Book Review: Nation

Nation by Terry Pratchett

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one great book. It's a YA coming of age story, and it's the story of our civilization. Or what our civilization would be like if it wanted to be more interesting.

Survivors of a Tsunami gather on a ruined isle, devastated by the loss of everything they have known, in an alternate version of what we call the Pacific Ocean. An English girl who could become Queen of England should the 137 people ahead of her in the line of succession suddenly die gets shipwrecked by the storm. There she meets a boy who grew up on the island and is it's only survivor.

From this bleak sounding premise comes a warm and funny story of how these two restart their lives and the island. They find amazing discoveries of the past, and confront piracy and colonialism while growing into indomitable young adults. The magical powers of trousers, rude birds, and tree climbing squid are all touched upon.

The sad thing about this book is how wonderful it is. Terry Prachet is suffering from early onset Alzheimers. He makes it all look so effortless, but each word is a gem. And it does it all within the constraints of a YA novel.


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