In the eighth part of Carpe Jugulum, Agnes and Nanny mount their rescue operation, only to discover just how much the Magpyrs have insinuated themselves into Lancre. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Discworld.
Trigger Warning: For continuous discussion of mind control and consent, and brief bit about fascism.
If I’m not conveying it through these reviews or in the videos for Carpe Jugulum, let me just state it outright here: this is probably the most impressed I am with Pratchett’s writing. So, I’m working on a second book (!!!!!) that’s toying with the fantasy genre, and I’m truly, truly realizing how much work has to go into worldbuilding. This section of Carpe Jugulum struck me as thoughtful and carefully considered. Why? Because Pratchett has clearly designed a different way of thinking about vampires. The Magpyrs do not merely feed on other humans and rely on the age-old terror of their species. Instead, what we’re seeing here is a system that’s being constructed, an entire methodology that the Magpyrs use to utterly and complete dominate cities. CITIES. BECAUSE GUESS WHAT THEY’VE FUCKING DONE THIS BEFORE.
More on that later. Let’s start with this:
“They find single-minded people easier to control.â€
Oh. Oh. Well, that makes sense! I loved the anaology that Oats: single-minded people have bigger targets. What can you grasp onto when you’ve got a mind like Agnes? Or you’re as uncertain as Mightily Oats? Is that why Magrat is only sort of under the spell of the Magpyrs, because she, too, is stuck between the worlds of motherhood, royalty, and magic? Anyway, that’s not that important right now. Here, Pratchett confirms a suspicion of mine, but clarifies why the Magpyrs are able to control certain people.
AND THEN HE MAKES IT WORSE. Look, the cart drivers thing is horrifying. I thought that they were just affected by the Magpyrs, until this part:
Then Agnes realized that there was a squad of men marching behind the carts. They didn’t look at all like the carts’ drivers.
And these, said Perdita, are the cattle prods.
It’s unclear if these men are controlled by the Magpyrs or simply paid to keep watch, but regardlss: FUCKING CREEPY. This allows the Magpyrs to have more complete control, and in this case, they’re used to guide the carts full of their own possessions. That should have been the first clue that they’d done this before, but it went totally over my head. These vampyres want to stay in Lancre a long time, don’t they?
And what’s unsettling about all this is that it’s clear they’ll be able to. After Agnes and Oats get into the castle via empty Magpyr coffins, we’re treated to another miniature nightmare: Mrs. Scorbic’s bliss. For a woman notorious as “acerbic†and unapproachable, it becomes upsetting to see her behave without a care in the world. Nothing matters! Why is she even rolling out dough? Do the vampyres require that their victims be well-fed? I am guessing we’ll find out more about this later, reason being that Mrs. Scorbic can’t actually tell Agnes or Oats any of this. She’s lost in a haze of mind control, and IT’S SO SCARY, Y’ALL.
That’s what I’m referring to when I say that I’m impressed by this. Each new detail that’s revealed of this takeover shows me that I’m in for a unique journey. Carpe Jugulum is not going to be like other vampire stories because it’s an exploration of how these people are able to control an entire city. Even Magrat is under their spell, though I suspect it’s not as all-encompassing for her as it is for others. It was fascinating to see her snap out of this once Agnes stated that Granny might be in trouble, so… that means she might be able to resist, right?
I don’t know. I hope they can get out of the castle, but I’m unsure. Why? Because, yet again, Pratchett makes matters worse: the Count is using the hundreds of magpies in Lancre to SPY ON EVERYONE. That was bad enough, of course, but his attack on the phoenix that Hodgesaargh was tracking? Initially, it confused me. It seemed like cruelty for cruelty’s sake. Weren’t the Magpyrs more calculating than that? Yet as Nanny, Agnes, and Magrat reunite and plot their “rescue†of granny, the Count’s POV section gives way to another horror:
“Verence was right, oddly enough. There’s a new world coming, and there won’t be any room in it for those ghastly little gnomes or witches or centaurs and especially not for the firebirds! Away with them! Let us progress! They are unfitted for survival!â€
The whole ending scene of this part is telling. It is not hard to imagine that the purging the Count speaks of was successful in Escrow. Who is left there? Did anyone survive? Did they move to Lancre because they ran out of resources? My gods, this is AWFUL. And on top of all that, they’re basically setting up a system that has the eerie resemblance to many of the fascist governments we’ve seen in our world. Government takeovers; lying to citizens; expelling or purging people/races in the name of progress.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK DOING TO ME.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kd1OkVZNsA
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.
– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.  Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
