Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Northern Lights is the best book I've ever read, 10 Nov 2008
"Northern Lights" is a fantastic novel by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials". This book, is about a girl called Lyra, who lives in a universe like ours, but very different in lots of things. Lyra used to attend Oxford College until she finds out about "dust". When her friend Roger disappears, Lyra sets off to the North to find him with help of her "daemon" and an "alethiometer" given to her by the master of Oxford College. This book is one of those books in which someone cannot stop reading. It is perfectly written, exciting, and sometimes even scary. I not only recommend this book to children, but to every person that just needs something to be excited about.

wonderful, 09 Sep 2008
This trilogy is excellent. Took me a while to get into book one but once the story really got going I couldn't put it down. Lyra grows into a young adult throughout the trilogy and its wonderful to follow her through her trials and tribulations.

Armoured bears, witches, deamons, god, angels, heaven and hell-all and more are wonderfully thoguht up by Pullman and I recommend these to anyone.

Goes out with a whimper, 17 May 2008
Northern Lights is brilliant in almost every respect; fast-moving, well-written, imaginative. The Subtle Knife is almost as good, but begins to be diffuse. The Amber Spyglass is, frankly, rubbish. In order to understand what is going on here, you have to have read an obscure essay by a second-rank German author (Heinrich v. Kleist) that Pullman is always going on about. By a logic that defeats me, it concludes that a re-temptation of Eve will undo the disaster that came from the first temptation. Hence Lyra (she's the new Eve, we're told) goes all tingly when she's kissed (only kissed, mind you). This saves the world (don't ask me how). Pullman's cosmogony/theology is even wackier than the Christian version to which he's so hostile. Nor does The Amber Spyglass have a very tight plot -- is the realm of the dead another parallel universe, or what? The Father Gomez episode is totally gratuitous church-baiting, and should have been edited out (along with a few other repetitious bits). It is fairly obvious that Pullman had no idea how to end this trilogy, which accounts for the long delay in publication between parts 2 and 3. But the ending, when it comes, is possibly the most banal I have ever read. One might have thought that having opened the gates of hell, having quite literally witnessed the death of God (and incidentally having saved humankind with a kiss) Lyra and Will deserved some sort of apotheosis. But the ending is like the ending to a children's party: right now kiddies, pack up your things, time to go home.

Recommended, 16 Apr 2008
His Dark Materials is a fantastic series of books. Plenty has already been said in these reviews about the subject matter and writing brilliance. However many people have referred to these as "children's" books, which I slightly disagree with. Young children (8+) will enjoy these if they are read to them - although the subject and language is likely to require further explanation at this age. For sole readers an age of 12+ is more suitable; plus many, many adults (including myself) have enjoyed reading these too.

From my personal experience I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much as either the first or third as I felt it wasn't as fast-paced and intricate. That said I do not mean that I `didn't enjoy it at all' just that I `preferred' the others.

Other reviews have mentioned that the religious/church bashing may offend, which is perhaps true for deeply/strictly religious folk. However for non-believers I think the books may have the opposite effect, i.e. it may open their minds to the possibility there may be more to life than what we see, in a kind of spiritual sense.

However, a word of warning. After reading this series I purchased Lyra's Oxford which was a big mistake. It adds nothing to this story and took no longer than 15 minutes to read. In fact it left me rather miffed with the author that my feel-good factor from reading the trilogy was then tainted by feeling I'd been ripped off with LO.

In short - the trilogy is a very good buy but give the subsequent books based on this same story a big miss.


His Dark Materials Boxed Set, 13 Mar 2008
What excellent books! i could not put them down. Phillip Pullman has a wonderful imagination and i would recommend this book to adults and older children as i feel children under ten year's maybe a little scared! Can't wait to read his next book.

Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Northern Lights is the best book I've ever read, 10 Nov 2008
"Northern Lights" is a fantastic novel by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials". This book, is about a girl called Lyra, who lives in a universe like ours, but very different in lots of things. Lyra used to attend Oxford College until she finds out about "dust". When her friend Roger disappears, Lyra sets off to the North to find him with help of her "daemon" and an "alethiometer" given to her by the master of Oxford College. This book is one of those books in which someone cannot stop reading. It is perfectly written, exciting, and sometimes even scary. I not only recommend this book to children, but to every person that just needs something to be excited about.

wonderful, 09 Sep 2008
This trilogy is excellent. Took me a while to get into book one but once the story really got going I couldn't put it down. Lyra grows into a young adult throughout the trilogy and its wonderful to follow her through her trials and tribulations.

Armoured bears, witches, deamons, god, angels, heaven and hell-all and more are wonderfully thoguht up by Pullman and I recommend these to anyone.

Goes out with a whimper, 17 May 2008
Northern Lights is brilliant in almost every respect; fast-moving, well-written, imaginative. The Subtle Knife is almost as good, but begins to be diffuse. The Amber Spyglass is, frankly, rubbish. In order to understand what is going on here, you have to have read an obscure essay by a second-rank German author (Heinrich v. Kleist) that Pullman is always going on about. By a logic that defeats me, it concludes that a re-temptation of Eve will undo the disaster that came from the first temptation. Hence Lyra (she's the new Eve, we're told) goes all tingly when she's kissed (only kissed, mind you). This saves the world (don't ask me how). Pullman's cosmogony/theology is even wackier than the Christian version to which he's so hostile. Nor does The Amber Spyglass have a very tight plot -- is the realm of the dead another parallel universe, or what? The Father Gomez episode is totally gratuitous church-baiting, and should have been edited out (along with a few other repetitious bits). It is fairly obvious that Pullman had no idea how to end this trilogy, which accounts for the long delay in publication between parts 2 and 3. But the ending, when it comes, is possibly the most banal I have ever read. One might have thought that having opened the gates of hell, having quite literally witnessed the death of God (and incidentally having saved humankind with a kiss) Lyra and Will deserved some sort of apotheosis. But the ending is like the ending to a children's party: right now kiddies, pack up your things, time to go home.

Recommended, 16 Apr 2008
His Dark Materials is a fantastic series of books. Plenty has already been said in these reviews about the subject matter and writing brilliance. However many people have referred to these as "children's" books, which I slightly disagree with. Young children (8+) will enjoy these if they are read to them - although the subject and language is likely to require further explanation at this age. For sole readers an age of 12+ is more suitable; plus many, many adults (including myself) have enjoyed reading these too.

From my personal experience I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much as either the first or third as I felt it wasn't as fast-paced and intricate. That said I do not mean that I `didn't enjoy it at all' just that I `preferred' the others.

Other reviews have mentioned that the religious/church bashing may offend, which is perhaps true for deeply/strictly religious folk. However for non-believers I think the books may have the opposite effect, i.e. it may open their minds to the possibility there may be more to life than what we see, in a kind of spiritual sense.

However, a word of warning. After reading this series I purchased Lyra's Oxford which was a big mistake. It adds nothing to this story and took no longer than 15 minutes to read. In fact it left me rather miffed with the author that my feel-good factor from reading the trilogy was then tainted by feeling I'd been ripped off with LO.

In short - the trilogy is a very good buy but give the subsequent books based on this same story a big miss.


His Dark Materials Boxed Set, 13 Mar 2008
What excellent books! i could not put them down. Phillip Pullman has a wonderful imagination and i would recommend this book to adults and older children as i feel children under ten year's maybe a little scared! Can't wait to read his next book.

Brilliant!, 28 Nov 2008
When I went through the book I could remember the movie played with Renee...Miss Potter. How magicals are drawings and how creative is the story, so easy to get into it! I really recommend this book for kids but also grown-ups. Nice present for Christmas eve I guess.
Regarding the way how tales are presented, this is quite genius as well as everything is merged into just only one book, a good quality about the cover. Nice choice.

Beautiful, 12 Oct 2008
Absolutely beautiful! A gorgeous hardbacked book with box. All the illustrations are exactly how you would remember them. Stories are perfectly laid out. There are even a few extras.
Truely wonderful, I will be buying more for friends children in the very near future

Beatrix Potter - the Complete Tales: The 23 Original Tales, 08 Aug 2008
This is a single boxed book which is truly beautifully presented. The original pictures and stories in all their splendour are laid out with loving care. If like me, you do not have room for the 23 little books in a boxed set, this is simply a wonderful alternative. It would be a fantastic present or a perfect book that will make a great impact on your bookshelves. I maybe 50 and have never read a Beatrix Potter story before, but this has certainly caught my attention and made my day!

Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Northern Lights is the best book I've ever read, 10 Nov 2008
"Northern Lights" is a fantastic novel by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials". This book, is about a girl called Lyra, who lives in a universe like ours, but very different in lots of things. Lyra used to attend Oxford College until she finds out about "dust". When her friend Roger disappears, Lyra sets off to the North to find him with help of her "daemon" and an "alethiometer" given to her by the master of Oxford College. This book is one of those books in which someone cannot stop reading. It is perfectly written, exciting, and sometimes even scary. I not only recommend this book to children, but to every person that just needs something to be excited about.

wonderful, 09 Sep 2008
This trilogy is excellent. Took me a while to get into book one but once the story really got going I couldn't put it down. Lyra grows into a young adult throughout the trilogy and its wonderful to follow her through her trials and tribulations.

Armoured bears, witches, deamons, god, angels, heaven and hell-all and more are wonderfully thoguht up by Pullman and I recommend these to anyone.

Goes out with a whimper, 17 May 2008
Northern Lights is brilliant in almost every respect; fast-moving, well-written, imaginative. The Subtle Knife is almost as good, but begins to be diffuse. The Amber Spyglass is, frankly, rubbish. In order to understand what is going on here, you have to have read an obscure essay by a second-rank German author (Heinrich v. Kleist) that Pullman is always going on about. By a logic that defeats me, it concludes that a re-temptation of Eve will undo the disaster that came from the first temptation. Hence Lyra (she's the new Eve, we're told) goes all tingly when she's kissed (only kissed, mind you). This saves the world (don't ask me how). Pullman's cosmogony/theology is even wackier than the Christian version to which he's so hostile. Nor does The Amber Spyglass have a very tight plot -- is the realm of the dead another parallel universe, or what? The Father Gomez episode is totally gratuitous church-baiting, and should have been edited out (along with a few other repetitious bits). It is fairly obvious that Pullman had no idea how to end this trilogy, which accounts for the long delay in publication between parts 2 and 3. But the ending, when it comes, is possibly the most banal I have ever read. One might have thought that having opened the gates of hell, having quite literally witnessed the death of God (and incidentally having saved humankind with a kiss) Lyra and Will deserved some sort of apotheosis. But the ending is like the ending to a children's party: right now kiddies, pack up your things, time to go home.

Recommended, 16 Apr 2008
His Dark Materials is a fantastic series of books. Plenty has already been said in these reviews about the subject matter and writing brilliance. However many people have referred to these as "children's" books, which I slightly disagree with. Young children (8+) will enjoy these if they are read to them - although the subject and language is likely to require further explanation at this age. For sole readers an age of 12+ is more suitable; plus many, many adults (including myself) have enjoyed reading these too.

From my personal experience I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much as either the first or third as I felt it wasn't as fast-paced and intricate. That said I do not mean that I `didn't enjoy it at all' just that I `preferred' the others.

Other reviews have mentioned that the religious/church bashing may offend, which is perhaps true for deeply/strictly religious folk. However for non-believers I think the books may have the opposite effect, i.e. it may open their minds to the possibility there may be more to life than what we see, in a kind of spiritual sense.

However, a word of warning. After reading this series I purchased Lyra's Oxford which was a big mistake. It adds nothing to this story and took no longer than 15 minutes to read. In fact it left me rather miffed with the author that my feel-good factor from reading the trilogy was then tainted by feeling I'd been ripped off with LO.

In short - the trilogy is a very good buy but give the subsequent books based on this same story a big miss.


His Dark Materials Boxed Set, 13 Mar 2008
What excellent books! i could not put them down. Phillip Pullman has a wonderful imagination and i would recommend this book to adults and older children as i feel children under ten year's maybe a little scared! Can't wait to read his next book.

Brilliant!, 28 Nov 2008
When I went through the book I could remember the movie played with Renee...Miss Potter. How magicals are drawings and how creative is the story, so easy to get into it! I really recommend this book for kids but also grown-ups. Nice present for Christmas eve I guess.
Regarding the way how tales are presented, this is quite genius as well as everything is merged into just only one book, a good quality about the cover. Nice choice.

Beautiful, 12 Oct 2008
Absolutely beautiful! A gorgeous hardbacked book with box. All the illustrations are exactly how you would remember them. Stories are perfectly laid out. There are even a few extras.
Truely wonderful, I will be buying more for friends children in the very near future

Beatrix Potter - the Complete Tales: The 23 Original Tales, 08 Aug 2008
This is a single boxed book which is truly beautifully presented. The original pictures and stories in all their splendour are laid out with loving care. If like me, you do not have room for the 23 little books in a boxed set, this is simply a wonderful alternative. It would be a fantastic present or a perfect book that will make a great impact on your bookshelves. I maybe 50 and have never read a Beatrix Potter story before, but this has certainly caught my attention and made my day!

Inessential but fun, 09 Sep 2008
This prequel is the story of how Lee Scoresby met Iorek Byrnison (characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and if you haven't read that, better to start there than here). It might fairly be classed as a ripping yarn. It's a tale well told, charmingly illustrated with engravings by John Lawrence: inessential but fun.

wonderful book, 03 Sep 2008
"Once Upon a Time in the North" is the book for everyone who read "His dark materials".
Excelent book.

Short but sweet, 21 Aug 2008
I throughly enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed that it was so short as i wanted to keep reading, hence how good it was. This was the only reason i didn't give it a 5 star.
The book was a nice addition to the dark materials series. It gave me a insight to lee scorsby the aeronaut, this was interesting and enjoyable as we dont hear so much about him in the other books.
The prensentation of the book was brillant. It has a nice cover and not only that it includes a board game which was mentioned in the book. I throughly enjoyed playing it.

Overall i would say it was a very welcome addition to his dark materails series. My next book will be lyras oxford as i am sure it will be another interesting insight into lyras world.

A good little read..., 18 Aug 2008
Having recently read HDM I was keen to read more of Pullman's work, so bought this one. A very enjoyable, very short story. I read it twice on the day it arrived.
The cover/binding is absolutely lovely.
I was a little perplexed by the 'Lyra letters' at the end as these appear to be dated after the HDM adventure, whereas the 'North' was well before.
Here's hoping that 'Dust' will be out soon rather than another short story.

a nice little extra, 09 Jul 2008
As a huge fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I am quite prepared to read anything else from that universe he is kind enough to write for us. Once Upon A Time In The North is no exception - of course I'd have liked it to be longer, but then I could read these characters forever and never be bored. It's quite obvious when you see the book that it's short, and it doesn't get longer simply because you're enjoying it! I often think, however, that short stories are more difficult to write than novels, and I appreciate the hard work and talent that has gone into producing such a lovely little book.

The hard cover, the beautiful illustrations, the wonderful boardgame tucked away inside the back cover... this all enhances the work, and also it's the way more books should be produced, with obvious care and attention. It's a book you could keep forever and pass down to children, grandchildren, and they would enjoy it as much as you did.

This is because Pullman's tales are timeless. They are full of adventure, fun, loyalty, friendship, intelligence - qualities that just don't date. The story here is no exception. It tells of the first meeting between Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut (and one of my favourite trilogy characters!) and Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear. Pullman's gently descriptive writing coupled with the reader's imagination brings these two allies to life in ways films can't. I loved the Wild West theme and all of the motifs that go with it: the pretty girl, the gun-slinging showdown, and Hester (Lee's daemon) provides an excellent witty companion.

Yes, the story is short, but it's action-packed and interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone who has previously enjoyed the trilogy. If you're new to Philip Pullman, I'd read those novels first, but this stands alone in its own right as a great example of first-class writing.

When you have an author as good as Terry Pratchett writing for children, you expect that the result will be a novel of great invention, assured comic timing and a generally all-round highly readable fantasy tour de force. Readers of The Wee Free Men will not be disappointed. After winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal award for his previous story of Discworld for younger readers, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Pratchett has followed up with another irresistibly entertaining adventure.

Miss Perspicacia Tick, a witch of some renown, is worried about a ripple in the walls of the universe--probably another world making contact. Which is not good. This errant activity is centred on some chalk country--where traditionally good witches simply do not grow well. Fortunately, Miss Tiffany Aching of Home Farm on The Chalk, nine years old, misunderstood and yearning for excitement, wants to be a witch and has just proved herself to be of great potential by whacking a big Green Monster from the river with a huge frying pan while using her annoying younger brother as bait. Miss Tick is impressed. So, after travelling to the chalky downs at once and dispensing some stop gap advice to Tiffany about holding the fort until she gets back with more help, Miss Tick is off.

Any hesitation Tiffany may have had about the seriousness of the situation expires when the Queen of the fairies kidnaps her younger brother. With the help of a talking frog, loaned by Miss Tick, and an army of thieving, warmongering, nippy, boozy wee free men called the Nac Mac Feegle (who used to work for the Queen but rebelled), Tiffany sets off rescue her kin.

There's humour at every turn, and the situations that follow are both wonderfully dramatic and preposterously unreal. Pratchett really is the master of his genre and it's difficult to imagine a more entertaining read. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay

Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Northern Lights is the best book I've ever read, 10 Nov 2008
"Northern Lights" is a fantastic novel by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials". This book, is about a girl called Lyra, who lives in a universe like ours, but very different in lots of things. Lyra used to attend Oxford College until she finds out about "dust". When her friend Roger disappears, Lyra sets off to the North to find him with help of her "daemon" and an "alethiometer" given to her by the master of Oxford College. This book is one of those books in which someone cannot stop reading. It is perfectly written, exciting, and sometimes even scary. I not only recommend this book to children, but to every person that just needs something to be excited about.

wonderful, 09 Sep 2008
This trilogy is excellent. Took me a while to get into book one but once the story really got going I couldn't put it down. Lyra grows into a young adult throughout the trilogy and its wonderful to follow her through her trials and tribulations.

Armoured bears, witches, deamons, god, angels, heaven and hell-all and more are wonderfully thoguht up by Pullman and I recommend these to anyone.

Goes out with a whimper, 17 May 2008
Northern Lights is brilliant in almost every respect; fast-moving, well-written, imaginative. The Subtle Knife is almost as good, but begins to be diffuse. The Amber Spyglass is, frankly, rubbish. In order to understand what is going on here, you have to have read an obscure essay by a second-rank German author (Heinrich v. Kleist) that Pullman is always going on about. By a logic that defeats me, it concludes that a re-temptation of Eve will undo the disaster that came from the first temptation. Hence Lyra (she's the new Eve, we're told) goes all tingly when she's kissed (only kissed, mind you). This saves the world (don't ask me how). Pullman's cosmogony/theology is even wackier than the Christian version to which he's so hostile. Nor does The Amber Spyglass have a very tight plot -- is the realm of the dead another parallel universe, or what? The Father Gomez episode is totally gratuitous church-baiting, and should have been edited out (along with a few other repetitious bits). It is fairly obvious that Pullman had no idea how to end this trilogy, which accounts for the long delay in publication between parts 2 and 3. But the ending, when it comes, is possibly the most banal I have ever read. One might have thought that having opened the gates of hell, having quite literally witnessed the death of God (and incidentally having saved humankind with a kiss) Lyra and Will deserved some sort of apotheosis. But the ending is like the ending to a children's party: right now kiddies, pack up your things, time to go home.

Recommended, 16 Apr 2008
His Dark Materials is a fantastic series of books. Plenty has already been said in these reviews about the subject matter and writing brilliance. However many people have referred to these as "children's" books, which I slightly disagree with. Young children (8+) will enjoy these if they are read to them - although the subject and language is likely to require further explanation at this age. For sole readers an age of 12+ is more suitable; plus many, many adults (including myself) have enjoyed reading these too.

From my personal experience I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much as either the first or third as I felt it wasn't as fast-paced and intricate. That said I do not mean that I `didn't enjoy it at all' just that I `preferred' the others.

Other reviews have mentioned that the religious/church bashing may offend, which is perhaps true for deeply/strictly religious folk. However for non-believers I think the books may have the opposite effect, i.e. it may open their minds to the possibility there may be more to life than what we see, in a kind of spiritual sense.

However, a word of warning. After reading this series I purchased Lyra's Oxford which was a big mistake. It adds nothing to this story and took no longer than 15 minutes to read. In fact it left me rather miffed with the author that my feel-good factor from reading the trilogy was then tainted by feeling I'd been ripped off with LO.

In short - the trilogy is a very good buy but give the subsequent books based on this same story a big miss.


His Dark Materials Boxed Set, 13 Mar 2008
What excellent books! i could not put them down. Phillip Pullman has a wonderful imagination and i would recommend this book to adults and older children as i feel children under ten year's maybe a little scared! Can't wait to read his next book.

Brilliant!, 28 Nov 2008
When I went through the book I could remember the movie played with Renee...Miss Potter. How magicals are drawings and how creative is the story, so easy to get into it! I really recommend this book for kids but also grown-ups. Nice present for Christmas eve I guess.
Regarding the way how tales are presented, this is quite genius as well as everything is merged into just only one book, a good quality about the cover. Nice choice.

Beautiful, 12 Oct 2008
Absolutely beautiful! A gorgeous hardbacked book with box. All the illustrations are exactly how you would remember them. Stories are perfectly laid out. There are even a few extras.
Truely wonderful, I will be buying more for friends children in the very near future

Beatrix Potter - the Complete Tales: The 23 Original Tales, 08 Aug 2008
This is a single boxed book which is truly beautifully presented. The original pictures and stories in all their splendour are laid out with loving care. If like me, you do not have room for the 23 little books in a boxed set, this is simply a wonderful alternative. It would be a fantastic present or a perfect book that will make a great impact on your bookshelves. I maybe 50 and have never read a Beatrix Potter story before, but this has certainly caught my attention and made my day!

Inessential but fun, 09 Sep 2008
This prequel is the story of how Lee Scoresby met Iorek Byrnison (characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and if you haven't read that, better to start there than here). It might fairly be classed as a ripping yarn. It's a tale well told, charmingly illustrated with engravings by John Lawrence: inessential but fun.

wonderful book, 03 Sep 2008
"Once Upon a Time in the North" is the book for everyone who read "His dark materials".
Excelent book.

Short but sweet, 21 Aug 2008
I throughly enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed that it was so short as i wanted to keep reading, hence how good it was. This was the only reason i didn't give it a 5 star.
The book was a nice addition to the dark materials series. It gave me a insight to lee scorsby the aeronaut, this was interesting and enjoyable as we dont hear so much about him in the other books.
The prensentation of the book was brillant. It has a nice cover and not only that it includes a board game which was mentioned in the book. I throughly enjoyed playing it.

Overall i would say it was a very welcome addition to his dark materails series. My next book will be lyras oxford as i am sure it will be another interesting insight into lyras world.

A good little read..., 18 Aug 2008
Having recently read HDM I was keen to read more of Pullman's work, so bought this one. A very enjoyable, very short story. I read it twice on the day it arrived.
The cover/binding is absolutely lovely.
I was a little perplexed by the 'Lyra letters' at the end as these appear to be dated after the HDM adventure, whereas the 'North' was well before.
Here's hoping that 'Dust' will be out soon rather than another short story.

a nice little extra, 09 Jul 2008
As a huge fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I am quite prepared to read anything else from that universe he is kind enough to write for us. Once Upon A Time In The North is no exception - of course I'd have liked it to be longer, but then I could read these characters forever and never be bored. It's quite obvious when you see the book that it's short, and it doesn't get longer simply because you're enjoying it! I often think, however, that short stories are more difficult to write than novels, and I appreciate the hard work and talent that has gone into producing such a lovely little book.

The hard cover, the beautiful illustrations, the wonderful boardgame tucked away inside the back cover... this all enhances the work, and also it's the way more books should be produced, with obvious care and attention. It's a book you could keep forever and pass down to children, grandchildren, and they would enjoy it as much as you did.

This is because Pullman's tales are timeless. They are full of adventure, fun, loyalty, friendship, intelligence - qualities that just don't date. The story here is no exception. It tells of the first meeting between Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut (and one of my favourite trilogy characters!) and Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear. Pullman's gently descriptive writing coupled with the reader's imagination brings these two allies to life in ways films can't. I loved the Wild West theme and all of the motifs that go with it: the pretty girl, the gun-slinging showdown, and Hester (Lee's daemon) provides an excellent witty companion.

Yes, the story is short, but it's action-packed and interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone who has previously enjoyed the trilogy. If you're new to Philip Pullman, I'd read those novels first, but this stands alone in its own right as a great example of first-class writing.

A great read for children and adults alike, 28 Dec 2007
Although supposedly a book for younger audiences, the Wee Free Men would be enjoyable for any Discworld fan no-matter what their age. The book follows Tiffany Aching, a young farmgirl who must deal with an invasion of nightmare creatures, the disappearance of her younger brother and her own burgeoning power. All she has to help her is a frying pan, a book on the Diseases of the Sheep and the Wee Free Men, tough and drunken pictsies who enjoy a good fight.

Although the book does get off to something of a bad start it does pick up as you read and it turns into a greatly entertaining story. Terry Pratchett is a brilliant righter and this book is a great exposition of his strengths being funny, thoughtful and inventive all at the same time. The book does have the feel of both Alice in Wonderland and the David Bowie film Labyrinth but this is only a background and the book does a great job of forging a path of its own. Anyone interested in the Discworld would love this book and it goes without saying that this would be a great entry level book for younger readers.

If nothing can make you smile at the moment- read this book!, 17 Dec 2007
This book will make you smile....and laugh....it's great! It's got everything you could wish for in a book :- Hilarious swearin' stealin' fightin' heroic, tiny blue men - nasty rotten 'boo' creating baddies - a lovely, brave, imperfect, modest heroine in Tiffany, and, best of all, 'shocked' sheep being carried backwards at great speed......imagery I defy you not to find funny.
Terry Pratchett has a brilliant way of bringing a little bit of magic into everyone's life.
Read this book, it's a great adventure :-)

This is a Childerens book?, 22 Sep 2007
After reading this book the first time, I found it to be a sweet and quircky book inteneded for childeren.

I read it a second time and almost had to take a step back, literally.

This book is obviously intended for childeren, but some of the concepts are so very deep (dream within dreams within dreams) or so very complicated that you almost need a child-like simplicity to work them out (literal mindedness helps)

I feel that this book has alot to offer for both childeren and adults.
Read it to your little ones, and you will both get the benifit.

Children's novel, 01 Aug 2007
This is a good children's book. I give a 3 star rating regarding it's enjoyability as an adult reading this. There were a few instances in this book where the storyline felt like re-hashing of another story I'd read somewhere else.

smallerthanbigjockbutbiggerthanweejockjock, 07 Dec 2006
I really enjoyed this book. I can't remember where I was, but I first read it on holiday. One thing I do remember is reading out bits to my brother. The Nac-Mac-Feegle are some of the most origonal and hilarious characters I have met, stuff J.K.R's coppied creatures, the brawling, theiving, loyal, drunk, rowdy, headbutting, drunk, impossible to argue with, feegles, who would headbutt you if you left them a saucer of milk are a completely different take on faries. And a welcome one. They aren't exactly stupid, they just think that discworld, with it's pubs, creatures to fight and stuff to steal, is heaven and therefore are not afraid of 'dying' which is pretty impossible anyway.

Not what I expected., 03 Dec 2008
I only gave this book 4 stars as I was expecting the usual side-splitting TP novel. It wasn't. It was still funny but not laugh-out-loud (except perhaps the shark story) and it didn't have the twisting and turning plots of his other novels. It was also fairly obvious where the story was going but what made it magical was the way in which the story was told. It's basically a story of growing up and the responsibility that brings but TP has such a creative way of explaining things that you won't be disappointed even if you did buy it like me expecting hours of hilarity. It's been a few weeks now since I read the book but I'm continually finding myself thinking about it. A book that makes you think about things is a good book. I'm glad I read it. Thank you TP. Can we have a Granny & Nanny one next though? We all need a bit of cheering up. xx

Pratchett at his most thoughtful, 02 Dec 2008
Terry Pratchett had been talking about a book called Nation he'd really wanted to write for almost half a decade when he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. According to rumour, he'd already begun working on the next Tiffany Aching Discworld novel, I Shall Wear Midnight, but upon hearing the news he dropped it immediately to make sure Nation was written first.

Nation is not a Discworld novel, but is instead set in an alternate history very similar to our own late 19th Century when the British Empire was at its height. A tidal wave sweeps across the Great Southern Pelargic Ocean (the South Pacific) and wipes out the tribal civilisation of the Mothering Sunday Islands. In particular, the island simply known as the Nation is totally destroyed, apart from a single young man named Mau. Mau finds himself alone on his island, until he discovers the crashed remains of a foreign ship and a pale-skinned young woman who initially tries to kill him, but later invites him to tea. Soon refugees from the crisis gather on the island, and Mau realises he has the choice to rebuild the old world, or choose to do something new with his nation...

Nation is Pratchett's most serious book since his 1992 classic, Small Gods. In fact, it shares some similarities with that book and acts as another treatise on faith, religion, atheism and morality. It is slower and more thoughtful than that earlier novel, where a younger and more angry Pratchett was in full-on fiery condemnation of blind fundamentalism, but works well due to those contrasts. It isn't as funny as a typical Pratchett book, although there are a few chuckles to be found here and there, particularly what appears to be a clever inverting of one of the premises of the TV show Lost in the final chapter and epilogue. However, it is also a more spiritual book, which is interesting given Pratchett gives New Age ideas pretty short shrift in his other books. But here things happen that can't be easily explained away by science, and it's debatable whether this is Pratchett perhaps considering things in a different light or simply a facet of this world which is different to our own (and is quite reminiscent of the gods in Discworld who exist purely because people believe in them, not the other way around).

Nation is being marketed as a YA novel, but it really isn't. It's depiction of tragedy and death in the opening chapters is pretty unflinching, and occasional moments of blood and cruelty abound throughout its length. Also, the central themes are pretty weighty and not something I see young children really getting into. However, for the adult reader Nation is an interesting and thought-provoking read which raises many interesting ideas and questions, whilst remaining entertaining and well-characterised.

Nation (****) is available in the UK from Doubleday and, with a spectacularly awful cover, in the USA from HaperCollins.

Disappointing, 28 Nov 2008
As a great Pratchett fan I found this book bitterly disappointing. It drops everything that Pratchett is good at. There were no intricate plot, no strong characters and didn't have the magic that we have come to expect from such a great writer. I actually had trouble motivating myself to finish this book.

Island of Hope? , 11 Nov 2008
Pratchett's books for young people have a tendency to reach beyond the intended age group and are just as enjoyable and relevant for adults. His latest novel, "Nation", is no exception. Anybody who has read his Tiffany Aching books will also know that Pratchett also has a fondness for headstrong young girls, delighting in exemplifying how they grow more or less smoothly into maturity. In this delightful novel Daphne, or Ermintrude as she was named by her family, is another example. Just for the pleasure of meeting her, the book would be worth reading... but there is so much more to explore here.

Thirteen-year-old Daphne is pretty, smart and well-educated, and loved by her aristocratic father. After the death of her mother, she was brought up by her strict grandmother, who instils in her a sense of values and responsibility but also, unintentionally, inquisitiveness and independence of mind. She is the counter part to Mau, also thirteen, and the actual hero of the story. His Nation, a small island in the South Pelagic Ocean is a traditional, pre-industrial society where gods reign and the spirits of the grandfathers maintain the ritualistic order by communicating their instructions to the selected few. While on "Boy's island", where he had been preparing for the rites of passage into manhood ceremony, Mau was oblivious to the tsunami of unheard of proportion that swept over lands and islands. The village had assembled on the beach for his return and celebration when the wave swept them away, leaving a trail of destruction. He reaches Nation in the aftermath of the disaster and discovers that he is all alone. Well, not quite... The ship that was to bring Daphne to her father in Port Mercia stranded on Mau's island leaving her with only a talkative parrot for company.

The story follows the two young people from worlds apart - without a common language and even gestures - who have to overcome their mutual suspicion and distrust and grow individually and together to become the centre of a new community as survivors from surrounding islands and from further afield seeking refuge with them. With great sensitivity and imagination, Pratchett explores the coming of age process in both. He exquisitely tackles the conflicts in Mau's mind between his old society steeped in mythology and hierarchy and the new reality where beliefs and rituals have to be questioned and new codes of morality be established. Daphne also has to develop a new understanding of society where class and privilege have no meaning. There are any number of challenges the young people have to face, starting with finding food and milk for a baby. There are pirates and renegades to deal with and much more... Can they, together with the diverse collections of refugees build a better and more hopeful Nation?

Pratchett's style is as always fluid and smooth, his imagery perceptive and innovative. His sense of humour, mostly subtle, shines through many sections. There are a few slow sections that a young person might skim over searching for the action on the next page. For adults the novel has many layers of narrative, food for thought on our perceptions of cultures, traditions and communication. [Friederike Knabe]


The new Terry Pratchett, 10 Nov 2008
This new book is definetly not Diskworld it seems that Terry has moved away from his usual writing and produced yet another great book with his talent,
This book follows a tale of devistation from what seems to be a tsumai on an island a boy arrives back to his island after being away to find everything he has known wiped out and sets out on building his island up again.. without giving away the plot and ultimatly the end this book is a bit morish , Has what I think chapters that tend to be far too long at times, and a very tear jerking end to the story BUT could of done without the very end chapter which makes me think this book was made to be made into a film (Though if it was then this book if acted by very good actors would make a very good film)

If your reading this Mr Pratchett

Well done Terry I enjoyed it!!

Northern Lights is the best book I've ever read, 10 Nov 2008
"Northern Lights" is a fantastic novel by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in a trilogy called "His Dark Materials". This book, is about a girl called Lyra, who lives in a universe like ours, but very different in lots of things. Lyra used to attend Oxford College until she finds out about "dust". When her friend Roger disappears, Lyra sets off to the North to find him with help of her "daemon" and an "alethiometer" given to her by the master of Oxford College. This book is one of those books in which someone cannot stop reading. It is perfectly written, exciting, and sometimes even scary. I not only recommend this book to children, but to every person that just needs something to be excited about.

wonderful, 09 Sep 2008
This trilogy is excellent. Took me a while to get into book one but once the story really got going I couldn't put it down. Lyra grows into a young adult throughout the trilogy and its wonderful to follow her through her trials and tribulations.

Armoured bears, witches, deamons, god, angels, heaven and hell-all and more are wonderfully thoguht up by Pullman and I recommend these to anyone.

Goes out with a whimper, 17 May 2008
Northern Lights is brilliant in almost every respect; fast-moving, well-written, imaginative. The Subtle Knife is almost as good, but begins to be diffuse. The Amber Spyglass is, frankly, rubbish. In order to understand what is going on here, you have to have read an obscure essay by a second-rank German author (Heinrich v. Kleist) that Pullman is always going on about. By a logic that defeats me, it concludes that a re-temptation of Eve will undo the disaster that came from the first temptation. Hence Lyra (she's the new Eve, we're told) goes all tingly when she's kissed (only kissed, mind you). This saves the world (don't ask me how). Pullman's cosmogony/theology is even wackier than the Christian version to which he's so hostile. Nor does The Amber Spyglass have a very tight plot -- is the realm of the dead another parallel universe, or what? The Father Gomez episode is totally gratuitous church-baiting, and should have been edited out (along with a few other repetitious bits). It is fairly obvious that Pullman had no idea how to end this trilogy, which accounts for the long delay in publication between parts 2 and 3. But the ending, when it comes, is possibly the most banal I have ever read. One might have thought that having opened the gates of hell, having quite literally witnessed the death of God (and incidentally having saved humankind with a kiss) Lyra and Will deserved some sort of apotheosis. But the ending is like the ending to a children's party: right now kiddies, pack up your things, time to go home.

Recommended, 16 Apr 2008
His Dark Materials is a fantastic series of books. Plenty has already been said in these reviews about the subject matter and writing brilliance. However many people have referred to these as "children's" books, which I slightly disagree with. Young children (8+) will enjoy these if they are read to them - although the subject and language is likely to require further explanation at this age. For sole readers an age of 12+ is more suitable; plus many, many adults (including myself) have enjoyed reading these too.

From my personal experience I didn't enjoy the second book in the series as much as either the first or third as I felt it wasn't as fast-paced and intricate. That said I do not mean that I `didn't enjoy it at all' just that I `preferred' the others.

Other reviews have mentioned that the religious/church bashing may offend, which is perhaps true for deeply/strictly religious folk. However for non-believers I think the books may have the opposite effect, i.e. it may open their minds to the possibility there may be more to life than what we see, in a kind of spiritual sense.

However, a word of warning. After reading this series I purchased Lyra's Oxford which was a big mistake. It adds nothing to this story and took no longer than 15 minutes to read. In fact it left me rather miffed with the author that my feel-good factor from reading the trilogy was then tainted by feeling I'd been ripped off with LO.

In short - the trilogy is a very good buy but give the subsequent books based on this same story a big miss.


His Dark Materials Boxed Set, 13 Mar 2008
What excellent books! i could not put them down. Phillip Pullman has a wonderful imagination and i would recommend this book to adults and older children as i feel children under ten year's maybe a little scared! Can't wait to read his next book.

Brilliant!, 28 Nov 2008
When I went through the book I could remember the movie played with Renee...Miss Potter. How magicals are drawings and how creative is the story, so easy to get into it! I really recommend this book for kids but also grown-ups. Nice present for Christmas eve I guess.
Regarding the way how tales are presented, this is quite genius as well as everything is merged into just only one book, a good quality about the cover. Nice choice.

Beautiful, 12 Oct 2008
Absolutely beautiful! A gorgeous hardbacked book with box. All the illustrations are exactly how you would remember them. Stories are perfectly laid out. There are even a few extras.
Truely wonderful, I will be buying more for friends children in the very near future

Beatrix Potter - the Complete Tales: The 23 Original Tales, 08 Aug 2008
This is a single boxed book which is truly beautifully presented. The original pictures and stories in all their splendour are laid out with loving care. If like me, you do not have room for the 23 little books in a boxed set, this is simply a wonderful alternative. It would be a fantastic present or a perfect book that will make a great impact on your bookshelves. I maybe 50 and have never read a Beatrix Potter story before, but this has certainly caught my attention and made my day!

Inessential but fun, 09 Sep 2008
This prequel is the story of how Lee Scoresby met Iorek Byrnison (characters in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and if you haven't read that, better to start there than here). It might fairly be classed as a ripping yarn. It's a tale well told, charmingly illustrated with engravings by John Lawrence: inessential but fun.

wonderful book, 03 Sep 2008
"Once Upon a Time in the North" is the book for everyone who read "His dark materials".
Excelent book.

Short but sweet, 21 Aug 2008
I throughly enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed that it was so short as i wanted to keep reading, hence how good it was. This was the only reason i didn't give it a 5 star.
The book was a nice addition to the dark materials series. It gave me a insight to lee scorsby the aeronaut, this was interesting and enjoyable as we dont hear so much about him in the other books.
The prensentation of the book was brillant. It has a nice cover and not only that it includes a board game which was mentioned in the book. I throughly enjoyed playing it.

Overall i would say it was a very welcome addition to his dark materails series. My next book will be lyras oxford as i am sure it will be another interesting insight into lyras world.

A good little read..., 18 Aug 2008
Having recently read HDM I was keen to read more of Pullman's work, so bought this one. A very enjoyable, very short story. I read it twice on the day it arrived.
The cover/binding is absolutely lovely.
I was a little perplexed by the 'Lyra letters' at the end as these appear to be dated after the HDM adventure, whereas the 'North' was well before.
Here's hoping that 'Dust' will be out soon rather than another short story.

a nice little extra, 09 Jul 2008
As a huge fan of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I am quite prepared to read anything else from that universe he is kind enough to write for us. Once Upon A Time In The North is no exception - of course I'd have liked it to be longer, but then I could read these characters forever and never be bored. It's quite obvious when you see the book that it's short, and it doesn't get longer simply because you're enjoying it! I often think, however, that short stories are more difficult to write than novels, and I appreciate the hard work and talent that has gone into producing such a lovely little book.

The hard cover, the beautiful illustrations, the wonderful boardgame tucked away inside the back cover... this all enhances the work, and also it's the way more books should be produced, with obvious care and attention. It's a book you could keep forever and pass down to children, grandchildren, and they would enjoy it as much as you did.

This is because Pullman's tales are timeless. They are full of adventure, fun, loyalty, friendship, intelligence - qualities that just don't date. The story here is no exception. It tells of the first meeting between Lee Scoresby, the Texan aeronaut (and one of my favourite trilogy characters!) and Iorek Byrnison, the armoured bear. Pullman's gently descriptive writing coupled with the reader's imagination brings these two allies to life in ways films can't. I loved the Wild West theme and all of the motifs that go with it: the pretty girl, the gun-slinging showdown, and Hester (Lee's daemon) provides an excellent witty companion.

Yes, the story is short, but it's action-packed and interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone who has previously enjoyed the trilogy. If you're new to Philip Pullman, I'd read those novels first, but this stands alone in its own right as a great example of first-class writing.

A great read for children and adults alike, 28 Dec 2007
Although supposedly a book for younger audiences, the Wee Free Men would be enjoyable for any Discworld fan no-matter what their age. The book follows Tiffany Aching, a young farmgirl who must deal with an invasion of nightmare creatures, the disappearance of her younger brother and her own burgeoning power. All she has to help her is a frying pan, a book on the Diseases of the Sheep and the Wee Free Men, tough and drunken pictsies who enjoy a good fight.

Although the book does get off to something of a bad start it does pick up as you read and it turns into a greatly entertaining story. Terry Pratchett is a brilliant righter and this book is a great exposition of his strengths being funny, thoughtful and inventive all at the same time. The book does have the feel of both Alice in Wonderland and the David Bowie film Labyrinth but this is only a background and the book does a great job of forging a path of its own. Anyone interested in the Discworld would love this book and it goes without saying that this would be a great entry level book for younger readers.

If nothing can make you smile at the moment- read this book!, 17 Dec 2007
This book will make you smile....and laugh....it's great! It's got everything you could wish for in a book :- Hilarious swearin' stealin' fightin' heroic, tiny blue men - nasty rotten 'boo' creating baddies - a lovely, brave, imperfect, modest heroine in Tiffany, and, best of all, 'shocked' sheep being carried backwards at great speed......imagery I defy you not to find funny.
Terry Pratchett has a brilliant way of brin