Product Description

When a giant wave destroys his entire Nation - his family and everyone he has ever known - Mau finds himself totally alone. Until he meets Daphne, daughter of a colonial Governor and the sole survivor from a shipwreck. They have no common language, no common culture - but together they discover some remarkable things - like how to milk a pig and why spitting in beer is a good idea - and must try and forge a new kind of Nation. Then other survivors arrive to take refuge on the island, and not all of them are friendly. In "Nation", Pratchett brings us a novel that is both witty and wise, encompassing themes of death and nationhood, while also being extremely funny.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review
It's witty and wise, but it leaves its young readers enough room for a newly formed opinion or two as they think about its themes of love, loss, loyalty, courage, religion and nationhood. www.thebookbag.co.uk 20080815 An enchanting novel... Terry Pratchett is one of the most interesting and critically under-rated novelists we have. The Times 20080906 In this first novel for young people set outside of Discworld, Pratchett again shows his humor and humanity... The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor. Daphne is a close literary cousin of Tiffany Aching in her common sense and keen intelligence wedded to courage. A rich and thought-provoking read. School Library Journal, USA 20081001 Thought-provoking as well as fun, this is Pratchett at his most philosophical, with characters and situations sprung from ideas and games with language. And it celebrates the joy of the moment. The Times 20080921 The unique pleasure of this story is that all the serious subjects and juicy ethical questions, such as the dilemma of the compassionate lie, are fully woven into action and character. Satirical portraits of upper-class twits, slapstick buffoonery, bad puns, and that particular brand of English wit buoy this story at every turn. Add a romance of gentle sweetness, encounters with ghosts, and lots of gunfire, and it is hard to imagine a reader who won't feel welcomed into this nation The Horn Book, USA 20080901 This is no heavy-toned tale: Tears and rage there may be in plenty, but also a cast of marvelously wrought characters, humor that flies from mild to screamingly funny to out-and-out gross, incredible discoveries, profound insights into human nature and several subplots. A searching exploration of good and evil, fate and free will, both as broad and as deep as anything this brilliant and, happily, prolific author has produced so far. Kirkus Reviews, USA 20080901 Terry Pratchett is an indisputable one-off...Nothing he writes is ever predictable - except that it will always be gloriously readable. The Independent 20080926 Pratchett's immensely entertaining new young adult novel, manages to be both thought-provoking and sweet...At times Nation reads like Philip Pullman but with less anger and more jokes, and a bit more ambiguity... It's a wonderful story, by turns harrowing and triumphant. New York Times 20081205 Nation has profound, subtle and original things to say about the interplay between tradition and knowledge, faith and questioning...It's funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious. The Guardian 20080913 An ebullient and entertaining novel of ideas. The Guardian 20090523

From the Inside Flap
On the day the world ends . . .
. . . Mau is on his way home from the Boys’ Island. Soon he will be a man.
And then the wave comes – a huge wave, dragging black night behind it and bringing a schooner, the Sweet Judy, which sails over and through the island rainforest. As the ship comes to a crashing halt, only one soul is left alive (or two, if you count parrots).
The village has gone. The Nation as it was has gone.Now there’s just Mau, who wears barely anything, a trouserman girl who wears far too much, and an awful lot of big misunderstandings.
And a lot of not-knowing-what-to-do. Or how to even say that.
Together they must forge a new Nation out of the broken pieces.Create a new history.
But . . .
WHO IS GUARDING THE NATION? WHERE IS OUR BEER?
. . . the old history isn’t going to just lie down and go away, at least not while the Grandfathers still have a voice. And Mau must look into the past before he can face the future.
Wise, witty and filled with Terry Pratchett's inimitable comic satire, this is a terrific adventure that– quite literally – turns the world upside down.

From the Back Cover
TERRY PRATCHETT
CARNEGIE MEDAL-WINNING AUTHOR
‘Brilliantly funny dialogue, high peaks of imagination’ The Times
‘Razor-sharp satire . . .

Customer Reviews

The Usual Pratchett Brilliance
So, first things first - this is not a Discworld book, which marks it as somewhat of a departure from the norm. Secondly, it's wonderful, made all the more wonderful by its separation from the usual Narrative Elements of a Terry Pratchett novel.

I received the book today and read it in a single sitting - bits of the book are tremendously sad, other bits are tremendously bitter - I do wonder how much of the book is a metaphor for TP's own deeply sad condition. There aren't many laughs in the book, but there is a very touching, emotionally resonant story that at its core is greatly optimistic.

I do hope that this isn't the last book we'll see from Terry Pratchett, who as an author has given me a greater Enjoyment to Hour ratio than any other writer. If this is to be his swan song though, he's carried it off marvellously.

Not An Elephant in Sight..
I've had this book on order for months - and I rushed home to rip open the package and get reading when it arrived from Amazon.
And there was no Discworld.. No turtle, no elephants, no witches, no dwarves - nothing - nothing but Terry and his beautiful, perceptive way of understanding and writing about human nature, life, the universe and everything..
I get the feeling that what he has gifted us with, this time, was too important to be hidden cunningly among the wonderful characters and humour of the discworld series. Although the Tiffany Aching books are pretty special, and give my favourite (Small Gods) a run for its money..

What Terry Pratchett doesn't know about people, quantum physics and spiritual philosophy isn't worth knowing.. And the way he engages us, and leads us through both his stories, and the breadth and depth of life and being human, in this place - and at this time - speaks of both love and poetry. This is a beautiful book - and it was worth going in to work half asleep - because I couldn't put it down and get myself off to bed until I'd finished it. Highly recommended.

A Classic in the truest sense
I want to add my review here of Nation but it's actually an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. The reason is that I don't want to appear to be `gushing' with praise for it. If ever I read such a review, it normally has the effect of turning me off the book completely, as it's obviously written by a fan who hasn't read a different author or genre since they left primary school. In view of this, here's what I genuinely thought of it:
I finished the book last night and my immediate thought was `Oh my gosh, this is a classic'. This is a book that will be discussed, debated and written about for years to come. It's a bit like being around when a new Dickens or Jane Austin novel came out.
The plot has been mentioned here already, so I won't repeat it again. I see that some reviewers have said that Nation is pitched at older children in their teens, but don't be fooled. This book has so much depth and can be read at so many levels, there's enough here to keep 10 year old Harry Potter fans to Academic Philosophers happy. The writing style is as clear and sparkling as cut crystal and while reading it, Pratchett takes your conscious mind out of this world and into his. You become each character, looking through their eyes, thinking their thoughts and feeling their every emotion. It is a fully immersive experience. The book also engages the brain by making you think about how societies and belief systems are created and our place in them. It is also a book to make you think about what makes you, you. If ever there was a book that could provide software upgrade for your brain, this is it.

Terry, I'll probably never meet you in person, but thank you for such a special gift.