I was in just exactly the right mood for this. And this was just exactly the right balance of satire, genuine laugh out loud humor, and sneaky pathos that I prefer in my Discworld books.
But, hey, is this really the last of the Witches books? Are they in the Tiffany Aching ones? I’m gonna miss these ladies. (Even Magrat. And hey, she’s not too bad now that she’s a mother. Much more forceful, and less of a limp dishrag.)
Firstly, this is a clever satire of vampire fiction. It was written before vampires are supposed to sexy now, or whatever. So it plays off all the old standards. Coffins, enemy of the sun, allergies to garlic, staking, chopping off of heads, etc. Vampires (who are modern and now actually prefer to be called vampyres) have invaded Lancre, because King Verence (who was trying to be diplomatic) actually invited them. Pro tip: never invite a vampire anywhere.
Except these vampires are smart. They’ve somehow managed to overcome all the old tricks. Steal their left sock? Who cares. Garlic? They will eat it and smile. Religious symbols? Do nothing. They can even stay up until noon! And they can control your miiiiinds. Well, everyone except for Agnes Nitt’s. And the priest of Om, who Magrat hired to christen her new baby.
Also, in this one, Granny Weatherwax has a very long, dark night of the soul.
I have never gotten the hang of reviewing Discworld books. They defeat me every time.
Anyway, liked this one a lot. Would definitely re-read.
Granny and Nanny appear in some of the Tiffany books, but I can’t remember if Magrat does?
I didn’t think this one was quite as good as some of the other witches books, but it did give us the Nac Mac Feegle, who are treasures.
I spent probably more time than I should have trying to decipher what the Nac Mac Feegle were saying. I think I was about 50% successful.