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Roo Who cares?! Life is awesome! Since: Sep, 2009
Who cares?! Life is awesome!
10/15/2015 01:25:16 •••

And the Turtle Moves On...

When all is said and done, this last Discworld book is a beautiful, poignant, and ultimately satisfying ending to the long-running fantasy series.

It's a book about endings, but it's also about new beginnings, about change and about new life and hope. And though we'll never get to read the future adventures on the Discworld, we know that they will happen, and our favorite characters aren't really gone at all — they're still there, and will be, as long as we remember and enjoy their stories.

My one major criticism of this book is also the one that I really have to forgive because I know the reason for it: It's much too short. There should have been more of it — more jokes, more characterizations, more funny asides, more quirky dialogue, more Nac Mac Feegle making nuisances of themselves, more of everything that made Pratchett's writing so special. But sadly, he ran out of time. And it's at times very clear that this book wasn't completely finished; several scenes feel extremely rushed, almost like outlines and summaries more than what belongs in a finished novel. As such, it feels like a bit of a "bare-bones" story, kinda like an adequately-cooked meal with no condiments; it's tasty enough on its own but you kinda wish there had been some salt or pepper or Wow-Wow Sauce, just to make it perfect.

Make no mistake, though: the story itself is very good. In fact, plot-wise this might be the best Tiffany Aching story. Everything comes together in a spectacular way and when the book ends, it's on a satisfying note. The major new character, Geoffrey — the boy who wants to be a witch — is very likeable and even if he's not the most memorable Discworld character out there, he's still a good addition to the roster and comes into his own in a very nice way. And a number of the old favorites are back (Magrat returns and gets a brilliant moment to be a leader of witches, and Nanny Ogg is still Nanny Ogg!), and some of them get unexpected developments.

Is it Pratchett's best? No. But it's still a great read, and if some segments seem rushed, there are still a lot of them that shines with truly great writing and creative turns of phrases. It's a book that in the end you are happy to have read. And you can't say fairer than that.

Tomwithnonumbers Since: Dec, 2010
08/31/2015 00:00:00

I like how Geoffrey is an inversion of Esk, the girl who wanted to be a wizard, from Equal Rites which was his 3rd Discworld book and the one that introduced Granny Weatherwax in the first place.

ArcaneAzmadi Since: Jan, 2001
10/15/2015 00:00:00

You're right that the book was incomplete because Sir Pterry ran out of time- the afterword by Rob Wilkins went almost suspiciously out of its way to describe how the author was always working on his stories almost right up until they were about to go to print, rewriting, adding in new sequences, new footnotes, fleshing things out. The book does indeed feel like there are a lot of things missing from it, plot threads never properly resolved (young Tiffany, for example, who is never mentioned again in the story after her namesake rescues her from the elves and returns her to her mother). It's unfortunate, but I think it says a lot that the book manages to work even so.

Always expect the worst and you can only be pleasantly surprised.

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