is similar--it may play a pivotal, if small, role in the novel's climax, but it wasn't nearly built up enough throughout the story. One aspect I did like was the bits with Mightily Oats and Granny Weatherwax, but those aren't enough to redeem the novel as a whole. As with The Last Continent, I really had to struggle to get all the way through it. Man, a little while ago Pratchett was just throwing out classics right and left--Soul Music, Interesting Times, Hogfather--and now this. I've read every Discworld novel, and I would say that this and TLC, along with Maskerade, definitely represent the series's nadir. Ah well...I suppose I'll still read The Fifth Elephant <shudders at horrific pun>--the plot seems somewhat promising. Still, if that's not a stunning comeback, it seems likely that I'll lose all hope...
Rating: 
Summary: Pratchett continues to develop
Review: Anyone familiar with TP's books knows that, especially with the Witches books, Pratchett is developing beyond a simple humor writer into more well-rounded modes. Carpe Jugulum represents part of that shift, as it is both a very funny take on vampires, *and* a more serious tale about nature and reality and rebirth. Defiently recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Fewer laughs than usual, better story.
Review: I actually read this about a month ago, but for some reason Amazon was not accepting reviews. I guess that is because the US edition isn't out yet. I occasionally have a chance to get the UK edition, which is why I have already read this. Anyway, this was a great book. Not as many laugh-out-loud moments as some of the Discworld books, but it more than makes up for that by having a more engaging and interesting story than most of this series. Obviously, I am a big fan of this series. Given the popularity of vampires in fantasy fiction nowadays, it was perhaps inevitable that Pratchett would put his own spin on the sub-genre. It such a good story that it would've been worth reading, perhaps three stars, with no humor at all. For those who think Terry has been slipping a bit lately, all I can say is read this one. As good as the Discworld series is, my all-time favorite of his was the collaboration with Neil Gaiman, "Good Omens." Wouldn't it be fun to see him do a vampire collaboration with Kim Newman? Just a thought.
Rating:
Summary: James Wilkinson
Review: Pratchett's previous book, "The Last Continent", about the Disc's equivalent of Australia made me lose faith in one of Britain's most talented authors. It seemed that he'd finally run out of steam, wallowing in old characters without trying to do anything new but (as you can probably tell by the 5 stars above) it seems he's back on form. It seems that just about every passing mythological creature wants to mess with Lancre these days. They're fighting tooth and nail (and fang and talon) to take over. Following on from the elves of "Lords and Ladies" are a family of vampires who have decided that their kind should stop lurking around in the shadows and living in impractical gothic mansions and take over Lancre, with the rest of the world to follow. No longer happy with how things are, they've decided to enslave the humans of the Disc (they obviously don't believe in free-range food). Sadly, they make the mistake of starting with a certain small county starting with "L"... Whereas in "Last Continent", Pratchett seemed to forget about character progression (aside from poor Ponder Stibbons), he's back on form here. Agnes Nitt stops being a slightly more tough version of Magrat and becomes a fully fledged character in herself, whilst Granny's put through the emotional wringer again. As well as bringing back the old familiar (in both senses of the word) characters, CJ also brings in some new people - a priest who's lacking in self-confidence and a stereotypical igor being two of the most memorable. In fact, there are only a couple of problems with the book, starting with the aforementioned igor character - in a world where Pratchett seems desparate to supply explanation for every odd occurance (how gods are 'made' in "Small Gods" or how an aerodynamically dragon can fly in "Guards! Guards!) the idea behind a community where people are sewn together from their relatives' body parts just doesn't feel... right (it makes for some pretty good jokes though). Likewise, there's a grey area as to exactly who's been turned into a vampire by the end of the book. But it quotes a Beautiful South song, so that's okay. Still, it's great to see Pratchett back on form. Welcome back, sir.
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: 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: The new vampyre aproach
Review: It amazes me every time how big Pratchetts imagination is, how he can take all familiar stories and fairytales and give them a brand new aproache...
He does it again in Carpe Jugulum ("seize the troath"), where he taccles vampires who are entering the new century, by calling themselves vampyres, dressing in modern clothes, livyng in a clean castle, eating galic...
The trouble starts in Lancre when king Verence invites all his neighbours, including the vampyres, to the name-giving of his daughter and granny's invitation gets lost...
The vampyres take over the castle, granny is competely under their spell, granny is missing... it doesn't look good... But there also is Agnes/Perdita, who doesn't fall for the vapyre tricks and seeks help in the form of nanny Ogg and a priest of Ohm...
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: 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
|
