Snuff, by Terry Pratchett
14 Dec 2011
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Snuff is part of a very long ongoing series—too long to review each individual book. So today's illustrated review comes bundled with an illustrated primer!
The Discworld
The Discworld is flat and highly magical. It rides through space on the back of 4 elephants that stand on the back of a giant turtle.
There are 39 Discworld books (four of which are the Tiffany Aching series), not including picture books and other supplemental materials. Some of the books are once-off depictions of life on the Discworld, but more usually they follow particular sets of characters, and the books can be broken up into several series or story arcs. Snuff follows the continuing adventures of Sam Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, which is one of my favorite story arcs in the Discworld universe.
The following is an outline of the previous books in the City Watch series.
Guards! Guards!
The Night Watch of Ankh-Morpork, the refuge of drunks, layabouts, and cowards, is greatly fallen from a once venerated position—but Carrot Ironfoundersson, a human raised by dwarves, doesn't know it. His arrival and sense of right and wrong turn the Night Watchmen into a tailspin, especially Captain Sam Vimes, whose own long-unsatisfied sense of justice is regularly drowned with heavy drinking. At the same time, a "noble" dragon—a creature thought not to exist—has appeared and is terrorizing the townsfolk...
Men at Arms
Intrique abounds in this novel about political machinations, and the Night Watch is caught in the middle. Someone claims to have found evidence that a member of the Royal Family is alive and well—and they can prove it. This could threaten the rule of mostly benevolent dictator-for-life Lord Vetinari—although it basically never works out for them, Ankh-Morporkians have a strong attraction to royalty. At the same time, people have begun dying, murdered with a strange new weapon...
Feet of Clay
Strange murders are happening, Golems are committing suicide, and Lord Vetenari has been poisoned. The City Watch is on the case, led by Sam Vimes—but first he must keep all his officers, a motley crew of humans, dwarves, trolls, and a werewolf, off each other's throats. This book about diversity, nobility (literally and figuratively), and the desire for freedom is one of Pratchett's best.
Jingo
Ankh-Morpork is on the brink of war. The small island of Leshp has risen, like a buoy, from the Circle Sea. Although it's tiny and honestly not very useful to anyone, the citizens of Ankh-Morpork and their historical enemies the Klatchians each claim title to the land based on ancient (and pretty dubious) claims. Can Sam Vimes and the City Watch stop the seemingly unstoppable drums of war? Is everyone going completely mad? Where did this island come from, anyway?
The Fifth Elephant
When Lord Vetenari makes the Commander of the City Watch his official diplomat to lawless, distinctly human-unfriendly Uberwald, you can bet there are machinations afoot and mysteries to solve. Where is the fabled fifth elephant, absent from its spot holding up the Discworld? What is going on in the dwarf caves of Uberwald?
Night Watch
This installment in the City Watch is far more serious than usual Discworld fare. On the 30th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May, Ankh-Morpork Watchmen pay homage to their brethren, fallen in the battle between soldiers and rebels. But Sam Vimes, chasing a criminal across a city rooftop, is about to do more than wear a flower. He's about to experience it all again...
Thud!
The dwarves and trolls have been enemies almost as long as anyone can remember—at least, ever since the extremely bloody, constantly contested Battle of Koom Valley. As the anniversary of the battle looms, ethnic tensions threaten to engulf the city of Ankh-Morpork. But Commander Sam Vimes has much more important things to worry about—specifically, being home at precisely six p.m. to read Where's My Cow to his son, young Sam.
which brings us to...
Snuff
![With his last few books, Terry Pratchett seems bound and determined to weed out any last remnants of prejudice in the Discworld. In this book, Sam Vimes and his family go on vacation, very much against his wishes—but of course, where a copper goes, crime follows. There is an injustice being done in the country, where goblins live in caves below the ground. I for one enjoy this kind of story—it's one of the reasons I like the City Watch series so much, because it frequently concerns issues of diversity and tolerance. But this particular story, of goblin civil rights, is a bit hackneyed. [Image shows an idyllic country scene, with cows, with a dark cave running beneath.]](/assets/img/snuff.png)
Good for: The Discworld books are fantasy books, but really they use fantasy elements as a way to satirize things in real life. Plus they're really funny. If that sounds interesting to you, I bet you'll enjoy Discworld. If you like all that and detective stories, you'll enjoy the City Watch books. And, fans of the Discworld series and the City Watch books will most likely enjoy Snuff, although I found it the weakest entry in a long time.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery, by Maryrose Wood
10 Dec 2011
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![The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery. Maryrose Wood. Book Review: While Ashton Place is under repair—due to the events of last Christmas—the Ashtons, Miss Lumley, and the Incorrigibles set up house in London for the summer. Miss Lumley is determined that the experience will be educational for her pupils, who are now quite used to wearing clothing and hardly ever howl at the moon anymore. This second installment in The Incorrigible Children series made me laugh so much that other people became concerned for me. [Images shows a woman riding a velocipede (a type of bicycle) that appears out of countrol, while three children run after her.]](/assets/img/incorrigiblechildren2.png)
Good for: Anyone who liked the first one! Oh my goodness, this book was delightful. I complained for a good 15 minutes when I found out the next one doesn't come out until March.
Read my review of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood
09 Dec 2011
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![The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling. Maryrose Wood. Book Review: Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are used to running wild—quite literally. They were discovered living in the woods, behaving like wolves. It’s up to their new governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, to housetrain—and try to teach—the three mysterious children. Luckily, Miss Lumley is a graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, and won’t give up easily... This book is very clever and funny and just all-around wonderful. The art by Jon Klassen is fantastic. [Image shows three children on all fours, chasing a squirrel, looking a bit hungry, while a woman runs after them.]]({ site.baseurl }}/assets/img/incorrigiblechildren1.png)
Good for: It's a fantastical, funny, historical fiction written for kids, but I think it can be enjoyed by all ages! Many reviewers compare it to A Series of Unfortunate Events, but while I could never really get into that series, I really enjoyed this book.
Read my review of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery
Read my review of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
30 Nov 2011
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![Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs. Book Review: Jacob's grandfather told him incredible stories. Unbelievable stories, about his childhood and friends with strange abilities. His only evidence: a collection of strange, old photographs. As a child, Jacob wanted to believe, but as he grew he came to the same conclusion as everyone else: his grandfather was, at best, using his stories to insert magic into a life full of loss and tragedy. [Black and white photographs show a destroyed building and a falcon.] But then, tragedy strikes again, and Jacob sees a nightmare creature in the woods, a creature from his grandfather's stories... [Black and white photographs show the destroyed building from another angle and a falcon in flight.] The words of the story are interspersed with old, eerie photos Jacob finds along the way. The photographs really make this novel, which is hard to put down.](/assets/img/missperegrineshome.png)
Good for: While it's on a lot of "young adult" book lists, I'm not really sure why. It didn't read as particularly "young adult" to me. I would recommend this for any fans of mysteries and dark fantasy. Some elements reminded me of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, or something by China Miéville.
The original images of the dilapidated house used in this review are in the public domain, and were accessed through Wikimedia Commons. The Peregrine falcon images were originally by J.M. Garg and Sylvia Duckworth.
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
28 Nov 2011
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Sorry it's been such a long time without an update, folks. I had a family medical emergency that had me on the road and away from all my review-making accoutrements.
![The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. Book Review: In her first novel, Erin Morgenstern creates a richly detailed fantasy of the magical Le Cirque des Rêves, and the people behind its otherworldly performances and exhibits. [Image shows a woman next to a glowing tree, a man next to frozen trees, and circus tents all swirling around an inlaid figure.] The writing—switching between three stories, three time periods, and between second and third person perspective—is fascinating and skillful. But don't scrutinize the plot much, or you might realize it doesn't actually make sense. See: fig. 1, supermassive black plot hole holding everything together. [Inlaid figure is expanded and shown to be a black circle that is labeled PLOT HOLE.]](/assets/img/nightcircus.png)
Good for: People who become so absorbed in the well-described and fascinating milieu that they can forget that the premise of the major dilemma is pretty weak.
The Magician King, by Lev Grossman
02 Nov 2011
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![Quentin and his friends have a new world to explore with new responsibilities, [Image shows four thrones] and new, more interesting quests. [Image shows seven keys] But they are still despicable people who will do anything for a little excitement, without thinking at all about all the damage they do along the way. [Image shows the outline of an open door in the night sky]](/assets/img/magicianking.png)
Good for: People who actually enjoyed The Magicians.
Coming into this book with a better idea of what to expect, I didn't hate it as much as I hated the first book. But I still hated it a bit! Seriously, is it just impossible for Grossman to write a likeable character without killing them off?
Happy Halloween!
31 Oct 2011
I hope you enjoyed this year's All Hallow's Read reviews (Whew! There were a lot). There were some very good books this year; my number of 5 star reviews has about doubled! Did you read a scary book for Halloween, or give one away? Any ideas for scary books I should review next year?
Remember, you can find a complete list of scary books I've reviewed at the Scary Books page. A link to this page can also be found under "Bibliovermis Stuff" in the footer. And, if you miss the Jack-O'Lanterns header image when it goes away tomorrow, it can be found at the Header Images page.
Daybreak, by Brian Ralph
28 Oct 2011
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All Hallow's Read!
Give a book for Halloween!
Today's review can be seen as a recommendation on the Unshelved Book Club website! The Unshelved Book Club is a great place to find books to read. Each week on Friday they feature book recommendations.
View my recommendation for Daybreak, by Brian Ralph
Daybreak was an excellent read. The Unshelved Book Club asks guest artists to use their own characters in their illustrated recommendations, so I used myself (drawn in an imitation of the style of Daybreak) to explore the central conceit of the book—the first-person viewpoint and treatment of the reader as a character in the story.
Good for: Fans of well-crafted graphic novels.
Spooky elements: I don't think it would be giving too much away to say the story involved zombies. But the real power of Daybreak comes from the way it involves you directly in the events of the story and its eerie ambiance, so that when something is frightening, you really feel it.
Horns, by Joe Hill
26 Oct 2011
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All Hallow's Read!
Give a book for Halloween!
![Horns. Joe Hill. Book Review: Ig wakes from a blackout drunk to find that he has grown a pair of horns. [Image shows a man feeling horns that have sprouted from the top of his head] Months ago, the love of Ig's life was brutally murdered. Ig was the only suspect, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge him—or to clear him. [Image shows a dead-looking tree, with flowers and tokens of remembrance] Now, people seem compelled to tell Ig their secrets and their darkest desires. When he touches them, he knows all the bad deeds they have ever done. [Image shows someone whispering into Ig's ear] What is Ig becoming? What horrible thing did Ig do to deserve the horns? And can he use their power to find and punish whoever murdered Merrin? 5/5 Ghosts](/assets/img/horns.png)
Spooky elements: Diabolical powers that are probably from the devil, the horrible deeds people are capable of, the awful things that everyone you love may secretly be thinking about you.
Good for: Adults! This book is extremely disturbing. And very, very good.
The Midnight Palace, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
24 Oct 2011
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All Hallow's Read!
Give a book for Halloween!
![[Image shows flaming train on tracks] In 1930s Calcutta, a group of orphans who have become a family discover that one of their number has a secret sibling, a bloody family history, and a deadly enemy. That might sound good, but this book has terrible pacing, plotholes big enough to drive a flaming train through (see diagram [Image of flaming train, driving through a hole labeled plothole]), and character contradictions that come off as lazy rather than shocking. My biggest complaint, and what kept me sighing with frustration, is that it relies entirely on exposition rather than action. Spookiness: 2.5/5 Ghosts](/assets/img/midnightpalace.png)
Spooky elements: There's a flame-throwing demon guy, but even he's not sinister enough to give weight to the poorly written plot.
Good for: Do yourself a favor and don't bother with this one. I could hardly believe it was by the same author who wrote the well-paced, totally spooky The Prince of Mist.