Doug Lewars's Blog, page 30

Witches Abroad

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you have read and enjoyed Terry Pratchett's works, you'll have some idea what to expect and this book is a first rate example of his writing. Combining humour, action and a bit of satire he creates a find rollicking adventure which will keep you reading just to find out what happens next. His writing isn't deep but he tells a good story and it's highly entertaining. In addition, if you happen to be a writer, he provides a few clues as to how he regards stories and I found them quite interesting. Overall I highly recommend this book.



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Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

There are no car chases in this book, no gun fights, no explosions and not a single sex scene. I took a look at some of the negative reviews before starting this and the chief complaint was the book's boring. Therefore if you are looking for lots of action, find another book to read. You won't like this one. This one moves slowly and gracefully through the balls, salons, country estates and drawing rooms of Imperial Russia in the mid 1800a. The characters are from the nobility.

Although it might not be thought this book has anything in common with 2023, there are a remarkable number of parallels. Although the term hadn't been invented in the 1800s, this book is about cancel culture nonetheless. Anna defies sacred cows of the day and is utterly ostracized from polite society, a society which, for all its elegance and refinement, is about as polite as a Twitter dogpile. Against the massed outrage of the society around her she stands her ground for a good portion of the story but eventually goes mad and ends it all. In some respects she reminds me of certain young people, usually high-school girls who, when faced with massive online abuse from their peers take similar action.

I'm not sure if Tolstoy intended it, but in this work is a biting satire of the upper class and the artificial morality of the day. Everyone's being unfaithful to wives and husbands but only someone who does it openly is castigated for her actions. The rest merely provide a source of gossip and tittering among their peers. Tolstoy also takes aim a politicians and government officials who he regards largely as useless and a heavy burden on the public purse.

It seems the author was seriously concerned with religious faith and the meaning of life. I found this theme a little less interesting than other parts of the book but given the importance of religion in the lives of people back then I suppose it's to be expected.

For writers there's a bit of unintended humor. Lenin's brother publishes a book after working on it for six years. He expects it to become the talking point of every salon in upper-class Russia. In actual fact, no-one even reads it and the one review he receives is highly negative. I can relate to that.

If you are looking for Marvel Action or something like Starwars forget this book. If, on the other hand, you might like to wander among the crème de la crème of 19th century Russian society, let the footman announce you, take a cup of tea from the samovar proffered by the maid, and join the other guests in the drawing room for an evening of stimulating conversation.



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Reaper Man

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Once again Terry Pratchett has written an excellent book, this one featuring Death. On has to wonder if, when the author passed away, he did so in capital letters. Anyway, there is plenty of action, lots of literary pratfalls, and a few good love stories hidden under the covers. If you enjoy fantasy combined with humour this book is well worthwhile; however, don't look for deep insights into the human condition. I'll concede there are some shallow ones but none of the meaning-of-life stuff. There are also a few digs at bureaucrats which I quite enjoyed. I highly recommend it.



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Moving Pictures

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***
A fine satire on the motion picture industry. The book is fast-paced with plenty of humerous bits and a good ending. The only thing lacking was leaving unresolved a problem being posed by wizards for a student. The student never even encountered the problem so we'll never know how he'd have handled it. If you like a combination of farce and satire you might quite like this one. Don't look for much in the way of character development.




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The Devil and Other Stories

The Devil and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Tolstoy used variations of some of these stories in other works so if you've read War and Peace you'll find some of these repetitious. Although short stories, some are rather long and a bit tedious in places. You'll also find a predominance of religious themes throughout the book. Overall the book is okay but nothing special.



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Eric

Eric by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book stars Rincewind which means it's a romp as he constantly tries to flee danger and invariably goes from the frying pan to the fire and from there to successively hotter fires. In this case he goes to Hell which might be the hottest fire of all. The title is Eric with the word Faust crossed out so the reader might expect the story involves a deal with the devil, and it does, sort of, except by a case of confused identity, Rincewind is perceived as a demon by a fourteen year old boy who wants the world, to live forever, and lots of beautiful women. By chance, as much as anything, Rincewind winds up presenting them to him only for him to discover they're not quite what he hoped for. In addition to being a satire on Faust, Terry Pratchett also pokes fun at Dante's Inferno.

If you like farce and fast paced romps I think you will enjoy this one. Don't go looking for character development or any deep revelation in the human condition. Look for those things in other books, This is light comedy and serious minded folk would do better reading other things. For those who enjoy Terry Pratchett's works and know what to expect, this is a good one.



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Pyramids

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

A fine romp though a Discworld interpretation of ancient Egypt. In this version the pyramids are actually magic, and you can sharpen quite a bit more than a razor blade with them. In addition, those pharaohs so interred do live forever - stuck under a massive amount of stone. They aren't very happy about it. It is a world where kings are divine but priests - in particular the high priest - actually rule.

Teppic who had been educated abroad, needs to return home because his father, the king, has died and he needs to take over the role. With him he brings the one thing most repellent to a kingdom thousands of years old, the idea of change. New meets old with chaotic and humerous results.

I quite enjoyed this book although it tended more towards the adventure side and less to the humour characteristic of tome of the other Discworld novels. In addition, I didn't care for the ending - not the final ending. I rather liked the twist there, but just before than when Teppic leaves, he and his sister make a decision. What was decided was never revealed. Maybe the reader is expected to intuit something obvious but unfortunately I wasn't up to the challenge.

If you enjoy Terry Pratchett's writing, this is a pretty good book. As always, don't look for deep insightful character arcs. In these books plot trumps character development every time so if you're looking for the latter, look elsewhere.



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Almayer's Folly

Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is typical Conrad. Either you like him or you don't. I rather enjoyed the book but I didn't take it too seriously. Don't expect fast pacing or even much of a plot. Conrad lived for his settings and there are few authors who can describe as well as him. On entering this book the reader becomes part of a tropical forest. He makes you almost feel the heat and humidity, smell the earthy smells of decay and sense the weight of time as the river slowly flows past you to the sea. Sure there are all sort of moral themes. Conrad loves nothing better to dive deep into the innermost recesses of the psyche but you don't necessarily need to dive with him and can just go along for the ride ... provided, of course, you're not reading this as part of an English assignment. If you want a nice slow journey to a time long past in a tropical environment you might enjoy this book. If you're looking for laughs, car chases or explosions, move on.



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Sourcery

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a pretty good story but not quite as humerous as some by this author. As usual, Rincewind does his best to escape heroism and of course he invariably leaps from the frying pan into the fire and from there to a hotter fire. It was fast paced an a fine adventure book. It just didn't have the numerous little digs common to some of his books.



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Candide

Candide by Voltaire

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a rather short book, more of a novella than a novel. It is satire from beginning to end and I enjoyed it although it was rather heavy handed. Personally I prefer authors who use a fine scalpel to skewer their targets whereas Voltaire uses a pickax. Still, I can imagine more than a little consternation among the elite when this book was published. I think it's work reading but I don't recommend it for younger readers.



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