Nation

NATION is the first non-Discworld book that I have read by Sir Terry Pratchett. (I really hope he starts putting that on his book covers.) And as much as I like the Discworld books that I have read, I really like this one. Before I finished it, I recommended it to two other people. It is that good.

NATION is targeted at a YA audience, but that makes no difference. Good books are good no matter who the intended recipient is. Imagine if only kids read the Harry Potter books or lovestruck teen girls read the Twilight series. They wouldn't have become the cultural phenomena that they are today. NATION deserves that sort of support.

I love this book for its attitudes of respect - it respects religion, it respects science, and it respects culture. This is a book of how the world should be .

Yes, the patented Pratchett style is here - the wit, the observations, and the footnotes - but this helps rather than hinder. Sir Terry is a comfortable read and fun as well. Go out and get this book.

Arctic Drift

First book of the new year is Clive and Dirk Cussler's ARCTIC DRIFT. It was supposed to be Christopher Buckley's FLORENCE OF ARABIA. I am about 60 pages into that novel, but the Library finally got me copies of ARCTIC DRIFT and Terry Pratchett's NATION and the waiting lists are huge. So I put aside the esteemed Mr. Buckley to get these two books finished before their due dates. I read the Cussler first because I figured it would be faster reading. And it was. That does not make it any less enjoyable. This book follows the recent theme of the Pitts on the trail of a lost historical figure - Sir John Franklin, leader of a doomed Arctic expedition. In usual Cussler fashion, they also explore the deep blue, uncover a nefarious scheme, and battle truly bad guys. The Cusslers throw in the usual mix of history and marine science that sparks the mind for further reading (I wanted to jump straight into Dan Simmons' THE TERROR - another novel about the Franklin Expedition.) One change is the lack of a significant romantic interest. Summer does meet a nice guy and Dirk and his wife share moments, but the passion just isn't quite as heavy as past books. Another change from recent books is the lack of participation by Summer and Dirk Jr. They are featured in early chapters, but don't appear again until the epilogue. Finally, I noticed the action-heavy chapters lacked female-presence. Usually there is some woman running around with Dirk and Al - or at least opposing them. But this was the guy's night out and they got all the glory.

ARCTIC DRIFT is fun reading for Cussler fans or those who like their action novels fun. It's not literature, but nobody says it has to be to enjoy it (and learn a little too).