Unseen Academicals, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Something is going on in the city of Ankh-Morpork with respect to the game of foot-the-ball, or football, as it is sometimes called. And it's not just that the wizards of Unseen University are putting together a team. And add to the mix Nutt, who is probably one of the most erudite individuals at the University but might not actually be human. 

Comments: Given the usual insanity of Ankh-Morpork and Terry Pratchett's amusing comments, you have a book that's hard to put down. Another amazing Pratchett book. I quite like the cast of characters. They're all so real and varied. And capable of surprises. Quite the page turner (and there were lots of pages to turn...)

Nation, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: After a rather large wave destroys Mau's village and many others and leaves the ship Daphne is on stranded on the island where Mau lives, they, and soon other people as well, band together to learn to survive in the aftermath of the storm.

Reaction: Very thought provoking. Definitely raises issues about what is really "savage" and opposed to unfamiliar, and aren't people pretty much the same everywhere. I rather enjoyed it.

(And of course the bits in the romance direction made me consider certain parts of my own life)

(Note that the first book I post about in two months is one I read in two days. The one I've been reading for most of that time is still not done on account of my hardly having time to breathe, let alone read.)

Thud!, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Once again, Sam Vimes is in the position of trying to figure out what mysterious going-on went on in Ankh-Morpork. This time, a rabble-rousing dwarf has been murdered. Of course, as usual, a simple crime turns out to be far more complex.

Comments: See my previous reviews of Pratchett books for the kinds of cliche comments that are running thru my head--amusing, incredibly complex, convenient, etc.

Pyramids, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Teppic comes from a land where the kings are buried in pyramids (remind you of anywhere?), and he finds himself king after the death of his father. With the prompting of the high priest Dios, he has commissioned the biggest pyramid ever built. And that's when things start getting really interesting...

Comments: I find it rather amusing that the name of the country seems to be pronounced as "jelly baby". And of course there's some number of random amusing comments throughout the book. What can I say, it's Pratchett? (Although for once I did manage to come up with a plot synopsis.)

Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: It's a Discworld book (translation: a reasonable length summary is not possible). It centers around the god Om and his one real believer, Brutha, and the head exquisitor, Vorbis.

Comments: Staying up until 4 am trying to finish a book after having gotten 2 hours of sleep the night (okay, and a 2 1/2 hour midday nap)before isn't conducive to caring about it. Just saying. I think in spite of that, it still wasn't as good as some of his other books. Not that it was bad or anything, just noticably less good. Ah well, it's not possible for everything to be perfect. And if that were the case, we likely wouldn't notice because we wouldn't know what it is for things to be not perfect.

Interesting Times, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: The failed wizard Rincewind once again manages to save to world, or at least cause people to live happily every after, in his attempts to save his own skin.

Comments: Well, that was amusing. I don't know what else to say. Other than that it was awfully convenient how everything came together.

Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: A new weapon is on the loose in Ankh-Morpork and Vimes and Carrot want to stop it.

Comments: Woot, random amusing comments and plot twists, and the usual amusing characterizations/descriptions. And yet different from the other books he's written. Different from the books everyone else has written, for that matter. And very amusing in places. Did I mention that?

Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Rock music, or rather Music With Rocks In, has come to Discworld with much the same result as rock music in 1960's America. Also, Death has gone on a mission to forget leaving Susan to take over his job while he's away.

Thoughts: In much the same way that hearing Music With Rocks In made various characters wish to learn to play the guitar, reading about it made me want to make music as well. And elaboration on that topic is being carefully avoided for reasons that probably make sense if ....Anyway, once again, Terry Pratchett has created a masterpiece of amusing comments and gripping storyline and satire (if that's the right word).

Making Money, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: When Moist von Lipwig (remember him from Going Postal?) ends as head of the National Bank and Mint and applies his usual flair to the job, things start getting horribly messy.

Thoughts: Gripping storyline, amusing comments, uncertain ending, unexpected plot twists...what more could a person ask for? This really is an excellent book.

Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: The Hogfather has disappeared, and so its up to Susan to find him. Okay, Susan and Bilius, the oh god of hangovers. And meanwhile Death has taken over the role of Hogfather in the absense of the real Hogfather, and Albert has to keep Death from making too much of a mess of things. And meanwhile new gods are popping into existance anytime someone speculates about one that might exist.

Thoughts: Can I blame this book for my random desire to listen to X-mas music? Or does that just get attributed to its being December? Because I'm not sure I care about its being December, and I think I've given up on the X-mas music because you can't find anything worthwhile on the radio. I think it was only ever Classic Country that played X-mas music that was worth listening to.

Um, yeah. As you might've gathered, there's some bloody obvious parallels with the non-religious side of X-mas. And the book has much of the amusing stuff I've come to expect of Terry Pratchett (I seem to remember speculation that most of Earth's population actually consists of aliens who are hiding out and abducting people, mutilating crops, and making cow circles. Or something like that).

Moving Pictures, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Victor and Ginger and numerous other people find themselves drawn to Holy Wood, the home of the new clicks industry (silent films, Discworld style). But what is really going on? And, more importantly, how does one stop whatever sinister force is involved?

Thoughts: I love the snide commentary on Hollywood. And the counter-point of Gaspode and Laddie is pretty interesting as well. I kinda feel like Gaspode sometimes: wondering why someone else is getting all the attention. And of course this book has the complicated plot line sprinkled with amusing comments and thinly veiled social commentary that I've come to expect from Terry Pratchett.

Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: People decide to summon a dragon as part of a plot to take over the city, but something goes wrong and the dragon takes control instead. It's up to Vimes and his compatriots to save the day.

Thoughts: Perhaps a bit long for my liking. Or maybe I just had a short attention span while finishing it. After all, I'd just watched two movies and spent much time in a futile attempt to work on ATM S hw (okay, it wasn't completely futile, just really frustrating). I do believe that's driven out any other thoughts I had about the book.

Witches Abroad, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: After the death of Ella's fairy godmother, Magrat, Nanny, and Granny find themselves taking on the role. And in the process trying to deduce what's going on.

Thoughts: I rather like the cynical view of fairy tales, and how, as usual, things come together in new and different ways. Quite a lovely story, even if I might've considered it a bit long had I had a chance to read it in one sitting (or even if I hadn't read a reasonable amount of it while a) in class and b) trying to tune out some movie or other)

Eric, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Eric fancies himself a demonologist. However, when he tries to conjure a demon, he ends up with Rincewind, failed wizard and coward extrordinaire. When he demands three wishes and Rincewind tries to demonstrate that he can't comply, things start getting wierd.

Thoughts: Squee, everyone lives happily ever after! (even the demons!) Wow, I read that quickly. Then again, I was reading during two of my classes earlier, and it's a pretty short book and I read like half of it last night. Quite a good book. Be careful what you wish for; you never know who might be pulling the strings.

The Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Sam Vimes gets sent to Uberwald as Ankh-Morpork's ambassador for the crowning of the Low King. Unfortunately, the Scone of Stone has disappeared, as has a replica from the Dwarf Bread Museum. And a rubber maker was found dead. So of course Vimes is far more interested in unravelling the crime than in being diplomatic.

Thoughts: OMG so hard to put that book down! (and yet it still took me like a week to read because so often I didn't have a chance to pick it up again after I had to put it down) Yeah, action, adventure, mystery...what more could a person ask for in a book?

Lords and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Invasion of the elves from an alternate reality. Er, that makes it sound like a bad sci-fi movie. It's not like that at all. It's more of a wholey human thing except for the elves messing with people's minds and so on. Okay, and the Librarian and some other typical Discworld stuff. Read it for yourself if you really want to have some idea what went on.

Thoughts: Squee, everyone lives happily ever after and hopefully learns a lesson about believing in onesself. And of course Pratchett manages to mutilate familiar stories. Or something like that. Quite possibly the best book I've read recently, although that could be due mostly to having little enough time to read any given day that I never had a chance to get bored reading so much in one go.

Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: After King Verence invites a family of vampires to the christening of his daughter, the vampires decide this would be a good opportunity to take over the territory.

Thoughts: I think I would've enjoyed it more it it'd been shorter. It seems to contain useful life lessons, I mean beyond how one can kill a vampire. If I could be bothered to think, I might be able to mention what some of them are.

Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: After the king is murdered, a loyal guard spirits the crown and the young prince out of the castle and entrusts them to the care of three witches. The new king, the previous king's murderer, the duke, a man with little respect for witches or for the kingdom itself, pisses off a great many people. The aforementioned three witches decide to take action.

Thoughts: Squee, lovely story, quite conveluted, which makes it all the better. And, to some extent, a rip-off of Macbeth, but that's okay because it has so much of its own spin that it's only in the large elements and some specific lines of dialogue. Wait, no, it's like that other tragedy we had to read last quarter. Was it Hamlet? Yeah, I think it was. Anyway, it may be similar, but it's also far different, and that's what counts, unless it isn't. Um, apparently I'm incapable of rational thought at the moment. Which a) doesn't surprise me and b) means I should probably shut up now.

Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: A wizard about to die entrusts his staff to an eighth son of an eighth son, not realizing that the child is actually a daughter. Her being entrusted with said staff means magic happens around her. She heads off to Unseen University to learn to be a wizard, never mind that there's never been a female wizard and no one with any authority seems interested in changing that.

Thoughts: Squee, I like the civilization of ants. And the dreadful battle followed by everyone living happily ever after was nice too. I think this book falls into the category of books I don't mind reading but might not read again on account of there being better books and unknown books out there.

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman

Summary: The Apocalypse is about it happen. This book follows the lives of the Antichrist, an angel and a demon stationed on earth, and assorted other individuals.

Thoughts: Squee, amusing comments, happily ever after, commentary on nature vs nurture, and the necessity of conflict in one's life. All in all, a highly amusing book. I rather enjoyed it.