Reviews

I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in order.

I was convinced that I hadn't read this before, even though I knew I've owned it for years (in an omnibus edition alongside *Equal Rites* and *Witches Abroad*), but the second I read the opening sentence I knew that I was wrong. Part of me is annoyed at myself for forgetting it, but the rest of me is really happy that I effectively got to read this for the first time, a second time. This is definitely my favourite of the series so far, and by a pretty wide margin.

Something I'm noticing as I work through these books is that here in the early installments Pratchett is often revisiting ideas, like he wants to have a second run at things that didn't quite work the first time. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like a second run at some of the things they didn't quite work in *Equal Rites* (and, to an extent, *Sourcery*). We've got a child with a strange destiny that may or may not manage to be fulfilled, we've got the Ramtops as a setting, and - of course - we've got Granny Weatherwax, who's put to really great use here. She feels much more fully realised as a character than she was in *Equal Rites*, and she's also elevated by the addition of and juxtaposition with Nanny Ogg and Magrat. We've previously been told that all witches do things their own way, and getting to see three very unique and very personal practices butting up against one another is fantastic. The three characters work brilliantly together and I'd happily read a hundred more books about them.

The novel itself seems better constructed than those that have preceeded it, too. The plot actually works without any weird deus ex machina shenanigans; characters take action and drive things forward constantly,; the stakes are real and impactful, big enough to risk impacting the wider Discworld (which seems to be the scale Pratchett prefers to work on) but small enough to feel personal and like they can be influenced by ordinary people. And it really is in his ordinary people with relatively mundane problems that Pratchett shines (and I largely count his witches amongst the group "ordinary people with mundane problems", unlike his wizards). The humour is becoming more refined and more focused too, and it works so much better than some of the earlier installments. It probably helps that a gentle satirising of Shakespeare is very much aimed at my interests, but I think in general it feels a lot tighter and better executed than in earlier books.

*Mort* showed an early sign of the brilliance of Discworld. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like Pratchett's ability as a writer and a storyteller finally starting to catch up to his potential.

4/5 An outstanding work in its genre. Enthusiastically recommend. I say things like "this is my new favourite book".

doceon's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

One of the better Witch books, imo. Weatherwax and Ogg still aren't fully developed here, I think, though Ogg is definitely fleshed out ( ;) ). Lots of great accessory characters, and some of the more thoughtful material around storytelling and the importance of it, which ends up bigger and bigger as the Discworld evolves. I liked it.