Sourcery

Solid Pratchett with story loops and all.

Again, exploration of mass delusion and grandeur. A very world-war-two-esque work, really. Solid stuff.

It’s vital to remember who you really are. It’s very important. It isn’t a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong.

and

Perhaps they would be words that would be remembered, and handed down, and maybe even carved deeply in slabs of granite. Words without too many curly letters in, therefore.

Are very nice quotes that punctuated the storyline. The only thing that prevents me from ranking this at five stars is that I know that later works of Pratchett were so much more powerful and dense.

A very long time ago I was given the loan of five Terry Pratchett books by an acquaintance (now running a lab at the University of Manchester where they investigate protein synthesis). I made the mistake of reading three, one after the other and was unable to read another Pratchett for over 30 years. He was a great writer and a decent human being by all accounts, but I just find him far too whimsical (when I hear the likes of "Cohen the barbarian" I reach for my sick bag). Sourcery's fine: if you like this sort of book, this is the sort of book you'll like. Otherwise, meh and I'll be able to read the next one in a year's time maybe.