Two Book Reviews in One Sitting: A Terry Pratchett classic and a solid introduction to the work of Tessa Hastjarjanto

Book Review #1 — Eric by Terry Pratchett

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HarperCollins

Eric, by Terry Pratchett, is an interesting entry into the Discworld series because the title character is more of a catalyst than he is the protagonist of this story. The protagonist is the ever bumbling wizard Rincewind, who is never really sure where he is, why, or what he’s supposed to do about it. Which is admirable in the sense that his adventures are fueled by pure panic, and yet laced with a manner of knowing there’s nothing he can do except run and hope for the best. He’s not the wise Hermit in a deck of Tarot cards, he’s the Fool, always tempting DEATH who wracks his skull because Rincewind is in his periphery, and always okay because of his tenacious and menacing protector, a rabid piece of luggage with legs.

If you’ve never read a book out of the Discworld series, and that summary above leaves you puzzled, well…welcome to Terry Pratchett’s crazy imagination.

Eric is a young teen who has decided to practice a little bit of demonology to get the things he wants: beautiful women, a kingly status and everlasting life. He says a few magic words after cobbling together a devil’s trap, and voila! Rincewind appears scratching his head. Because he’s not a demon, last time he checked. He does have a half assed ability to travel through time, though, and that will have to do. But with every wish comes consequences, and the folly of human nature throughout the ages is the general consequence that Rincewind and Eric have to run from every time.

The Discworld mirrors our own history in that it has an Aztec like society, and a Ulysses type hero, so be prepared to recognize some nods to ancient world history with new names. All in all, this is a light, fast read with maybe a moral about being careful what you wish for. Mostly, though, it’s just fun.

You can find the entire collection of Discworld books here at Terry Pratchett’s website. 

Book Review #2 — A Dress to Kill For by Tessa Hastjarjanto

Cover Image from
Author website

A Dress to Kill For, written by Tessa Hastjarjanto, may be short, but it's an extremely well told little horror story about the lengths the society folk will go through to keep their fingernails clutched around their status. A touch gothic, a touch eldritch or folk horror, this short piece is well paced and well worth the read. Find more of her work here at her personal website. https://tessa.narratess.com/

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett -- as relevant today as it was over 25 years ago

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courtesy of

Harper Collins Publishers 

Can you hone currently relevant wisdom from a silly little novel about dragons and impotent guards set in a medieval fantasy world and written nearly thirty years ago? Why yes. Yes you can. Take, for example, this passage from Terry Pratchett's arguably most popular DiscWorld novel Guards! Guards!

Excerpt from Guards! Guards!

 by Terry Pratchett

1989 

I try not to get too political when I write reviews, but this passage struck me as ironic while reading this in 2026 during the Trumpocolypse -- and writing about it on the day of the dude's birthday, no less (and no, I will not be watching the 250th anniversary UFC fight on the White House stage/lawn. I've seen the movie Idiocracy, and I don't need to see it play out in real life, thank you very much). The arts, it seems, is full of prophets.

Guards! Guards! is the 8th book in the long ago popular DiscWorld series. I have been told that you don't need to read the series in order, but I'm an orderly philistine who likes to approach things with some linear semblance (This also applies to Star Wars. A New Hope will always be the first to me). They're right. You probably don't need to read books 1-7 first, but side characters and world building from some of the previous novels might make the read more of a pleasure. It prepares you for the appearance of DEATH and the Librarian, after all. So let's summarize for the potential new generation of readers who (gasp!) might not be at all familiar with Pratchett and his work.

The story takes place in the cesspool of a big city called Ankh-Morpork, where crime runs legally rampant due to various shady guilds who control everything due to shady government deals, and where the understaffed policing department, The Watch led by Captain Vimes, serves its community best by turning a blind eye and staying out of harm's way. There is no "king" here; there is a government appointed Patrician named Vetinari, who is hardly a saint as far as government leaders go. But it's better than a king, right?

Well, some citizens of Ankh-Morpork disagree. A cult-like cabal sets out to change things by summoning a dragon with a restricted access book stolen from the city's magical library. If they summon the dragon, they can rely on some fool with a magic sword to come slay it and, by default, that brave young knight with heretofore unknown royal lineage, is crowned king. That's the plan. And, for some reason, it works.

Until it doesn't. Until the summoned dragon gets his own ideas and decides that it could just as well be king too. This is literally a play with fire and get burned scenario. Captain Vimes and his mismatched crew of watchmen (including too old to be working Nobby, out-of-shape Colon, and by-the-book dwarf Carrot--who is way too tall to be a dwarf and named Carrot because of his top heavy build, not his hair color) embark on a quest to save the city from its own lack of courage. They engage the help of Lady Ramkin, a socialite with a keen interest and knowledge of the lesser swamp dragons whom she cares for and raises like pets.

It sounds a bit like a circus, much like our current state of affairs on this day in America with this current administration (do not --at-- me with your opinions. This book is nearing 30 years old!). But the outrageous fantasy element makes it fun and absurd and, by default, maybe easier to manage. What it tells me is that, from the perspective of Terry Pratchett, we've been through this before. And it's more than likely that we'll make it through to the end. Even if the odds are a million to one. Coincidentally, a quote from both Star Wars and Guards! Guards!
 

If you haven't read it yet, why not? Get on it! Find it here, or at your library, or wherever books are sold. 

New Year New Reviews — 1st of the year — Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Cover photo courtesy of
Harper Books
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Pyramids is a story about a society of people who cling to their old habits and traditions to the point of endangering their own existence. It’s about resisting the change that stagnates the progress of a new generation with new ideas. I feel like I’m butchering this basic summary: it sounded much better in my head when I was in the shower. Now, I’m scrambling to paraphrase.

Of course, this conclusion makes it sound like this is a dire story with dire consequences for its characters. But it’s Pratchett, so he makes the foreboding atmosphere lighthearted and fun. I was amused by this entry into Pratchett’s Discworld series, as much as I have been with all of the ones I have read so far. Teppic is the son of a king in a kingdom called Djelibeybi, that shares a lot of similarities with our ancient Egypt and its neighbors. But Teppic is sent away to get an education in assassin school — until the king passes, and Teppic is called home to rule.

He doesn’t want to, though. He finds their traditions outdated, and as king, he finds himself with no control. The kingdom is really ruled by the high priests with their beliefs and traditions. Even his ghost father agrees, as he helplessly tries to communicate with Teppic to tell him that he doesn’t want to be buried in the biggest pyramid in the kingdom.

Enter the pyramid architects, who wind up messing with the space/time continuum in their attempt to construct the biggest pyramid in history using quantum theories they don’t quite understand. It threatens the very existence of the kingdom, and Teppic finds himself struggling to save it after his initial attempt to escape it. There’s also a handmaiden he finds is necessary to try and save, and a camel who views his entire existence through mathematic precision.

Yes, that’s the plot… You don’t need to fully understand it to enjoy it. But eventually we see that Pratchett’s theme is about the need to let go of the old ways if we don’t want to get swallowed up into the past. At this point, I decided that this 3+ star story was deserving of a solid 4.

Now go find yourself a Terry Pratchett book. I promise that it’s good for you. Much better than what you'll find in the current news cycle these days.