Reviews

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

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sillyduckies's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Mixed feelings with this one. On the other hand I found it quite boring and confusing but on the other, there were so many Igors (still not quite sure what the Igors are), I liked the Igors. The silly diplomacy stuff was fun too. I guess once again, all the setup isnt super interesting at the beginning but then all hell breaks loose.

Im just afraid Ive kind of lost the plot, where are we and how did we get here, I do not remember.

I do love that Nobby found himself genderfluid. Therefore I like this quote:
"I thought I'd better put scent on for verysillymitude; said Nobby"

Also the fact theres a city called Bonk but its pronounced Beyonk. Nice

waikiki_wabbit's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

teokajlibroj's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a very un-Pratchett book. It wasn't set in Ankh-Morpork but in another area that wasn't really developed as a location. There is also very few jokes, in fact Pratchett hardly tries to make any, instead the book is more of a thriller. The Colon subplot was a bit pointless and quickly forgotten. In fact, the whole book feels a bit half-hearted.

A problem I've had with the characters for the last few books is that they have no depth to them. Detritus, Carrot, Angua, Cheery etc are practically main characters, yet remain mostly in the background. Even Vimes is so busy rushing places that he doesn't have time for development. Nor is the other minor characters or location given much thought. I've the feeling Pratchett is trying to say things about gender, race and social norms but it's unfortunately superficial.

Pratchett produced an enormous literature in his lifetime, unfortunately I'm starting to suspect he sometimes prioritised quantity over quality.