Noble Savage



Nation by Terry Pratchett

Pratchett, T. (2008). Nation. New York: Harper Collins.

During the European Age of Discovery that overlapped with the Renaissance, Westerners were fascinated with the concept of the “noble savage” – the native of some far-off land that was unspoiled by civilization. That was apparently an inspiration for Shakespeare to write The Tempest.  There are many similarities between this play and Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel, Nation.

Both stories have:  people who are shipwrecked on an island; a man who is without a country; a nobleman living in the middle of the ocean who is the rightful heir to rule his European homeland; and a young boy and girl who are attracted to one another.

 

However, Nation has so many unique story elements that it stands alone as a well-crafted fantasy.  Having visited Hawaii, I found so many geographic and cultural aspects of this story to be so genuine that I suspect Terry Pratchett must have done his homework and actually researched life in the tropics before he wrote this tale.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it much more imaginative and innovative than Witch and Wizard. 

 

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