There was much less sobbing than I expected, even considering what happens right at the beginning of the book (no spoilers). I am mad at the universe for taking Pratchett from us so soon (especially since I’ve been rereading Douglas Adams and I’m mad about that all over again), but I knew Pratchett wouldn’t let me down. His final Discworld book checks back in with Tiffany Aching, teenage witch and all-around badass. The elves are trying to break out of fairyland and wreak havoc in […]
Travel is so broadening.
Another installment of the adventures of Granny Weatherwax. This time, she’s left her home to travel the world and glare at foreigners. She and Nanny Ogg decide to ‘help’ Magrat to be a Fairy Godmother, with interesting results. This book examines fairy tales and the power of story in shaping how people interpret their lives. Magrat inherits the magic wand of Fairy Godmothering and has to travel to far-away Genua to perform her duties to her god child, who is basically Cinderella. Granny and Nanny […]
Rare Disappointment in Discworld
I can’t NOT love a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, but I may have loved this one a little (OK, maybe a lot) less than I usually love a gallop through Discworld, maybe because it was more of a trot than a gallop? This book was less lively, less chock full of barbed hilarity, less truly representative of my favorite characters, less magical–all perhaps because it was written after the great Mr. P. had Alzheimers–I’ve even seen some say it can’t have been written by him […]
The Asides Are the Best
I’m on a Pratchett kick right now, going through and reminding myself how much I adore the Discworld books. I did a close-read for my MFA on “Lords and Ladies”, and even though my paper was based on how Pratchett expertly weaves Celtic folklore in with his parody of a “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”, I found the things I really enjoy about Pratchett’s writing are his glorious, humorous, and bountiful asides. “Lords and Ladies” follows Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg as they battle a mythical force […]