Witches Abroad

In which Granny Weatherwax has to fight her evil sister, and Greebo the cat briefly becomes human. The trouble with this one is that Pratchett is trying too hard to make points and lecture, whereas I just want to read a good story and be entertained. However, it has its moments.First appearance of Casanunda (briefly mentioned in the preceding book, [b:Reaper Man 833424 Reaper Man (Discworld, #11; Death, #2) Terry Pratchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1473122828l/833424.SY75.jpg 1796454]).

Although this contains all the usual Pratchettian asides, at the usual standard, this is let down slightly by the plot, which is a little wishy-washy in places. in addition, the synopsis suggests that the story is largely about Magrat however she soon fades into the background and this becomes a Granny W. novel (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it would have been nice for Magrat to geta chance to shine).

Anyhow, the initial roadtrip stages of the story are the most interesting but things become a little less interesting when they finally reach their destination.

So, it's a Pratchett novel, so you can't go far wrong if you're a fan, however I'm not sure this is one for those who aren't already invested in the world.

Executive Summary: I struggled a bit with this one. I liked it more than the Rincewind books, but it's probably my least favorite of the Witch books so far.Full ReviewI own a lot of the Discworld books and I've enjoyed some of them quite a lot, while others I find to be just OK. The Witch books thus far have been better than most, although I'd probably rank them behind both the City Guard series (although I've only read 1 of those) and the Death series.I started this on a plane last month returning from PAX and kind of got bored and switched to watching Netflix instead. There were parts I enjoyed, but often I'd find my attention drifting when reading it and I was never really itching to pick it back up.Like all discworld books it has some great jokes, and I love the cameos by Death. However my favorite witch book continues to be [b:Equal Rites 34507 Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1) Terry Pratchett https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407706800s/34507.jpg 583611], which as I understand it is the one least like the others. Maybe once Tiffany Aching shows up I'll like them a bit more.There are still a ton more discworld books for me to read and I hear [b:Small Gods 34484 Small Gods (Discworld, #13) Terry Pratchett https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390899426s/34484.jpg 1636629] is one of the best. So far I haven't had great luck with the stand alones though, and this is one of the few I don't own because I hasn't been on sale yet. I'll probably pick it up later this year, but for now I have other things I'd rather read instead.

Sadly I'm not finding the author's books funny anymore. :(

As I've found with the other books I've read recently, the switching back and forth without any visual or audible notice is really making it difficult to figure out which storyline I'm in at any given moment, which creates more frustration and no joy in the humor.

‘This is a story about stories. Or what it really means to be a fairy godmother. But it's also, particularly, about reflections and mirrors.'

First published in 1991 Witches Abroad is the 12th Discworld novel and the 3rd Witches story. The story revolves around three witches Magrat Garlickand, Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. Their mission is to try to stop a wedding. What follows is a journey which sees them getting involved in unusual versions of scenes from well-known fairytales. This mingles with culturally relevant themes and events, all translated to the Discworld

The experience of Granny Weatherwax contrasts against the youngest in the group Magrat. Magrat is not always comfortable in her role as a fairy Godmother and the responsibility this now demands.

Of course, Granny Weatherwax is the heroine of the book. She's especially amusing because of her responses to the events and situations the group find themselves in. Each witch has a different personality leading to constant bickering. Of course, being Pratchett the dialogue is all humorous stuff.

The idea behind the book is the power of the story and the nature of storytelling and of fairy tales. Stories “play themselves” and shape people's actions to their own ends. People who resist their roles in stories do so at their peril. It's a good idea for a short story but I felt that at times it became stretched out to try to make it into a full novel.

So in summary, a nice addition to the Discworld series. While the story idea is expanded to make it into a full novel, it is amusing and well worth a read.