At the stage of this novel being published there were 27 in the Discworld so I feel that compared to some of the other ones I have read so far that you can see how Pratchett has developed. The plot flows very freely aswell, making for a quick and fluid story. I think I may have been Malicia at a younger age. Malicia loves fairy tales, wears black and never shuts up. We also meet the village girl of Malicia. It makes for some brilliant dialogue, which is one of Pratchett’s true talents. One of my favourite aspects of the rats is how they have named themselves (Dangerous Beans, Nourishing and Sardines to name a few) and how they are adjusting to their new found conciousness. Maurice is definitely my favourite, filled with all the sassiness of any cat but despite his crookster persona he has genuine moments of caring and nature throughout the story.
Maurice, a ginger street cat, is our main POV but we do move between Keith, some of the rats and an unnamed narrator we come to discover later on. The characters are the true standout of this book. Although it is a very typical fantasy trope/location, Pratchett still makes it work as a point of satire. Bad Blintz reads like an old English village that has yet to discover the world outside it’s confines. The world building isn’t something that we need to discuss but as always, it’s nice to see another new part of the Disc. This is a remarkable story and is just as enjoyable being read by an adult. This was the first of the Discworld books to be written for younger readers and I was concerned that it may water down the usual strength of the other books but thankfully I was proven wrong. This was a joy to read and a nice change to the Discworld continuity that I am currently following. Something is wrong, and now Maurice’s scheme needs to become a plan. Then comes their arrival in the village of Bad Blintz. Maurice, the rats and Keith go from town to town running the same scheme: rats arrive, boy plays flute, boy and cat chase away rats, boy collects money from grateful villagers. Along with the cat and the rats we have Keith, an orphan who plays the flute. Maurice is a cat who has gained sentience and employs a group of fellow sentient rats. I am still intending to read the series in publication order but this one was a bit too special to delay and is one of the few YA novels within the world. This is my next book in the Discworld Project.
I had World Con last week, went back to work and now I’m out sick for five days with no voice. Welcome back to the Disc! My apologies for the lack of posts. “To be a leader you have to learn to shout! But after you’ve learned to shout, you have to learn not to!”
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