It's Pratchett, Jim, but not as we know him...
Written: Jul 25 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pretty good storyline, characters, funny moments
Cons: It just isn't anywhere near as good as the Discworld novels
The Bottom Line: Good for pre-early teenage children, or adults looking for a very light read.
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| captaind's Full Review: Diggers |
This particular Pratchett book (not part of the Discworld series) is written mainly for children, who may like it more than I do, but I can only give my own perspective on the book. So, although it’s only got 3 stars, if you’ve got a child of, say, 10 years old (give or take a few years), you can probably add an extra star.
Diggers is the second of the Nome trilogy. The Nomes are small people (about 5 inches in height) who seem to have come from outer space and lived under the floorboards at a store. The signs at the store become laws for them, and they believe that the Store (and thus the universe) was created by the stores proprietors. In the first book the store if about to be demolished so they have to learn new skills (such as.. truck driving!) to escape. They end up living in a quarry, and start to make it into a home. (By doing such things is “mining” potatoes…) But then one day a notice appears saying that the quarry is about to be re-opened.
Diggers is a classic example or a tale which looks at the world through different eyes. Everyday items are marvels to the Nomes. Also their brand of logic is… different. The main storyline involves them escaping from / protecting the quarry, internal power struggles, and learning more about themselves.
There are some funny moments in this books, a few of which are “laugh-out-loud” funny. Personally I don’t feel it matches up to the majority of the Discworld novels. Even though it’s for kids, so was “The Wee Free Men” (although that is set on Discworld), which is definitely a 5 star book. (Yes yes I will get round to reviewing it properly eventually…) The humour in this is good but not inspired. Pratchett’s narrative style is as good as ever, but the story just lacks that spark to make it stand out from the competition. Characterisation is good but again nothing out of the ordinary.
Overall, a light, enjoyable but ultimately unremarkable book for adults. I suspect that children of around 9-12 years old would enjoy this book more than anyone.
Recommended:
Yes
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