The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is the 28th book
in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the first YA novel. It's a
twist on the classic tale of the Pied Piper in which the Piper is
actually a con artist. Or rather, he's being manipulated by a con
artist.
I've put off this review for so long that I barely remember what I wanted to talk about. That's what I get for procrastinating. I do remember enjoying the book a lot. The pied piper, a young boy named Kyle, is pretty boring. But I think he's supposed to be. He's being conned by a talking cat named Maurice who is also stringing along a horde of talking rats. Together they travel from town to town. The rats go out and make themselves known. The kid shows up, demands $30 and plays his pipe. The rats leave.
It's a good system, but the rats are getting restless. They're developing morals along with the ability to speak and are starting to think that maybe ripping off humans isn't exactly right. They're also beginning to question why they need the money.
The whole troop stumbles across a town that's already being conned by some professional rat catchers. The bulk of the book is concerned with them unraveling the existing con and putting an end to it.
The book is different from the rest of Discworld. The themes are more simplistic. The jokes are more obvious. But that's to be expected in a YA book. It is nice that everything doesn't get tied up with a neat little bow at the end. Peace is achieved, but it will take some work to maintain it.
I've put off this review for so long that I barely remember what I wanted to talk about. That's what I get for procrastinating. I do remember enjoying the book a lot. The pied piper, a young boy named Kyle, is pretty boring. But I think he's supposed to be. He's being conned by a talking cat named Maurice who is also stringing along a horde of talking rats. Together they travel from town to town. The rats go out and make themselves known. The kid shows up, demands $30 and plays his pipe. The rats leave.
It's a good system, but the rats are getting restless. They're developing morals along with the ability to speak and are starting to think that maybe ripping off humans isn't exactly right. They're also beginning to question why they need the money.
The whole troop stumbles across a town that's already being conned by some professional rat catchers. The bulk of the book is concerned with them unraveling the existing con and putting an end to it.
The book is different from the rest of Discworld. The themes are more simplistic. The jokes are more obvious. But that's to be expected in a YA book. It is nice that everything doesn't get tied up with a neat little bow at the end. Peace is achieved, but it will take some work to maintain it.
Comments
Post a Comment