Book Thoughts: Sourcery

Title: Sourcery
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld #5

Sourcery -- access to raw, creative, untethered magic -- disappeared from the Disc long ago, after some very nasty Mage Wars. But it has returned, in the form of a young boy named Coin.

Something has to be done before the overpowered wizards destroy the Disc -- but it looks like the job is going to be left to a failed wizard, a boy who's been a barbarian hero for three days but hasn't finished the instruction manual, a hairdresser wannabe with killer instincts, and an alcoholic poet. As you might expect, hilarious shenanigans (and a lot of surprising depth) ensue.

Rincewind! Rincewind is back! (We haven't seen him since The Light Fantastic, and he's one of my favorites.) And the other characters are all wonderful too. Some of the plot got a little bit weird in this one, but I think I would put it pretty close to the top of my Discworld experience so far. A quick and hilarious read, classic Terry Pratchett. Definitely read.

Book Thoughts: Mort

Title: Mort
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld #4

Mort is a clumsy, rather oblivious young man, so he isn't surprised when no one chooses him as an apprentice. Until, of course, one last position opens up, and Mort is chosen as the apprentice of Death.

Once again Pratchett manages to make a very serious issue lighthearted and approachable as Mort and his ragtag collection of friends attempt to thwart fate and escape the inevitable while Death, the only one truly of his trade, decides to take a break and retire to a nice cafe full of cats. That is, if the world can handle it.

Thoughtful and adventurous and laugh-out-loud funny, Mort is no exception to what is quickly becoming a blanket policy of "recommend all Discworld books." Death's characterization by the end seemed a little incongruous, but Mort, Ysabell, Keli, Cutwell, and Albert more than made up for it. Absolutely worth a read.

Book Thoughts: Equal Rites

Title: Equal Rites
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld #3
*Imported from tumblr.*

Eskarina wants to be a wizard. The problem? She’s a girl, and women can’t be wizards — it’s against the lore. But good luck convincing Esk to be anything other than exactly what she wants to be.

This is the third Discworld book I’ve read and I loved it. Terry Pratchett has a knack for satire that I can’t quite put words to. It had me laughing out loud and reading passages to whoever was in hearing range. It’s a feminist book that doesn’t feel like a feminist book, and it’s a bundle of hilarity that manages to hit close to home.

Also, I want Granny Weatherwax to be my granny. It’s worth reading just for her sass and steeliness.

tl;dr if you’ve never read Terry Pratchett, you should.

Book Thoughts: The Princess Bride

Title: The Princess Bride
Author: William Goldman

Princess Bride is one of the rare cases where I watched the movie before I read the book. I didn't even know the movie was based on a book until I'd been watching and loving the movie for years. It is still one of my favorite movies. So when I found out it was a book, of course I had to read it.

And I was not disappointed.

The witty and sarcastic narration, the hilarious shenanigans, the larger-than-life characters -- it's all here. TPB is one of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen: it truly captures the heart and soul of the book and even manages to keep a lot of the dialogue identical while still translating well to film.

But they're different, too. There were scenes from the book (as there will be with any book-to-film transition) that didn't make it into the film. It was like getting extra adventures with Inigo and Fezzik!

If you've seen and enjoyed the movie, read the book. So, so, so worth it. And if you haven't seen the movie -- read the book anyway! And then watch the movie after.

I love this story so much, you guys.

Book Thoughts: Bumped

Title: Bumped
Author: Megan McCafferty
Series: Bumped #1

I just recently finished this book and I went into it having read a number of mixed reviews. People either loved it because it was an excellent social commentary or hated it because the slang was over the top and the science didn't make any sense. I fell in with the first group, despite thinking after the first chapter that I would be in the second group.

Bumped is set in a future world where a virus has made most people over the age of 18 or so infertile, so teenage girls are paid to get pregnant and have deliveries (can't call them babies, that would imply emotional attachment) for wealthy couples who can't have their own children. Melody's adoptive parents know she's gorgeous, smart, and talented and have set her on the path to being a RePro (reproductive professional). Harmony, Melody's identical twin sister, was adopted by the church. She finds the whole "pregging" culture unthinkable.

In a lot of ways, the premise of the novel was over-the-top. The first chapter made me almost not want to finish the book. But I kept going and I ended up really engaged in the characters and the way they felt about their environments. There really is a fascinating commentary on the way we oversexualize women, both in the secular and religious worlds. Also, some of the marketing stuff hits a little too close to home.

Short version: I didn't expect to like this book, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it and am definitely planning to look for the sequel.

Book Thoughts: The Color of Magic/The Light Fantastic

Title: The Color of Magic (book 1), The Light Fantastic (book 2)
Author: Terry Pratchett
Series: Discworld #1 and 2

Rincewind is a failed wizard. Twoflower is the Disc's first tourist. The Disc? It's a flat world carried through space on the back of a giant turtle.

It sounds strange, but bear with me. Brilliant satire. Intelligent, laugh-out-loud humor. Bizarre adventures. Excellent writing.

Not to mention some ridiculous shenanigans involving a Spell that has lodged itself in Rincewind's mind, a magical picture-box, some barbarians, RP-ing gods, and of course, the Luggage that has a mind of its own. The Luggage may be my favorite character. (Unless Death is my favorite character.)

There is some seriously awesome world-development going on here, plus some stories that you will not want to miss. They're very difficult books to describe to anyone, but they are definitely worth reading.