the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy. Seriously, so devoid of Pratchett's humour it is untrue. Dull plotlines, shallow characters they have nothing going for them. "Only you can save Mankind" is the only one of the three that has any merit as at least their is plenty of action.
I haven't read them for quite some time, but I remember loving them! Sure, they were a little toned down, but still in comparison to most (particularly "childrens'" books) they're absolute gems. I have an urge to read them again now...
I actually like the trilogy a lot. Johnny is a normal, slightly dull boy who has some extraordinary stuff happen to him. I agree with Darth: For a Young Adult book they're absolutely brilliant. Of the three I liked Johnny and the Dead the least.
I thought they were excellent, and fit well into the established canon of classic British children's literature.
I read all my Pratchett far too much and I've gotten to the point where I can finish the first two in an hour. I liked them a lot. If you want really bad Pratchett look for a non-revised Carpet People.
Johnny Maxwell A lot of the people I have talked to totally slag the Johnny Maxwell books off. The best one is Johnny and the Dead by far.
Only you can save mankind was a childhood favourite. It really resonated with me back then, haven't read them in a while though. I always thought the quality diminished steadily with the next two though - Johnny and the dead seemed to trickle to a halt, and the story with Johnny and the bomb, although entertaining, again seemed really weak in comparison to other children's books he's written. But as a set of young adult books, they're fantastic. They fit the target market perfectly!
I have just started to read these to my eldest daughter (5 yrs old) who seems to thoroughly enjoy them (she likes to be 'just like mummy'). She also enjoys it when I read DW books to her - although if I'm honest the constant 'what does that mean?' is somewhat distracting... oh, the joys of having children!
