Before starting to talk about The Peshawar Lancers, specifically, I want to briefly mention two tendencies that I’ve observed in many of S. M. Stirling’s works. I’ll return, in a moment to why these are important.

1. Many of Stirling’s works include strong elements of homage to older works, for example, The Stone Dogs clearly uses many science fiction elements drawn from the pulp era. In the appendix, S. M. Stirling himself describes the world of the novel as being “yesterday’s tomorrow”.

2. I’ve also felt that often times, Stirling plays games with his readers and their expectations. This is most obvious in some of the Draka novels, such as Marching through Georgia. In this book, Stirling uses slaving holding racist villains (the Draka) as viewpoint characters, and almost makes the reader feel sorry for the Nazis whom they are conquering. These writing decisions have certainly raised a few eyebrows, and even provoked outrage in some online discussions. And while Stirling always plays it dead straight in his reponses, saying (a) it’s just fiction, (b) the views of his characters aren’t necessarily his own - I’ve always suspected that, when in private, he might enjoy the odd sly-smile about the reaction that he has been able to provoke from some readers.

Now turning to The Peshawar Lancers, I’ll say that I think it’s, by a quite considerable margin, the best of S. M. Stirling’s books which I have read. One of the main reasons for this is that the homeage element is forefront and center - there is a very obvious inspiration from some of the works of Rudyard Kipling, H. Rider Haggard and similar authors. Additonally, the “games” that Stirling plays in this novel, instead of being with readers’ expectations, are games that readers can fully participate in - for example, can they spot the literary reference in the name of the hero, Athelstane King.

Stirling nearly always comes up with interesting premises for his novels, and this book is no exception. However, it’s not just the premise that is interesting - one of the things that I like best about this book is that the plot is genuinely engaging, and the lead characters are genuinely sympathetic.

I can’t say that this is a plausible (in my opinion) alternate history, but I will say that it’s definitely a lot of fun! If you enjoy ripping adventure yarns, like Flashman series, or the novels of Rudyard Kipling and H. Rider Haggard, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book too.

By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.alternatehistorybooks.com/p1_books_peshawar_lancers.php - Visit this link to buy the book!

For more alternate history books, please visit http://www.alternatehistorybooks.com/

There are many Think Tanks out there, indeed nearly every major industry has one or more. Every political party has one or more. There are think tanks for nearly every aspect of the human experience. Some think tanks specialize, others are more well-rounded and cover a very diverse set of topics. Needless to say, running a think tank with unlimited topics is not easy at all.

At the Online Think Tank we take a much different approach to choosing our intake of information. We believe as many other diverse subject think tanks that it makes sense to read all types of books in every category, pulling out bits and pieces of important information from each. So let’s look at some of the books we reviewed this week to give you an example of one way that you might use in information gathering for your think tank group. Below are selected sample of this weeks reading:

“Great Quotes from Great Leaders” compiled by Peggy Anderson, 1992. This little book is a gold mine for inspirational writers. This is a very good opener, as it is bits and pieces of words of wisdom from famous leaders of days gone by. What did they have to say? What did they learn and why aren’t more people listening and thinking about these things? Is the human race doomed in a continual repeating loop? Well, are they?

“Managing for Excellence - The Guide to developing high performance in contemporary organizations” by David L. Bradford and Allan R. Cohen - 1984. Considering the manager as a technician or conductor, as a developer and other various new roles and models of leadership for the modern day corporation, all the while we must remember this book was written in 1984 before the corporation was re-engineered, before TQM, right-sizing and reality checks of Building to last. Sharing team responsibility, getting the most performance out of key personnel are common themes in this book.

This book was written by scholars from Stanford and Babson College so you might get a sense of the importance of what is written here. How do you turn around an Aircraft Carrier with a paddle? Nothing good in life is every easy, it takes a lot of uphill rowing and that means many paddles paddling in synchronicity. The book talks of the paradox’s of management and how this knowledge can be used to increase the ability of leadership.

What happened to quality, excellence and performance? Since when is just getting by acceptable? Perhaps we ought to consider the words in this work and how they can be used to improve how we run things? Worthy of thought and consideration indeed.

“Scratching Your Entrepreneurial Itch” by Peter Channing - 1977. What are the personal characteristics of an entrepreneur? Watching for traps, getting financing, taking the risk, ego pitfalls and illusions of success, all discussed. Sales and marketing, production, management, financial recording, exit strategies and the conclusion includes a fictitious business plan that does not look all that fictitious to me.

Are we short-changing today’s entrepreneur and if so are we losing efficiency in our free-markets? Can we do better? Can we help them do better, as they deliver us everything we see everywhere we go? Well, what say you?

“Service America - doing business in the new economy” by Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke - 1985. Why is service the place to be, as manufacturing is on the decline in America. The triangle of service - whereby good service leads to referrals and to additional business. The customer, as the king and determining the level and quality of service for the price point. Service is an attitude, finding the best people is imperative.

Companies that top the customer service charts are discussed and how they got there. Teaching the elephant to dance in the modern corporation. The future of service and competition for the customer heats up, where will you be? Rising expectations, innovation, de-regulations (remember when it was written). The exporting of services and importing of such. Management as a service considered.

With the changing industry percentages and with service businesses employing more and more, how can we improve this sector to run at optimum? What can we do to prevent further declines in other sectors? Is there a breaking point, a job maximum for the service business or an end point to the number of new market entrants in this sector? Does anyone really know the answer to these questions? Will we have to learn the hard way? Will robots one day do all the service jobs instead of people?

“Advertising” by James S. Norris - 1977. This book starts by putting advertising in perspective and what happens in the marketplace. Why does the consumer buy and what different forms of advertising work best for which products and services? Why marketing research is serious and not merely an item on a list to check off. Copywriting for advertising, what sells, sparks emotions, get the consumer to notice and think - how to write radio, teleselling or TV scripts and magazines, billboards and print too, whether it is for a newspaper, brochure, signage or direct mail all covered in depth in this work. Discussion of the promotional push is a dedicated chapter, while industrial and agricultural advertising are discussed separately from consumer driven products and services. The legal eagle chapter tells of all the advertising laws of the day.

Are we over advertising in America? What is happening in media markets as Magazine Ad revenue collapses and migrates to Internet Advertising? Will Mobile Advertising change the game forever? If TV is now second to time expenditures to the Internet, will TV advertising decline also? What about the huge media networks, will they diversify or fail to adapt? Can they compete with Google? Who will rule the advertising and media world in the future?

“Maxi Marketing - The New Direction in Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Strategy” by Stan Rapp and Tom Collins - 1987. The book answers the question; why should companies re-think their marketing strategy? The authors start by explaining the dynamic changes in the market place in 1987, which are not as dissimilar to today just not as fast and finicky. Getting to the one-on-one communication with customers in advertising phrases and points of impressions. Narrowing in on niche target markets, customizing the message directly.

The book suggests new mediums of marketing like the Internet, if only they knew how right they were? Allowing advertising to do more than one job without diluting brand or direction. Opening the door for consumers to take a look, check us out or do a little more research. Using multiple channels of distribution. The book is full of checklists, pointers and some pretty excellent advice as well, I would recommend this book for your library if you are a small, medium or large business owner.

How can small businesses do more for less? Where can your business or group’s advertising take advantages and save costs? What really works, why does it work? Do you have a plan or are you systematically planning to fail with your advertising and marketing strategies?

“The Double Win” by Dennis Waitley - 1982. How can you spot a “Double Winner?” Dennis explains in this classic book of how Western Civilization entrepreneurs should operate if they want to win both short and long term. How can we convince our trading partners to think Win-Win in order to ensure long-term relations and fair trade? Are we being fair with them, are they winning too? When you negotiate or make a deal, do you keep your work, do you make sure it is fair for all concerned? Are you one to instantly take advantage of ever situation without regard to others you are dealing with? Think on this, as it takes a mirror to do the Double Win.

“Starting and Managing a Small Business of Your Own” by Wendell O. Metcalf - SBA - 1973. This small book is Vol. I of “The Starting and Managing Series” by the Small Business Administration. The book asks you the questions you should ask yourself if you are considering a small business of your own. If I had 4,000 copies of this book, I would have sent them out to everyone who ever inquired to by one of our 187 franchises. Do you have what it takes? What are your chances of success?

Should you buy a business or start one - what about a franchise? How much money will you really need and where will you get it all? How will you manage your business, set prices, what is the competition doing, where can you get professional help, where will your business be located, how will you keep records, what about insurance, payroll, employees and location? Setting goals and then evaluating the risk?

In the United States the small business failure rate is too high. Many blame unfair regulation, barriers to entry in the form of laws and too many lawyers. Of course, undercapitalization is probably the biggest factor, but so too is the lack of business acumen. If small business employs 2/3rds of our population, perhaps we need to be thinking here as we enter a slight down turn in the business cycle?

“Reality Check” by WIRED Magazine authors; Brad Wieners and David Pescovitz - 1996. This book is a quick read and it really makes you think. Some of the predictions did not come in the predicted times, others that were projected well into the future have already come true. It is interesting to give Futurists a reality check now and again as well. The forward progression of mankind is at stake and it is rather serious, as too much innovation too soon disrupts while too slow causes stagnation.

Predicting the future is never easy, but attempting to plan ahead best on the best advice is vital to the ongoing success of our society and civilization, thus, everyone should be a futurist at heart. Have you been thinking here - we have and we hope you will put the future into your thoughts to prevent crisis and challenges or problems.

“At the Waters Edge - Macroevolutions and the transformation of life” by Carl Zimmerman - 1998. The human body is well adapted for life on the surface of the planet, while other species are even more adapted to their environments in the sea or in fresh water. Some species have adapted well to both. Surprisingly enough most species in the sea and on land are not all that different really. Where arms are there are fins, where legs are there are tails. Many species have left over points that might have been used for other things. The facts are that humans are now really that different at all.

If we deny evolution and Darwin’s thoughts we will be living in a falsehood, as we see evolution before us now. Religion aside we must consider all the innate characteristics of the human species if we are to build the best possible situation for the on-going saga of mankind, you should be thinking here.

“The Secrets of Closing Sales” by Charles Roth 1953. Charles equates making the sale to winning, something that today is often considered taboo by academia, as a “win-win” is the minimal acceptable. “You cannot win unless you close” says Charles Roth. He goes through the thought processes of buyers, sales people and sales departments. He reminds the salesman that he can always try, thus the trial close techniques are described in their earliest, simplest and less evolved present period form. He describes techniques such as; Assumptive, Subordinate, Physical Action, Impending Event, Narrative, Inducement and Ask-them-to-buy strategies in great detail.

Have salesmen or saleswomen been given a bad rap? Why are we so quick to decry sales people, when nothing really transpires until the sale is made? Without them we are in big trouble? Think how many people are employed as sales people. Think how many people would be unemployed without them?

“How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling” by Frank Bettger 1949. Dale Carnegie sets the tone in the Introduction of the book, Dale Carnegie was a friend to Frank Bettger from as early as 1917. The met on a train and Dale told him of a one-week class he was teaching with the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Frank quit his early sales career, then out of desperation restarted it, got organized and work his way back to the top. He tells of a 15-minute $250,000 sale and all the lessons he learned along the way. This book is a classic and must read for the motivated salesperson who wants to achieve, make more sales and win in life.

Frank, discusses all aspects of selling from looking the part to closing the sale. How he made friends, remembered names and overcoming fear. Also amazing techniques he learned from a master salesman. He talks of Lincoln, Franklin and others as mentors, and discusses their words of wisdom.

Where do you work? How much of your company is involved in some sort of sales in order to ensure that your products and services are wanted or desired, bought or purchased? How can you assist working with the sales people and interfacing to keep things running smoothly? Did you hug your sales person today?

“The 1991 What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Nelson Bolles 1991 edition, although realize that this book has evolved from the very early 1970’s. For the person who wished to seek a career as an employee in a Corporation, this book is a classic, taking the reader through the interview process, overcoming rejection, motivating them to continue job hunting, tips and skills needed to land the perfect job, valuating potential job opportunities, how to contact the right person for referrals or to get hired. Then there is resume writing, presentation, and how to fill out forms.

Corporate America employs between 1/3 and 1/4 of our population, and yet so few people understand the true dynamics of corporate life. If one spends a good part of their career working there, shouldn’t they attempt to work for the best company, best pay and make the best out of their experience? Well?

“Do You Believe in Magic - Bringing the 60’s Back Home” by Annie Gottlieb 1987. This book is a collection of interviews, stories, and tales of thoughts. There are many stories in the book that stop and make you think about, what it is people really want. The book is good for a “Communist” leaning present period liberal or a someone who likens the prospect of Socialism, or even an Anarchist.

Our society is constantly changing and in doing so each era has its own flavor. Amazingly enough the 21st Century appeared to be much like the 1990’s and now things are so different, from attitude to economics and from technology to relationships. What will the next generation think of what we had built? Will they embrace the previous period or decry our arcane way of doing things?

“Reference Checking for Personnel Selection: The State of the Art” by Edward Levine and Stephen M. Randolph - 1997 in conjunction with the American Society for Personnel Administration, (ASPA). The laws for hiring and employment have vastly changed since 1977, and this book is no longer valid and yet it sheds some light on the reality of things employers need to know before they hire people.

There is quite a bit of background theory on the hiring process. I think anyone in the Human Resource sector needs to review some theory and how it was done, to make sure that they have the basic skills and understanding of what they are really trying to do. This book discusses applicant lying, behavior issues, court records, interviewing techniques and how to get people to discuss references and why all this is important.

Background checks are very important in so many industries to protect our society. For a business good employees are the key to success. They must often deal with customers and must maintain a good positive image and attitude. They must be efficient, capable and possess the talent and intellect to get the job done. Finding the best team members is paramount to success.

“The Changing American Voter” by Norman H. Nie, Sidney Verba and John R. Petrocik - 1976 Harvard University Press. Very interesting perspectives in how voters had changed from the 1950s to the 1970s. How this shift, changed things and how people looked back at the New Deal and the Eisenhower years as well. The book also speculates the Nixon, McGovern election well and shows the sliding popularity poles of each candidate. So interesting to see how things have changed during that period as the political climate continues to change in the current period.

The American voter has changed over time immensely in the past. Today the major parties in America have also changed to the point it is difficult for one to recognize them from before. Will you follow your party lines in the future or will you sway and become the swing voter that they are going to be vying for in the future? Does your vote actually count as so many have surrendered their minds to their TV sets?

These are just some of the books our Think Tank discussed this week and some of the thoughts that they provoked. I hope you have enjoyed this overview and I hope it helps you in whatever thinktank you are in presently. Sincerely, Lance.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

With tens of thousands of new users signing up for internet service each and every day and the help of sites like clickbank, paypal, cj.com, paydot.com, and many others it has never been easier to promote products online.

These days one doesn’t have to know a thing about product creation, rebranding, or taking a private label product and creating a unique product or developing a usp(unique selling position) to make money. However the one thing we all need no matter if we are creating our own products, selling others products, or selling a service is Traffic and not just any traffic but highly targeted and motivated to but now traffic.

Jason Dolman’s new e-book “Long Tail Traffic Secrets” is about getting this highly targeted traffic using new web 2.0 techniques and doing it for little to no cost. Honestly it seems that each week somebody new is jumping up and down and telling us how easy it is to get traffic, sales, or advertising for free or about getting paid to get those things if you know a few secrets.

I don’t know about you but I’m quite frankly sick of all this b.s., I mean really, when is enough ever going to be enough? Against my better judgment I broke out my credit card and ordered his new e-book. Here’s what I found out:

These are the main things I was interested in about “Long Tail Traffic Secrets”:

a. Is it an easy read or do you have to be a programmer to figure out what the heck your supposed to do?

b. Is the information rehashed crap or truly new?

c. Do these techniques and methods really work?

d. How long before I will see any real results from my actions

The one thing I noticed right away was that this guy really does a good job at explaining his ideas to you. He’ll use just enough examples to explain something that may otherwise be a little complicated to most of us regular people but he’s not long winded or over doing it when it’s not needed which I thought was really cool. Someone who seems to write a lot like the way I think can’t be all bad, lol.

I can’t truly explain just how happy I was when I did not see what I actually thought I was going to see, you know the same old tired information being restated again for the 10,000TH time. I was very pleased to see original thoughts and ideas using brand new Web 2.0 methods. However, do they actually work?

The answer to that question is simply yes. By applying 2 techniques from Jason’s e-book I have increased traffic to my site by a factor of 1.70 in just 5 days. In case your math skills are not that strong that’s a 70% increase. Along with that my conversions increased by 18% which means I’m getting more targeted traffic than I was before knowing any of his techniques. Yeehaaaw!

Somewhere in his book I read that Google said that almost 50% of all the searches done on their site are unique! Wow, so what does this mean? It means that there’s a lot of room out there for people like you and me to optimize for as many of these long tail keyword searches as we possibly can and just explode our sales and bank account.

Another thing I liked about the e-book is that Jason teaches you how to not only work and set yourself up to make money now but he also shows you how to lay the framework for future growth and sales.

I also really like that he shows you how to use Web 2.0 sites to generate all the traffic you need and while not spending a penny on pay-per-click advertising unless of course you want to make it part of your total traffic campaign but that’s really not needed once you apply what he’s teaching you.

Ok, I’ve gone on long enough about this but I’m really excited about the results I’ve gotten so far because it has been my experience that a good 90+% of everything I’ve purchased about making money, getting traffic, etc has really been a waste of money and when I get proven wrong which is rare I love it, love it, love it.

If you need high quality, targeted, and free traffic you better run, NOT walk over to his site and grab this e-book before your competition beats you to it.

I’ve purchased over 50 plus e-books since Jan 2007 and this is the 3rd one that actually exceeded my expectation and is actually already paid for itself!

Wishing you all the best,

James Redd

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This is an interesting novel, written by two authors, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, principally known for their work in the cyberpunk genre. The Difference Engine however is an alternate history story based on steampunk ideas.

The basic premise of the novel is that Charles Babbage’s general purpose mechanical computer (which in reality was called the “Analytic Engine” - the real-life Difference Engine was a mechanical calculator) was not only successfully created, but widely adopted. Thus Victorian England, experiences something akin to the late 20th century’s information technology revolution. Furthermore, Britain is ruled by the “Industrial Radical Party”, which places a great emphasis on industry, science and technology, leading to an even more powerful British Empire than experienced in our timeline.

The plot, such as it is, basically concerns the hunt for some extremely powerful punched cards (used to program Babbage’s computers). While it would be incorrect to say that there isn’t a story - there clearly is - the real joy of the novel comes more from the wealth of detail and the well-realized alternate world, than the plot.

I am sure that William Gibson’s and Bruce Sterling’s many fans will snap up the book regardless of anything that I might say. That said, my own personal view, is that while I enjoyed reading the novel (and would recommend it to others), I didn’t enjoy quite as much as some other steampunk novels that I have read - the reason is, for me, the plot was not interesting enough, even though the background of the world was beautifully portrayed.

By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.alternatehistorybooks.com/p1_books_difference_engine.php - Visit this link to buy the book!

For more alternate history books, please visit http://www.alternatehistorybooks.com/

At first glance, “Somebody Someday” appears to have been written by Robbie Williams. That seems to be what it says on the cover. But in actuality, the words are by someone called Mark McCrum. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because the author has spent plenty of time with Rob and the book offers some excellent insights into life on tour.

That’s where we find ourselves at the start of this book. After a handy listing of “who is who”, the crew are rehearsing and preparing for life on the road. There will be changes, this time around. Rob is trying to live a clean lifestyle and he is determined to stick with it. It’s going to be different. It’s going to be a challenge. Nobody quite knows what to expect, least of all Rob himself.

Throughout the book we are introduced to the various people in Rob’s life. This provides nice background information and helps us get to know them that bit better. The relations between everyone become clear and some interesting insights are offered.

As we tour along we share the various ups and downs, we learn what goes on behind the scenes of such a massive project, we learn more about the press, the music industry and the general madness that accompanies it. Above all, we learn more about Rob, the man, and Robbie, the media figure. There is a difference between the two.

The events illustrated in this book take place before “Feel” by Chris Heath. Between these two projects, a person feels as close to Rob as one can get without actually speaking with him and meeting him face to face. These novels, combined, cover a significant amount of time in the life of the artist.

“Somebody Someday” contains a generous amount of photographs, some printed in colour, some in black and white. This is a pleasant bonus and Rob’s fans will surely appreciate their addition.

The author did a decent job. The book is not amazingly well-written, but then, it does offer a pleasant read and I had no problems with feeling involved. With a cast of “characters” as large as he was tackling I do feel he did a good job, giving everyone a bit of limelight.

I would recommend “Somebody Someday” to any Robbie fan who would like to learn more about him than is commonly shared in the media. It’s an enjoyable and entertaining read. I would also recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about life on tour, and the life of a modern-day artist. You won’t be disappointed.

“Somebody Someday” was first published by Ebury Press, with ISBN 0-091-88473-X.

Kit Marsters is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/
which is a site for Writers.

There are times in your life when you have to make a choice, and none of the options available are particularly tempting. Moist von Lipwig faces such a choice. He can either go put the Ankh-Morpork’s postal service back into working order, or he can go for the more… final solution.

After a failed attempt at escape - well, anyone would try, wouldn’t they - Moist finds himself trying to find out the truth. There is a hidden, dark secret involving the post office and some people are determined that he won’t find out. But secrets have a way of getting themselves exposed. And the mail has to be delivered…

Not everyone is happy with Moist’s growing determination. The Grand Trunk Semaphore Company has a secret of its own and it was doing just fine without the postal service being up and running, thank you very much. And there is a dangerous being on the loose, with a taste for pigeons.

Moist’s only aides are ancient Junior Postmaster Groat and his charge Stanley, a young man with a pin addiction. And then there’s Adora Bell Dearheart, a woman unlike any other Moist has ever met. And let’s not forget the Post Office Worker’s Friendly and Benevolent Society…

The mail must be delivered, come rain, garden tools, dogs, and big green things with teeth.

“Going Postal” is a Discworld novel. It is set in the infamous Ankh-Morpork, that melting pot of different cultures and fascinating characters.

If you haven’t been introduced to the Discworld before, you can jump right in with this one. Most of the main characters are brand new, and you will soon feel right at home. Like any other Discworld novel, this book will likely make you want to read the rest of them, but that’s a risk you will just have to take.

If you are already familiar with the Discworld novels, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Con artist Moist von Lipwig is a fascinating character. He has his very own way of seeing the world and he is not necessarily nice, but he is likeable, in a morbidly fascinating sort of way.

Terry Pratchett’s characters tend to have this unique blend of being rather entertaining and fascinating, and perhaps a bit peculiar, but they are also so very human that they are instantly recognisable and you can’t help but sympathise with them. This is part of Pratchett’s art.

“Going Postal” held my interest from beginning to end. In fact, I had a difficult time closing it to get some sleep. It’s a series of giggles, a walk on a tightrope, balancing between humor and morality, a flow of jokes and puns and heart-warming vision. Every Discworld novel is an adventure. I have yet to find one I regretted taking part in.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone.

According to the author’s bio, Terry Pratchett lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he ‘doesn’t want to get a life, because it feels as though he’s trying to lead three already’. He was appointed OBE in 1998 and his first Discworld novel for children, “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents”, was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal.

“Going Postal” is the twenty-ninth novel in the Discworld series. It was originally published in Great Britain by Doubleday, a division of Transworld Publishers. The ISBN is 0-552-14943-8.

Kit Marsters is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/
which is a site for Writers.

Tiffany Aching is a witch. At least, she is a junior witch and she is off to learn from the experts. Born and raised on the Chalk, she has inherited her significant powers from her grandmother. It’s a nerve-wracking time for little Tiffany because she is going out into the big world, away from the gently rolling hills that are her home.

Soon she is on her way to Miss Level, a complex lady who will be teaching her all about the witching. But there is something after Tiffany, drawn to her, and it’s gaining ground. It’s scared, needy and dangerous…

And she is stuck in a strange world, where some of the other junior witches make fun of her. Experiencing peer pressure, jealousy and ridicule, and learning that witching is not all that glamorous but rather a lot of hard work, looking after people who really should be looking after themselves, Tiffany finds herself alone and unhappy. She starts questioning herself. She starts questioning that she ever had any power and does the one trick she is sure she knows how to do… Whilst lurking, close, there’s the something, yearning to take over her body.

Will Tiffany be able to fight something that has lasted since the dawn of time? Something not even skilled wizards have managed to evade? Luckily, she is not as alone as she thinks. She has the Wee Free Men, who will fight anything. And she has the aid of Granny Weatherwax, the most notorious and respected witch on Discworld.

“A Hat Full of Sky” is the second book in the Tiffany Aching series. It is the follow-up to “The Wee Free Men”. I loved the first book, but I think that this addition shines even more.

Although Discworld novels never try to teach moral lessons to their readers, “A Hat Full of Sky” does offer the message that when you are true to yourself, accept yourself and believe in yourself, you can do anything. This can be a hard lesson to learn, as it is for Tiffany, but it is something important that people discover through trial and error.

Terry Pratchett is a wonderful author, who can blend humour and sadness with excellent and creative skill. I had many a smile and giggle reading this book, but when I closed it the overall impression I had was that this is a truly beautiful read.

The story is gripping, imaginative and it held my full attention all the way through. I know that I will take it from my shelf again and again in the future. It’s a book I will happily read more than once.

Though it is the second Tiffany Aching book, new readers will find themselves easily at home. However, the first in the series is certainly worth a read as well. And at the time of this review there is a third installment available, titled “Wintersmith”.

I recommend “A Hat Full of Sky” to readers of all ages.

According to the author’s bio, Terry Pratchett lives behind a keyboard in Wiltshire and says he ‘doesn’t want to get a life, because it feels as though he’s trying to lead three already’. He was appointed OBE in 1998 and his first Discworld novel for children, “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents”, was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal.

“A Hat Full of Sky” was first published in Great Britain by Doubleday, an imprint of Random