Witness what happens when a blogger ventures outside her usual reading genres and takes on a REAL challenge – and then tries to write an intelligent review of the book involved. That’s my situation with The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett.

What can tell you about this fantasy novel? It contains the story of tribes of very little people who live in a carpet, amid the dust balls, and above Underlay. One of their major landmarks is Achairleg from which they mine varnish. Metal is obtained from a dropped and forgotten penny, and wood from dropped matches.

There’s the requisite battle between good and evil, and the added dimension of an inner struggle among the good guys as to whether tradition should rule the day.

I must say I admired Pratchett’s sense of humor as evidenced in this quip:
It only cheered him up a bit when one of the wights gave Glurk an axe. It was his grandfather’s, although the handle and the blade had been replaced a few times.

Or in this dialogue between the clan leader and his wife, upon discovering that their tribe advisor has another name:
“And Pismire’s a philosopher, he says.”
“I never knew that. What’s a philosopher?”
“Someone who thinks, he says,” said Glurk.
“Well, you think. I’ve often seen you sitting and thinking.”
“I don’t always think,” said Glurk conscientiously. “Sometimes I just sits.” He sighed. “Anyway, it’s not just thinking. You’ve got to be able to talk about it entertainingly afterwards.”

In a forward to the 1991 edition of this book, Pratchett acknowledged that he wrote the first edition when he was 17 and, when his publisher decided to reissue it, majorly “tweaked” the story. He says: “It’s not exactly the book I wrote then. It’s not exactly the book I’d write now.” So I can’t even say for certain how reflective of his other works this book is.

Wikipedia tells me that The Carpet People has been described as “The Lord of the Rings on a Rug”. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of either the statement or its meaning. Brace yourself for this revelation: I have never read Tolkien, never seen one of the movies, and have never had a desire to do either.

I did, however, read Pierre Berton’s The Secret World of Og when I was an adolescent (and again as a young mother along with my daughter) and found it delightful. As I read The Carpet People, I often thought that my ten-year-old self would have enjoyed it immensely. But I’m done with my fantasy days (I know – my loss) and, having read “at least one” Terry Pratchett, have met the terms of the Terry Pratchett Reading Challenge and hereby pronounce it completed.

P.S. This had got me thinking, though, about hidden life forms in my carpets. Maybe it’s not such a kind idea to be doing any vacuuming. Hmmm….whatever works.

For Canadian readers:
The Carpet People
The Secret World of Og (A Canadian classic)