Book reviews
Eric, Terry Pratchett
The fact is that, when they die, everyone goes where they think they ought to go. Of course, no one can think they deserve to go to Hell if they haven't heard of it. That's why it's essential to shoot missionaries on sight.
Very early in the book, the wizards are debating the source of strange phenomena in Ankh-Morpork, and they speculate that it's a ghost- "you know, candle book and bell type business." With that line, I was sure I would love this book, and thankful I had read it after seeing Faust.
It all went downhill from there. For the first time, I understand why people dislike the Rincewind books. His novelty has thoroughly worn off. Instead of a brilliant sendup of Faustus along the lines of his take on Macbeth or Phantom of the Opera, I got a disconnected mishmash of no unified plot and no great humor value. The upside was the picture of Odysseus as an ancestor of Rincewind (and the lovely pun Laviolus), the only sensible man among the buffoonish Achaeans. But really... too disconnected, too bleh, not Faust enough.
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Read with tutoring student Byron. Makes a great allegory. Some lovely topics there, especially about use of rhetoric. Good to have finally gotten around to it. I have Thoughts about the problems inherent in books that are primarily allegory, with lots of reference to Lewis and Tolkien, but now is not the time.
The fact is that, when they die, everyone goes where they think they ought to go. Of course, no one can think they deserve to go to Hell if they haven't heard of it. That's why it's essential to shoot missionaries on sight.
Very early in the book, the wizards are debating the source of strange phenomena in Ankh-Morpork, and they speculate that it's a ghost- "you know, candle book and bell type business." With that line, I was sure I would love this book, and thankful I had read it after seeing Faust.
It all went downhill from there. For the first time, I understand why people dislike the Rincewind books. His novelty has thoroughly worn off. Instead of a brilliant sendup of Faustus along the lines of his take on Macbeth or Phantom of the Opera, I got a disconnected mishmash of no unified plot and no great humor value. The upside was the picture of Odysseus as an ancestor of Rincewind (and the lovely pun Laviolus), the only sensible man among the buffoonish Achaeans. But really... too disconnected, too bleh, not Faust enough.
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Read with tutoring student Byron. Makes a great allegory. Some lovely topics there, especially about use of rhetoric. Good to have finally gotten around to it. I have Thoughts about the problems inherent in books that are primarily allegory, with lots of reference to Lewis and Tolkien, but now is not the time.