Rating:  Summary: I laughed until I cried Review: I love him! He has got to be one of the funniest authors today. This book is most definitely one of his best. I was reading it in school-Algebra, to be exact, and I almost bit through my lip trying not to laugh!! Tears were pouring out of my eyes, and I was just dying. Nanny Ogg is my favorite character, and the whole world is nuts!!!
Rating:  Summary: Winner of the Not-Quite-As-Good-As-His-Other-Books-Award Review: Let me start out by saying that I read Pratchett's books for two reasons. The first is that they are FUNNY. The second is that I enjoy the way he presents a twisted, cynical view of our world through the Discworld's crazy characters. Bearing that in mind, I can't agree with the other reviews of this book here... Lords & Ladies just isn't that great. It is well-written and has a decent plot, but I have read every one of Pratchett's Discworld novels, and this is the most disappointing one (with the exception of the slender Eric). I think Pratchett is suffering from the same "disease" that Douglas Adams caught... once the reader expects the unexpected, then it is no longer funny. If you've never read Pratchett, start at the beginning, with The Colour of Magic. Mort and Sourcery are good as well. When I shell out my 5 bucks for a Pratchett novel, I expect to laugh out loud while I read it. This time I didn't
Rating:  Summary: Hysterically funny, extraordinarily human Review: Pratchett has the rare gift of writing humor that is not
only funny, but literate, well-crafted, and sneakily
wise and compassionate. Unlike many authors, he says the
serious things he wants to say not by inserting a lecture,
but by a deft turn of phrase, or simply by telling the story of what happens to his characters, A reader will not
only end up rolling on the floor laughing, but thinking.
In this story, elves (who have a power to control human
thinking that puts even television and public relations
execs to shame) take over the small kingdom of Lancre, while
Magrat and King Verence are uneasily stumbling towards marriage. Magrat, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg,
together with such assorted characters as Casanunda the
lecherous dwarf and Jason Ogg, the smith whose head is about
as thick as his anvil, fight to stop them. Granny
Weatherwax, who knows that there's no point making a big
entrance unless you're also prepared to make a mess, is also involved in a battle of wills with Diamanda, who thinks
that witchery is something you do, rather than something
you are. You'll definitely laugh. Guarantee. You might cry if you
happen to feel like it or if you get so distracted reading
it that you let someone drop something heavy on your foot.
Or, of course, if the elves start eyeing _your_ life as a good thing to muck about with.
Rating:  Summary: There is no evidence in mythology that elves are nice. Review: Lords and Ladies is a warning about fiddling with mythologies you know
nothing about. Mythology is about life, living and death, not
some saccrine coated Disney recreation designed to "protect children"
and get you to spend money.
Life is dangerous, and the current neo pagan trend to rewrite
mythologies to suit some politically trendy slant will not make
it any less dangerous. At no time does the original lore indicate
that fairies and elves are anything less than vicious,cunning creatures
who have a disregard for anything other than their species.
I liked Lords and Ladies because it showed how dangerous it was
to interpret something to suit yourself rather than dealing with
reality. That Pratchett manages to get everyone to giggle every
third line makes him a genius.
Rating:  Summary: Perhaps Pratchett's best Discworld novel Review: In "Lords & Ladies" Pratchett returns to the characters and tone set in "Wyrd Sisters"
and "Witches Abroad", but ties in the most interesting characters from the Unseen University
books ("Moving Pictures", "Mort"). The book has all of Pratchett's trademarks: literate references, puns, jokes developed over the course
of pages or chapters... This book gives Pratchett an opportunity to observe and comment on the human nature as well, in a fashion
only he could..
If you've enjoyed several of the Disc novels, this is definately a distinct treat. If you're new to Pratchett, you'd probably be happier starting with one of the more introductory novels
like "Wyrd Sisters", "Equal Rites", or "Witches Abroad".
Rating:  Summary: Elves are beautiful, kind and loving, right? WRONG! Review: We have always thought of elves as enchanting, cheerful, andplayful creatures, right? Well they are, only not the wayyou might think. They're enchanting because they can charm you into obedience, they're cheerful because they like what they're doing--and what they're doing is playing; playing with your body and your mind, seeing how far each can go before it snaps.... If you're tired of the standard elves-as-better-than-men portrayal, read this and see where we all got it wrong.
Rating:  Summary: Another great Discworld book Review: This is the fourteenth book in Terry Pratchett's series on the Discworld - a flat world, supported on the backs of four massive elephants riding on the back of a planet-sized turtle. Anything hilarious can happen here, and eventually does. With Magrat's marriage to Verence, King of Lancre, coming up, what could possibly go wrong? Actually, a lot! The border between realities is getting thin, and someone is trying to come through - the elves. Everyone remembers elves - beautiful, regal, powerful, etc. - but what they don't remember is that they are also vicious, murderous and completely unscrupulous. But, the witches remember; they remember a time when men went out hunting and never returned, and when babies disappeared from cradles. And now it is up to Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, plus any help that they can recruit to save the (disc)world! This is another *great* Terry Pratchett book, one of his best! I have been a fan of this author for a long time, and this book does not let you down. As is often the case in Discworld books, a couple of "regulars" put in an appearance (Archchancellor Ridcully, the Librarian, Casanunda the World's Second Greatest Lover, and of course DEATH), but this is definitely a witch book. This is a great story, one that will inexplicably keep you on the edge of your seat and rolling on the floor laughing, both at the same time! This is a great Discworld book, one that I highly recommend.
Rating:  Summary: Not the Best of the Witches Books Review: This Discworld novel, part of the Witches subset, plays off of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lancre is invaded by elves, and the only good elf is a dead elf. (In other words, they are uninteresting, unconvincing characters). This book features Magrat and Nanny Ogg; Nanny is very funny in this one. The elves show up too late in the story, and the subplots tend to derail the action. The wizards show up in Lancre along with the Librarian (in orangutan form). The dwarf Casanunda has a candlelight dinner with Nanny Ogg and the Arch-chancellor has a heart-to-heart talk with Granny Weatherwax: these parts are very funny, but they can't make the whole book work well. Still, it is part of the Witches sequence, and these, along with the City Watch sequence, are some of the better Discworld books, and Pratchett should get credit for bringing in the wizards, who work better as minor characters than they do as the protagonists of the Rincewind books.
Rating:  Summary: No one is to do the Stick and Bucket Dance ever again Review: The three witches, especially Granny Weatherwax, have always been my favorite denizens of the Discworld, and they do nothing to disappoint the reader over the course of Lords and Ladies. Add in a few of Unseen University's highest-ranking wizards, and you're guaranteed to have one wild time in the kingdom of Lancre. This novel wasn't quite as funny as Pratchett's earlier witch novels, but it shows Granny Weatherwax in a whole new light and makes for a very entertaining read all the way around.
Lords and Ladies opens with the three witches returning home to Lancre after their encounter with the Godmother in the novel Witches Abroad. They arrive just in the nick of time. A group of young girls have started doing some witching of their own; dancing around (with or without their drawers on) some of the ancient stones up in the hills isn't good for anybody, especially when the barriers between the worlds are rubbing close together and beings on the other side are just waiting to pounce on anyone capable of weakening the borders a wee bit more. The Elf Queen has set her sights on crossing over into reality, but there just isn't room in this reality for Granny Weatherwax and the Elf Queen. Granny knows what regular people forgot long ago - all that glamour and beauty that Elves project is just a mask. Elves are really nasty little buggers who care about human beings only insofar as they can torture them for their own amusement. Things are really nip and go here, as Granny Weatherwax isn't her old self these days - she can't even see the future anymore, and that doesn't bode well for anybody.
Of course, the citizens of Lancre are all distracted by the upcoming nuptials of King Verence and Magrat Garlick. Wyrd Sisters tells the story of Verence's witch-assisted rise from the king's Fool to the King of Lancre, as well as the budding romance between Verence and Magrat. Magrat is of course the third member of the witches' trio, a young lass with eternally plain looks, great interest in the traditions and proper ceremonies of witchcraft, and a naivety and generosity of nature that frequently drives Granny up the wall. She and Verence are as shy as the day is long, but they are to be married on Midsummer's Eve. Granny and Nanny Ogg tend to treat Magrat as a child, and she finally gets so perturbed she abandons the coven and settles in to learning the ways of being a Queen - which mostly involves being incredibly bored.
All kinds of folks arrive for the royal wedding, including Giamo Casanunda, the world's second greatest lover ("he tries harder," a process which invariably involves the use of a stepladder), and a caravan of wizards from Unseen University. Archchancellor Ridcully is extremely excited about it because he used to live in Lancre. He goes on and on about this girl he once knew and wanted to marry, a girl who happens to be Granny Weatherwax. It's hard to imagine Granny as a young woman, but Lords and Ladies shows us a side of the old crone we've never seen before. Magrat really starts to come into her own, as well, after the Elves capture Verence. Of course, everything comes down to a big fight with the Elves, but that's the least exciting part of the novel, as far as I'm concerned. It's much more fun just watching Pratchett put all his players in place for the ending.
Pratchett is absolutely on fire in a number of passages here, especially when young Ponder Stibbons tries to explain his theory of parallel universes and multiple forms of existence to Archchancellor Ridcully. Granny and Nanny Ogg are always hilarious, the whole makeup of Lancre sets up many a joke, and Verence's dependence on book knowledge sets up one of the funniest bits in the whole Discworld series. Lords and Ladies is enough to get a new reader hooked on Pratchett's unique genius, but you won't truly appreciate this novel unless you read Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad first.
Rating:  Summary: Hilarious Review: I wont bother to summarise the plot, as all the other reviewers have done that before me. This is a hilarious book, the wizards made it better by a half. The serious bits are always my least favorate (probably because most of the other books I read are ALL serious) but I think the dramatic battle points in this book are rather better than Pratchett's usual ones. Maybe because the elves are more villianlike than his usual villians. (the withches always seem to get the best villians)
The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five was because I thought the elves weren't very convincing for Pratchett's realistic fantasy style. I mean, of course if cats where humanoid they would probably act the same way, but since they obviousely aren't*, theres less reality to the elves.
I'd still recomend this book, especialy to someone who likes the witches.
*most of the time
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