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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This review contains mild spoilers. Not the-solution-to-the-mystery type spoilers. Just little ones. And my opinion about the ending. You've been warned.
I think now that I haven't really given Terry Pratchett a fair shake. I didn't consider myself a big fan, and thought his Discworld series was too...something for me. But I loved this book. Loved it.
Reading it at first was a little strange. I was reading Oryx and Crake (which doesn't, on the surface, seem to have much in common with Nation) at the same time, and for some reason they started to merge for me. I even had a dream that included elements from both books! So, I had to put Nation down for a bit. It was easy enough, fortunately, to pick back up again.
I loved that it was "historical" (1860s) but in a fictional, alternate universe kind of way. It wasn't as extreme an alternate view as Westerfeld's Leviathan, yet it still was a look at a slightly different Earth possibility. The two different main characters were believable and sympathetic. Their perspectives were intriguing, and the storyline, though crazy, still kept me going.
The best part of this review is...I liked the ending! I have been so dissatisfied with endings lately, and this one was satisfying! I thought we were headed toward a simple, silly, ending, and was pleasantly surprised. Clever.
Plus, who can beat tree climbing octopuses? Or octopi?
I think now that I haven't really given Terry Pratchett a fair shake. I didn't consider myself a big fan, and thought his Discworld series was too...something for me. But I loved this book. Loved it.
Reading it at first was a little strange. I was reading Oryx and Crake (which doesn't, on the surface, seem to have much in common with Nation) at the same time, and for some reason they started to merge for me. I even had a dream that included elements from both books! So, I had to put Nation down for a bit. It was easy enough, fortunately, to pick back up again.
I loved that it was "historical" (1860s) but in a fictional, alternate universe kind of way. It wasn't as extreme an alternate view as Westerfeld's Leviathan, yet it still was a look at a slightly different Earth possibility. The two different main characters were believable and sympathetic. Their perspectives were intriguing, and the storyline, though crazy, still kept me going.
The best part of this review is...I liked the ending! I have been so dissatisfied with endings lately, and this one was satisfying! I thought we were headed toward a simple, silly, ending, and was pleasantly surprised. Clever.
Plus, who can beat tree climbing octopuses? Or octopi?
Highly enjoyable! This was my first book by Terry Pratchett, who is famous for his many-volume Discworld series. My understanding is that Nation is a departure for him. This book was written shortly after the devastating Southeast Asia tsunami of 2004, and it begins with a similar tsunami. The whole book takes place on one South Pacific island, where the people refer to themselves and their home as "the Nation."
Although the island, its people, and some other people who arrive there by boat are not historically or geographically real, there's no science fiction or fantasy in this story. In other words, these could all be real people, and the Nation could be a real cultural and ethic group on a tropical island. Their beliefs and customs are not very different from those of island peoples living in the 1800s (or possibly 1700s?), which is roughly the equivalent time period for this story. Some European-type people play roles in the story (one, a girl who is likely in her early teens, is a major character), and they are not the first of their kind to visit this part of the world.
This is the kind of young-adult book that an adult feels no guilt in reading. The two central characters -- Daphne, the European-type girl, and Mau, the island boy or almost-man -- think serious thoughts about big ideas, and they struggle with serious, adult challenges, such as how to protect other people from life-threatening injuries and foreign invaders. One recurring theme is the role of the gods (or religion more generally) in our lives. Mau has had his whole world turned upside-down by the tsunami, so he now questions EVERYTHING. Daphne, before crash-landing on the island, had been on a very eventful sea voyage with none of her family members accompanying her. She saw a lot of bad sailor behavior, and then on the island she encounters situations that make her question the whole idea of "savages."
Mau and Daphne are fully equal players in this journey of discovery. I liked both of them tremendously, and their story continued to offer up twists and turns I had not expected. Definitely a fun book to read -- but not a light or inconsequential one.
Although the island, its people, and some other people who arrive there by boat are not historically or geographically real, there's no science fiction or fantasy in this story. In other words, these could all be real people, and the Nation could be a real cultural and ethic group on a tropical island. Their beliefs and customs are not very different from those of island peoples living in the 1800s (or possibly 1700s?), which is roughly the equivalent time period for this story. Some European-type people play roles in the story (one, a girl who is likely in her early teens, is a major character), and they are not the first of their kind to visit this part of the world.
This is the kind of young-adult book that an adult feels no guilt in reading. The two central characters -- Daphne, the European-type girl, and Mau, the island boy or almost-man -- think serious thoughts about big ideas, and they struggle with serious, adult challenges, such as how to protect other people from life-threatening injuries and foreign invaders. One recurring theme is the role of the gods (or religion more generally) in our lives. Mau has had his whole world turned upside-down by the tsunami, so he now questions EVERYTHING. Daphne, before crash-landing on the island, had been on a very eventful sea voyage with none of her family members accompanying her. She saw a lot of bad sailor behavior, and then on the island she encounters situations that make her question the whole idea of "savages."
Mau and Daphne are fully equal players in this journey of discovery. I liked both of them tremendously, and their story continued to offer up twists and turns I had not expected. Definitely a fun book to read -- but not a light or inconsequential one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I will throw down with anyone you rates Terry Pratchett less than a wise and loving genius. That this is a book for young people (probably about 11-13) makes the above even moreso my conviction. I cannot wait to read this with my 11 yo.
The first non-Discworld book of Pratchett's I've read. It's very, very fast, feels like a short story. He has toned down the really dry wit (a bit) that Discworld readers are familiar with. The story is more straightforward. With Discworld, you're sitting down with Terry and he is telling you a story directly, as if it happened to him, with lots of jokes and sarcasm.
This book has that, but to a far lesser degree. And that was actually enjoyable. Most of the humor in DIscword is between the author and the reader, conversating directly. Here, the humor is in the story itself. The author is not (usually, sometimes he sneaks in) talking to the reader. It was refreshing.
And it has a very sweet ending clearly written by a man who loved the world and loved science.
This book has that, but to a far lesser degree. And that was actually enjoyable. Most of the humor in DIscword is between the author and the reader, conversating directly. Here, the humor is in the story itself. The author is not (usually, sometimes he sneaks in) talking to the reader. It was refreshing.
And it has a very sweet ending clearly written by a man who loved the world and loved science.
I did not want to read this book. I've checked it out from the library and returned it unopened several times, because while it is Terry Pratchett is is not a Discworld novel, and I had some vague idea that meant it wouldn't be as good. But then I read a collection of essays by Pratchett, and he mentioned Nation as the best book he's ever written, and talked about how much he loved it. I immediately tracked it down again, and I'm so glad I did.
This book isn't just angry. This book takes a look at all of the injustices in the world and rages at them. I wish I'd read this as an angry 13 year old just hitting adulthood. I wish I'd read this as an angry 19 year old just starting to discover the real world. I will be finding a physical copy of this book to add to my shelves, because I will probably add this to my rotation of annual reads.
This book isn't just angry. This book takes a look at all of the injustices in the world and rages at them. I wish I'd read this as an angry 13 year old just hitting adulthood. I wish I'd read this as an angry 19 year old just starting to discover the real world. I will be finding a physical copy of this book to add to my shelves, because I will probably add this to my rotation of annual reads.
Good beginning, good ending. Not much for the middle. Pratchett's sense of humor has always rubbed me the wrong way.
From one bad Alternate History book (House of Storms) to a really good one. It took me the longest of time to pick up 'Nation', because I generally don't like shipwreck tales, but I'm very glad I did. It's a fast read and well crafted and funny. It's not the Discworld, however, and what Pratchett's been going through shows up in his writing. It's a fair bit darker and more adult than the Discworld books (which can, on occasion, be quite dark and adult in their own way), but ultimately it's about thinking, and science and belief, and death (and life, because you can't have one without the other). There's a bunch of disclaimers in the authors notes at the end, the last one of which reads:
Thinking
This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you.
Thinking
This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you.