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7 reviews for:
Terry Pratchett: The Spirit of Fantasy: The Life and Work of the Man Behind the Magic
Craig Cabell
3.08 AVERAGE
7 reviews for:
Terry Pratchett: The Spirit of Fantasy: The Life and Work of the Man Behind the Magic
Craig Cabell
3.08 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I would say that the book does not deliver what is promised in the description. Most of all it does not show much research and systematisation of themes that Pratchett has written about.
It still had some value as a biography and some value in highlighting less well known Pratchett's books. It also provides some insight about how Pratchett's works evolved, but very little in comparison to some off-topic rant about how bookstores place books on their shelves.
It still had some value as a biography and some value in highlighting less well known Pratchett's books. It also provides some insight about how Pratchett's works evolved, but very little in comparison to some off-topic rant about how bookstores place books on their shelves.
slow-paced
There are some very good ideas for reading in here and also some information which I found important and impressive - thank you!
"There comes a time when there is only so much that can be said about a specific fantasy world, because too much explanation becomes tedious and take away some of the mystery." - Craig Cabell, seemingly describing his own book. Cabell makes some incredibly tenuous links between Pratchett's works and has many an opinion about the meanings in Pratchett's life and works (I feel dubious about whether he has confirmed any of this with Pratchett). He also spends the first half of the book getting hung up about the difference between the fantasy and sci fi genres. a) who cares what the difference is and b) how is that relevant to a book about Terry Pratchett?
My mum gave me this book after she was having a clear out, knowing that I loved Terry Pratchett books like her. Admittedly it took me a while to actually pick it up because often I find books about writers incredibly dull and I often think that these biographies of famous writers are written by people purely trying to make money. Surprisingly I found this not to be the case. I enjoyed reading most of it. Cabell, who stated that he was indeed a fan of Sir Terry's work, was focused more on the themes and Sir Terry's ideas and views shown in his work and was basically a critical analysis of his works. It was interesting and thought provoking. It's simply written and can easily be read in one sitting, if so desired.
However, there were some aspects which irritated me and had it not been for them, I would have given the book a higher rating. He would quote from other writers at some what random points which did not further back points up. It felt like he was just throwing quotes in to show that he was well read. He would also go on to rants which did not add to the book. At one point he ranted about teenagers and as a young reader I found this incredibly annoying and nearly threw the book at the wall (which is something I'm not often prone to).
All in all I would suggest that you read this if you want to and form your own opinions on it.
However, there were some aspects which irritated me and had it not been for them, I would have given the book a higher rating. He would quote from other writers at some what random points which did not further back points up. It felt like he was just throwing quotes in to show that he was well read. He would also go on to rants which did not add to the book. At one point he ranted about teenagers and as a young reader I found this incredibly annoying and nearly threw the book at the wall (which is something I'm not often prone to).
All in all I would suggest that you read this if you want to and form your own opinions on it.