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: #9652 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

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.

About the Author
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is one of the most popular authors writing today. He lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he 'doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he's trying to lead three already'. He was appointed OBE in 1998. He is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and his trilogy for young readers, The Bromeliad, is scheduled to be adapted into a spectacular animated movie.

Customer Reviews

The return of the vampires
Carpe Jugulum, the 23rd Discworld novel by the ever-amusing Terry Pratchett, introduces vampires to the Disc. Having read the books out of order, and having already read all of the subsequent ones, vampires are old-hat to me. A couple of times, I had to consciously remember that this was the first and that some of the things I knew about them weren't true in this one. That being said, this is another wonderful Discworld book, a notch on his belt that looks rather toothy.

A number of people have commented on the similarities between this book and Lords & Ladies, with the vampires replacing the elves as villains. While I do see some similarities, there are some marked differences as well. Carpe Jugulum, I feel, stands well on its own two feet. There is a completely different purpose behind what the vampires are doing. The Count wants to modernize his people, to get them to overcome some of the "silly" stereotypes about vampires. He doesn't want a dank, gloomy castle with webs all over the place. He doesn't see the hunt as a game where the vampire always loses. He wants to take over in order to protect himself, his family, and his very way of life. If he didn't commit some thoroughly evil deeds in the process, his goal might actually be a legitimate one.

However, he does commit these acts, and thus must be stopped. This is where the book does become a little standard, with an intractable enemy facing the witches and Granny using her "headology" to save the day. I have to admit that what she decides to do is very interesting, and a nice twist on vampire myths in general. I won't reveal what she does, but suffice it to say that she turns one of the typical vampire powers back on itself in a very novel way. The plot is well-told by Pratchett, and for once the ending doesn't actually come out of left field. If you read the characters properly (especially Igor, who is also introduced in this book), then you may be able to guess what happens.

As for the characters, Pratchett again excels. The witches are their normal selves (Magrat is kind of shy but shields a strong backbone when push comes to shove, Nanny Ogg is lewd and crude but always knowledgeable, and Granny is her usual gruff self with a heart underneath which nobody will ever see unless they really look), but the new witch Agnes is also very interesting. She has a second side to herself which occasionally comes out. It is a separate personality, which is invaluable in protecting her from the vampire charms. Mightily Oats is also a hoot, but deep enough that you do start to care about him. His crisis of faith isn't exactly unique, but Pratchett gives him enough differences to avoid making him unoriginal.

The vampires steal the show, though, along with Igor. We have the Count, who is determined to change things. His wife, the Countessa, is going along with him but doesn't really believe in it. The kids, Lacrimosa and Vlad, don't see any point to all this. They just want to feed and play with the mortals. These four argue constantly, as the Count flashes them holy signs to harden them against the effects, makes them stay up during the day, and overall annoys them with his optimism that all of these things can be changed. He's also looking forward to matching wits with Granny, and there are a couple of times where you think that maybe Granny won't succeed. Igor, however, is the best character in the book. The vampires are sure that his lisp and the way he walks is all part of the "game" and that he doesn't need to do all of that. But Igor is a traditionalist, constantly referring to how the old "mathter" used to do things. "The old mathter loved my spider webs." He's a fun character, and I completely understand why Pratchett has used an Igor in almost every book since this one. He truly is a wonderful creation.

The humour is Pratchett at his best, with some innuendo (though kids have either already heard it or wont' get it). The Witches books always seem to contain things like that, and as before, the plot is much more straightforward then is usual in a Discworld book. He seems to like using the "traditional" villains whenever they are involved, perhaps because they are the most "normal" heroes he has created. Sometimes there are some seemingly unnecessary bits, such as the little blue people (Nac mac Feegle) who help King Verence attack the vampires. However, they are hilarious, so I'll forgive the fact that they don't really do a lot in the book. The puns are atrocious (the name of the vampires' castle is "Don'tgonearthe Castle") but I couldn't stop laughing.

If you like Pratchett but don't like the Witches, then this book won't change your mind. But if you haven't tried them yet, give this one a try. You don't need to have read the previous witches books (though it does help). And if you're reading this after reading the next few books, keep in mind that some things you know about vampires just aren't true...yet. What a bloody treat!

David Roy

One of the best
I really enjoyed this book and as a pratchett fan I feel that it is definatly one of his best. Vlad the Vampire is a fantastic character, intriguing, dangerous and (this isn't just my opinion, Terry Pratchett himself said in reply to a letter I wrote that it was intentional) very Sexy. I also felt that Agnes was an asset to the book as I was able to relate to her. Although I'm not overly keen on the witches as characters I think this book was brilliant. My only criticism would be that there isn't enough appearances by Death. I feel that I could (in fact will) read it over and over again. I just hope that the next books to appear live up to this standard.

A Gripping Tale Of Witches, Vampires, and Small Blue Men
Carpe Jugulum is the twenty-third book in the Discworld series of Terry Pratchett novels. Like many of his works Carpe Jugulum is no exception, providing a adventurous and exciting read from cover to cover.

The story begins in the Ramtops with our old friends the Witches and a new addition to the gang, Perdita. The storyline continues the saga of the Witches from the previous Witches books, which seem to follow, more or less, a kind of chronological order. This is why it is recommended that the other books are read first. The other books give the reader an introduction to the existing characters and a feel for the Lancre atmosphere. The previous books include the titles, Equal Rites, Witches Abroad, and Lords and Ladies.

The story itself is based around the Naming Ceremony of Verence and Magrats' daughter. King Verence has invited many major dignitaries from around the land. Unfortunately as a result of his open-mindedness he has also invited various parties from Uberwold. In particular these parties are Vampires and all vampirical antics are based around the introduction of these new characters.

It would seem that the three main elements to the story appear to be the invitation of the Vampires by Verence to the Ceremony, the lack of an invitation for Granny Weatherwax to the Ceremony, and the homeless Little Blue Men that appear to like nothing more than to drink and fight and fight and drink.

All these elements go to make up a great story which is I'm sad to say, not quite in the same league as the greats but still a good overall read. I await the next book eagerly.