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Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Imagine a vast continent right below your feet. Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People takes listeners to a world filled with emperors, kings, and hardworking folk. Best known for his fantasy series Discworld, Pratchett has rewritten his first book, published when he was 17. In this thoroughly British import, the domain of The Carpet People is bordered by places such as "Wainscot" to "Hearthland." The minuscule "true human beings" who live in the carpet must contend with power hungry Muols overtaking the kingdoms that abound among the carpet fibers. Another constant concern is Fray, a whirlwind of destruction that sounds a lot like someone vacuuming. An amusing cast of characters is led by brothers, Glurk and Sbibril. They are leaders of the Munrungs clan and are looking for new homes after an attack by Fray. This fantasy has lots of encounters with danger and intervals with strangers who have mysterious powers. Richard Mitchley does an outstanding job of imbuing each of the characters with a vivid persona, a difficult task since there are so many characters. This audiobook is attractively and durably packaged in a vinyl book style case with information about both the book and the narrator. The cassettes are clearly marked, and there are listener prompts when each side ends. Though the long list of characters and places make The Carpet People more challenging in an audio format, it will fit very comfortably in both school and public libraries collections.
Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Review
“Only a writer with a masterstroke of imagination could place an entire empire of goodies and baddies within the fronds of a carpet.”
–Daily Mail
“Brilliantly funny dialogue, high peaks of imagination.”
—The Times
“A passion for language, wordplay and puns bursts from the pages.”
—Daily Telegraph
–Daily Mail
“Brilliantly funny dialogue, high peaks of imagination.”
—The Times
“A passion for language, wordplay and puns bursts from the pages.”
—Daily Telegraph
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3.0 out of 5 stars
LotR on a carpet,
By Robert Holm (at home behind my keyboard) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Carpet People (Paperback)
The Carpet People is basically Lord of the Rings on a carpet. A much condensed, and funnier, Lord of the Rings on a carpet. The story takes place among the hairs of the Carpet, where the miniscule Munrungs, a peaceful tribe of simple nomads, have just gotten their village destroyed by the terrible Fray - a destructive force that strikes without warning from the above. The survivors, led by the brothers Snibril and Glurk, Pismire the shaman, and the warrior Bane, set out on a journey across the Carpet in search of safety. On their journey, the heroes visit some of the more impressive places on the Carpet, including a dropped penny (the major source of metal on the Carpet), and a matchstick (the major source of wood), and they encounter some interesting Carpet inhabitants (a termagant, some pones, the wights, and Brocando, the king of the Deftmenes, to mention but a few). The story culminates in an epic battle against the evil mouls. The mouls can sense when Fray is about to strike, and have learned to take advantage of the resulting destruction and confusion to attack and enslave the inhabitants of the Carpet. The benevolent Dumii empire, which dominates the Carpet, is thus about to fall.Pratchett originally wrote this story when he was 17 (and he got it published). But after the Discworld success, fans started clamoring for this early, and largely unknown, work, which meant it was time for a reissue. And time for a rewrite, as, according to Pratchett himself, the story "had a lot of things wrong with it, mostly to do with being written by someone who was seventeen at the time." I haven't read the original story, so I can't compare this version to the earlier one, but judging from what Pratchett says in the author's note, there are some large differences. The Carpet People is perhaps aimed at a more younger audience, but I still think the story is too brief. Much more could have been made of the setting (this is, after all, a carpet on a floor somewhere we are talking about), and there sometimes seems to be large gaps in the story. The pace is also much too hurried, with a resulting lack of detail. Some of the things alluded to or mentioned in the story are never really explained (although this is characteristic of Pratchett), for example, it's never really clear what the destructive Fray is (I got the impression that it's someone walking across the Carpet, which would mean that time for the Carpet dwellers flow much faster than what it does for us). All this said, The Carpet People is still an interesting and entertaining story, containing trademark Pratchett observations and humour. For fans of the Discworld, this early sample of the master's work is, of course, essential reading. The Carpet People is, after all, Pratchett's first published novel.
3.0 out of 5 stars
If nothing else, read the Introduction,
By
This review is from: Carpet People (Paperback)
The introduction to this book is the best part. I burst out laughing right in the bookstore.The Carpet People is Pratchett's first published work but has been extensively rewritten since then. As he puts it, this is now "a collaboration" between the younger author and the older. I love Pratchett's Discworld series and the only reason I can't give this book more stars is because his other work sets the bar so high. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A look at Pratchett's Early Work,
By Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Carpet People (Paperback)
Many readers are familiar with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and its delicious range of unforgettable characters, satirical creations and dialogue and thought-provoking themes. Less known are his earlier works, including The Carpet People, which Pratchett first wrote as a teenager and had published, then went back to years later and rewrote the book to reflect his change in viewpoint.The Carpet People feels more like a children's, or young adult story, although if it can be found, it will often be placed with Pratchett's Discworld titles in the fantasy section. The story is a delightful bit of imagination, entire societies coexisting within the world of the Carpet. These tiny creatures go about adventure on the epic scale, with Pratchett's typical ironic observations and humorous interpretations. Our hero, Snibril has to set out on a quest to save a kingdom from enemies and to stop the destruction of a force known only as The Fray. This is not one of Pratchett's most seamless works by a long shot. I don't think he intended it to be. A lot of the themes and world-building elements he puts into practice for this work are later fulfilled with much more skill and elegance in his Discworld novels and Bromeliad trilogy. For any Pratchett fan, this book is a delight simply from its standpoint in the evolution of Pratchett's writing. I gave this book four stars because I do not feel it is Pratchett's best work. It shouldn't be, this story was one of his earliest. This is a wonderful way to introduce younger readers to Pratchett, along with his Bromeliad trilogy. If you are discovering Terry Pratchett with this book, be aware that his writing only gets better from here! ^_^
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