Nation

By Terry Pratchett

Nation - Terry Pratchett
  • Release Date: 2009-10-06
  • Genre: Action & Adventure Fiction for Young Adults
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 86 Ratings

Description

New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize * Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award * Michael L. Printz Medal honor winner

From the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the beloved and bestselling Discworld fantasy series, comes an epic adventure of survival that mixes hope, humor, and humanity.

When a giant wave destroys his village, Mau is the only one left. Daphne—a traveler from the other side of the globe—is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Separated by language and customs, the two are united by catastrophe. Slowly, they are joined by other refugees. And as they struggle to protect the small band, Mau and Daphne defy ancestral spirits, challenge death himself, and uncover a long-hidden secret that literally turns the world upside down.

Sir Terry also received a prestigious Printz Honor from the American Library Association for his novel Dodger.

Reviews

  • Not very well done

    1
    By Meb1101201
    This books suffers from the problem of not having a good editor and an author that falls in love with his words. This book could have easily been reduced by 25% without effecting the story at all, the best writers tell a story in the fewest words. There are too many unnecessary diversions and distractions in this book, too many parts that are not important or even useful to the story. And then after all the unnecessary twists and distractions at the end he conveniently just magically wraps things up with the heros all arriving on cue. And after wasting many words, sentence, and paragrhs on things that aren't relevant, there are many things that don't make sense or aren't explained or described well enough.
  • Phenomenal

    5
    By NedHorvath
    First, this is NOT a Discworld book. It is also not, as advertised, childrens' fiction, I would set the minimum age around 10. It's also not about a "noble savage" in first contact with western civilization, although there are some aspects of that genre present. Mau is a Pacific island boy who has just passed the solo rite of passage into manhood. But when he returns to his village, everyone he knows has been swept away by a tsunami. Pratchett let's us share Mau's grief, strength, and growth as he and the survivors who turn up find their way. As with his other "juvenile" fiction, Pratchett displays a great deal of respect for his readers, and there is always humor mixed with the serious. He is a writer who consistently spins entertaining stories that bring along challenging and valuable ideas but is never preachy - he let's the reader discover their own lessons and conclusions. Get Nation for yourself, share it with your children. You'll find a lot to share.