Back to my Discworld marathon, but this time a change. This Discworld book is still typically Pratchett, still recognisably Discworld, but (aside from Death) there are none of the recurring characters that you get in most of the books. I believe, although I'm not going to check right now, that this particular entry is aimed at a younger audience, but it didn't stop it being an enjoyable read to an old man like me.
The story followed the titular Maurice, a cat, his stupid-looking human friend, Keith, and a whole bunch of rats. Having undergone a radical change at some point in their recent past, each of these animals are capable of speech and complex thought, and they use this to move from one town to the next scamming the towns inhabitants with a rat-piper routine, essentially having Keith pretend to lead these intelligent rats out of the town and getting paid for it. They come to a town with some sinister happenings though, with some rat-catchers already scamming the town by breeding their own rats, stealing vast amounts of food and taking payments from the harassed townspeople for the pleasure. It turns out that these rat-catchers, and the rats they have been breeding, are however being mind-controlled by a rat-king that one of the ratcatchers had created as their master-piece for the rat-catching guild initiation. Maurice, the rat-clan, Keith and the mayor's story-obsessed daughter Malicia, deal first with the rat-catcher's scheming, before ending the rat-king, and finally coming to terms with the townspeople to end the war between human and rat. There's a happy end all round and I loved it.
It is worth mentioning that rats are cool. They make for great little buddies. That is all.
Finished reading - 15/03/26