Pratchett Terry 02

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents - Terry Pratchett

This time Terry tackles the fable of the Pied Piper. Set on the Discworld, he naturally gives the story his own inimitable twist. The heroes of the tale are a tribe of rats who lived on the Unseen University waste heap. Having eaten one magical waste product too many, they naturally became aware and started talking. A cat called Maurice who eats one of the contaminated rats also becomes aware. Maurice and the rats pick up a flute playing orphan boy and start doing the rounds of local towns and villages - the usual scam of vermin over-running a town, although unusually, one of the rats wears a straw hat and tap dances. Much fun ensues until they land in the Uberwald town of Bad Blintz where a pair of crooked rat catchers are already milking the town, and something very bad is going on.
Apart from cameo appearances from Death and the Death of Rats, there are none of the regular characters. However fans of Gaspode will recognise and love Maurice. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rats is marketed as a book for the juvenile market (8 and over). But Discworld fans of any age will enjoy it. The book is physically smaller, and there is basically only the one plot line. With a 30% discount available from Amazon it is excellent value. Go and buy it immediately.

Publisher: Doubleday
Date: 2001
Pages: 271 pages
Price: £12.99
Format: Hardback
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Date Reviewed: November 2001