Finding himself alone on a desert island when everything and everyone he knows and loved has been washed away in a huge storm, Mau is the last surviving member of his nation. He's also completely alone - or so he thinks until he finds the ghost girl. She has no toes, wears strange lacy trousers like the grandfather bird and gives him a stick that can make fire.

Daphne, sole survivor of the wreck of the Sweet Judy, almost immediately regrets trying to shoot the native boy. Thank goodness the powder was wet and the gun only produced a spark. She's certain her father, distant cousin of the Royal family, will come and rescue her, but it seems, for now, all she has for company is the boy and the foul-mouthed ship's parrot.

As it happens, they are not alone for long. Other survivors start to arrive to take refuge on the island they all call the Nation, and then raiders accompanied by murderous mutineers from the Sweet Judy. Together, Mau and Daphne discover some remarkable things - including how to milk a pig and why spitting in beer is a good thing - and start to forge a new Nation.

As can be expected from Terry Pratchett, the master story-teller, this new children's novel is both witty and wise, encompassing themes of death and nationhood, while being extremely funny. Mau's ancestors have something to teach us all. Mau just wishes they would shut up about it and let him get on with saving everyone's lives!

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Nation

Terry Pratchett (Author), Stephen Briggs (Narrator), Random House AudioBooks (Publisher)

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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 33 minutes
Author	Terry Pratchett
Narrator	Stephen Briggs
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	22 June 2010
Publisher	Random House AudioBooks
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00O02240I
Best Sellers Rank	8,760 in Audible (See Top 100 in Audible) 673 in Children's Literature & Fiction

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Terry

... each other with a mystical flavour set in something like the 1800's

Reviewed in Australia on 15 August 2017

A superb story of different cultures discovering each other with a mystical flavour set in something like the 1800's. Not like his other novels.

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Maria

Nation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2017

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I've read many of the Disc World books but this is the first Pratchett stand alone book I've read. It is based in a small island which is devastated by a huge wave.
If you enjoy the way Pratchett uses humour to examine serious issues and mixes fact with fantasy you'll love this read.
People who know these things talk of Pratchett's anger but to me he is an author who finds novel ways to make his readers question why should things be this way.
Imaginative, endearing characters trying to understand disasters, religion, and cultural differences in an entertaining way. I did find the read a little uneven at times but overall a thought provoking and enjoyable read.

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Mike Roach.

The best book I have read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2019

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I take a star off every 5 star review I have ever given. This simply the best of books, the best of Terry Pratchett. What a loss to literature that he died so early.

This is a marvellous story and a thought provoking one too, full of typical Terry ideas and proposals. I cried a little at the end.

Five stars, every one of them a five star in itself.

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Chelley Toy - TalesOfYesterday

A captivating read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2015

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This review was originally posted on www.talesofyesterday.co.uk

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book to be honest...I had not really heard of it before some one mentioned how good it was on twitter and with it being a stand alone I was intrigued as to what to expect! I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!

And it had a map!! A MAP! And we all know I love maps in books! And in this book it says and I quote....

"Every life should have a map"

Yes indeed!

I will try and put some of this book into words that may form a review, but as usual Pratchett's writing and imagery were on point and so sharp and just picture perfect. It draws you into this world like you are living in it yourself!

The book is set in a parallel universe from our world, with it's own rules, hierarchy and it's own views and religions. To me it was a kind of Adam and Eve story. It begins with a story of how the world was created and the Gods. It ten tells the story of a boy called Mau, who is returning to his Nation after leaving the boys island where he had been sent to become a man. Upon his return he finds that his Nation has been destroyed by a huge wave. There is nothing left. Nobody. All his family and friends are gone. Adapting to his new life is hard and then he meets a girl, who is stranded on the island too brought there by a big canoe. Together they begin to survive and begin new lives. Then other people wash up on the shores of the Nation! What pursues is an action adventure story with a mix of romance and a dash of humour! Oh and a parrot who is rather foul mouthed!

I admit I struggled with this book initially up until the point that Ermintrude (who later calls herself Daphne) is introduced into the story having being swept onto the Nation on a shipwreck called Sweet Jude. I just loved how the worlds of a tribal boy, Mau, and a rich "trouserwoman", Daphne, collided and how they learn from each other. Daphne with her etiquette and the tribal living ways of Mau. It was a pleasure to watch this develop.

I loved how we received flashbacks of island life through Mau's memories and could fully imagine the fully populated island of Nation in all it's glory and all it's inhabitants!

One of my favourite parts of the book was when Daphne teaches Mau how they can communicate as they do not understand each others languages. Daphne draws in the sand and uses a bird picture book to teach Mau words....I just adored it so much!

I also have a favourite line from the book...it's just beautiful ....

"It was as if the horizon was drinking the sea"

How gorgeous is that quote!

This book really did make me think which appears to have been Pratchett's intention and I think that all readers will get something different from it.

I don't want to reveal much more through fear of spoiling this beautiful book as I feel it is a book to go into without knowing much about and enjoying it's beauty.

I'm so pleased Viv picked this book for me to read as part of the tour! I may not have read it otherwise and then I would have not been able to experience the beautiful words that encaptured me from beginning to end!

For more reviews and more please visit www.talesofyesterday.co.uk

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Quicksilver

Pratchett For People Who Don't Like Pratchett

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2010

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'Nation' is the first Terry Pratchett I've read in about ten years, having become tired of his highly successful 'Discworld' formula. I think 'Nation' is good enough to entice me back, though it is a significant departure from the other TP novels I have read.

This is the first time I have read one Pratchett's novels that are aimed for young adults, and that probably explains the change in tone. The humour has been turned down significantly. Though still light, the jokes in 'Nation' complement the story, rather being the reason for novel's existence. The themes in 'Nation' are more complicated than in the 'Discworld' novels; this is novel that asks it's reader to think about the world in which they live, rather than recall a particular pop-culture reference. More fundamentally, 'Nation's' world is not flat!

Well, perhaps it is because 'Nation' is set in a parallel universe. An alternative Victorian era of colonialism sees a ship wrecked somewhere in the pacific islands. The Tsunami that brought the ship there, has killed the island's entire population apart from Mau, a boy on the edge of manhood. Mau and the ships sole survivor, a young English girl of minor nobility, set about trying to understand each other, and the new world in which they now live.

Pratchett uses this setting to provoke his readers into thinking about science and religion, and the relationship between the two. Mau who has been God-fearing all his life, is suddenly called to question their existence. If the Gods of the sea are benevolent why did the wave destroy everything he loved? Pratchett's probing on this subject is gentle, and though it is clear where his sympathies lie, 'Nation' is not atheist propaganda.

What it is, is an exhortation against blind faith, in anything, not just religion. His characters are constantly asked to question their assumptions, and Pratchett expects his readers to do so too. Colonialism is put under the spotlight, but again Pratchett is gentle about this. He deftly highlights the benefits as well the many pitfalls of Empire.

'Nation' is not without its flaws. It is over-simplified; considering the circumstances, many things happen too smoothly, but perhaps this is because it is aimed at younger readers. The novel's characters are a little flat, but in some ways they are incidental. The real hero of the piece is the indomitable human spirit. 'Nation' is thought-provoking and highly readable, perfect for any questioning teenager, and any number of interested adults too. If you've never read any Terry Pratchett and are wondering what the fuss is about, this might be the place to start.

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Larewen Evenstar

beautiful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2010

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I have a few words to describe this book: Simple, beautiful, thoughtprovoking...and of course, funny.

Mr Pratchett has really outdone himself on this one. I've been a fan of his writing since I was 8 and I read the Bromeliad trilogy (truckers, diggers, wings), and this is really a great book.

It's a simple story about cultures joining together, learning eachothers ways, and striving together in times of hardship. The relationship between Mau and Daphne is sweet and amusing, the other characters all add their own special bit to the story.

Although this book isn't quite like anything Pratchett has written before, it is still wonderful. It's still got his great sense of humor, but not to such a great extent as the discworld or wee free men books do. But it works well. Too much humor would have overpowered this book, but he has got just the right balance.

Given that this book is set in the real world (or more precisely, an alternate version of the real world), I wasn't sure what to expect, but once again, Pratchett surprises me in taking over yet another world with his writing. He has captured people and places brilliantly, got forward all the right and wrong thinking parts of those from the 'civilised' world (and I use 'civilised' very lightly), and brought to light parts of other cultures within his wonderful book.

Well worth a read, this is a book I will come back to again and again, I really, really loved it.

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T. S. Dawson

Great read but who was it for?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 January 2010

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I confess to being a fan of Pratchett's work in general, but took some time to acquire this one. As to whether it is a good read, well I could not put it down once started and ended up going to bed sometime between 3 and 4am. The protagonists are a young, lone, male survivor of a tsunami on his way back from an initiation ceremony on a remote island and a younger girl, also the lone survivor of a shipwreck caused by the same tsunami. There are echoes of "His Dark Materials" throughout.
The heroes live in a fully realised and believable world. The engaging skill with which he describes island life and the conflict between a (very) small nation and the realpolitik of an empire is set out in a way which belies any effect Alzheimers may be having. But, there is some conflict between the ages of the main characters, (and therefore the likely age of the target reader), and the ideas which are worked out around them. The result may be that Pratchett fans are the main beneficiaries of a wonderful read, rather than the wider audience it deserves.

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D. Thurgood

diverting departure from discworld

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2010

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Some have rated this as Terry's best. Not too sure about that, but a thoroughly good read all the same. It tells the tale of the lives of the inhabitants of a post-tsunami 'Polynesian' island. Everything and everyone has been affected, and the only two humans on the island after the disaster are Mau, a boy whose initiation into manhood was interuppted by the wave, and Ermintude, a castaway from an English shipwreck. Their lives become entwined, and each undergoes a transformation as they deal with the effect of the apocalypse on their own existence.

Pratchett's prose is as compelling as ever, with humour sparkling all the way through what could've been a very depressing tale. He seems to use the narrative to attack all faiths as pointless manmade mumbo-jumbo, which is a shame, but his prerogative. The story is mostly a dive into the troubled mind of Mau, as he loses his faith in his island's religion and legends, replacing it with a fiercely cynical humanism. But I loved the book anyway!

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Dr. Alastair M. D. Gemmell

Shakes your view of the world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2020

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Loved all of it! It is one of those books which impacts on the way you view the world. Aftet I read it I spent the next few days going over it all in my mind and what it did to my view of the world and what is meant by the term 'Advanced Civilisation '. Would recommendation to anyone, especially Brexiteers, who hopefully would learn from it.

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Nick

Exhilarating break from Discworld

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 May 2012

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The best thing about Terry Pratchett's books is the wealth of ideas and observations about human nature which he puts into the narrative, and there's plenty of that here, and of the kind which wouldn't normally fit well in Discworld.

The tone is much more sombre than some of his Discworld novels: it begins with tragedy, deals with death and loss, and slowly works its way to an optimistic conclusion. There's little comedy, and a reduced cast of characters, but this gives more space for Pratchett to insert his musings about people and the world in general. It feels more restrained than the Discworld series, partly because this story is about the absence of magic.

In this book I hear the author's voice louder than those of the characters. It's like a wise and ageing relative's words of advice to his children and grandchildren. It's about growing up and taking responsibility, about looking at the world with mature eyes and seeing things you hadn't noticed before, about questioning the old ways and coming up with new ones.

I have to point out that the conversion to Kindle format is disappointing. It looks like it's been scanned and OCR'd from a print edition, and has clearly not been proof-read before sending to Amazon - even the opening sentence has a glaring mistake, and there are several more in the text, which spoiled my enjoyment of the book. I expect Kindle books to be cheaper than the print edition anyway, because they are less versatile, inherently impermanent and harder to share with friends, but the lower price does not justify this half-hearted and careless attempt at a Kindle edition by the publishers.

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Edwin Wigmore

Something different from Pratchett.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2013

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A non Discworld story which yet retains the characteristic Pratchett view of life. A novel set on a small Pacific island in perhaps early Victorian times, where an island boy embarked on a distant rite of passage to manhood, returns to find a tsunami had wrecked havoc on the world he knew. With a young shipwrecked white girl beside him, and a growing number of refugees from the same tsunami but from other islands, he slowly forges a new Nation from his native resources and the remains of a wrecked ship, fighting off cannibals and mutineers in the process until the girl's father finally arrives to rescue her. The different worlds from which the boy and girl come are well observed, and the amazing history of the island's ancestors is finally recognised.

It had the expected Pratchett traits of no bad language, no sex, but an unputdownable read.

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Jackie Paddock

Hankies at the ready.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 August 2019

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A tale of courage and duty, up to Sir Terry's usual standard, my bench mark is that when I have finished
I want to read it again right away.

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Light, funny, typical Prachett (but do not expect Discworld)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 November 2009

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Good fun reading Nation. The main story revolves around rebuilding the Nation - a little island - after a tsunami, the other one around the role of and emergence of religion. Just to clarify, the book is not of the Discworld series.

The dialogue is fairly light and funny and the book radiates a certain feeling of warmth throughout. The treatment of religion is quite amusing, too. He's certainly a more compelling writer than someone like Richard Dawkins - his endless hammering in of the same point, while in principle correct does get tedious after a while.

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Michael Hunt

wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 February 2011

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Pratchett has always been at his best not while writing about wizards and magic,which for me often got in the way and resulted in contrived Deus Ex Machina endings to his books, but while writing about people,the way people think and behave,and the things and people that matter to them,getting inside their heads and providing an insight into their humanity.

Often he uses humour to shine a light on the absurdity of some of the ways in which people behave,but they are not,to my mind,humourous books per se.

Nation is a book about people. It isn't particularly funny. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Ian E.

Nation revisited - I like it after all

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2012

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When I bought this book a year ago I stopped reading it after the first couple of chapters as I just couldn't get into it. Found it again when spring cleaning and decided to give it another try and, after skimming what I'd already read, I picked up where I'd left off. And kept going. This time around, what I found was an interesting, entertaining and humorous novel that engaged my emotions and confounded my expectations whilst making a serious point (or points).

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P. Clarke

Thoughtful adventure tale for all ages

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 July 2019

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One of my favourite of Pratchett's books. Actually bought this as a 10 year old's birthday gift, but I have the hardback myself. Can genuinely be enjoyed by a wide age group.

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