Reviews by Crooty

Merlin's Wood is the fourth Mythago book. In this volume we follow Martin, coming back to France, to the edge of Broceliande, the forest of his childhood, for his mother's funeral. Four days later, his foster sister Rebecca arrives back from Australia, after years spent with Aborigenes, following songlines.

As children, Martin and Rebecca were secretly in love. Meeting now as adults, they finally give in to their feelings and a baby, Daniel, is born. When he realizes the infant is deaf, dumb and blind, Martin is devastated. However, the child will slowly recover his senses over the years... to Rebecca's expense. At first unable to remember songs, she will then lose her voice, and her sight, until mother and child disappear in Broceliande and drown in a pool.

Soon Martin realizes it was none other than Merlin and Vivien's undead spirits playing with his wife and son's bodies. The second half of the book is almost entirely dedicated to Merlin telling his tale.

I didn't like this fourth volume much and found it rather boring. To me, the plot was too far-fetched and again lacked the magical, "foresty" atmosphere of the first book. I actually much preferred the two short stories (Earth and Stone, about a man witnessing the creation of Newgrange in Ireland, and The Silvering, about Selkies) appended to the end of the book. John Howe told me Gate of Ivory was better... I hope he's right.

Lavondyss tells the story of Tallis, Harry Keeton's much younger sister. Tallis is a strange little girl who likes to listen to Gaunt the old gardner's folk tales, and to bards' songs. Finding the true name of a place and making strange masks out of dead wood and sun bleached animal bones are her favourite games.

One day, while playing in an old oak tree, she catches a glimpse of another world, where she witnesses the death in battle of a handsome young man named Scathach, whom she falls in love with.

Soon she'll understand that she's actually connected to the magic of Mythago Wood, and that she might be able to save her brother, who's been lost in the Wood for years, causing their father much grief. Several years later, deeming herself finally ready, she decides to enter the forest and look for Scathach, as well as for a way into Lavondyss, where she believes Harry is trapped.

To say the truth, even though I found Robert Holdstock's world building and myth creation rather impressive and enchanting, I really missed the presence of a strong story line to keep me in suspense, and as a result I found the book a tad boring at times, as well as confusing.

The Hollowing tells the story of Richard Bradley, who lives with his wife Alice and son Alex near Shadoxhurst, on the edge of Rhyope Wood. On the road back from Alex's school play of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, they almost run over a man that looks strangely like Tallis's father James Keeton, who disappeared over a year ago.

Later that night, Keeton knocks on their door, in a dream-like state, clutching one of Tallis's masks. Brought to hospital, he slowly recovers until he has a vision where Tallis comes home, and dies. Alex takes this opportunity to grab the mask and try it on, but is suddenly victim of a violent attack, blown across the room by a strange invisible force.

The boy then lies in a catatonic state for a year, until the wood claims him... and when later the disfigured, unidentifiable body of a youth is found, his parents mournfully conclude it's Alex's. Richard moves to London, and slowly drifts away from his wife, and from his former life.

Six years later, back in Shadoxhurst for a break, he meets a woman named Helen, who tells him Alex is alive but lost in the wood. With much incredulity, he finally joins her gang of hippy scientific explorers, who studying the magic of Rhyope Wood, and goes in search of Alex.

Although the story was, generally speaking, more captivating than in Lavondyss, I thought The Hollowing really lacked the green, woody, mossy atmosphere that was the core of Mythago Wood and that I enjoyed so much. Now I have to admit I'm looking forward to finishing these series so I can move on to more fantastic settings.

This is the first volume in the Mythago Wood series (before Lavondyss, The Hollowing, Merlin's Wood, and Gate of Ivory), in which the main character, Steve Huxley, tells us of the time short after WWII when he went back to England to help his brother Christian take care of their father's house after the latter's death.

Oak Lodge is at the edge of the Rhyope estate, next to a mysterious wood which intrigued George Huxley so much he dedicated the end of his life, and many journals, to its study. Indeed, in Mythago Wood, images of legendary heroes (mythagos) come to life, created from the folk-tales and collective minds of past civilizations. Among them Guiwenneth, a stunningly beautiful red-haired warrior woods-woman.

In turns, the Huxleys will all fall in love with the girl, and following their father's footsteps, Chris and then Steve will also feel the incontrollable need to try and penetrate deeper into the wood, where time and space expand, only to be rejected by it, as if pushed back and led astray by invisible forces.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and immersed in it: I could almost smell the forest scents, see the green of the leaves and touch the softness of the moss, as if I were walking in the wood with the heroes. I admit I must have been influenced by John Howe's beautiful illustrations of Mythago Wood... I also loved the character of Harry Keeton, the airplane pilot who helps Steve in his quest. All in all, even though I might not have tied all loose ends, it was a fantastically enchanting read.

Next week is the End of the World. But as Armageddon steadily approaches, as prophecied by Agnes Nutter the Witch, Aziraphale the Good Angel and Crowley the "Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards" are just starting to realize that maybe it isn't such a good idea.

In the meantime, babies are swapped, the Witchfinder Army investigates and the Four Horsem- Bikers of the Apocalypse, Hell's Angels of course, along with the four other Bikers of the Apocalypse and the four teenage Cyclists of the Apocalyse all converge to Lower Tadfield in Southern England where it's all supposed to happen.

With a plethora of characters, puns round every corner and hilarious footnotes, Good Omens is not only another version of Good vs. Evil, but is also a pure delight when it comes to train your zygomatics.

The story takes place between the tall and multicoloured hairs of a carpet, in a place called the Dumii empire.

Under the omnipresent threat of Fray and after the destruction of their village, a group of carpet people decide to march against the evil mouls and snargs. Along the way, they meet other tribes with other ways of living and other points of view, and they know they'll have to ally with them in order to win the battle.What sort of disappointed me is that Terry Pratchett almost doesn't take any advantage of the setting of his story, i.e. an actual carpet, at all and in the end you realize it could have happened anywhere. However, he approaches many great themes, like proving that in union, there is strength, and in a way this is a pretty good early sketch for his later masterpiece: the Bromeliad.

In a universe where probability math rules, Dom knows he's going to die on the day he becomes Chairman of the Board. However, he eventually manages to avoid numerous attempts on his life.

Accompanied by Isaac, a Class Five robot, and Hrsh-Hgn, a phnobe, he goes on a quest to find the legendary Jokers' World, supposedly situated on the dark side of the sun.

This early novel (1976, seven year before the first Discworld book) struck me as extremely messy. Indeed, I found the plethora of characters, races, robots and planets very confusing. Furthermore, since I'm not a Sci-Fi reader, the book failed to ring any bells and I guess I missed the puns and allusions. And even though Pratchett's famous style is already well recognisable, and premises of many later Discworldisms such as Hogswatchnight, Soul Cake Friday or Small Gods, are mentioned, they're not enough for me to recommend this book.

This is the story of Maurice, a cunning 4-year-old talking cat, and his gang of intelligent rats. Together with Keith, a stupid-looking kid who plays the flute, they travel from town to town, doing the plague-of-rats-and-rat-piper trick to earn some pocket money.

It works perfectly well, until the rats develop a conscience. They agree to do it one last time and head for Überwald, or more accurately for the small village of Bad Blintz. There they soon realize that something is amiss. Food in the village is rationed, rat tails are rewarded 50p a piece and strangely, there isn't a single "keekee" (regular rat) around. Teaming up with Malicia Grim, the mayor's silly daughter who thinks she's living in a fairy tale, they are determined to uncover the mystery.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents easily stands among my favourite Discworld novels. With a story that sometimes reminded me of Mrs Frsiby and the Rats of NIMH and a humour echoing that of the Bromeliad, where Pratchett observes our silly human world through the eyes of other creatures, and where rats have names such as Hamnpork or Dangerous Beans because they liked the sound of it but didn't understand the meaning, it is as intelligent and sensible, sometimes scary, even sad at times, as it is hilarious. And David Wyatt's illustrations are just too cute!

This is the 29th Discword novel, but can be read as a stand-alone.

26-year-old Moist von Lipwig is a talented con artist. Or used to be: this morning he (well actually his "Mr Spangler" identity) was hanged. At least that's what the citizens of Ankh-Morpork witnessed. In truth, Moist von Lipwig was secretly and discreetly "rescued" by the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, and proposed a unturndownable challenge: to become the city's new Postmaster.

The book tells of how he'll get Ankh-Morpork's ancient postal service up and running again, with the help of Mr Groat the old postman, of Stanley the pinhead and keeper of the Rules, of Miss Adora Belle Dearheart of the Golem Trust, and of his parole officer Mr Pump.

Of course he'll face many obstacles, especially in this modern world where clacks can deliver a message in the blink of a shutter tower... yes, but there's been an unusual number of deaths on the clacks lately... Could he outrun them?

Going Postal hooked me right from the start. It was so exciting to explore the Post Office's old building, literally packed with old, undelivered mail, and to witness the invention of stamps... Of course Death makes his usual appearance (or apparition?), and the punny references (to The Lord of the Rings, the Internet, etc) are legion. The final race reminded me of an old film, the title of which I can't for the life of me remember, where some old fashioned service competes against the modern one... oh well. With this book, as well as with Monstrous Regiment and the Tiffany Aching sub-series, it seems to me that Sir Terry Pratchett is finally back on track after some years at half throttle.

This is the 28th Discworld novel, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

Polly Perks is a young woman who works at her father's inn, the Duchess (named after an iconic Borogravian figure). However, since it is one of the numerous "abominations unto Nuggan" for a woman to own pubs in Borogravia, she realizes that if she wants to keep the Duchess, she needs to get her brother Oliver back from the front. Indeed, Borogravia is at war, again, with one of its neighbours.

So when the recruiting party goes through town, she cuts her hair, disguises as a man, kisses the portrait of the Duchess and gets the Shilling. Now she's in Sergeant Jack Jackrum's army, along with a group of other makeshift soldiers, among which Maladict the reformed Vampire (who's given up blood for coffee), a Troll and an Igor. Soon enough she learns to walk and swear like a man, and to wear a pair of socks in her trousers.

I found Monstrous Regiment hard to get in at first, because I got all the names and nicknames mixed up and I wasn't familiar with military vocabulary, let alone military slang. But in the middle of the book the story started flowing more naturally and became much more exciting, and in the end I liked its "farce" twists and turns a lot.