Nation

I've never made a secret about my love of Terry Pratchett's writing. In the lottery of picking a good novel, choosing one with Pratchett's name on the cover dramatically increases the odds of winning.

Nation is no exception.

Orphaned by a giant wave while on the way home from his coming of age ritual, Mau finds himself alone among the dead of his people, the wreckage of his village, and the flotsam left behind by the wave's receding foam…including a “trouser man” canoe, stranded high above the shoreline where the wave deposited it, carrying but one living inhabitant: a girl, the off-spring of royalty from far of England.

As Mau begins to rebuild, he faces the specter of Death, his fallen (and often annoying) ancestors, cannibals, crises of faith, and, ultimately, both his and the Nation's future. Daphne, the English girl awaiting rescue, will help him, giving him tools, companionship, and guidance, and both will face the prejudices and misconceptions of their cultures and history, remaking the world anew.

And, of course, because it is Pratchett, it will be funny.

Set in a world that is somewhere parallel to our own (that's Pratchett's description),Nation is full of the wonderful twists and plays on language that set Pratchett's writing apart. His characters and plots are full of the playful color and magic that leave you wondering if you just read a book of fantasy or have been enjoying the imagination of the characters themselves. In the end, it doesn't matter, really, because the characters have progressed in tandem with the events, real or imagined, and Pratchett's creative use of imagery, myth, fantasy, and conflict has become a well-woven fabric of the whole.

Nation is a fun read that felt targeted at a young adult audience, but can be easily enjoyed by the adult reader. The tone, even when dealing with difficult subjects, is never dark or depressing, but always seems calculated to bring the reader along with the characters. I can't wait to reread it along with my teenagers (once I have some),and to enjoy their journey to a little island in the long chain of islands in a world somewhere just to the left, or perhaps the right, of our own.