Nation Reviews

• Carnegie Medal #2? I think so!

  
  By A3H7AOFQDPU0JV on 2008-07-19
  Pratchett's first non-discworld novel since 1996 (Johnny and the Bomb) is a real winner for kids, adults, fans, non-fans...all human-types. (Parrots will like this too; however some pigs may be scandalized).
  
  It's set in a world similar to ours but with a different history. England is beset by plague & the heir to the throne who was quite a ways down the list before some dying occurred in the royal family needs to be fetched from his position as Governor of Port Mercia. His daughter Ermintrude who was in route to be with him will need to be picked up on the way...
  
  Meanwhile, on an island so small as to not be on maps--well maps made by people who think being on a map makes you civilized--Mau is leaving his boyhood behind. He's about to complete the ritual that will lead him to being considered a man...Then something happens--a wave washes away everything and everyone Mau knew. But it deposits Ermintrude's ship in a tree.
  
  Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of reading a Pratchett novel knows that summarizing them just doesn't do them justice, so I'm stopping there. Suffice to say that this is an amazing book. It's fun to read. The characters are funny, but never made fun of. Pratchett's trademark dry, sly British humor is well in evidence. It takes on several weighty issues (death, imperialism, religion, grief) without ever being preachy or patronizing. It's the story of a boy who didn't know there were questions (especially about the whole gods thing) and a girl who was taught questions were improper (especially questions about propriety)...how they meet and share their questions and answer a few of them. That with guns and sharks and milking of pigs in.
  
  Just like his Discworld books starring Tiffany Aching, this is a gift to young audiences and people who read like them.
  
  

• An excellent story containing much to think about

  
  By A32R2HB7JUKA80 on 2008-07-22
  Nation is an exceptionally good book, rewarding to read; it is aimed at young people, and I think that it would appeal strongly to the best in fourteen-year-olds everywhere; however, even though I haven't been fourteen for many years, I enjoyed it very much and recommend it for all ages.
  
  It has many of the characteristics of Terry Pratchett's work, but it does not fit easily into any category. His humor is there, as is his relish in deflating the balloons that make up the given wisdom of human culture; the allusions that make every book he writes a delight, a puzzle, and an unending source of new discovery at each re-reading are there; none of it is present to the degree that any of it would be in a Discworld book.
  
  A continuing idea running through his work is that of the alternate universes created at each decision point. One picks up a fork; alternatively, one may not have picked up a fork, and by not doing so may have created a different reality, the fork-not-picked-up universe. Nation takes place on an earth where a good many different utensils have been picked up at different times from what we know, but it is still recognizable as a nineteenth century when Britannia ruled the waves.
  
  Although it is an entertaining book, it is not primarily a funny one. The themes it deals with are overwhelming--loss of the entire cultural framework that makes life in society meaningful, death of all that is known, the futility of traditional coping mechanisms in the face of such loss, the need to build a new life from within when all that has been known before was an old life imposed from without. The young hero has lost everything--even the coming-of-age ritual he was to go through the day of the tragedy. The repeated theme of the book is "When much is taken, something is returned." The reality is that the something returned is the result of work and determination, not a free gift; it's easy to give up, difficult to take what little you are given and make what you can of it. The story of the book is the tale of self-discovery after the boundaries have been wiped out, and of the attempt to build a new foundation for a society based on truth. Even through all the humor, there is also an ever-present sadness and grief for what was lost that wrenches the heart. Above all, it is a book to make one think.
  
  I do not know of any other living author who is as cherished by his habitual readers as Terry Pratchett is, as both a writer and a person; nor can I think of any other who so richly deserves the cherishing.
  
  
  

• Mau's sea town

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-07-29
  "People got to keep pushing on
  No matter how many dreams slip away
  Yah mo be there"
  (Doobie Brothers)
  
  
  In the beginning there was Imo
  Imo made the world
  And the people
  And out of night, he made
  Locaha, the god of death
  
  Once there was the Nation
  Important to its people
  A little island
  Among many on a chain
  The seat of gods
  
  Then there were trousermen
  In their big ships
  With guns and flags
  Claiming all the world
  In the name of the King
  
  Then came the wave
  And it was colossal
  And deadly
  And it swept over the Nation
  And three worlds collided
  
  This is the story of Mau, a boy lost in the transition to manhood when the wave hits his island home. This is also the story of Ermintrude (call me Daphne), a girl who befriends Mau after she is cast ashore with the ship "Sweet Judy". Together they face the future, and despite their different cultures and beliefs, they form a bond of trust and friendship.
  
  This is not your usual Pratchett, and there are no elephants, turtles or discs, but there are gods and monsters, and dolphins, and above all, there is beer. Strong and well-developed characters make the story interesting, along with little teasers of Pratchett's trademark humor, even given the somber subject matter. If anything, some parts tend to ramble on a bit, but overall it's deceptively deep reading material, with lots of action and adventure.
  
  This is intended to be a book for young adults, but there is enough food for thought to satisfy even a hungry adult. I can see it being placed on reading lists along with classics such as "The Lord of the Flies", "The Swiss family Robinson", "Treasure Island" and "Robinson Crusoe", as opposed to coming of age survival movies like "The Blue Lagoon". Naturally, it would make an excellent movie given the right director.
  
  
  "One nation and we're on the move
  Nothin' can stop us now"
  (George Clinton & the Funkadelics)
  
  Rated: 4.5 stars
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, July 28, 2008
  
  
  

• For Those in Peril on the Land

  
  By A3PVM541IR8EYE on 2008-07-22
  Just one important point before I start: this review contains no spoilers; Pratchett fans can read it with impunity.
  
  'Nation' is one of Terry Pratchett's Young Adult books. It isn't set on Discworld, and the characters are new. It's set on our Round World, in Victorian days, at the height of the British Empire.
  
  Well, to be accurate, it's set in an alternative world, in a different leg of the Trousers of Time, where, among other things, the Royal Family has met with a series of calamities, and it is vitally important that the Heir to the Throne be found (some small print in the ratified version of the Magna Carta, apparently).
  
  The two main characters are teenagers - both, for various reasons, without a Nation, and both representing all that is best in their respective cultures. Mau, the boy, is the only survivor after his island is devastated by a tsunami. Ermintrude, the girl, is shipwrecked on his island.
  
  No. It isn't The Blue Lagoon. That's all the plot that I'm willing to divulge.
  
  Like all of Pratchett's work, this book can be interpreted at many levels. The younger folk will enjoy the yarn, which is brilliantly crafted, as always. They might even identify with the characters. Both show that curious mixture of wisdom, intelligence and basic Humanity of all of Pratchett's younger characters. There are many moments of tension, resolved at the narratively appropriate minute, plus an ending which brought tears to the Reviewer's eye.
  
  Pratchett's sense of humour is never absent. A stunningly beautiful scene where all the multi-colored birds in a tropical island take wing at once, is brought to earth when he mentions the problems that occur when standing underneath a large, nervous, flock of birds.
  
  And for us older readers? Many layers of allusion, discussion of deep questions about Belief, Monarchy, the Responsibility of Command, Gods, tree-climbing octopi, Reality, and the Lonesome Palm. I will freely confess that I love Pratchett's work, including his Young Adult books. Given that I'm older than Mr Pratchett himself, I can only conclude that I'm a young adult, for large values of 'Young'.
  
  This is another marvellous book. Long may he continue to produce them.
  
  If you've never tried his work - try this one; it comes with no baggage.
  
  
  

• A story of Survival, written as only Pratchett could

  
  By A3ULJE7UMUGSXR on 2008-07-25
  If a good book is a gift, then Nation is a gem.
  
  Imagine, if you will, that you are a young boy, returning to your island home, Nation, after your rite of passage, when you are caught in a tidal wave that destroys everything you own, everyone you ever loved, and almost everything you are.
  
  Imagine, if you will, that you are a few years shy of becoming a young Lady and that your father is in the line of succession for the throne (after, of course, the deaths of the other 100+ in line). You have been taught Propriety and Manners - capitalized, of course - and are on board a ship that is caught in the above mentioned tidal wave. You are dumped, with very little fanfare, on the Nation. You are, of course, the ship's lone human survivor.
  
  This is not Pippi Longstocking. This is not Gilligan's Island. This is not Blue Lagoon, nor is it Lord of the Flies.
  
  Who's in charge? Beyond the problems with communication and with the incoming straggling survivors, huge differences in customs and traditions are also hitches in what should be peaceful island life.
  
  While Nation is geared towards young adults, Terry Pratchett's subtle - and not always subtle - humor and fabulous tale-weaving make Nation appropriate for Pratchett fans of all ages. It's also an amazing book for any reader who likes a bit of adventure and/or some fictional (or is it?) supernatural and scientific convictions.
  
  Despite publicized health problems, Terry Pratchett, I assure you, shows NO sign of slipping!
  
  
• Who's the Savage Here?
  By A1L20MX19ZMNW5 on 2008-07-21
  Nation is a novel that I found myself calling wonderful from the very beginning and immediately knowing it would be a favorite. It's one I'd recommend to nearly anyone.
  
  This alternate history takes place in a time when the redcoats were plopping down flags on islands without asking the permission of the natives. Most authors fail to give such natives equal or superior intellectual status with their European contemporaries. Instead, such people are painted as savages. Pratchett seeks here to blur the normal lines between civilized and savage and redefine these words.
  
  The story begins when "savage" Mau returns to his particular island for his ceremony of manhood only to find that the entire Nation has been swept away in a tidal wave. Upon his return, he finds Daphne, a "civilized" European teenage girl, who has been washed on shore in the remains of her ship. Out of fear, Daphne immediately and savagely tries to shoot the native islander. They eventually have to look past their pre-conceived ideas of each other as different varieties of savages to make the Nation live again. Soon other survivors from around the area begin to show up to take refuge there. Mau finds himself stealing milk from a wild hog and Daphne finds herself delivering babies and making beer. After Mau retrieves a fourth never-before-seen god anchor from the sea, Daphne urges him to go one step further and roll away a very ancient stone from the mouth of a cave to uncover other secrets of his forefathers. This is when a most amazing and unexpected discovery surfaces that "turns the world upside down" and puts into question history as we know it.
  
  Benjamin Franklin said in his essay "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America" that "if we could examine the manners of different nations with Impartiality, we should find no People so rude, as to be without any Rules of Politeness; nor any so polite, as not to have some remains of Rudeness." In Nation, Pratchett seeks to define the difference between the civilized and the savage in a different way than we normally do. Is one country civilized just because they were luckier in their inventions or the natural resources available to them? Is a cannibal more savage than a man who kills people and other living beings just for the fun of it? Could only Europeans come to logical conclusions about life and the nature of the universe?
  
  
• Pratchett Crusoe
  By AIGGMGYCYE6U1 on 2008-07-23
  It would be easy to say that Terry Pratchett's new novel is about loss, forgetfulness, survival and hope, and to relate its themes to its author's personal tragedies, except that it would then sound solemn and preachy, which it is not. Any profundity emerges unforcedly from a brisk tale of two youngsters stranded together in the wake of multiple global and personal catastrophes. Each is a lone survivor: Mau (a boy who is caught in between souls) of a tsunami that wiped out his tiny Polynesian clan (the "Nation" of the title), Ermintrude (an upper class Victorian girl who loathes her given name) of a mutiny and shipwreck. ("Polynesian" and "Victorian" are approximations. The world of the story is not precisely our own.)
  
  To keep their lives going and cope with various helpful and unhelpful personages who show up at their island refuge, this naive pair must inter alia learn each other's languages, milk pigs, practice death, argue with silent gods and noisy ghosts, rediscover the secret of the Nation's "god anchors", repel a flotilla of cannibals, and make peace with the British Empire. The odds and gods are overwhelmingly against them, but ingenuity, perseverance and an odd kind of nonbelieving faith bring them through to a suitable, if not conventionally satisfying, ending.
  
  While not set in Discworld (for plot reasons that are obvious in retrospect), Nation fits the Pratchett template: a rather farcical background, a quip-infused text, and a narrative as carefully crafted as in any serious novel. Humor is never an excuse for sloppy writing. There may, sadly, be few more books from the prolific Pratchett pen. This one, happily, maintains the very high standards of its predecessors.
  
  
  
• novel bloated with preachy rambling
  By A2FEM4XI55SY0W on 2008-07-25
  "Nation" had some good concepts - it could have made a pretty decent short story. As it was, though, it was just a really bloated novel, bogged down by ramblings that never quite make a point.
  
  I thought the book was a little preachy. For instance, the hero's loss of faith in his gods loses its potential impact on the reader because the writing conveys a strange insistence that he is rational and right to disbelieve. It was especially strange to me how the hero goes on denying the existence of the gods even after he literally speaks with the god of death (and on more than one occasion!)
  
  There were some parts of the story that I did like - I liked the scene where the hero communes with death in order to achieve the emotional distance he needs as the sole survivor who must bury all his people after a disaster. I was also touched by his feelings of guilt, unfairness, and wounded pride when he has to take advantage of the advanced equipment in the foreigners' shipwreck.
  
  But these good parts were too few, and overall I was disappointed - there was just too much chaff.
  
  
• Too boring for a tweener
  By A100NGGXRQF0AQ on 2008-08-29
  I gave this book to my tweener daughter to review. At the beginning she said it was quite interesting. But, as she progressed further, she said it was hard to follow and became very boring. Although she finishes almost all books, this one she didn't... Here it is in her words:
  
  The book Nation is about the history of the U.S, basically. It makes reference toward "The Old World" in the first chapter and from then on talks about "The New World" up until present times.
  
  When I first started reading Nation I thought that it might be worthwhile reading. After 2 more chapters I decided it was boring. While the topic was interesting, the narrative of the book is completely dull and I believe whoever wrote this book had rocks in their head at the time.
  
  By the 4th chapter in the book I put it down and decided I would rather sit in the corner eating strawberry pop tarts instead of wasting my time entirely by reading this book.
  
  Keep in mind though this is only my opinion ,and am only suggesting this book is boring, if you like dully narrated books where the author probably had rocks in his head when he wrote it than be my guest to read it.
  
  
• Building a new life from the wreckage of the old
  By A3C0380R9NMLHD on 2008-07-22
  Mau is about to become a man. He left his 'boy' soul on the Boy's Island and it returning to the Nation for the feast where he would get his 'man' soul and be welcomed to manhood. But a terrible wave reaches the island before Mau does, and by the time he arrives, he is alone. Except that he isn't. The wave washed the ship 'Sweet Judy' ashore, and the sole survivor of that wreck, a daughter of a English aristocrat, joins Mau. Eventually, other survivors of the wave begin arriving from other islands, and Mau finds himself in the role of chief, working to build a new life from the wreckage.
  
  An entertaining book, with themes about the role of belief and rational thought in societies, and the power of legend in forging identities. While this book is set in a world that nominally resembles our own, there are a number of uniquely Pratchett details along the way. These combine with the overall story (which has a bit of an Orson Scott Card feel to it) to provide a wonderful tale of discovery and survival.
  
  
• Does not disappoint!
  By ADM7CHQGQHXKU on 2008-07-23
  One of the things I liked most about Nation was how it took a serious story full of disaster, death, pain, fear, challenges, the unknown, disappointment - and added humor, hope, a little bit of reason and enlightenment, growth, and triumph.
  
  Mau is on his way to his home island to claim the glory and honor of completing a challenge that would earn him manhood. He feels he is vulnerable now - not a boy any longer but not yet a man, either, so he must hurry to his manhood... and then the Wave comes. The Wave changes everything. Through the course of the book, Mau meets Death more than once and fights him every time - the results are admirable and satisfying - it was almost as though Mau taught Death a lesson just as much as Death taught Mau a few things.
  
  The story is about new beginnings, while remembering, cherishing and learning from the past. The Nation made me think of America, too, and how different people from different islands came together, and learned to share their traditions and help one another and get along, despite rigid superstition and different experiences. The birthing rituals, the beer-making, the "now you're a man" traditions, the gods and god anchors - it's all intriguing to read about (and I loved the "toe-less creature" - Pratchett does a nice job of describing things we take for granted from the perspective of one who has not experienced such things).
  
  Finally, the book encourages people, including its characters, to think. "I want to know why everything. I don't know the answers, but a few days ago, I didn't know there were questions," Mau says. Earlier in the book, Mau's friend Nawi, who others laugh at, tells Mau that "Not many people think, REALLY think. They just think they do." I love the way Mau and Daphne (aka Erminitrude) learn to THINK - it's fascinating and inspiring what they come up with when there's much at stake.
  
  I didn't completely like the ending, though it did fit the story and there's nothing WRONG with it; I was a bit like the children who were listening to the end of the story, that's all.
  
  
• Pratchett turns his pen to non-Discworld YA fiction with excellent results
  By A174P9KKDTL25G on 2008-07-26
  Terry Pratchett is best known for his Discworld novels, ranging from the Colour of Magic to Making Money. Within that canon, Pratchett has written a few novels explicitly labeled for young adults (starting with the Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents).
  
  In Nation, though, Pratchett turns away from Discworld and starts a sui generis YA novel set on a world very much like, but subtly different, than our own 19th century Earth. Nation tells the story of two survivors of what can be deduced to be a tidal wave in the South Pacific (here, Pelagic) Ocean: Mau, a young native of these islands whose traditional growth and path to manhood is interrupted when his people are nearly wiped out, and Ermentrude, the daughter (and granddaughter) of British nobility who happened to be on a ship in these waters when disaster struck. We also get hints that there is a different disaster going on in the wider world, too.
  
  Nation is the story of the rebuilding of Mau's Nation, as survivors meet and strive to survive on what remains of Mau's island.
  
  With this simple (but not simplistic) plot and structure, Pratchett brings us a story of survival that YA readers will love, but also throws in a lot for adult readers as well. Touches of his humour, familiar to anyone who has read Discworld, abound. There is even traces of philosophy and weightier matters, but they are only frosting on the solid and densely delicious cake of the novel. Action, adventure, survival, humor, reflection. The novel has everything that a High School English Teacher might hope for in a book to teach students, and has the writing, wit, and entertainment value that will allow those students to actually enjoy reading it.
  
  And to be clear, although its a YA novel, adult fans of Pratchett, like myself, will also highly enjoy this novel. Its not Discworld and doesn't pretend to be, but it has the same high quality of writing, well drawn characters, world building and entertainment value.
  
  Highly Recommended.
  
  
  
  
• A New Universe
  By AV08SZ4CV954T on 2008-07-29
  And while Pratchett has written several YA Discworld books (the Tiffany Aching series and a few others), he has also branched out into new stories with universes of their own.
  
  Mau is leaving the Boys' Island. He has left his child soul behind and upon his triumphant return to the Nation, his small island home, he will receive his man soul.
  
  Daphne (her real name Ermintrude but it's not one she'll admit to it if she has to) is journeying on the Sweet Judy to unite with her father, her grandmother's words, "Always remember, that it only needs one hundred and thirty-eight people to die and your father will be King! And that means that, one day, you might be Queen!" echoing in her mind.
  
  In a single night, Daphne and Mau's worlds are utterly shattered. With only crude pictograms as a common language, these two children must survive on a storm swept island with an ancient mystery buried at its heart.
  
  Pratchett's characteristic humor (and footnotes "of an educational nature"), while present, has stepped to one side to make room for an additional thoughtfulness about what it means to come of age and what makes up both a person and a society.
  
  An avid Pratchett fan myself, I was heartbroken when I was interrupted with only 10 pages left to read. Pratchett has once again created a compelling, driving story that entertains, educates and pokes fun at anything and everything in its path.
  
  
• Pratchett Does It Again!
  By AB9QXH5URDLER on 2008-07-29
  
  Nation begins small with a boy . . . then a girl . . . then the story builds . . . This novel has twists and turns, adventure and suspense, villains and heroes, romance and tenderness. As the story builds the plot thickens until the reader cannot put it down. It crescendos into not one, but multiple climaxes, each more heartwarming than the last. Pratchett's style draws the reader in. He creates a world of fantasy that is better than television. These are characters that one cares about. The only drawback is the length. At 332 pages this is not a book that will be read in one sitting.
  
  
  
• Subtle humor and endearing characters
  By A1BT6TL7UCIC5Y on 2008-07-24
  "Nation" strikes a great balance between humor and seriousness. The plot involves two young teenagers being stranded on an island. The plot might sound trite, but the book heads in a much different direction that most novels about people stuck on islands.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the characters and felt like I was able to get to know them. My favorite books are ones that involve likeable characters. Aside from the "bad guys," I liked all the characters. Pratchett stayed cleared of the normal clichés. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking characters who, when first introduced, I thought I would dislike.
  
  Subtle humor underlies "Nation." I found myself laughing out loud at some of the wording Pratchett chose.
  
  One of the main themes of this book is the idea of questioning the beliefs that one has grown up with. It's refreshing to read a novel where the characters think for themselves and rationalize their beliefs.
  
  Do not let the "young adult" designation scare you away from this book. This book is appropriate for people of all ages and might be a fun book to read to young kids.
  
  
  
• It's not the best Pratchett I've read, but it's a fun read.
  By A24Q0FT8N4MK6B on 2008-07-27
  So first of all, I'm not really sure why this book was categorized as "teen lit" as this is no different from any other Terry Pratchett novel. I guess they are just marketing it that way because it has teenage protagonists and is coming-of-age themed. The book has some very funny writing in it, but I found it to be slow in getting started. The central characters are well-drawn, especially the girl.
  
  It's the story of a proper but ambitious Victorian teenage girl who ends up shipwrecked on a south pacific island with a native boy who is trying to become a man after a tidal wave kills everyone in his village while he is away. You've been here before. Yes, we learn that maybe the English are the real savages, and yes, we learn that subsistence living and abject poverty makes us all very close to nature and noble. But Terry Pratchett has a lot of fun creating the religion of the island and playing with the culture clash and once the 2 main characters do meetup, the pages fly by.
  
  It's not the best Pratchett I've read, but it's a fun read.
  
  
  
• Indiana Jones + the Mummy + Atlas Shrugged all in one.
  By A3B6E2WUEKE9WK on 2008-07-28
  The expansive and delightfully contrary world of the great A'tuin is absent from this work which may perhaps make many of Terry Pratchett's normal fans avoid Nation. I can't think of a worse mistake you could make.
  
  I've always loved Terry Pratchett. He has a wicked sense of humor, and an entertaining, captivating style. His books move fast and generally never drag. More than anything, however, his characters come to life, and he often presents philosophical conundrums in his works that lie subtle in the background rather than reaching out and grabbing your neck to choke you. Some writers do this with their fiction, causing it to become excessively preachy. Some of the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind, which without the soapboxes and morality would have been exceptional, are an example of this.
  
  This is some of his writing at his absolute finest. It has elements of grand adventure and exotic locations. Like the title of my review says, it has the feel of Indiana Jones crossed with the Mummy, crossed with Atlas Shrugged. It's a good time that encourages you to think. Far from being just for children, it's really an excellent book for anyone to read, because it's depth is subtle, yet very profound. Rare are the authors that can convey this.
  
  In fact, it is one of the best features of Nation, that the characters have deep resounding philosophies, moral quandries that abound, and philosophical changes that tear them apart, just about. All of them are written so well that they seem, well, real.
  
  First we meet Mau, a member of the Nation, on a quest to become a man. Chance dictates his manhood will be found a little differently. Ermintrude, the other hero of the story, is an untypical Victorian-esque young english lady. She is fond of science, and is on her way over the sea to meet up with her father, who's been stationed as the governor of a remote tropical island. Her father is in line for the throne, only if well over a hundred people die - a very unlikely thing to occur, but her stodgy and inflexible grandmother delights in reminding her, nonetheless. Worlds apart, random happenstance in the form of a terrible wave shatters both their young plans by changing their worlds forever.
  
  Terry Pratchett masterfully weaves their stories together with both humor at the sheer practicality of their situation, and both of them overcoming their own weaknesses to protect many other people finding them after the large disaster. Mau and Ermintrude (or Daphne, as she comes to be called) couldn't be more different. At the heart though, they are far more similar than you might imagine. I generally detest coming of age stories, because they are usually riddled with cliches and other trite things. This is unique, in that it focuses on something most young adult books do not. It does so in an unorthodox manner.
  
  That one strong current which pervades Nation is simply summed up in one question: what is truth? The quest for truth, both about the universe and about ourselves, can be brutal if you honestly are prepared to allow it to take apart whatever facade you may believe in or see, and engage in that most painful of journeys. In some cases, the truth destroys us before we become exalted by it. Is it worth it? Read the book, and see if it was for Mau and Daphne.
  
  So no, it isn't Discworld. It doesn't have the reckless humor, or the outright silliness it sometimes does. It possesses that depth of substance that lurks even behind the most amusing moments in his other works though, and expands it to a satisfying degree. You won't regret this one.
  
  
• Delightful
  By A3D6KZT0QG6UKB on 2008-08-04
  I feel just a little bit uncomfortable calling a book delightful. It sounds so condescending. But Terry Pratchett is one of those rare writers that have a talent for making a reader smile with every page (the only other writers that I can think up offhand that also fit that description are Jane Austen (although not for me) and Wodehouse of Carry On, Jeeves fame). This is also a surprise since as his first non-Disc World novel in over a decade, Nation presents some pretty heady topics such as Imperialism, the role of tradition in a world turned upside down, the plague, history and Manifest Destiny.
  
  The book centers around Mau, a island boy who is just passing through his manhood ceremony when a massive tidal wave destroys his entire village. Onto the island comes Daphne, an English girl who has had the unfortunate luck to end up on a ship that was torn apart by mutiny and crashed onto the island. The core of the beginning of the book is in Daphne and Mau trying to understand each other as Mau deals with the burying all of his friends and family and Daphne deals with the freedom she suddenly experiences in isolation. We've seen Daphne before in these historical novels, the proto-feminist being slowly stifled by her societal obligations (in the form of a grandmother who stops all nonsense about her going to the Royal Society.) Mau is a little more unique as the tribesman who manages to avoid all the "noble savage" cliches quite easily (of course, I doubt Terry Pratchett would continence to attempting any noble savage cliches).
  
  The book picks up as Mau becomes the de facto chief for an island of refugees coming in from the islands also affected. There's a great relationship between Mau and Daphne assisting each other in meeting the basic needs - food and medicine - for folks that suddenly end up in their care. And as the first chapter tells us, the British crown is coming. Of course, this is in an alternate history where the plague has racked Britain in the 19th century and things are very differently. One can imagine Pratchett trying to write a book of what could have happened had British Imperialism not been so arrogant - or had learned its lesson early before the 1960s when it had to give up on its ambitions through force of arms.
  
  Altogether a very satisfying novel and a worthy addition to Terry Pratchett's body of literature.
  
  
• When a world turns upside-down
  By A26TSW6AI59ZCV on 2008-10-02
  This is a work of fiction, by Terry Pratchett, that is basically two, converging, coming-of-age stories, set in an alternate history of Earth, back in the days of three-masted sailing ships and the British Empire in its colonial heyday.
  
  One of the core characters is Ermintrude, who prefers to be called Daphne. Daphne is 139th in the line of succession to the throne of England. Her mother died in childbirth, and Daphne is haunted by the memories of that sad time. Her father, who is, of course, 138th in the line of succession to the throne of England, has become Governor of a British colony in the South Pacific, leaving Daphne to be raised by a stern, overbearing, grandmother with very rigid ideas of what is proper. However, Daphne's father sends for her, and she sets sail for the long sea voyage to join her father. Shortly after Daphne leaves England, a terrible plague of Russian influenza hits Europe, taking an awful toil on the population, including the British monarchy. Daphne is a very bright, inquisitive girl, who loves science, of which her father approves, but her grandmother saw this as extremely un-ladylike and not befitting a girl who is 139th in the line of succession to the throne of England.
  
  Mau is the other main character in Nation. He is a boy, on the verge of manhood, who is lifelong resident of a South Pacific island. According to the customs of his culture, the older men take him to another island and leave him there, alone, with the task of surviving and finding his way back, across miles of open ocean, within thirty days. If he succeeds, the entire tribe will celebrate Mau's newfound adult status, and he can begin seeking a wife. If he fails to return in thirty days, the elders will bring him back, if he has even survived, but Mau will never gain full adult status in the tribe, and cannot marry. Mau is a strong, bright, resourceful boy, and is well on his way home, in an outrigger canoe he built, when . . .
  
  Disaster strikes! A volcanic island in the South Pacific, close on to degree of Krakatoa, causing an enormous tsunami. The tidal wave has a major impact on this story, as Mau survives, but the entire population of his home island is wiped off the face of the Earth. Meanwhile, the ship carrying Daphne is wrecked --- onto Mau's island --- leaving only Daphne surviving. Here, our two coming-of-age stories converge, and develops in a well-crafted, and very unexpected, manner. This is not the movie The Blue Lagoon (Special Edition) all over again, but something much more sophisticated and interesting.
  
  Cultural issues are an important factor in this book, as Daphne's extremely proper, British upbringing collides with a reality that does not fit it, while Mau is left stripped of his people, his customs, and his culture. He was just about to become a man, but did not know everything he needs to found a new tribe --- a new Nation. As stragglers, from other islands, wander into the story, they are all lost, and our two protagonists are the most resourceful and the strongest of the bunch, with "the cream rising to the top." British colonialism also takes a hit in this story, as it is not viewed kindly. And, if all the disasters and upheavals were not enough, Daphne and Mau make an archaeological discovery, on Mau's island, that will shake the scientific and cultural worlds, across the globe, in a way that even a new Krakatoa and the plague could not.
  
  Character development is key strength to this novel. By the end of the story, I felt that I knew, and liked, many of the characters. Daphne is a truly admirable young woman, who is quite worthy of the unexpected status she inherits, at the end of the book. Mau gives us the epitome of adolescent angst, mixed with the alienation of the culturally displaced and the existential rage of a young man who feels that his gods have not just abandoned him, but have betrayed him.
  
  The book ends with a truly powerful epilogue, of the what-came-afterward type. I think that the reader would have to be pretty cold-hearted to not shed a tear or two, while reading it.
  
  Everything I have said thus far has been pretty positive, but this book is not without its flaws. The beginning is somewhat muddied and abrupt, leaving the reader floundering for a while. I could not figure out how the Daphne and Mau story-lines could connect. Plus, there is the issue of the ages of the two protagonists. It took quite a while for it to be clear that Daphne was actually fourteen, not nine years old. Mau's age is never clearly stated, but I am pretty sure he is also about fourteen or fifteen.
  
  There is a structural issue with this book, as the flow is uneven. It generally moves well, but it occasionally gets a bit lost, or off track. I recently read that Mr. Pratchett, a veteran writer of many books, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, and I wonder if that could play a part in this small flaw in the book. However, the minor meandering does not significantly hurt the book and, if I ever get Alzheimer's, I hope that I will be able to write this well.
  
  Before Nation, the only Pratchett story that I had read was a short story called The Sea Fishes and the Little Fishes, which is a well-crafted blend of fantasy, humor, folklore, and witchcraft set in his Discworld universe. I might read more of his books now.
  
  -- Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle
  
  
• Does Not Happen? Depends...
  By APHX2A37KDRAH on 2008-07-29
  I picked up this book thru Amazon's Vine Program. This review is focused on an Advanced Reader's Edition.
  Nation by Mr. Terry Pratchett deals with a world that is similar to ours (circa 1840's - 1850's) in which the world is turned upside down. When the book opens we see two different views of the world, the western world where plague is passing (actually it's the Russian Flu) and a Pacific island world that is highly similar to Hawaii or other Polynesian islands where a boy (Mau) is setting out to become a man. In both cases the world changes rather suddenly causing the western world to meet the Pacific Islanders and to learn about things. Focus is on Mau and his Nation and how it changes after the great wave.
  
  My Likes:
  This book's opening hits you like a 2x4. The action is immediate and you're thrown for a roller coaster ride. After a few pages of describing the situation in the world, Mr. Pratchett tells us about Mau's quest to become a man and how his world is destroyed/changed by a huge wave. From this opening we're able to determine that the focus is on the island Nation and the differences between it and British Imperialism. Mr. Pratchett does this by having most of the characters being from the Pacific islands, the exception being Daphne, a young British lady who's been shipwrecked on the island. In tell this story, Mr. Pratchett does an excellent job capturing the Polynesian culture and comparing it to the English culture of the era (circa 1840's/50's) thru the eyes of Daphne and Mau. Of critical importance to the story is defining what a savage is. This is something Mr. Pratchett plays with many times in the story by extracting components from different cultures and showing them to us. This difference is best shown in the later half of the book when Daphne, Mau, and the other islanders meet part of the former crew of the Sweet Judy (they were mutineers).
  I also loved the strive between life and death. Mr. Pratchett hits us early with death (Locaha, the islander's god of death) and its significance to the individual and the Nation. Continually, Mau is forced to confront and walk in the steps of death while trying to sustain his Nation. As Locaha appears ready to take the Nation, Mau utters `Does Not Happen' (you need to read the story to understand the impact of this).
  My last love is the character development. For a short book, Mr. Pratchett breaths life into all of the characters; whether it's Mau, Daphne, Pilu (my favorite character), Cox, or Henry, Daphne's father.
  
  My Dislikes:
  My major dislike was that about 1/3rd of the way in there's a lull. While not long, the lull does
  result in a change of pace. It's not really a bad thing, but I was on a roll with the earlier piece and it let me down a little. Once you're past that though, the story continues to pick up to the end.
  My secondary dislike was that Mr. Pratchett failed to fully explore the similarities and differences between western and island cultures. He talks about it very nicely but never resolved their similarities and differences fully (or at least to my satisfaction). What would have been very nice is if Mr.
  Pratchett had drawn better lines of similarity between the Island and early Western culture and closed out with the impact of the Nation on the world.
  
  The Rating:
  Mr. Pratchett's writing style grabs you right off. In the first chapter or two I was thinking a solid 5 star book because of the uniqueness and Mr. Pratchett's writing. Once we hit the lull I was thinking it had settled into a 4 star book that I'd say I enjoyed and was happy to see end. However things really picked up in the back half and there's lots of interesting twists, including Daphne meeting members of the former Sweet Judy. Because of this, I'll call it 4.5 stars for me. Since I can't rate half stars I'll go ahead and round it up to 5 stars because the back half was so good and I believe any Terry Pratchett fan would love it! For those who haven't read Mr. Pratchett's works before, he has a certain whimsical style that is highly enjoyable. His books (this one included) have lots of thoughts that are very interesting to say the least. If you enjoy things like this you should find this book to be a 4.5-5 star book; however the less you enjoy this style (or challenging thought pattern) the lower your own rating would be.
  
  
  
• Pratchett's in Form
  By A3TCHXOOIEOOZJ on 2008-07-29
  Nation is a novel about the clash of cultures- what happens when the civilized world meets the uncivilized world, and what might have happened, historically, if everyone had just decided to get along with each other instead of trying to take each other over. This plot idea isn't very original- it has been done by many authors before, and will probably be used many times again. But it IS Terry Pratchett, so the story comes to life with cussing parrots, ornery old grandmothers, the mysteries of milking a pig, an inappropriate song about making beer, and cannibals.
  
  Pratchett is so casual and light-hearted in his writing, but by the end of the book he has made his very important point so eloquently that you might cry.
  
  I don't know how to do justice to a Pratchett plot or to his characters- the plot is good, and the characters are hilarious. I think any Pratchett fan will love this book, and I think anyone who likes satire and witty writing will love Terry Pratchett. If you haven't read him yet, you should. If you have read him, you should check out this book. Neither he nor the book will disappoint.
  
  Note: Beware of reading this book on cramped public transportation. You might read a funny line and snort, and people might look at you oddly and then awkwardly shift away. Believe me. I know.
  
  
• A good story with some subtelty issues
  By A3G536EE1BB3XX on 2008-10-26
  The front flap of one of "Nation" author Terry Pratchett's earlier books reads "In recent years [Discworld, his primary series] has split into "adult" and "children's" series. The difference between them is that one deals with serious themes, while the other one is for adults." Though "Nation" isn't a Discworld book - it's set on an island on an alternate Earth - it follows the pattern. A YA book, it's really quite serious about growing up, critical thinking, and belief - the book's biggest problem is that it's Anvilicious in a way only Richard Dawkins could love.
  
  What's disappointing about this is though the latter half of the book is as emphatic as the first, it handles things more smoothly. The fault isn't that the messages forms the entire plot scaffolding - there are times this works well - but that Pratchett feels the need to go on about it when he should let it demonstrate itself. Normally his YA novels handle this better. His trademark humor isn't as present as usual either; the book undoubtedly has its moments and it's not as serious as "Night Watch", but they're fewer and farther between than normal.
  
  Which isn't to say "Nation" is a bad book*; Pratchett's previous books set a very high bar that most authors can't meet. Mau, Daphne, and the rest of the book's cast are wonderfully engaging people. This just isn't the author's best.
  
  ***1/2
  
  (* I dislike Amazon's "3 stars is negative" idea.)
  
  
• What happens to the rules when the world comes to an end?
  By ATMQEI1LKR6VB on 2008-07-22
  The honorable Miss Ermitrude Fanshaw knows the rules. As a possible, though highly unlikely, heir to the throne, her grandmother has prepared her "for a royal life by seeing to it, whenever possible, that Ermitrude was not taught anything that could possibly be of any practical use whatsoever."
  
  Mau, too, knows the rules. He knows that on the island called Nation, men must never enter the Women's Place, women in the Women's Place make the beer that is served to the Grandfathers at the Grandfathers' burial cave, and the God Anchors must remain in their places or else something terrible will happen.
  
  But what could be worse than what has already happened?
  
  "On the day the world ended, Mau was on his way home." So was Ermitrude. Now they find only each other on the island called Nation, and they must decide which rules to follow and which to break.
  
  The Grandfathers must get their beer. But who will make it if there are no women left and Mau isn't allowed in the Women's Place? And Ermitrude, now calling herself Daphne, soon wishes she had learned anything that could be of practical use whatsoever, particularly how to make scones.
  
  NATION is a wonderful historical fantasy for readers who like to laugh, wonder and--above all--think.
  
  What rules would you hold onto if your world suddenly came to an end?
  
  
• Pratchett is always a good buy
  By A2QNJARWTF9H89 on 2008-07-30
  I don't think Terry Pratchett dumbs down his writing for children. He still has the same adult humor, but he always keeps it coached in subtleties allowing anyone to read it. The only difference I can see is that his books for children feature children as the main characters. The adult topics will pass over any child's head, as well as many adults.
  
  Sadly, this isn't a Discworld novel, nor is it a book about a young witch. This is a historical fantasy set in our prosaic reality. Fabulous writing, as always. I always think that Pratchett's novels end a little early, and this one is the same. I want them to go on forever.
  Well worth the purchase.
  
  
• Does not disapoint!
  By AN9J46667D80O on 2008-08-02
  Terry Pratchett takes a step back from the Discworld for his first major non-Discworld book in quite some time.
  
  "Nation" takes place in an alternate universe that is similar in many ways to ours (though sadly I don't think we have any tree-dwelling octopi).
  
  The book takes place sometime in the 19th century. It centers around two thirteen-year-olds, Mau and Daphne. He's a young islander and she's a Society girl from England. They meet after a giant wave devastates his island and causes her ship to crash there. The two form a bond and start building their own little nation together as other people begin to arrive.
  
  This is very different from the usual Pratchett works. Normally he writes laugh-out-loud, thought-provoking comedy, and while there is quite a bit of that in this book, it's certainly less pronounced than in the Discworld novels.
  
  What's very fascinating for someone like me is watching Mau's deconversion from his people's faith to someone more rational and scientificly based. He still admires his people's customs and society, but by the end of the story, doesn't seem to have their beliefs in the supernatural (one other reviewer commented about him still talking with Death, and while that appears to be happening, one can make lots of arguements for human imagination).
  
  I found this a very satisfying read, and I'm looking forward to buying a copy once it comes out, which since I already own an advance reading copy, is saying something.
  
  VERY highly recommended!
  
  
• A classic story told through Pratchett's keen eyes
  By A268EEWUXYCA8Q on 2008-08-11
  When I was pursuing my degree in English, I had to read a ton of novels, obviously. Throughout time, the concept of individuals stranded on an island has been a popular one. From Robinson Crusoe to Lord of the Flies. From Treasure Island to TV's Lost. Obviously, there's something mysterious, romantic and desperate enough here to be explored through centuries of literature.
  
  Meanwhile, Terry Pratchett has made a name for himself for crafting an amazingly satiric world called Discworld and while this is the series he's most known for, whenever he branches out into other stories, he does so very well. And so, we have Nation, a book about a boy named Mau who, on his return journey home towards becoming a man, encounters a terrifying wave that destroys everything and everyone he knew and loved. It also left him in the middle of a transformation; not a boy, not yet a man, as Britney Spears might sing...if she were a man.
  
  Then, we have Ermintrude/Daphne, distantly related to The Royal Family, who is on a ship that is also capsized by the same wave. They both inadvertently end up on an island, what used to be Mau's home, and have to form an alliance to survive.
  
  So, that's the story in a nutshell and without spoiling anything that happens as it progresses. It's pretty standard fare, honestly, and, from a story perspective, nothing you haven't seen before. However, like all of Pratchett's novels, a standard story is grounded in strong characters with...well, a lot of character. Pratchett crafts interesting characters that feel like real people, and his wit and touch is completely evident throughout the novel. His presentation of the topic is what helps lift this familiar story to new heights, while asking small, but probing questions all the way.
  
  On one hand, a stirring survival-against-the-odds story; on the other, a coming of age story; on a third, if one were so equipped, a story about disparate people coming together and forging a new nation, Nation is an interesting, if sometime meandering, look at a history that could have been. Very much recommended.
  
  
• Sweet. Pefect. Beautiful.
  By A36IYNTM3VH0FG on 2008-10-11
  To be honest, I picked up this book with more than a little hesitation.
  
  I've been a fan of Terry Pratchett's for years. He's a great writer. One of the best. This cannot be argued.
  
  Still, I knew this book wasn't going to be set in Discworld, so I was nervous. Also, I was a little disappointed, because I love the Discworld. It's like a place that I get to visit on vacation once or twice a year. I look forward to those visits, and because of that, I was more than ready to be let down by this non-Discworld story.
  
  I shouldn't have worried. This is, in my opinion, Pratchett's best book yet. Reading it, I laughed out loud in public. Finishing it, I cried.
  
  I've already ordered a half-dozen copies so I can give them away as gifts. I am excited about being able to share it with other people.
  
  Buy it. Read it. Love it. You will not be disappointed. This book is like a kiss from god.
  
  
  
• Latest Pratchett Book
  By A10CF6KP0PR2UW on 2008-10-19
  As a dedicated Pratchett fan I was disappointed to find that this latest offering is not a Discworld novel and, in fact, is a complete departure from anything I have read of his before (and I think I've read EVERYTHING!). That being said, the story is good although lacking in the usual Pratchett witticisms and comedy, in fact lacking in anything definitively Pratchett at all. If you're a Discworld fan and seeking another fix, this isn't it. If you're looking for a pleasant feel-good story but without the usual Pratchett bite, it's a good read.
  
  
• Engaging and Poignant Tale of Familiar Collision of Worlds
  By AKCZIJ6ZHE41D on 2008-07-29
  "They didn't know why these things were funny. Sometimes you laugh because you've got no more room for crying."
  
  Terry Pratchett's newest YA novel carries the reader through on this basic concept: hope/laughter in the face of deepest sorrow. Though the story is frought with turmoil and emotional upheaval for its two young heros (Mau and Daphne) it unfolds into a tale of personal rebuilding when it seems there is little left to stand on.
  
  Pratchett weaves between individual, community and worldy dilemmas in a very palatable way for the audience he's targeted.
  
  I felt it was a little overt and boardering on contived at times on matters of god vs. no god and science vs. religion (as with discussions between Daphne and her father and those of Mau with Ataba), but the author's arguments felt balanced and inviting of the individual reader to make up her or his own mind.
  
  On the lighter side, I chuckled throughout at the comic relief provided by the grandfather birds and the parrot, who always seemed to pop in to break up the greyness of the character's troubling internal and worldy experiences.
  
  Overall, I found the book both engaging in imagery and plot. I truly cared to see what came of Mau and Daphne and was pleased at the maturity they reached in managing the untold terrors and joys life can provide. They are working role models for the youth this story aims at speaking to.
  
  
• A future classic
  By A38JGO3ETNO8HR on 2008-08-22
  Terry Pratchett's approach to children's writing is surprisingly accessible considering it's sophistication... my ten-year-old daughter enjoyed this book as much as I did, placing it firmly in the ranks of classics such as "The Little White Horse" and "The Golden Compass". It tackles fairly heavy subject matter without being overwhelming for the younger reader, and at the end of the book I closed it with a sigh and wished it wasn't over. My daughter has already reread it once, and we are both hoping for more children's books from Mr. Pratchett.
  
  

• The Graveyard Book
• The Hogfather
• Making Money (Discworld Novels)
• The Discworld Graphic Novels: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic
• Wintersmith (Discworld)