Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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When Clever Isn’t Quite Enough

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

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In the satirical novel Guards! Guards!, a secret brotherhood of (mostly witless) Ankh-Morpork citizens is led by the Supreme Grand Master, who wants to summon a dragon to the city to wreak havoc. They plan to invent a long-lost king to defeat the dragon and end the oppression they think they are experiencing. Of course, plans go awry and this story intersects with that of the Night Watch, a small group of officers who get no respect because their role is essentially pointless given that […]

“Comedy is laughter in the face of death”

Wyrd Sisters (1988) by Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad (1991) by Terry Pratchett

Lords and Ladies (1992) by Terry Pratchett

Carpe Jugulum (1998) by Terry Pratchett

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These are re-reads, these are beloved, these are–I suggest–suitable for the fanfic square because they are riotous and revelrous games with Shakespeare plays and fairy stories and Dracula and witch traditions, even while they question the logics behind them. For example, as Pratchett points out, witches would probably not be dancing around nude during their eldritch rites because it would get quite chilly. Wyrd Sisters (1988) Autocorrect keeps trying to make wyrd into ‘word’, which is fitting, because this is a book partly about the […]

Slay Ride

Guards! Guards!: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett

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I find that if I am in need of a book to make me laugh a bit and maybe think a bit, Terry Pratchett is an excellent choice. I received Guards! Guards! as part of last year’s holiday book exchange and couldn’t have been happier. I’ve only read a handful of books from Pratchett’s enormous Discworld series, but I have enjoyed every one that I’ve read and this is no exception. Guards! Guards! involves political power plays, bumbling police, a love story and dragons.  The […]

CBR15 Bingo: Politics

Jingo by Terry Pratchett

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4.5 stars CBR15 Bingo: Politics (the word is used 18 times over the course of the novel) Official book description: It isn’t much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea — just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch — which is spark enough to ignite that […]

CBR15 Bingo: Nostalgia

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

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In Men at Arms, there’s a series of mysterious deaths in Ankh-Morpork, and the Patrician, Lord Vetinari, strictly forbids Sam Vimes, the head of the City Watch to investigate, thus ensuring that he will do the exact opposite. Vimes, Carrot, Nobbs and Colon, who used to be the whole of the Watch have been joined by new recruits to diversify the Watch, Cuddy (a dwarf), Detritus (a troll) and Angua (a werewolf, although Carrot believes it to be because she’s a woman). As the ragtag […]

More Zoons, Please

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

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Drum Billet, a wizard who is about to die, goes to the small town of Bad Ass (yes, really) to pass his magical staff on to the about-to-be-born 8th son of an 8th son. Only just after he does so, it’s revealed that this 8th son is actually a girl. And the problem is that on Discworld all witches are female and all wizards are male. There’s never been a female wizard – until now. Named Eskarina, as she grows up she is trained in […]



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