Thursday, April 19, 2007

Nac Mac Feegle's of the World, unite, ya scunners...

When I grow up, I want to be something like one of these guys, attitude by the ton, take no shit from anyone especially not witches (of which there are a few where I work). Steal sheep for a living (steal anything, in fact), "pit the heid in 'abody" that gies them crap, true to their Kelda to the death (or birth as they think of it).

Thanks to Cuzzin Ross, who left the book here 3yrs ago when he was here on holiday (that long ago already), I just finished reading Terry Pratchett's "The Wee Free Men" having found it in the bottom of a cupboard I was looking for something totally different in. Not having something to read at the time, I thought "What the fuck, why not?".

So, without giving Max another book report, aside from realistically being a teenager's book and a great light read, it's about a little girl who has witching powers but isn't sure how to use them, tries to find a witches school, ends up going into a Dreamworld to rescue her little brother from the bad Quin (Queen), fights off dromes (dream monsters) and Jenny Green-eyes, a river-dwelling monster, with a frying pan (used steel instead of wood, as she would have gotten eaten herself if she'd used a stick) and, generally, ends up saving The Chalk (part of the world where she lives) from the Quin.

All along the way, she's helped by a band of Pictsies (no, not Pixies, they're little bastards) called the Nac Mac Feegls, a small band of Scots-speaking thieves and brigands (but nice people, as all Sctots are actually). The Scots pronunciation is written quite brilliantly ("Make my caviar deep-fried, will ye?", "Ye wee scunner", "They can tak' oor lives, but they cannae tak' oor troosers", or "Ach, stick it up yer trakkans"...ok, enough of the Scottish quotes).

Read it and see what I mean, like...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Crivens!

McChris said...

It's not "Ya scunners" - correct Feegle would be: "Youse scunners".

Divemaster GranDad said...

You're reading posts of mine from 5 years ago? You need to get out more often...

Or, in the words of the Big Yin...Getifuyabasa...

Hahahaha...