The Crafted Book

Going Postal,  by Terry Pratchett Discworld Series, book 33 My rating: 10/10 By all rights, Moist von Lipwig should be dead, hanged for being a conman- so how is he here, in the office of the ruler of the city, being employed as the Postmaster of Ankh-Morpork's derelict and nonfunctional postal service? The new Postmaster tries to get the Post Office back on its feet, uncovering the corruption, controversy, and danger of the world of the clacks system on the way. I loved this book, and it definitely deserves place among my favorite Discworld books. Underneath witty writing, not-so-subtle jabs at the government, and Moist's humourous adventures, lies a deeper layer of meaning; Moist struggles with identity, his former cons, being tied to a job, and love. It also provides commentary on modern life- letters vs. emails, big corporations vs. smaller ones, the government, etc. Although the plot and writing were great, what really stood out to me was the premise. Over the las...

Thud!,  by Terry Pratchett Discworld Series, book 34 My rating: 8/10 Tensions between the trolls and the dwarves are rising as the day of the battle of Koom Valley rolls around again, and just what City Watch Commander Samuel Vimes doesn't need is the murder of an important and respected dwarf. Even with all his work, he manages to get home daily to read Where's my Cow? to his young son, but his hunt for the killer is leading him deeper and deeper into a dark mystery- and he soon learns there are things more dangerous than dwarves hidden inside the mines. While I must admit that I have a special soft spot for the City Watch books in the Discworld series, that's not the only reason I rated it an eight. This is without a doubt the darkest book so far, out of the 33 I've read, and while it is somewhat unfamiliar territory for him, his skill did not abandon him. His books range on a scale from almost putting humour above plot and writing to a much darker side of thing...

Monstrous Regiment, by Terry Pratchett Discworld Series, book 31 My rating: 8/10 When Polly Perks' brother goes missing, presumably captured in the war between Zlobenia and Borogravia, Polly must cut her hair and leave her work as a barmaid to find him. Pretending to be a man, she joins the army and is added to a small regiment called "the Ins-and-Outs", in which she soon discovers there are more secrets than hers alone. The main reason this story has such a high rating is the strong female leads. Although he has some strong female characters, like Tiffany Aching, Susan Death, and the witches, he is not famed for all the women he writes. The writing in this book is also done very well, incorporating his trademark humour into the writing without letting it overly influence the plot.  That said, there are things that still need work.  I did not give this book a 10/10. He still includes some stereotypes about women, and though I would include an example, it would ...

The Crafted Book will have weekly book reviews, focusing mainly but not limited to the Discworld series. The book reviews will include a summary, rating, and the reasoning behind my rating.