What to Read? … What to Read?

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“The snow came down so thickly, it formed fragile snowballs in the air that tumbled and melted as soon as they landed on the horses lined up along the dock. It was four in the morning and the place was coming alive and Captain Samson had never seen the dock in such a bustle. The cargo was flying out of the ship, literally; the cranes strained in their efforts to get the bales out as quickly as possible. The ship stank of the disinfectant already, stank of the stuff. Every man who came on board was so drenched in it that it dribbled out of his boots. But that wasn’t enough; some of them had squelched aboard with big, heavy spray cans that spat an acid-pink fog over everything.”

I spent a good 2 hours searching the shelves at a bookstore and I hit jack pot. I found Terry Pratchett’s newest book Nation which just appeared on the shelves September 9, 2008.

Alone on a desert island — everything and everyone he knows and loves has been washed away in a storm — Mau is the last surviving member of his nation. He’s completely alone — or so he thinks until he finds the ghost girl. She has no toes, wears strange lacy trousers like the grandfather bird, and gives him a stick that can make fire.
Daphne, sole survivor of the wreck of the Sweet Judy, almost immediately regrets trying to shoot the native boy. Thank goodness the powder was wet and the gun only produced a spark. She’s certain her father, distant cousin of the Royal family, will come and rescue her but it seems, for now, that all she has for company is the boy and the foul-mouthed ship’s parrot, until other survivors arrive to take refuge on the island. Together, Mau and Daphne discover some remarkable things (including how to milk a pig, and why spitting in beer is a good thing), and start to forge a new nation.

What no disc world?! I’m shocked, but pleasantly surprised, highly amused and generally thrilled with this new book. This is Pratchett at his finest. If you are a fan or non-fan you will enjoy this book. Warning some pigs may find this book downright scary. Go find it, read it, LOVE IT!

Happy Reading

Sarah

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“It was a nice day.
All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn’t been invented yet. But clouds massing east of Eden suggested that the first thunderstorm was on its way, and it was going to be a big one.
The angel of the Eastern Gate put his wings over his head to shield himself from the first drops.
“I’m sorry,” he said politely. “What was it you were saying?”
“I said, that one went down like a lead balloon,” said the serpent.
“Oh. Yes,” said the angel, whose name was Aziraphale.
“I think it was a bit of an overreaction, to be honest,” said the serpent. “I mean, first offense and everything. I can’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil, anyway.”
“It must be bad,” reasoned Aziraphale, in the slightly concerned tones of one who can’t see it either, and is worrying about it, “otherwise you wouldn’t have been involved.”
“They just said, Get up there and make some trouble,” said the serpent, whose name was Crawly, although he was thinking of changing it now. Crawly, he’d decided, was not hint.
“Yes, but you’re a demon. I’m not sure if it’s actually possible for you to do good,” said Aziraphale.”

Every so often do you feel a pang of nostalgia for an old favorite? Can you not rest until you’ve retrieved it from the top shelf, dusted it down and given it another read? Good Omens recently received that treatment from me.

First published in 1990, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s brilliantly dark and screamingly funny take on humankind’s final judgment is back — and just in time — in a new hardcover edition (which includes an introduction by the authors, comments by each about the other, and answers to some still-burning questions about their wildly popular collaborative effort) that the devout and the damned alike will surely cherish until the end of all things.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch; is a book about two angels, one fallen (Crowley) and one still standing (Aziraphale) and their latest job assignment: Apocalypse. Co-written by Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens uses the pre-Apocalyptic circumstances to explore the idea of what it means to be good, evil and, most of all, human.

Both Crowley and Aziraphale have been at their jobs for a long time, and some of the enthusiasm has gone out of doing their masters’ biddings. It’s not that they don’t believe in their respective causes, exactly; it’s just that living in the world, all that time, you get kind of attached to what happens when good and evil are allowed out to play together.

There is a distinct hint of Armageddon in the air. According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (recorded, thankfully, in 1655, before she blew up her entire village and all its inhabitants, who had gathered to watch her burn), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse are revving up their mighty hogs and hitting the road, and the world’s last two remaining witch-finders are getting ready to fight the good fight, armed with awkwardly antiquated instructions and stick pins. Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. . . . Right. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan.

Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon — each of whom has lived among Earth’s mortals for many millennia and has grown rather fond of the lifestyle — are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. If Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they’ve got to find and kill the Antichrist (which is a shame, as he’s a really nice kid). There’s just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him.

If you are a fan of Pratchett and even if you are not, this book will entertain you and take you on one very funny adventure. So are you ready for the world to end? Apparently it is happening next Saturday; while we wait why not pull out your copy of Good Omens.

Happy Reading

Sarah