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Nation

Terry Pratchett

Start date: May 16, 2020

Finish date: June 15, 2020

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Nov 01, 2008 Michael rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2008

I suppose that after twenty-five years of writing DiscWorld novels, Terry Pratchett has earned the right to do something a bit different. And different is precisely what he does with his latest novel, "Nation."

"Nation" is a story set in a parallel universe to ours, but it's not the world of DiscWorld. (Though it could someday be, I suppose, though I hope Pratchett resists the temptation to "tie together" all his universes).

Mau is a young boy, sent on a quest to become a man by his tribe. Daphne I suppose that after twenty-five years of writing DiscWorld novels, Terry Pratchett has earned the right to do something a bit different. And different is precisely what he does with his latest novel, "Nation."

"Nation" is a story set in a parallel universe to ours, but it's not the world of DiscWorld. (Though it could someday be, I suppose, though I hope Pratchett resists the temptation to "tie together" all his universes).

Mau is a young boy, sent on a quest to become a man by his tribe. Daphne is a young girl on a large ship from a "civilized" nation, headed out to join her father at a foreign post. This unlikely duo cross paths when a huge wave wipes out Mau's entire village and shipwrecks Daphne on an island with him. Together, the two must learn to forge a new civilization, figuring out what is essential to keep from their old lives and what can and probably should be discarded from their old ways of life.

Eventually, the two begin to forge their own civilization and soon have various refuges showing up, looking for shelter who become part of the new nation being formed on the island.

As I said before, if you're looking for your "typical" Pratchett, you'd be best advised to pick up a DiscWorld novel. That's not to dismmiss "Nation," but instead to say that this story has the same style but is distinctly different. Pratchett still has a way with words, but it's used less to humorous effect here and more toward building the world and finding new and interesting ways to describe things.

And this is a novel that is firmly about the characters of Mau, Daphne. Pratchett spends a good deal of time early in the story estabishing who they and the backgrounds they come form, all before beginning to tear it down and rebuild things. It's an interesting process to watch unfold on the page and it leads to some interesting observations by Pratchett through the eyes of his two characters.

In his epilogue, Pratchett says he hopes this novel will make readers think. And while there were moments in the story where I wondered what he was up to, I will have to admit the ideas, concepts and torn-down assumptions from this novel have stayed with me long after the last page was turned.

It's not DiscWorld. It's some very different. And it's something very good. ...more

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Nov 09, 2023 Catsalive rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2023

After all these years, I've finally got around to this one that I purchased in 2008. I never felt a sense of urgency to read it before. Maybe because it didn't have my favourite characters in it, or possibly I felt a bit reluctant because YA is not my thing. It does have a similar feeling to it as a Discworld novel, the same general shape, but has been gentled for a YA audience: the digs are still there but the biting satire & humour are missing. I found it very soothing to read in the end - ima ...more

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Jan 29, 2009 LaLine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult

This book surprised me into reading it in one sitting. I picked it up because it said "survival" and "island" which happen to be two of my favorite subjects. I wasn't expecting to get such a fun contrast between two cultures. I particularly liked trying to understand Daphne from Mau's point of view and Daphne's explanations of what her grandmother was like.

I've only attempted one other book by Pratchett and that didn't last past the second page, so I was glad to find this book more to my liking. ...more

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Dec 27, 2009 Angie Taylor rated it really liked it

This is a coming-of-age story, told through the perspectives of an islander boy, and a shipwrecked girl. The story starts with the boy returning to his families island after he has spent some time on a separate island alone in the hopes of him learning to become a man. The mark of manhood is shown by the ability to find his way home in a canoe he has built by himself. However on his way home he finds himself in the middle of a tsunami, and washes up on his islands shore only to find everyone dea ...more

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