Title: The Carpet People
Author: Terry Pratchett
Pub info: Clarion, 2013 (originally pubbed 1971); 304 pp
Genre: MG fantasy (ages 9+)
I'd only read a couple Terry Pratchett novels before, so when I saw a free ARC of this book at the ALA trade show last summer, I nabbed it. A Pratchett book is always funny, satirical, and a great read.
Goodreads summary:
In the beginning, there was nothing but endless flatness. Then came the Carpet . . .
That’s the old story everyone knows and loves. But now the Carpet is
home to many different tribes and peoples, and there’s a new story in
the making. The story of Fray, sweeping a trail of destruction across
the Carpet. The story of power-hungry mouls—and of two brothers who set
out on an adventure to end all adventures when their village is
flattened.
It’s a story that will come to a terrible end—if someone doesn't do something about it. If everyone doesn’t do something about it . . .
First
published in 1971, this hilarious and wise novel marked the debut of
the phenomenal Sir Terry Pratchett. Years later, Sir Terry revised the
work, and this special collectable edition includes the updated text,
his original color and black-and-white illustrations, and an exclusive
story—a forerunner to The Carpet People created by the seventeen-year-old nascent writer who would become one of the world's most beloved storytellers.
My impressions:
This story works wonderfully as an introduction to Terry Pratchett and the way he writes. He writes fantasy, yes, but often he satirizes it too, especially its thirst for bloodshed and overarching authority figures. It's simpler than his later works, and I suppose it read a bit thin for me, overall. I didn't find the story quite as engrossing or complex as others of his I've read (
The Wee Free Men, for example, and
A Hat Full of Sky). But I did enjoy it, and for fans of Pratchett's work, it's a must.
About Terry:
Regarded as one of the most
significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won
numerous literary awards and has received four honorary
doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bath, and
Bristol. His acclaimed novels have sold more than 45 million copies
(give or take a few) and have been translated into 33 languages.
In
December of 2007, Pratchett admitted to being diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease. In 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
Online:
Terry's website is stuffed with all things Discworld and other things--games, interviews, etc.--relating to his many books. You can also follow him
here on Facebook and
here on Twitter. Read
an excerpt here of
The Carpet People.
