chemicalcain's reviews
16 reviews

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

2.0

Lots of ableism and fatphobia in this one. By that I mean fatness is one of the primary jokes. One of my least favorite Pratchett books so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Death, and Violence

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm so conflicted on this one! I'm disappointed, because I loved it, and I wish I could recommend it wholeheartedly. 

There were many places where I literally winced at the descriptions of the Agatean culture. It's illustrated as an alien, legalistic society with strange food and inefficient language. I wouldn't take issue with that in fantasy, except that by satirizing East Asian cultures that are already subject to those ideas in racist caricature, this book becomes racist caricature as well.

On the other hand, I really loved some of the worldbuilding! I was very excited by the way the Empire's origins tied into the climax of the story. I was glad to see Twoflower again. I was really interested in the developments of magical computing at the University. There are some unique ideas at play here, and I'd love to see them developed further, but please, less Orientalism next time.

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett

3.5

I didn't love this book, probably because I know very little about Buddy Holly or the rockabilly scene. I wish Susan had truly been the main character. She was a lot more interesting to me than the band. There's some really good imagery in this book, but it mostly feels like the author had thought of a lot of jokes and couldn't string them into something impactful.

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

adventurous dark emotional tense

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Once again, Aiden Thomas has managed to write a book I couldn't put down. I don't normally blaze through print books this fast! There were a few things that disappointed me about this book, mostly because of how much I loved Cemetery Boys. I didn't vibe with Wendy as a protagonist; her firmly internalized guilt and need to fill every waking moment of her time are trauma responses that hit a little too close to home for me. (She was written quite well, though.) I also wish we could have explored the ending twist in a little more detail!

I'm absolutely fascinated by the idea of Neverland as a world of the dead, and the visible collapse of the place when a living person stays too long. I would have loved to see some more scenes within Neverland itself.

Music to listen to while reading: "Astoria" and "End of an Era" by Marianas Trench

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, Child death, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Blood

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Medical content

Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett

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

4.5

I liked the characterization of Carrot and Vimes a lot. Very interesting to see Carrot in charge, and how differently he acted compared to when he first joined the Watch. Note that this book is about inter-species conflict and city politics. If you aren't prepared for satire about racism that was definitely written by someone without firsthand experience, you won't like this book much. That said, my favorite character arc was between Detritus and Cuddy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Classism

Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

dark funny

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved the worldbuilding. I loved the parallels about what it means to rule. I loved the very real confrontations of death and memory and identity. This might be one of my favorite Discworld books yet.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

adventurous lighthearted mysterious

5.0

I loved this book at age 12, and I loved it at age 26, too. The plot isn't very complex; it's a classic conflict of good and evil. But it's very engaging. The descriptions of fabulous creatures and the environments they encounter on their journey were quite vivid. I had a lot of fun reading Dragon Rider again.

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I found Small Gods to be full of compelling ideas and characters, but I also found it deeply troubling and triggering in parts. This is a book about the evolution of religion and about escaping a cult. The cult in question is a satirical parallel to a particularly violent form of Christianity: it's a monotheistic religion about "the One True God," and the leadership of the movement controls its followers by fear and surveillance. Content warnings will apply for cults, religious intimidation, and holy wars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry

Moderate: Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Animal cruelty

CW: cults, religious intimidation, holy war.

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Death is one of my favorite Discworld characters, and he stars in this book. It's a thoughtful look into the life of an immortal being and the pain of mortality, the meaning of life and death through the lens of a small farming town, and the unrelenting march of time. Definitely my favorite Discworld book so far.

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of my favorite Discworld books so far. I adore Terry's way of converting real-world technology to something that would be invented on the Disc - magical, explosive video film, painted by tiny imps in a picture-box. This whole book is so ethereal and dreamlike, rooted in the unreality of cinema. If you like film history, you'll get a kick out of it. If you don't like film history, you'll miss out on some of the jokes.