It hurt.

I didn't cry just once after what happened to Mau. Pratchett created this world, this fictional ocean, and then he places us right inside it. It hurt, it was beautiful, it was wonderful.

The end was a happy one because it went on going. It didn't end. It was real. This is one of Pratchett's best novels.

Read it for empathy. Read it for the experience. Read it to be reminded to ask questions.

It's no surprise I enjoyed this book, given my penchant for the odd apocalypse; this is about a very small, concentrated soft apocalypse, and the living that goes on afterwards.

Fans of Pratchett's Discworld series will be pleased at the inclusion of some characters who are another take on the mentality of the witches of Lancre.