Review of The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

Title: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

Author: Terry Pratchett

Rating: 5/5

This … this is a bit of a go at the Pied Piper story. With a touch of Puss in Boots. And practically every fluffy bunny story every written. Mostly told by Maurice along with an assemblage of Changed, and quite educated, rats.

The story is starts off simple. Talking cat, smart rats, stupid-looking kid with whistle. Go into town, plague of rats, pay stupid-looking kid money to drive rats out. Move on to next town. Easy money. That is, until they get to Bad Blintz, an apparently ratless town that doesn’t seem to know they’re ratless. Then things get a little … interesting.

There’s a definite vein of silliness lurking in the background, even with all the seriousness of killing and talks of death going on. I do love the rat names: Dangerous Beans, Nourishing, Hamnpork, Peaches, Sardines (in fact, I love everything about Sardines) and Darktan. I love how the rats are still rats and not all ‘Mr. Bunnsy’. A little reminiscent of the Mrs Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H. or Watership Down there (and, the occasional time, The Tale of Desperaux). Only with a nicer ending.

And the ending … classic Pratchett twist there. ^_^