Wyrd sisters.

One of his masterpieces, and even better on rereading (although I can't remember my first reading). The tension in this one is painful: helplessness in the face of tyranny was especially excruciating right now, days before the 2022 midterm elections. Even his humor, sharp and insightful and at his best, has uncomfortable cautionary undertones.

I thought this one started really slow for me. The very beginning was interesting but then later the book made me very sleepy. It started to become better when I was 80% into it. It has many fun and interesting dialogues (Terry Pratchett's style) but I thought the rhythm of the narrative a bit dull. Overall, it was a fun story in the end.

As I was reading this book I was reminded of one of Nigella Lawson's cooking porn shows, in which she said she didn't know if she actually liked drinking tea or if she had convinced herself she liked it because she knew it was good for her.

I've attempted Pratchett before and found him hard-going, as I have with Douglas Adams and Ben Elton, who write in the same style. They take a lot of effort and, although I had a lot of I see what you did there moments, and a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments, I don't know that the effort I had to put in was repaid by the enjoyment I got back.

Classic Pratchett, featuring characters who go on to become fan favourites. This book is a great way to start the series for new readers. The trade mark wit is there and the plotting and characterisation is improved from early books. Granny Weatherwax deserves to be included in any list of beloved literary characters.

Oh boy! This was a challenge to follow, even reading the textual version! Don't let your focus stray and don't read too fast or you miss the change of scenery [literally].

And for some reason I continue to get Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg mixed up. How I can do that with two incredibly different women, I do not know but I do.

Great storyline and it's always wonderful to see characters I love from other books on the Discworld. And new characters like the trees and the storm with no name keep me coming back for more.

The three witches join forces against an evil king, while the Discworld sees the rise of a superb actor and a dwarf playwright. First appearances of Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick.

This was the first thoroughly good Discworld book, and remains one of the best of them, written back when Pratchett was really funny; although, reading it again now, I see that he had some tendency to moralize even then.

Not high literature of course, but a good story and good fun, with assorted references to drama through the ages, Shakespeare in particular.

I originally read this when it first came out and it has been one of favourite light reads ever since. Admittedly, the humour is not quite as laugh out loud hilarious as it was when I was younger, but it still manages to raise a smile. I am now tempted to go back to The Colour Of Magic and work my way through to the end (which, unfortunately, is very much the end now), however there are now something like 40 books in the series, so that may be a tall order.

Although the Discworld is probably going to appeal most to the teen market, I think there should be room for a little Pratchett in everybody's life.

Executive Summary: Started slow, but the second half kind of made up for the first half. And very quotable as always. 3.5 Stars.Full ReviewWell I made it! I did 5 Discworld books in the last few months. I was able to read this book in April for Sword and Laser without having to skip any books.It's not my favorite of the bunch, but I definitely enjoyed it more than I did [b:Sourcery 34499 Sourcery (Discworld, #5; Rincewind #3) Terry Pratchett https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428107721s/34499.jpg 62360]. I think I might have enjoyed [b:Equal Rites 34507 Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches #1) Terry Pratchett https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407706800s/34507.jpg 583611] more though. I was warned that Granny Weatherwax was a bit different in this one. I honestly found her more likable in that book, and that the overall story was better. That said, this book was still a lot of fun, especially the second half. My favorite parts involved Tomjon and Hwel and the play. But the witches were pretty good too. Their banter was usually pretty amusing. Nanny Ogg was a great addition. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.It's been awhile since I've read [b:Macbeth 8852 Macbeth William Shakespeare https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866505s/8852.jpg 1896522], so I'm sure I missed a lot of the references and in jokes, but I got enough of them to get a pretty good laugh.Overall another good, but not great entry in the Discworld books. Time for a bit of a break. I plan to come back to the series later on this year though.

As always some fun from Terry Pratchett hand. Those who've read him know what to expect, and this who haven't should read something by the author. Not necessarily this one, as I'm not sure if I would see it as one of the best. However it definitely is one of his better works! Recommend, but not overly so.

No surprise, latest Discworld book I've read was an awesome, fun read, with Pratchett's uncanny ability to include solemn moments and important asides amongst humour and shenanigans. That last reveal! I somehow managed to get through high school having not read Macbeth, but that did not hamper my enjoyment. Anecdote in this version's introduction is worth a read, too.

Wyrd Sisters was the second Pratchett book I tackled after not picking up any of his Discworld novels for many years. I decided that I'd start reading these books again, starting with the Witches thread. And I'm happy to report that I'm enjoying them a lot..

Published back in 1988 it re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites fame. If you recall, Equal Rites was the first of the Witches books. With Granny we have Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tribe of Oggs and owner of the most evil cat in the world. Next is Magrat Garlick, the junior witch, who believes in occult jewellery, covens, and bubbling cauldrons, much to the annoyance of the other two.

Without going into details about the plot they get involved in royal intrigue. This leads to an attempt to get the rightful King back on the throne.

I've now worked out that even though Discworld is set in a fantastical world the eccentric characters tend to be are down-to-earth individuals who find themselves in ludicrous situations. Of course, this creates readable and amusing mayhem. This is especially the case for the three witches who are fleshed out as warm, relevant people. Of course they are strange but are immediately likeable, especially when they are together.

One of the prominent themes in Wyrd Sisters is how language, both written and spoken, can affect how individuals perceive reality:

... “the past is what people remember, and memories are words. Who knows how a king behaved a thousand years ago? There is only recollection, and stories.”

The book makes references to the works of Shakespeare and uses themes from Macbeth, Hamlet and King Lear. These are both ridiculed and paid tribute to; not an easy feat for an author. They are also weaved into the story so they don't seem to be out of place. I've also realised that Pratchett is good at using the text to discuss modern issues. For example, in Wyrd Sisters we question the applicability of the monarchy, a topic which is in the news almost daily.

So in summary, this is the best of the handful of Pratchett books I've read so far. I'm starting to “get” his peculiar sense of humour. While the book can be read as pure entertainment and a nice way to while away a few hours in a world of witches and Shakespearean plots, it contains deeper philosophical questions too. I can see how he became one of the world's most popular authors capturing the interest of people who are not generally attracted to fantasy fiction.