Same Book/Different Cover: Guards! Guards!

This is an occasional feature where I compare different covers of the same book...
Getting back into this feature I wanted to highlight one of my favourite books ever - it's smart, funny and has dragons in it..Guards! Guards! by the ever wonderful Terry Prachett. It's the eighth Discworld book but the first to star Captain Sam Vimes of the City Watch, one of my favourite characters ever. But what do the different covers look like...?

UK Cover 1

UK Cover 2

US Cover 1

US Cover 2

Italian Cover

Estonian Cover

UK Cover 1: Josh Kirby covers are so famous in the UK (and hopefully elsewhere!) it seems wrong to compare this with anything else!

UK Cover 2: This is very dark and depending on your point of view either sophisticated or boring. With the raft of dark covers with a single item on them recently - from Twilight to 50 Shades, this just feels like jumping on a bandwagon which considering the content couldn't be more wrong.

US Cover 1: Lots of characters on the front, a dragon breathing flames, swords, crossbow - loads of colour. I like it!

US Cover 2: I find this a little dull. TO me it looks like the dragon is smoking a cigarette!

Italian Cover: This cover almost looks like an engraving, but I have to admit I'm not a fan of the dragon...it doesn't look right for some reason. Hmm...

Estonian Cover: This is a lot of fun. It reminds me of Horrible Histories with the cartoon style cover and the slightly bewildered guards. However, it also makes it look a lot younger than Terry Prachett actually is - or is that because I only discovered them in my 20s...?

My verdict? UK Cover 1 - cos it's unique and colourful!

Which cover is your favourite...?

Snuff Review

Snuff

- Terry Prachett

Publisher: Corgi

According to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever to have been published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder. 
He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, and occasionally snookered and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a finding, there must be a chase and there must be a punishment. 
They say that in the end all sins are forgiven. But not quite all.

Another visit to the Discworld with Terry Prachett! This another Sam Vimes story but this time he and his family have left Anhk-Morpork behind to have a holiday in the country. The first half of this book is Discworld’s version of Midsomer Murders. Sam Vimes wanders about the country, where someone is always watching you, talking to people and becomes sure that something isn’t right about the country...especially with Goblins in the area...  

After so many books set in the colourful and fragrant Anhk-Morpork, it’s a refreshing change to see the countryside surrounding the premier city of Discworld. Terry Prachett manages to subvert a dozen English countryside stereotypes every two pages – whether it’s the local barflys at the pub, to the upstairs-downstairs relationships in the big house they is some amusing and clever take on traditions. Personally, I loved the idea of the spinning maids – it had me smiling all through the latest episode of Downtown Abbey! J

The second half of the story is more action packed with river chases and close escapes –more Twenty-Four less Midsomer Murders. There is even some deep philosophical ponderings about the nature of evil – and if you understand how evil minds work, does that make you evil...? It’s quite deep, but subtly done and adds to Sam Vimes character after so many books. The other element that adds to Sam Vimes personality is how much he loves his son, young Sam. Young Sam is a joy and delight to read about, with his obsession with poo and complete disregard for knowing what he should be afraid off.

This is another entertaining visit to the Discworld showing that Terry hasn’t lost his knack for making the ordinary sublime and ridiculous normal. Good, clean(ish) fun.

Recommended for fans of Tom Holt and Jasper Fforde. 8 out of 10

Audiobook: Eric Review

Eric (Discworld 9)

Written by Terry Pratchett

Read by Tony Robinson

An inept demonologist wants three wishes granted--to be immortal, to rule the world, and to have a beautiful woman fall in love with him. But instead of a demon, he calls up Rincewind, the most incompetent wizard in the universe. Because Eric gives him no other choice, Rincewind tries to grant him his wishes...

Eric is quite a short book for Terry Pratchett and this works well in audio form as there is less to cut for the abridgement. And this means that there are no strange plot jumps or unusual occurrences when listening. Tony Robinson is brilliant once again as the narrator and voices each character separately. He makes each character unique and recognisable which adds a lot of humour through his inflections to an already amusing story. This is one of the funniest Discworld stories partly because it follows a fairly standard plot  device– be careful what you wish for. But this is a Terry Pratchett book so the story is a clever rift on many expectations...from what the most beautiful woman in the world truly looks like and what would people do if they ever met the ruler of the world. And I won’t mention what it truly means to live forever...

Rincewind is possibly one of the bravest cowards you will ever meet – able to run away from pretty much anything and think on his feet, while the title character, Eric is a little annoying at first, he soon settles down. This story takes Rincewind and Eric across the Discworld, back in time and eventually to Hell, following in the footsteps of someone named Faust... While Terry Pratchett does add plenty of humour there is a biting satire to the story as well as we get treated to some great insights into a variety of subject from war to religion to office politics. I can’t say too much without spoiling a great experience but whether you listen to the book or read it, this is fun read.

I have to confess that I’ve never read any of the Rincewind books in the Discworld series – but I have listened to them all on audiobook. This is one of my favourites as Eric is an amusing and entertaining story with some fantastic images and a great twist on a familiar premise.

Recommended for fans of Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde. 8.5 out of 10

Audiobook: Moving Pictures Review

Moving Pictures

Written by Terry Prachett

Read by Tony Robinson

The alchemists of the Discworld have discovered the magic of the silver screen. But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood hill?

It's up to Victor Tugelbend ("Can't sing. Can't dance. Can handle a sword a little.") and Theda Withel ("I come from a little town you've probably never heard of") to find out...

I’ve struggled for ages to write this review as there are parts of this audio book I really enjoyed and parts that jarred. The story is a parody of Hollywood and there are some great comic situations that riff on expected stereotypes (My favourite is the image of a giant woman climbing the tower with an ape in her hands!).  The best part of the audio book is Tony Robinson’s reading though – he is comic in the right places, straight where it’s needed and the all voices he creates are fantastic. I could listen to him all day.

However there is so much going on, so many characters and subplots that it becomes obvious that this is an abridgement. The situation changes rapidly and often doesn’t flow. There are some sharp transitions which jerk you out of the story as you wonder what happened there. Luckily I’ve read the book so I was able to fill in the gaps most of time.  Overall, if this hadn’t been an abridge version of the book I would rated it highly as the story and the reading was excellent. As it is, it feels a little like a cheese salad sandwich without the salad – the basic ingredients are all there but just missing something to make it stand out.

Recommended for fans of Ian Ranklin and Douglas Adams. 6 out of 10