Friday, December 12, 2003
I didn't realize it until today, but all of these books are mysteries. Funny, I hadn't noticed before. Anyway, last Sunday I knocked out Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents and The Wee Free Men. I've been a fan of Pratchett's since college when I randomly picked up one of his books and then neglected my homework for a week while I sat on the couch with the entire series up to that date, laughing at the Discworld and its occupants. These two titles are children's entries into the series but are stand alones, with little or no knowlege of the Discworld required. No regular characters are involved, with only Death and the witches making brief cameos. That didn't bother me at all though because the stories work so well. The Amazing Maurice is basically a retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamlin crossed with Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. It had added depth though with the rats having to develop civilization on their own, with only a children's book as a map. While both were very good, I think I enjoyed The Wee Free Men more. It reminded me a lot of Equal Rites, which was the first Pratchett I read. The heroine is strong and no-nonsense, with a definite, but nicely unromantic sense of duty to family and community. Where the book soars though, is in the depiction of the Wee Free Men themselves. They are delightful and I laughed through every scene with them. Ostensibly for children, these two are worthy entries in the Discworld series.
Next, I continue to work my way through Mary, while also reading The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier.
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Next, I continue to work my way through Mary, while also reading The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier.
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