Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: September 2012
Pages: 368
Source: Library
For: Fun (plus, it's kind of a retelling)
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's...Dodger.Things I Liked:
Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl--not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.
From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.
Once I got into the groove of Pratchett's writing, I was sucked into it. I love the quirky and compelling stories and characters he's created (or reimagined in some cases). Pratchett really does have a wit that pops up endlessly on every page. Every phrase seems perfectly crafted and you can't help but love the characters who get to say those things. Dodger was so loveable and so completely dense at times that it made him more endearing. The supporting cast, including Dickens and Solomon, were fantastic as well. I never fail to come away from a Pratchett novel (not that I've read very many) feeling smarter and entirely entertained.
Things I Didn't Like:
It was a bit hard for me to jump into. For some reason, it seemed a little more dense than I have been reading lately (which is probably more of a statement about what I've been reading than anything else). Also, the story does get a bit far-fetched. But that is part of what makes it so fun to read.
Read-alikes:
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Plus, Pratchett has a bajillion published works
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few here and there
mrg-factor: none
though a few oblique references
v-factor: ->->
a few rather gory or disturbing bits, not described in detail
Overall rating: ****
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
I love Pratchett's disc world novels and found this one really good too. I listened to it as an audiobook which is a great way to experience Pratchett's work as you can really get into the world he creates that way.
ReplyDeleteOoh audio does sound fun! I think I read a discworld book once. Can't even remember!
DeleteNever heard of this one. Aww I've been so out of it.
ReplyDeleteSo have I! I read this one last year :)
DeleteThis sounds great~ I haven't read any Pratchett novels (I know, shame on me!), but this one's going on my TBR list. Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteI'm no Pratchett expert, but definitely give him a try!
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