Discworld 12

My favorite of the Witches series. Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Magrat must travel to far-off Genua after Magrat inherits a fairy Godmother's wand. Many fairy tales are seriously twisted during the journey
Re-read 12/21/2022. . ( )

This is the one. This is the book that introduced me to Discworld and to Terry Pratchett. This is also the book that made me fall in love with Granny Weatherwax.

I first picked up Witches Abroad when I was 12. I found it in a forgotten pile, with other discworld books, at my local bookstore. I knew nothing of Terry Pratchett, and not much about the fantasy genre either. I just liked witches and wanted a book in English to improve my reading skills. So basically I bought it based on the oldest of criteria there is between bookworms. I liked the cover.

Ten years passed from the moment I bought it, until I actually read it. At first the vocabulary was way too advanced for me. I struggled to reach page 40. Then I lost it, found it again, began re-reading the first 30 or so pages and then promptly lost it once more. By then I was almost 20 years old and the book had become a sort of personal legend. The thing I'd never achieve. So, true to my little obsessive compulsions, I went ahead and bought it again. Two more years passed for me to find the courage to read it. By then it had become an object of power, a symbol of what I would never achieve, the temple of procrastination. A legend in my bookshelf.

Imagine my surprise when I realized it was also a DAMN GOOD BOOK!

Mixing fairytales and the witches of discworld was an ingenious idea. I honestly find it hard to describe how much, or why, I liked this book so passionately.

If you are considering reading a discworld book, be it your first discworld novel ever or your first witch-based storyline, I suggest you start with Witches Abroad. It is the 3rd Discworld novel that features the witches (the previous 2 being Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters.) It is also the last witches book that can be read out of order. ( )

Pratchett, Terry. Witches Abroad. 1991. Discworld No. 12. Narrated by Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, and Bill Nighy. Penguin Audio (Audible), 2022.
Listening to the new Audible recording of Witches Abroad, I was struck by how much of my sense of character was determined by performance. Magrat Garlick and Nanny Ogg were much as I had imagined them while reading, but Indira Varma’s reading gave Granny Weatherwax dimensions of vulnerability I had not noticed. She seemed a bit afraid that she could not escape the story into which her sister was weaving her. The power of narrative to change the world is something an inveterate realist like Granny won’t abide, even though she herself is a master of putting narratives in someone’s head. Bill Nighy’s footnotes were a bit too laid back and did not have the archness I was hoping for from him, but the recording, like the book, gets five stars from me. ( )

This book has a very interesting premise. This is a story where the villain is a fairy godmother that is forcing people into stories and forcing them to get the happy endings she envisioned.
The witches are so far my favorite characters from the Discworld, besides Death. Especially Granny Weatherwax. I loved Nanny's letters to her son and Margret's kindness and rebellious attitude that started by wearing trousers. As usual the characters have specific traits and reading this books feels like watching a clever and imaginative cartoon.
There are a lot of references to well known stories in this book. Mostly fairy tales, but also classics like "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Count of Monte Cristo". Since the witches are traveling there is also funny commentary about visiting "another country". It was great!
As usual, this book has the perfect length for the jokes to land and I had such a fun time reading it.
Hopefully, I will at least read all the witches books this year. ( )