Books : Nation

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by: Terry Pratchett

: Nation

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Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780061433016
ISBN: 0061433012
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: October 01, 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: September 30, 2008
Sales Rank: 1486
Studio: HarperCollins



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The sea has taken everything.



Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle Daphne—a girl from the other side of the globe—is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.



Together the two confront the aftermath of catastrophe. Drawn by the smoke of Mau and Daphne's sheltering fire, other refugees slowly arrive: children without parents, mothers without babies, husbands without wives—all of them hungry and all of them frightened. As Mau and Daphne struggle to keep the small band safe and fed, they defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down. . . .



Internationally revered storyteller Terry Pratchett presents a breathtaking adventure of survival and discovery, and of the courage required to forge new beliefs.





Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A Huge Story Told In Small Words
We meet Mau on Boy's Island, fulfilling the rituals that will make him a fully fledged man of the Nation, a small community on a island in the "Mothering Sunday" island chain--one speck of land amid other specks in a vast ocean. Just as Mau casts off the canoe he has built himself to return to the Nation, the great tsunami comes, and wipes out his world. When he reaches home, it is no longer there. Although there was high ground that could have sheltered the people had they taken refuge there, they did not know the wave was coming. In fact, the entire Nation had gathered on the low sloping beach to await Mau's return. He will never have his feast or get the tattoos that show he has completed his journey into manhood. His first task is to gather the dead, to give them burial at sea so the wild pigs will not eat the corpses.

With this astounding opening, Terry Pratchett launches his latest Young Adult fantasy. He has never been a writer to talk down to children and all of his books for young people have tackled the truly large questions: who and where is God? Why do bad things happen to good people? What is the meaning of life? Pratchett is a wise man, to catch intelligent readers at this stage. Later on in life questions like "how will I pay the rent?" tend to swallow everything else. If you are a fan of Pratchett's Discworld, you will enjoy this book set on a round world much like our own. Pratchett's trademark humor is playfully in evidence.

But this is a larger story than Pratchett has tackled before and many adults may flinch from it and try to keep it out of the hands of children. In a deceptively simple and transcendent style, Pratchett tells of how Mau is angry at God and his ancestors for not warning the Nation and how he and Daphne, a young British castaway, succor the other refugees that wash up on their beach and so lay the foundations of a new Nation. This is enrapturing, inspirational fantasy--but it cuts to the bone as it asks questions that cannot be answered. This is not escapist fantasy by any means, but while one is reading it one is rapt away to Robinson Crusoe's island.

There is no bad language that a parent could object to. There is no smidgen of sex, although there is romance to wring the hardest heart. There is only necessary opposition to violence. Warning: this book contains large and grand ideas that will start a person thinking. Mau and Daphne confront incredible grief and defy incredible odds in their own world, and they just might change how you look at your own.




Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Five stars for young adults
There are plenty of thorough reviews here, so I'll just add my two cents' worth that I found "Nation" to be some of Pratchett's best craftsmanship as a writer and a very satisfying read. The only reason I did not give it five stars is that I'm a bit too far away from my teen years (quite a bit, actually) to buy into the some of the characterizations and situations that perhaps were a bit too idealized for my tastes. I think it should be a hit with teenagers; although here in the USA, if the religious right find out about it they'll probably want to boycott it, as it asks the hard questions about religion that no religion ever truly answers while it implies the possibility of non-Judeo/Christian gods and spritualities (or did the characters just imagine them?).


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - What a lovely book
This was a wonderful book. Very thought provoking with enough humor to be enjoyable. Not the laugh til you cry type, as I consider discworld to be, but well written, unique and marvelous. I don't think I would classify it as young adult. I see no reason why it wouldn't be enjoyable to all ages.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Pratchett fans will recognize "Strata" herein
Strongly recommend for young adults.

Pratchett fans, wait for the less-expensive paperback.

Being a 20+ year fan of Pratchett's writing, I enjoyed "Nation" but recognized a lot of his earlier sci-fi work being recycled from "Strata" etc. Perhaps this confused me or spoilt the scenery, but with the recycling and some rather pat characterizations (the other-Islanders, the nefarious sailors) it was a bit of a let-down at hardcover prices.

I love Pratchett's work - I've met the man and really like him too - but this book, hmmm. It's very hard to give a middling review to such a brilliant writer and what is a solid young-adult SF work, but I really can't justify much better than 3 stars. Sorry Terry :(


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - One of the Best Books I've Ever Read
Pratchett's "Nation" is one of the very best books I've ever read. I don't know who put the "young adult" label on it (or why they did so), but I see no reason for any such "limitation" on its intended audience. In all senses, this is a deep, engrossing, well-written, emotionally satisfying, and intellectually stimulating book. As far as I can see, everyone can read it without compromise. For Pratchett fans, be aware that this book is completely unrelated to his Discworld series and sits in its own little corner of the universe. I rate it at an Excellent 5 stars out of 5.

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