The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Maurice is indeed amazing.  For one thing, he can talk—not a usual thing for a cat. He also is more or less the leader of a band of rats… who can also talk, surprisingly enough.  It may have something to do with the fact that they all came from an area near the Unseen University, the school for aspiring wizards in Discworld, where all sorts of odd potions, not quite empty caldrons, and other magical debris has been discarded. Maurice makes a decent living by convincing people that their towns have a terrible rat infestation which can only be cleared out in good fairy tale fashion by hiring a piper.  Not coincidentally, Maurice also has Keith, a young human piper in tow. 

The scam—er, service—has been working well so far, except that some of the rats are becoming concerned that they’re stealing. Maurice does his best to justify their actions, but these darn rats are just developing moral standards which are most inconvenient.  Besides, they’re already at a new town, one called Bad Blintz, and it should be ready to pay quite a lot of money to have a piper lead a bunch of rats away.

It’s soon obvious that there’s something strange going on in Bad Blintz.  For one thing, there aren’t any normal rats running around even though there seem to be signs of rats. For another, food is vanishing at an astonishing rate and the people of the town are hungry and desperate.  There’s something dark and dangerous going on, and unless Maurice and his companions can figure out what’s going on, they may come to a bad end in Bad Blintz.

This is one of Pratchett’s books for younger readers, but adults will certainly enjoy it as well. This adult certainly did.  Pratchett never talks down to his audience, and his thought-provoking ideas are always wrapped in humor and wit. The rats come with names gleaned from words they saw on tins and wrappers, such as Bitesize, Hamnpork, Peaches, Delicious, and Dangerous Beans. They also have distinct personalities, with Dangerous Beans being a dreamy philosopher and deep thinker who is influencing some of the younger rats, especially Peaches who dreams of a world where rats and humans get along. Hamnpork, the old leader, isn’t as taken with these newfangled ways, especially not with all this thinking. He thinks things were better when rats were just rats and not trying to build a moral society.

Another favorite character is the mayor’s daughter Malicia who loves reading and thinks life is a story.  As such, she’s sure events will always work out as they try to uncover what’s rotten in Bad Blintz—she just has to figure out what role everyone is playing in the story.  Keith is quite the puzzle, as he’s not handsome enough to be the romantic lead and not amusing enough to be the comic relief but she’s sure she’ll figure it out eventually.

And of course I loved Maurice! He’s a schemer, always trying to come out ahead—don’t put him in charge of dividing the spoils—but as he points out, he never eats anyone without first asking if he or she can talk.  He also has more of a conscience than he lets on, and while he might never admit it, he’s getting fond of some of the rats.

If you like a book that makes you laugh and think, this may be just the title for you. No one does fun fantasy like Pratchett!

Note:  There is a recent movie based on the book, The Amazing Maurice. While the movie eliminates some characters and plotlines and alters one aspect, I did enjoy it.  A few lines I recognized as coming straight from the book, which pleased me immensely. The voice actors were excellent, especially Hugh Laurie as the scheming Maurice and David Tennant as Dangerous Beans.

Nevermore: Rats, Welcome to Lagos, Deer Season, From the Alleghenies to the Hebrides, 1619 Project

Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan was the first book reviewed this week.  Our reader was fascinated with the similarities between rats and humans and noted how their societal structures mirror our own.  The author spent a year investigating a rat-infested alley in New York to observe his subjects and imbues this book with heart and insight into these reviled co-dwellers of our cities.  Our reader thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommends this fascinating look at these rodents.  CD

 

Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo takes place in modern-day Nigeria, and follows the fortunes of five young people who are struggling not only to carve out a life for themselves in the teeming and unruly city, but to come to terms with the corruption, chaos, and turmoil of living in one of Africa’s largest cities.  Our reader was enthusiastic in her praise for this book, citing its humor and heart, as well as the realism portrayed that while at times jarring, was not gratuitous.  MC

 

Deer Season by Erin Flanagan is a murder mystery set in Gunthrum, Nebraska in 1985.  In this small town lie secrets and desires that will cost lives.  A 15-year-old girl has been killed, and Hal Bullard, an intellectually challenged farmhand is the prime suspect despite a lack of proof.  His de-facto parents, Alma and Clyde, step in to help clear his name and find the killer, and soon the entire town is pitted against them.  Our reader was rather taken with the insightful descriptions of the characters and their motivations and was struck by how “real” the people and setting felt, and highly recommends this story. AH

 

From the Alleghenies to the Hebrides is the autobiography of Margaret Fay Shaw, an American photographer and folklorist who settled in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland in her 20s.  Born in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, Margaret was one of four daughters.  Her sisters were all academically gifted and while Shaw was not, she was musically talented, learning to play the piano at an early age.  When her parents died a relative in Scotland took the then 11-year-old Margaret in, and thus she was introduced to the language and music of the Gaelic peoples of Scotland.  Returning to Scotland after living in the United States in her late teens, Shaw began a life-long pursuit to record and preserve the folklore of the Gaelic people – on paper, in audio recordings and photographs.  Her recordings and documents remain the largest archive of Gaelic language and music in the world and her photographs have been published in National Geographic and other magazines.  Our reader was amazed that she had never heard of Margaret Shaw before, and was thrilled to have read about this determined, gifted, and passionate woman.  AH

 

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning book that re-frames American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the heart of the national narrative.  This book consists of 18 intertwined essays, 36 poems, and works of fiction that lay bare how the arrival at Jonestown of 20 enslaved Africans in 1619 still shapes American culture, diet, politics, music, education, and finances.  This book has stirred quite a bit of controversy due to its subject matter and approach, but our reader agrees that this book is a milestone in the public discussion of American History and thinks that every library should have a copy of it.  ML

 

Also mentioned:

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict

Three Sisters by Heather Morris

Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK

The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten

White Horses by Alice Hoffman

Chance Developments: Stories by Alexander McCall Smith

The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts

Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie

Shamrock:  The World’s Most Dangerous Man by Jonathan Snowden

Rivers Of London (series) by Ben Aaronovitch

City of Mist: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Jeweler’s Directory of Gemstones by Judith Crowe