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Liked It “As usual, very funny. Vampires, witches, queens, kings, priests, and social satire. I love Pratchett, and I really love Granny Weatherwax. Yay!” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Carpe Jugulum, while being the darkest novel of Terry Pratchett's I've read to-date, is still an incredibly clever, witty and funny novel, making for an enormously satisfying fast-paced read, with tension mounting progressively to an almost unbearable climax.
rarelythere wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
King Verence of Lancre, carried away by modernization and democratization, invites the neighboring Uberwald's undead, the Magpyrs, into Lancre to celebrate the birth of his daughter. But once ensconced within the castle, Magpyrs the vampires (or, vampyres, as they like it) while seemingly genial and refined gradually unleash their bloodlust and their will to dominate in a vengeful and barbaric fashion.
The plot at the outset might seem similar to Lords and Ladies, in which elves tried to take over Lancre. However, in Lords and Ladies, the inherent nature of the elves was starkly different from the popular folkloric conception of them as fair and benevolent. Whereas, in Carpe Jugulum, the vampires have carefully and deliberately adapted themselves into seemingly genial creatures who relish garlic, tolerate holy water, venture out into the sun and defy the popular conventional wisdom that instructs how to keep them at bay.
Lancre is home to some of my favorite characters of the Discworld - particularly the trio of witches I got introduced to in Wyrd Sisters - viz., Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and (Queen) Magrat.
The book also introduces Igor, the Magpyrs' family servant, who happens to speak with a hilariously heavy lisp and loves tradition, right down to the tradition of a lowly servant being treated as, well, a lowly servant. I later encountered Igors in Monstrous Regiment. Igor is one of the best characters in this book: not only is he made up of assorted body parts from other people, he is also good at sewing available body parts onto others in need, including his patchwork dog Scraps.
And, to tie up with another of his brilliant book, Small Gods, Pratchett also introduces a felicitous character - a priest of Om - through whom, it appears, Pratchett cleverly questions religious indoctrination and gives credence to Faith in its simple and unadulterated form.
In his inimitable style, Pratchett peppers the book with his take on the relationships between faith, religion, and morality through his characters, especially through the interactions between Granny and the Omnian Priest:
”“As usual, very funny. Vampires, witches, queens, kings, priests, and social satire. I love Pratchett, and I really love Granny Weatherwax. Yay!”
cpauley929 wrote this review Monday, October 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“You honestly can't go wrong when reading about the Lancre witches! Great book I definitely recommend it.”
Brighid!!! *I prefer oranges!* :D wrote this review Friday, October 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another light fiction by Pratchett, poking fun at everything at once - religion and vampires, for this installment of the series. If you want people to look at you funny because you laugh out to yourself from time to time when reading this book - get it.”
MaxVT wrote this review Friday, September 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This was the one that introduced me to Terry Pratchett and the Discworld. Whoever the person in the chatroom was, thank you!”
Cheryl L wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“My take is still in progress...”
Martin H wrote this review Thursday, July 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Beetje teleurstellend. Gezien de titel had ik er meer van verwacht.”
Monica S wrote this review Monday, June 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“funny”
Christine w wrote this review Monday, April 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'll admit it. I was afraid of Pratchett when my friend first told me about him. I've never read anything in the "fantasy" genre, so I was intimidated by Discworld and its extensive population that is so dear to Pratchett devotees. However, I couldn't resist when she gifted me with this book that focused on vampires. I was pleasantly surprised by Pratchett's writing as well as his characters. I'll definitely read more of his books, especially the ones focusing on the witches. Surprisingly, I found the vampires to be "okay," but I loved the witches!”
DaisyCrazy2347 wrote this review Saturday, January 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
