The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1) by Terry Pratchett

“Tiffany Aching was lying on her stomach by the river, tickling trout. She liked to hear them laugh. It came up in bubbles.” pg 5, ebook.

With those three sentences, Terry Pratchett introduces readers to one of the most beloved characters from his Discworld series, Tiffany Aching.

Young Tiffany lives in sheep raising country, where chalk from an ancient sea lies beneath the ground. When an otherworldly creature bursts out of a creek and tries to pull her and her little brother Wentworth beneath its waters, Tiffany fights back.

It is the beginning of a life or death struggle with monsters from worlds beyond Discworld, though Tiffany does not know it at the time.

But luckily for her, there are allies who will join her in this fight- the Wee Free Men.

“In the reeds, quite low down, small voices whispered: “Crivens, Wee Bobby, did yer no’ see that?” “Aye, we’d better offski an’ tell the Big Man we’ve found the hag.” pg 10

Pratchett weaves this coming of age story with humor and magic. He utilizes the best themes of the Witches Discworld subseries to do so.

Tiffany discovers headology, the importance of belief and appearances, and her own mysterious connection to a witch legacy that was hiding in plain sight in the hills.

The pacing of the tale is quick, racing from one danger to the next, and perfect for young adults or reluctant readers who enjoy fantasy.

In addition, Pratchett uses a real life painting in the story which adds another layer of ‘fairy magic’ to the telling. The artwork is “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” by Richard Dadd and you can see it here: https://bit.ly/3tW58bb

Detail of “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke”

The surreal painting captures the unsettling feel of the creatures and worlds Pratchett so deftly describes. It is also whimsical, but hints at the danger lurking in the shadows.

For the past few weeks, I have been doing a read-through of the Discworld Witches series and really disliked the last one, Maskerade. I felt like the witches’ character flaws were beginning to dominate the story, which was draining its humor and heart away.

The Wee Free Men brings magic and heart back into the equation. In Tiffany, readers discover a brave young girl who wants to do the right thing but doesn’t have any one to show her the way. We know her mentors will show up eventually, but until then, she and the wee free men need to figure things out on their own.

And how they do that is a very good story. Highly recommended.

Thanks for reading!

Maskerade (Discworld, #18; Witches #5) by Terry Pratchett

“The huge, be-columned, gargoyle-haunted face of Ankh-Morpork’s Opera House was there, in front of Agnes Nitt. She stopped. At least, most of Agnes stopped. There was a lot of Agnes.” pg 9, ebook.

The usually charming wit of Terry Pratchett falls flat in this entry of The Witches, a sub-series of Discworld.

Having already lampooned the general idea of ‘theater’ in Wyrd Sisters, Pratchett takes a crack at ‘musical theater’, specifically The Phantom of the Opera. Besides the addition of the witches to the mix, the main gag is that Agnes Nitt is fat.

It’s not a story that has aged well.

“Agnes was, Nanny considered, quite good-looking in an expansive kind of way; she was a fine figure of typical young Lancre womanhood. This meant she was approximately two womanhoods from anywhere else.” pg 21

Agnes is not the only person in the story with weight concerns, the other being one of the lead singers in the opera, a male. But Agnes, despite her obvious talents, is forced to sing in the chorus, providing the voice for a willowy female who looks the part.

All of this is just a backdrop for the larger story which is basically that Granny Weatherwax is bored and Nanny Ogg is afraid if they don’t find another member for their coven, then Granny will turn to the dark side.

Which no one wants, obviously. Because Granny Weatherwax is one of the greatest of her age in headology and general witchy works, which vary greatly depending upon the circumstances.

And it brings the readers back around to the concern that I addressed in earlier books about Magrat (the witch they’re looking to replace) being bullied by the other older witches in the coven. In Maskerade, they’re just looking for a new punching bag.

The one bright spot in the story was Greebo, slinking around in his predatory human form. I love how he talks to people, elongating his R’s and adopting a general attitude of slightly aggressive insouciance, something which I imagine cats would do, if forced to speak English.

But beyond that, for whatever reason, this entry in the series didn’t hit the spot for me.

Here’s hoping the next is better.

Thanks for reading!

Lords and Ladies (Discworld, #14; Witches #4) by Terry Pratchett

Granny Weatherwax set about finding out what had been happening around the stones in her own distinctive way.” pg 46

Headology, humor and elves are the focus of Lords and Ladies, the fourth entry in The Witches series of Discworld books.

A ring of ancient stones sits in the mountains above Lancre. They were erected so many years ago that no one remembers why they were put up in the first place. No one, that is, except the witches.

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat have returned from their long journey to install Magrat as a short-term fairy godmother and to free a distant city from the tyranny of stories- a far more dangerous trip than any of them realized it would be.

Upon their return, Verence, the recently crowned king of Lancre, announces his intention to wed Magrat. While the preparations are taking place, something dangerous and cold is pushing its way into Discworld through the stones upon the hill.

“You know,” she said. “The Fair Folk. The Gentry. The Shining Ones. The Star People. You know.” pg 53

Too bad the elves are nothing like what people remember in the fairy tales.

Terry Pratchett takes a completely different view of the elves than any other fantasy author I’ve ever read. Their beauty and glamor hides a viciousness that makes them terrifying rather than enchanting.

The three witches face the danger in their own unique way- a charming combination of psychology and common sense.

Unlike the last book where I felt that Magrat was disparaged and bullied, I feel like she comes into her own in Lords and Ladies.

“If you fought an elf and lost… then, if you were lucky, you would die.” pg 169

We get to learn more about Granny Weatherwax’s mysterious past as well as Nanny Ogg’s capacity to fascinate a certain amorous dwarf.

Overall, I think it is one of Pratchett’s best. At least, that’s what I believe so far. We’ve reached the end of the Discworld books that I read eight years ago, so perhaps there are some gems waiting in my future.

I’ll let you all know. 🙂

Highly recommended for fans of fantasy and British humor.

Thanks for reading!

Witches Abroad (Discworld, #12; Witches #3) by Terry Pratchett

When Magrat is designated as the next Fairy Godmother (a legacy from her mentor), Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg feel compelled to help her straighten out the troubles of her new fairy goddaughter.

“I don’t trust that wand,” said Granny. “I looks wizardly to me.” “Oh, come on,” said Magrat, “generations of fairy godmothers have used it.” pg 47

Unfortunately, the city where this young woman resides is quite far away. That means a roadtrip- something that some of the witches tolerate better than others.

Complicating matters is the fact that Fairy Godmothers always come in pairs, a good one and a bad one. We all know that Magrat is good so…

The other Godmother works her magic through the power of stories. She may have some unique ideas about what constitutes a happy ending.

“People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it’s the other way around. Stories exist independently of their players. If you know that, the knowledge is power.” pg 8

Terry Pratchett has crafted three unforgettable characters in the witches. Their traveling, as well as evil-fighting, hijinks are amusing, like in the previous entries in this series.

But let’s talk about Magrat for a minute.

“Magrat would be the first to admit that she had an open mind. It was as open as a field, as open as the sky. No mind could be more open without special surgical implements.” pg 28

Though he’s writing it humorously, the elder witches constantly bully Magrat not only for her youth but also for her progressive ideas about what witchcraft should be. In addition, her open-mindedness makes her a target for derision.

Despite her efforts to look mysterious through the use of various pieces of “occult” jewelry, Magrat is teased by other characters (and the narrator) for her funny hair and ridiculous appearance.

It makes me want to reach through the pages and say, just lay off her already, people. She’s trying to do the best she can with what she has, where she’s at. Can’t say the same for everyone else here.

“There’s nothing wrong with happy endings,” said Magrat hotly. “Listen, happy endings is fine if they turn out happy,” said Granny, glaring at the sky. “But you can’t make ’em for other people…” pg 103

The denigration of Magrat makes me view the other characters negatively. Because, even though Granny and Nanny are considered experts in witchcraft as well as wise (in their respective spheres), I don’t think they’re worthy of respect from others when they treat their young colleague like garbage.

I’m not sure why this dynamic between the witches is bothering me more on the second read-through than it did the first, which was eight or so years ago. But it does.

I still consider Witches Abroad an excellent read when I look past the treatment-of-Magrat issues. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy humorous fantasy.

Thanks for reading!

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, #6; Witches #2) by Terry Pratchett

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat are not witches who meddle in the affairs of a kingdom- there’s rules against that, after all. But then one stormy night, when they’re having a simple coven meeting, a desperate and pursued royal courier hands Granny a baby.

Now, some of the rules might have to be broken.

“The child gurgled in its sleep. Granny Weatherwax didn’t hold with looking at the future, but now she could feel the future looking at her. She didn’t like its expression at all.” pg 13

I first read Wyrd Sisters in April 2014 as part of a general read-through of the Discworld series (which I didn’t finish, but that is neither here nor there.) Now, I’m going back and reading the Witches series on its own which sits comfortably within the larger collection.

They’re quite good, of course.

“As the cauldron bubbled an eldritch voice shrieked: “When shall we three meet again?” There was a pause. Finally another voice said, in far more ordinary tones: “Well, I can do next Tuesday.” pg 1

The three witches, as well as the ancillary cast of humorous and villainous characters, are a delight to read and really make the story. Terry Pratchett’s tone goes deftly from playful to quite serious and back again as Granny Weatherwax practices her ‘headology’ or Magrat, the youngest witch of the three, accidentally finds romance.

“Extremely worrying developments of magical tendency are even now afoot,” she said loudly. pg 62

Something that I didn’t mention in the last review, but struck me again on the re-read, was the excellent development of the mad Duke and his evil Queen. These are not simple, two-dimensional villains. These are complex characters with neuroses and nightmares and nefarious histories.

The reason why I was so surprised by the ending of the story on the first read-through was the fate of the villains. Which they entirely deserve, I think, but was creative enough that I didn’t see it coming.

Highly recommended for readers who love light-hearted fantasy and humor.

First review: April 2014
This was a fun read. Pratchett takes the witch stereotype and bends it. We are reintroduced to Granny Weatherwax, the wise witch from Equal Rites. I liked her in that tale and I enjoyed seeing her again. Her character had time to be fleshed out even more and it’s a delight.

The ending to this novel really managed to surprise me. I was expecting a completely different ending but I loved Pratchett’s invention even more.

My favorite part of this story was Granny’s introduction to theater performance. The whole scene is incredibly funny but also integral to the plot so it wasn’t just tacked on like an after thought.

Overall, it’s an excellent fantasy. No one can write quite like Terry Pratchett.

Thanks for reading!

Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1) by Terry Pratchett

In Discworld, there are unwritten rules that govern magic. One of these is- guys are wizards and girls are witches. Wizards have staffs. Witches have pointy hats and work with nature.

When the eighth son of an eighth son has a daughter who is mistaken for a boy at her birth, a wizard leaving his legacy to someone who is destined to be incredibly powerful becomes somewhat of a problem. Untrained wizards are dangerous. But who is going to take responsibility for Esk, a girl who wants to be a wizard?

“They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.” pg 37, ebook

Granny Weatherwax, that’s who, the local witch and an all-around no-nonsense kind of person.

What follows is a rollicking adventure through Discworld but also an examination of assumptions from our ordinary world.

“Esk, of course, had not been trained, and it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done.” pg 61, ebook.

It is also a delightful skewering of gender roles and what society expects from each.

“Granny had counted the temples with a thoughtful look in her eyes; gods were always demanding that their followers acted other than according to their true natures, and the human fallout this caused made plenty of work for witches.” pg 76, ebook

Highly recommended for fantasy readers who enjoy heaping helpings of humor with their stories.

This was my second read-through for Equal Rites. I first enjoyed this book several years ago. And here is my review from the first go-round:
I was afraid that I wouldn’t like this, the third book in the Discworld series, as much as the previous books since it wasn’t starring Rincewind and Twoflower, but I shouldn’t have worried. Granny Weatherwax and Esk were excellent heroines and just as fun to read about as the boys.

Photo by Gantas Vaiu010diulu0117nas on Pexels.com

Pratchett’s Discworld is such a fantastic and surprising place, so different from structured reality, that it was really interesting to explore native prejudices and expectations among the inhabitants. Girls are witches and boys are wizards until Esk is born and turns those expectations on their head. Her struggles to find her place in the magical world and Granny’s attempts to teach her are slightly reminiscent of The Once and Future King, but with a feminine twist.

This is a fun read that fans of fantasy will certainly enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: discworld

The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1) by Terry Pratchett

Maskerade (Discworld, #18; Witches #5) by Terry Pratchett

Lords and Ladies (Discworld, #14; Witches #4) by Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad (Discworld, #12; Witches #3) by Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, #6; Witches #2) by Terry Pratchett

Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1) by Terry Pratchett

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