I had very low expectations going into this, since I've never picked up Pratchett before. I've heard of the book-turned-TV-show he did recently but I also never watched it so I had no idea what his works are like. It was a little difficult going in, since it was a world of its own with a lot of made-up words, but once I got my head to wrap around it like tying a string of colourful LED lights all over my brain, only then it could light up the room. 

Pratchett's voice was clear, humorous and witty. Sometimes I'll chuckle to myself when he drops a dry joke. The Carpet People were a complete mystery to me, and I had to keep reading to understand them better. But once I got the hang of it, the story flowed smoother. 

The Carpet People was a story about communities coming together (and against each other). It was about war and knowledge and evolution and bravery and hopefulness. It was a fantastic tale. It was humorous, shocking, and thought-provoking. The world may be filled with odd names and words, but the parallels between their story and our history is uncanny, it's like reading about us but with the names changed. 

And maybe it's because I've just recently finished reading Tolkien, but I couldn't help but think the characters seemed a lot like the Fellowship in Middle Earth. Pismire as the all-knowing Gandalf, Snibril and Glurk as the hobbits Frodo and Sam, Bane as a mix of Legolas and Aragorn, and Brocando as little Gimli. 

Snibril was a lovely main character. He was careful and thoughtful, with a gentle demeanour that made me feel all warm on the inside. He was smart and observant, which is the opposite of his oaf of a brother (mini spoiler: he did surprise everyone after awhile so you can't judge a book by its cover!). But it was a nice balance of each character's gifts as they navigate all these adventures of leaving their hometown.

I also enjoyed the other characters, Pismire and Bane and Brocando. Pismire, the erudite philosopher/witch doctor who held on to a great amount of knowledge and kept everyone in check. Bane, the scary but cool guy who you can't really put your finger on it if you can trust him (but you really want to). And the silly Brocando who carried so much bravado in such a little body; I kept giggling to myself. 

This book reminded me a mix of Year One (2009), Roald Dahl, and The Day My Butt Went Psycho. I keep having flashbacks of the movie at the start of the book; how their neanderthal tribe was broken up and they had to flee and their world was turned upside down. The illustrations reminded me of Roald Dahl and although it's been a while since I've read his children's books, I think there were some similarities in the energy of the story. And lastly, it shared the same slap-on-the-knee humour that Griffiths is well known for. This book definitely grew on me by the time I got the hang of it. I can absolutely say that I am curious of his other works, and I'm really happy I was gifted this book today.