Eschewed Obfuscation

The Fifth Elephant
by Terry Pratchett
321 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Humor

My friend, who is a fellow ardent Pratchett fan, thrust this library book into my hands with the damning words, "Carrot and Angua." I didn't have the time to read it, but I did anyway, because those two are just that cute.

This is one stop amongst many on the Discworld tour; my fannishness started with Small Gods, which I of course highly recommend. I find it difficult to describe the novel without resorting to Discworld shorthand, but let me try... Carrot is a long-lost heir who has contrived to remain lost, a six-foot-tall dwarf, and a scarily good person. Angua is a female werewolf with--interesting--familial relations. Together they fight petty crime and treason as members of the Watch, and are all-around awesome.

That's not quite right; it makes the book sound like a thriller, which it's not, though there is a fascinating mystery element of the plot. So, um, in Discworld shorthand: Carrot/Angua in Uberwald, with a healthy dose of Vimes and politics, plus a sprinkling of Vetinari on top.

I have realized what I love so much about Terry Pratchett, to the point where he deserves a place in my personal gallery next to Guy Gavriel Kay, Ellen Kushner, and George R.R. Martin: he is consistently great. (Sylvia Kelso and Alison Sinclair have the potential for greatness, with Amberlight/Riversend and Darkborn respectively, but they haven't proven consistency yet.) There are some Pratchett books that I adore, some that I love, some that I merely like... but each has enthralled me as I read them for the first time. A rare and valuable quality, consistency--few authors can I trust as I trust Pratchett to always write a worthwhile book.

I'm super-behind on reviews, so let's start the New Year afresh. The usual information plus comments if I scribbled or remember any.


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Thud!
by Terry Pratchett
373 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Humor

Damn title made me commit a sin of punctuation, up in the subject. Sigh.

I'm on a Pratchett binge, which will have to stop soon because my local library branch only has one more unread Pratchett on the shelf (Night Watch). Anyway, Thud! is about a historic troll-dwarf conflict, but also about werewolves vs. vampires, Vetinari vs. the rest of the political world, the Watchman vs. the Dark, good vs. evil (always, in this case often the same side), and Sam Vimes not-vs. Young Sam. Where's My Cow? is so cute, and I believe Pratchett has actually published it as a children's picture book. Hee.

I did notice several typos in this, which speaks to sloppy copyediting. Tsk tsk. The mystery plot was nicely suspenseful, and I'm now madly curious about the past histories of Nobbs, Carrot, Angua, and Vimes. Light, engrossing read; I think I personally prefer Monstrous Regiment, though.

Making Money
by Terry Pratchett
394 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Humor

Slowly, ever so slowly, I am making my way through Terry Pratchett. The plot in this newest tale is highly tangential, but Pratchett's characteristic style kept me sufficiently amused throughout. My favorite parts were the Cabinet of Curiosities, the golems, and Vetinari (of course). On page 353, there is one line about Mr. Slant that has me confused: "Death had not diminished his encyclopedic memory, his guile, his talent for corkscrew reasoning, and the vitriol of his stare." How is Mr. Slant dead in any way, shape, or form?

The plot is supposedly about Moist von Lipwig's adventures as the master of the mint; this is true, but it's also the story of a rich madman, the Golem Trust, and the overarching character throughlines of Vetinari and Moist (with hints of Adora Belle Dearheart, whom I adore). In short, the plot falls all over the place, and that's fine for me--whether you're okay with it, determines whether this counts as a rec or not.

Wrote these a while back in one of my many half-used junk notebooks... might as well type it up now.

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett (323 pages, paperback): A-
Genre: Fantasy/Satire
I love Pratchett to pieces for his unfailing ability to make me LOL--laugh out loud. Many times I've picked up one of his books and hesitated after reading the description, but I've never regretted it. This particular Discworld novel is about Teppic, a teenage boy who trains to become an assassin, only to be forced into a powerless role as pharaoh and god of a tiny country obessed with tradition and pyramids. There's the obligatory love interest, of course, but Ptraci is her own person and the ending is quite original. A hilarious satire of the real world--I loved the intimacy of laughing at the inside jokes. Fantasy is also cleverly woven in, mainly concerning the ingenious pyramids. In fact, the only negative aspect of this book is the cover, a cliche magenta-and-cyan mess. I dunno, maybe that's a Brit thing. XD

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (353 pages, hardcover): A-
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir
This book opens with a shocking death and then travels back in time to revisit Ali's brutal childhood and upbringing. I cried at certain parts; it's amazingly poignant. Ali tells her story eloquently, and gives background when needed, from Islamic submission and genital mutilation to politics and feminist movements--she isn't afraid to reveal the painful truth of life in other parts of the world. Highly recommended for anyone who is willing to try non-fiction once in a while. I''ve added her book of essays, The Caged Virgin, to my library to-read list; I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I don't find it repugnant either. Infidel is a great example of why I still read memoirs.