Product Description

Mightily Oats has not picked a good time to be priest. He thought he'd come to Lancre for a simple ceremony. Now he's caught up in a war between vampires and witches. There's Young Agnes, who is really in two minds about everything - Magrat, who is trying to combine witchcraft and nappies, Nanny Ogg...and Granny Weatherwax, who is big trouble. And the vampires are intelligent. They've got style and fancy waistcoats. They're out of the casket and want a bite of the future. Mightily Oats knows he has a prayer, but he wishes he had an axe. "Carpe Jugulum" is Terry Pratchett's twenty-third "Discworld" novel - but the first to star vampires.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5546 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-04
• Released on: 1999-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Carpe Jugulum is the 23rd Discworld novel, and with it this durable series continues its juggernaut procession onwards. Pratchett is an author who inspires such devotions that his fans will fall on the novel with cries of joy. Non-fans, perhaps, will want to know what all the fuss is about; and that's something difficult to put into a few words. The best thing to do for those completely new to Pratchett is to sample him for themselves, and this novel is as good a place to start as any. But fans have a more precise question. They know that Discworld novels come in one of two varieties: the quite good, and the brilliant. So, for instance, where Hogfather and Maskerade were quite good, Feet of Clay and Jingo were brilliant. While true fans wouldn't want to do without the former, they absolutely live for the latter. And with Carpe Jugulum Pratchett has hit jackpot again. This novel is one of the brilliant ones.

The plot is a version of an earlier Discworld novel, Lords and Ladies, with the predatory elves of that novel being replaced here by suave and deadly vampires, and the tiny kingdom of Lancre being defended by its witches. But plot is the least of Pratchett's appeal, and Carpe Jugulum is loaded with marvellous characters (not least the witches themselves, about whom we learn a deal more here), comic touches and scenes of genius, and even some of the renowned down-to-earth Pratchett wisdom (here about the inner ethical conflicts we all face, and the wrongness of treating people as things). Pratchett's vampires are elegant Bela Lugosi types, and they come up against an unlikely but engaging alliance of witches, blue-skinned pixies like Rob Roy Smurfs, a doubting priest with a boil on his face and a magical house-sized Phoenix in a seamless, completely absorbing and feel-good-about-the-universe mixture. Highly recommended. --Adam Roberts

Review
Pratchett's second Discworld book in a year; the witches of Lancre come up against a family who dress in black and have the power to cloud minds. These vampires have moved with the times, though, and lack most of the standard vulnerabilities; you might call it cheating. (Kirkus UK)

Another sidesplitting Discworld adventure (Interesting Times, 1997, etc.) from the undisputed emperor of philosophical slapstick. Carpe Jugulum appeared last year in England, where Pratchett outsells entire genres all by himself, and of course it was another runaway bestseller. Nevertheless, such is the nature of the business, the publishers were unable to rush a copy to Kirkus in time for a full and early review. Known affectionately in the UK as "the Australian one," this outing features a battle between Discworld's witches - old favorites Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, etc. - and the Magpyrs, or vampires ("why are vampires always so stupid? As if wearing evening dress all day wasn't an undead giveaway . . . ") incautiously invited to dinner by the kindhearted King of Lancre. Quite how Australia, Death's dog, tiny blue pixie invaders, a fat witch with (literally) a thin witch insider her trying to get out, and a buzzard that thinks it's a chicken, all figure in the proceedings, readers are cordially invited to discover for themselves. Pratchett knows what makes people tick and how to make them laugh. And how. (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Back Cover
MIGHTILY OATS HAS NOT PICKED A GOOD TIME TO BE A PRIEST. HE THOUGHT HE'D COME TO LANCRE FOR A SIMPLE CEREMONY. NOW HE'S CAUGHT UP IN A WAR BETWEEN VAMPIRES AND WITCHES.

There's Young Agnes, who is really in two minds about everything. Magrat, who is trying to combine witchcraft and nappies, Nanny Ogg...and Granny Weatherwax, who is big trouble.

And the vampires are intelligent. They've got style and fancy waistcoats. They're out of the casket, and want a bite of the future. Mightily Oats knows he has a prayer, but wishes he had an axe.

Carpe Jugulum is Terry Pratchett's twenty-third Discworld Novel - but the first to star vampires.

Customer Reviews

Carpe Juggulum review
Carpe Juggulum is another fang-tastic tale by Terry Pratchett.In Carpe Juggulum Grannny Weatherwax,Nanny Ogg,Magrat Garlick and Agnes Nitt have to stop an attempted invasion of Lancre by the Count De Magpyr and his evil horde of vampyres.If you like reading sci-fi,fantasy or gothic horror novels then read Carpe Juggulum.If you enjoy this book then read books 3,6,12,14,18 and 23.

Pratchett does it again
Firstly, I cannot claim to be a huge Terry Pratchett fan. In fact, when I first read the colour of magic I was appaled that this guy was so popular. However, when I read it again a few years later, I decided that he could be onto something. I immediately read all other Terry Pratchett books I could find in the house (my favourite being Jingo).

I actually bought this book for light reading, as I had a long train journey to go on with nothing to entertain me. As always seems to be the case with Pratchett's books, I had no idea what was going on for the first 2 or 3 chapters, but once the characters had settled down into their roles I was able to enjoy it much more. I always love the way Pratchett portrays his characters, and Carpe Jugulum is no exception. He manages to tell a story with great wit, humour and clarity, while managing to keep us interested about all the characters. This subtle blend of serious storytelling and hilarious absurdity is very much in the style of the other Pratchett books I have read, and once again I loved it.

Well done Terry. Keep it up!

A trio of five??
This book might have been subtitled: "The Further Adventures of Agnes Nitt". Agnes is seething with resentments. Virtually conscripted into Lancre's witches' coven as the junior member, she replaces Magrat Garlick as "the maiden." She feels she's in Magrat's shadow, but given their comparative girths, that takes some doing. Agnes' size adds to her resentments, but she can't help being heavy. If that wasn't enough, she suffers an alter ego named Perdita who can't refrain from commenting on Agnes' size, personality or appearance. An petulant character, Agnes isn't easy to like, but she bears heavy burdens - besides herself.

Attending a naming ceremony for Magrat's newborn, Agnes encounters two new men in her life. Mightily Oats is a priest of Om who's spent far too much time in libraries to act as a rock of the faith. Omnians used to burn people, except, according to Granny Weatherwax, never witches. Time brings change, and Omnism was forever changed by the Prophet Brutha. Disputation, replacing [In]Quisition, led to so many schismatics debating theology that in Oats' case, he's constantly debating himself. Later, when it's Granny he's debating, the scene is one of Pratchett's most outstanding exchanges.

The other young man is more imposing. Vlad Magpyr is a member of a family relocating to Lancre from the Uberwald. They've arrived to take over the country. They're vampires - yuppie vampires, no less. Under the tutelage of Count Magyr, they're trying an Uberwald version of The Power of Positive Thinking. That means they're learning to resist all the usual weapons against vampires. "Garlic? Just a seasoning." Sunlight? Build up an immunity by starting with cloudy days and working to brighter ends. This version of "self-help" has made them very powerful. In fact, they appear invulnerable against any attempt to control them.

The Lancre witches coven should be able to resist the vampires' takeover of Lancre without difficulty - evil forces have been overcome in the past. The coven's membership, however, has shifted roles. Granny Weatherwax, doyenne of Discworld witchdom, has gone walkabout in a fit of pique. The traditional arrangement of "maiden, mother, crone" promotes Nanny Ogg to the primary role. She's comfortable with neither the role nor its label. Lancre witches are nothing if not flexible, however, and the shifted roles lead to some interesting changes in personality. Magrat's new responsibility as a mum is still settling itself, but rest assured, former witch or not, "tradition" is a word cast well aside.

Pratchett's Discworld narratives successively display less humour, but increasingly more wit and insight. His knowledge of our world is shrewdly presented through his stories of the Disc. What other "fantasy" writer gives you glimpses of plate tectonics, evolution and the drought-producing El Nino? Who else presents us with little painted blue men, speaking an almost familiar language and the most talented cattle thieves on the Disc? They also write "verra comp-lic-ated documents" as any London solicitor could attest.

This story might be viewed as a simple contest between good and evil. Not in Pratchett's hands. Evil is rarely absolute on Discworld and good's victories seldom unqualified. Vlad Magpyr asks Agnes to compare the vampires' plans for Lancre with human's raising beef cattle. Vampires may make people slaves, but can also keep their minds at ease. Isn't that a fair trade-off? Does it sound familiar? The struggle against such logic requires strength of will and a clear mind. Which of the triad's five has sufficient talent to bring such talents to bear? They all have certain insights into the mind's workings. One of them even terms the true power of witches "headology," granting it greater power than magic. Is this power effective against the forces of the Magpyr clan? Does the logic of the conclusion appeal to you? If this book has a weakness, it is the ending. Yet once again, Pratchett has fulfilled his desire to portray "a mirror of worlds." [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]