Carpe Jugulum (; Latatian for "seize the throat", cf. Carpe diem) is a comic fantasy novel by English writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-third in the Discworld series. It was first published in 1998.In Carpe Jugulum, Terry Pratchett pastiches the traditions of vampire literature, playing with the mythic archetypes and featuring a tongue-in-cheek reversal of 'vampyre' subculture with young vampires who wear bright clothes, drink wine, and stay up until noon.
An envoy of the Church of Om, which used to burn witches and now chops logic, finds himself confronting a race of predators which have learnt to domesticate their prey. He�s in two minds about it; and about a lot of other things.
Vampires, according to a tradition largely invented by nineteenth-century novelists and elaborated by the film industry, are reclusive, wear cloaks, and are quite easy to dispose of if one has some garlic or can open the curtains. The �vampyres� that King Verence invites to the court of Lancre have had a long time to think things over, and they�ve modernised. They�ve come out of their remote castle to take over human kingdoms, so as to obtain a permanent supply of blood. They can eat garlic, go out in daylight, and are unfazed by any of the Disc�s hundreds of religious symbols. They�ve also managed to exert a …
An envoy of the Church of Om, which used to burn witches and now chops logic, finds himself confronting a race of predators which have learnt to domesticate their prey. He�s in two minds about it; and about a lot of other things.
Vampires, according to a tradition largely invented by nineteenth-century novelists and elaborated by the film industry, are reclusive, wear cloaks, and are quite easy to dispose of if one has some garlic or can open the curtains. The �vampyres� that King Verence invites to the court of Lancre have had a long time to think things over, and they�ve modernised. They�ve come out of their remote castle to take over human kingdoms, so as to obtain a permanent supply of blood. They can eat garlic, go out in daylight, and are unfazed by any of the Disc�s hundreds of religious symbols. They�ve also managed to exert a glamour over the population, so that the vampyre takeover is accepted as reasonable. The scene in a town which has already been taken by the vampyres brings to mind Nazi-occupied Europe. Next on their list is the peaceful mountain kingdom of Lancre (combat-ready forces: Shawn Ogg and a troll).
The only way to avoid their mind-control, it seems, is to be in two minds. Thus Mightily Oats, the Omnian priest, and thus also Agnes Nitt, youngest of the trio of witches. She has a bitchy second personality called Perdita, who sometimes takes over, with varying results. Meanwhile Granny Weatherwax is lying asleep in a cave with a sign saying GOE AWAY in her hands, and Nanny Ogg may have to take over as �the other one�.
The vampyres are cue for any number of vampire jokes, such as a servant called Igor (a man of many parts), and rebellious vampire youth who won�t wear black, and call themselves nicknames like �Cyril� and �Pam�. There are vampires who �do not drink� wine�, and also, for good measure, a couple of villainous lines from James Bond movies.
There�s also a major role for Hodgesaargh, the palace falconer, who seems to have found a bird that isn�t supposed to exist even in the Discworld, and there�s a horde of blue pixies with more than a touch of Glasgow about them. Mightily Oats is that familiar Pratchett character, the na�ve youth who Makes Good (with a little help) and grows up in so doing.
once again i find that the witch books don't pull me in the same way others in the Discworld series do, but i love the message in this one, and i do like vampires, so i ended up liking this one more than any of the previous witch books. Magrat was actually kind of a badass for a few minutes too, which i appreciated.
Hexen gegen Vampire - und da zu noch eine ordentliche Prise Religionskritik. Die meisten der Hexenromane sind nicht wirklich meine Lieblinge - aber der hat mich doch sehr amüsiert.
A bit of a slow start (as with most Witches novels), but just pulls you in as you continue. All the Vampire clichés are in there, but are immediately tackled by Pratchett's parody. Great read.
Review of 'Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23; Witches #6)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Nuestras amigas las brujas tienen que resolver esta vez una invasión de vampiros que se han “aggiornado” y de qué manera. También aparece un sacerdote de una extraña religión, cuyo dios obliga a rechazar a todos los demás dioses. La novela empieza muy floja, de tal forma que lo único que me gustaba eran los juegos de palabras. Luego va cobrando fuerza, alguno de los personajes empieza a tomar cuerpo y la lectura se vuelve mucho más entretenida.
Review of 'Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23; Witches #6)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
As much as I like the recurring characters in the disk world, I really enjoy the spontaneous characters that Mr Pratchett puts in his books, for example Igor in this book. We know the Igor character from many tales but Mr Pratchett quickly twist him into one of his own and makes them delightful.
One of my first Terry Pratchett books that I bought at Waterstone's in England (Bath or York, I think). Expensive due to exchange rate, but well worth it.
