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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
I read I Shall Wear Midnight a couple of months ago, and put-off writing my review until I could untangle my mixed reaction.
(- **NOTE:I Shall Wear Midnight is not actually a Locus Y-A Award winner - but the first three books in this sequence were, so I included this in my award reading list because I'm a completionist. -)
I first came to the Tiffany Aching sequence sceptically. To my mind, there was no need (apart from marketing considerations) to deliberately create a new Discworld character targeting the Young-Adult niche. I started reading the Discworld books when I was twelve, and still love them now, just shy of thirty. Pratchett has always straddled the line between fantasy and satire with incredible ease, and that blend offers something for readers of all ages. So I was cynical of this YA series; it sounded more like a publisher's idea, not Terry's.
But give the man scraps and he will cook you something sublime (at least, most the time). Pratchett's little heroine won me over big-time. She's awesome - really, an excellent job. I could gush for some time, but let me stay on point. I came to the sequence sceptical, and the first three books made a covert of me, which is why, by the time I reached I Shall Wear Midnight (book four following Tiffany) I was comfortably expecting something special - I'd pulled a U'ey. Thus; dissapointment.
I thought it fell a bit flat. Well, a lot flat. Tiff has grown-up a great deal by this point and all the relationship dynamics are skewed. A big element of the story involves Tiff haring (no pun intended) off to Ankh-Morpork and I thought "aw yeah, this is going to be great!" - but you know what, it's not. The city... does not sing. There are a few cameo appearances for the Watch, and there's a new city-witch introduced (who didn't do much for me) - but by and large the city itself was very generic... it just didn't really feel all that Ankh-Morporkey to me. Big opportunity lost to crash a great character into a great setting. Anticlimatic.
Throughout the book there are little 'omen' moments, forsehadowing Tiffany's eureka-moment when she saves the day (that shouldn't count as a spoiler to anyone, right?) but as familiar as I am with Sir Terry's plot-weaving skills, these felt surprisingly unsubtle, ham-fisted and poorly integrated.
The nemesis Tiffany faces in I Shall Wear Midnight played too many cards similar to the Hiver monster she defeated in a previous book, and despite all efforts to play the big-bad-ominous card, Tiffany has grown into an exceptionally capable young woman and never, ever, seemed seriously at risk.
I can scan a shelf of Discworld books and tell you my favourite scene from each and every one - except for Jingo, Pyramids, Lords & Ladies... and I Shall Wear Midnight. Sorry, Terry - for me, this one was a dud.
But I still gave it three stars because despite all these flaws I still 'liked' it - I never thought, "ye, gawds, must I go back to that tome of trash again?!". I was always happy to snatch it up for my lunch break - (and let's be honest, I would happily read An In-Depth Guide to Precision Grouting if it was written by Pratchett) - but my attention drifted frequently and by the end I was keen to move onto the next book on my list (which was better).
[image]
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
[image]
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
I've never tried to write a review on my phone before, but my darling wife has just reinstalled Warcraft for the first time since Fin was born and has claimed the PC for the foreseeable future, so I guess I'd better practice. (iPhone autocorrect keeps trying to rename my son Gin. This tickles me.)
This is book two in the Tiffany Aching sequence. Isn't sequence the perfect word? Discworld is a series of books, but its weaved of many smaller series within that (witches, guards, Death, Rincewind, etc) - and aside from "series within the bigger series", I've never known the right way to describe them. But the back of this book describes it as book two in the Tiffany Achingsequence and that's the perfect word. It filled a little void in my vocabulary.
So - I think of A Hat Full of Sky as 'the one with the Hiver'. The Hiver is an invisible, magic beastie that possesses people and send them bonkers. Tiffany accidentally lets it into her head and has to watch as a helpless passenger as it takes her body on a rampage (which is a lot of fun - read the scene where she turns a shop assistant into a frog and a 'balloon'!) Then Tiffany has to battle the beastie out of her bonce, with a little assistance from the legendary Granny Weatherwax. The big symbolic climax with the horse carving breaking free from the chalk was... immense! I was proper choked-up.
"'AAaargwannawannaaaagongongonaargggaaaaBLOON!' which is the traditional sound of a very small child learning that with balloons, as with life itself, it is important to know when not to let go of the string. The whole point of balloons is to teach small children this."
It's that "as with life itself" that really makes it memorable.
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."
I've never met a Pratchett story I didn't like and A Hat Full of Sky maintains that fine record. I think the Tiffany books lack a little of the depth and/or whimsy that my very favourite Discworld books have, but they're also signficantly better than the weaker Discworld books. Overall they are excellent YA books that I'm very happy to highly recommend.
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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
[image]
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
A toast from Rob Anybody:
Ack! Crivens! What a bonnie wee hag, our wee hag is!
Terry Pratchett is the finest gonnagle this side of the chalk, ye ken? For a bigjob, as that. He’s got the knowing of the plot-weaving, and the unner-standin’ of the free dimensional characters. An tha’s a fine thing too, ‘cos them character dimensions d’nae be coming cheap! He knows his ups from his downs, his coos from his ships, and his hags from his quins, good an proper. An he give us all some licker, in silver thimbles too, like a real, right polite nob.
We Nac Mac Feegle ain’t known for our way with words – unless them words be fighting, stealing and drinking – but there are two ver’rae important words the kelda made me promise to remember if anyone ever asked about this book tha’ bigjob Terry has writ about our very own hag of the hills. It’s a kind of geas, ye ken? Ver’rae important. Those words be: REED IT.
Now, if ye dirty, great scunners are done – I’ll be getting back to the shindig.
Thanks, Rob. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Pratchett is the King – as y’all should know by now. He is my Mr Reliable, and I’m kicking myself that I ever doubted it. For some reason, I thought I didn’t like this book. I know I started it, back in my student days, but I didn’t finish it. I can’t remember exactly why I didn’t finish the book, but for now let’s chalk it down to some kind of debauched, hedonistic rampage (involving drugs, sex, rock’n’roll and rhinos) – but the upshot was an assumption (and you know what they say about those). I assumed that if I didn’t finish it, it can’t have been all that good. Yes, I know, I’m dumber that Daft Wullie – no need to point it out.
When I finished my Locus Sci-Fi quest and decided to spread my wings, I took the Locus YA award into the fold. There were three Tiffany Aching books on this list – and I made number four an honorary member of the list ‘cos I’m a completionist like that. I wasn’t that excited about them due to the aforementioned daftness, so I started with Wintersmith, book three in the series, because I happened to already own it. And y’know what, it’s great! But that’s a different review.
My point is... aw shucks, I have no idea any more!
The Wee Free Men is excellent, through and through. Tiffany Aching is a great addition to the Discworld family and arguably the strongest stand-alone hero Sir Terry has ever created. She certainly puts Rincewind to shame! She’s the heir to Granny Weatherwax, except she’s got a gang of mental fairies for a sidekick, instead of Nanny Ogg. She’s tough, smart, grounded and curious – everything an independent young heroine should be. And she knows that life ain’t like the storybooks, even when it seems like you’re in one (did anyone else smell metafic in the air?).
The story itself is really good – going on a quest into fairyland to rescue the Baron’s son – executed with the trademark flair, profundity and genre satire we’ve come to expect from the great man.
So why didn’t it get 5 stars? Gee, I’m not really sure. It certainly wasn’t miles away. Star ratings are always a gut reaction from me, and this is a solid 4-star. I can't point to any flaws, it just didn't give me that plastered-on grin that 5-star should.
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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
[image]
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my FINISHING THE SERIES! list.
I loves me a good series! But I'm terrible for starting a new series before finishing my last - so this reading list is all about trying to close out those series I've got on the go.
I remember being given a copy of Reaper Man when I was a wee boy. When Death took on the prototype mechanical harvester, my first major author-crush began and it's never let-up.
In my teenage years I re-read my favourite Discworld books so many times that their spines cracked and pages fell out. Sir Terry will always be an idol, an icon and a source of inspiration.
But somehow this one passed me by. I think it's because it's a stand-alone within the Discworld universe, and those have never been my favourites. Also, I'm not yet sold on the young-adult Discworld books. Before The Amazing Maurice I'd only read The Wee Free Men and I wasn't convinced, so I felt little urgency to grab a copy.
This is a good book!
It's a great concept (talking cat, rats and sidekick human boy scamming villages as a rat plague and the Piper). It's funny. It's got great dark touches for a y-a book. It explores corners of the Discworld map that hadn't been fully tapped. Maurice is a great character. Dangerous Beans is an amazing name! The Mr Bunsy satire element is done superbly.
As a huge Pratchett fan, I would read his descriptions of paint drying. This - this goes down like cold lemonade on a hot summer day. I devoured this book like it was covered in Nutella.
So why only three stars?
(This is almost an exact parrot of Dan's review) - but the rat-king felt tacked on at the end. Great scenes for sure, but the story felt more episodic than cohesive. - Keith, (Maurice's pet human) just never got more that a 'meh' from me, my heart was all with the rats come the end. - had I read it back when I was young, we might have gelled better, but as it was I felt like I was standing outside the story-circle, imagining how a youngster would enjoy it, rather than being truly gripped myself.
I've only got a couple more Discworld books I've not read, both part of the Tiffany Aching y-a series. And then I will (after many years of negligence) be 100% up-to-date with the series!
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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of lif
[image]
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my LOCUS Y-A list.
I think I’ll always have a soft-spot for imaginative young-adult speculative fiction and as the good people at Locus did such a grand job with picking their Sci-Fi winners, I’ll trust them to single out some special y-a books too.
I remember reading The Wee Free Men (the first in this Tiff Aching series) and not feeling terribly impressed, but I don’t actually remember much about the book. I find suspicious, as I generally have a better memory for fiction than reality. I don’t know if I had other things on my mind, or read it when I wasn’t sleeping well, or if I was just drunk – but the book didn’t stick. So I’m going to order a new copy to re-read soon.
But whether that initial ‘unimpressed feeling’ was deserved or not, it put me off picking up Wintersmith. My wife owned a copy which I’d been eyeing up ever since our bookcases merged. But it’s the third in the series – surely I should read book two (A Hat Full of Sky) first?
But it’s a Locus Young-Adult Award winner, and I needed something light between installments the two halves of Blackout/All Clear, so I grabbed it on the way to work and found myself thoroughly enjoying it!
I don’t know why I was surprised, I love Pratchett’s writing. I was clearly just being a cynical douche about his y-a works!
Tiff’s encounters with the Wintersmith are vivid and magical, beautifully visually examples of Sir Terry’s imagination at work. But the real gems of the book (for me) are the minor strands that fill out Tiff’s world within the Wintersmith framing device. The Nac Mac Feegles are great characters with an infinite supply of comedy dialogue and perspectives (quote below). Roland’s mission to awaken the Summer Lady in the underworld contained my favourite moment in the book – when he battles the wraiths with his imaginary sword! The interactions between the teenage witches are great, as are Tiff’s reflections on Miss Treason’s ‘Boffo’. And the cameos from Ogg and Weatherwax are a touch of class for us long-standing witches fans.
A quick quote that made me giggle:
“When a bull coo meets a lady coo he disna have tae say, "My hert goes bang-bang-bang when I see your wee face," 'cuz it's kinda built intae their heads. People have it more difficult. Romancin' is verra important ye ken. Basically it's a way the boy can get close to the girl wi'oot her attackin' him and scratchin' his eyes oot.'
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