Wintersmith

"You danced into a story, girl, one that tells itself to the world every year. It’s the Story about ice and fire, Summer and Winter. You’ve made it wrong. You’ve got to stay to the end and make sure it turns out right."

Crivens! That was such a good read. Wintersmith is the 35th Discworld book and the 3rd in the Tiffany Aching sub-series. Tiffany is a trainee witch under the scary Miss Treason. Every year the region observes the Dark Dance, where summer transitions to winter, and Tiffany, for reasons she can't explain, joins the dance. Now she's attracted the Wintersmith himself and Tiffany's forced to face the consequences of her actions: the fact that there may never be another springtime.

Of course, the Nac Mac Feegles are right show more there to help their Wee Big Hag no matter whether she wants them to or not!

I'm always impressed with how much Terry Pratchett can pack into a seemingly simple tale. Wintersmith is about the power of stories and how humans shape the world with the stories we tell ourselves. It is such a deeply profound idea with so many layers to it that I think it's right up there with Small Gods as one of my favorites. As Wee Billy Bigchin says, "A metaphor is a kind o' lie to help people understand what's true." I highly recommend this book, though you'd likely want to read the previous two Tiffany Aching books first. show less

I had to not read this for ages because I was writing a book myself and that book had anthropomorphised seasons in it and one thing I could not possibly do was read how terry Pratchett anthropomorphised seasons before I worked out how to do it myself. Now the book is done and alas and waily waily waily Pratchett has met the guy in all-caps, so I finally get to read it.

Tiffany Aching, witch-in-training, through a blunder at a dark and mysterious dance, finds that the wintersmith, the spirit of winter, has fallen in love with her, partly because he thinks she's the spirit of summer and partly just because she's Tiffany. His various and potentially catastrophic attempts at wooing, as he struggles to become more human, need to be curtailed, show more or there might never be a summer ever again. Tiffany is aided by assorted witches and the Wee Free Men, aggravating as it may be.

Funny and smart with heart, this is fantasy, but grounded and sensible as ever, even as it scales the heights of mad ideas. Sigh. I don't want him to be gone. show less

Find the story, Granny Weatherwax always said. She believed that the world was full of story shapes. If you let them, they controlled you. But if you studied them, if you found out about them . . . you could use them, you could change them . . .

We've met Tiffany Aching before, in The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, and know that she is a young witch on the Discworld's Chalk, the uplands where the principal occupation is shepherding. In Wintersmith she is on the cusp of her teens but has already ratcheted up an impressive CV, having defeated the Fairy Queen and overcome a crisis of identity in the form of the Hiver.

Here, however, she has a rather more challenging antagonist in the form of the embodiment (if that's the right word for show more a disembodied being) of the coldest season of the year. To stop the Wintersmith's personal interest in her and the prospect of the land permanently locked in snow and ice she has to understand the power of story.

And for us to fully appreciate Wintersmith I too believe, like Granny Weatherwax, that we have to find and study story shapes to comprehend how Pratchett uses them to control, in ever so satisfyingly a fashion, his narrative.

How did Tiffany get into the situation where the Wintersmith was made aware of her, a human child? The answer comes with Pratchett's concept of the Dark Morris, the winter equivalent of the Morris traditionally danced around May Day to usher in the summer. (The Dark Morris is not, by the way, to be confused with the Mummer's Play, which often takes place around midwinter.) Brought by her mentor, Miss Treason---Mystery's On?---to witness the Dark Morris, Tiffany finds she is unable to help herself and joins in the dance, usurping the place of Summer. As a result the Wintersmith becomes aware of her; and as a result of becoming aware of her 'he' pursues her, tries to woo her---with snowflakes in her image, bringing huge drifts of snow and intense cold to the Chalk and threatening a season of snow and ice all year round.

How Tiffany learns to manage this dire situation is through changing the story shapes she finds herself in. For that she needs help in the form of her idiosyncratic mentors Granny Weatherwax, Miss Treason, Nanny Ogg and Miss Tick, with rather more dubious aid from the Nac Mac Feagles and the brave support of her friend Roland. Along the way she continues to expand her powers as a witch, which includes learning herself how to mentor a rather inadequate witch.

Now, the stories. What is it, to be human? This is at the core of Wintersmith, indeed at the core of all of Pratchett's stories. The Wintersmith tries hard to be human, to make himself into a simulacrum of one, using elements to fashion himself a body. But it isn't materials alone that maketh man, it's abstract qualities: love enough to break a heart for example. Mythology is full of examples of human simulacra which lack those specifically human qualities; in Welsh myth, for example, Blodeuwedd is just such a creature: made from flowers she is eventually turned into an owl after betraying her husband. The unending dance of Winter and Summer is also the theme of much mythology: Persephone's abduction is the best known example of the seasons going awry. Orpheus going into the Underworld to rescue Euridice is another story that is faintly recognisable here, when young Roland ventures forth to awaken Summer.

And Roland's name is no fluke either, suggesting yet another story that Pratchett refashions. Unlike Robert Browning and Shakespeare’s fairytale figure---'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came'---Pratchett's Roland escapes from his tower (where he is besieged by his wicked aunts) to rescue the Sleeping Beauty that is Summer from her enforced hibernation.

It's all about balance, but unlike Hamlet ("The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, | that ever I was born to set it right") Tiffany knows, despite her youth, that she has the responsibility to undo her literal faux pas and return seasonal order to the world. Along the way she learns a few more of life's lessons---the poignancy of death, for example, and the pain of responsibility---which, one hopes, will add to her resilience and resolution to do the right thing.

So many stories, but I can only hint at a few. Still, stories get their power from appealing protagonists and Tiffany is just such a one. And the source of her power? It's heart. As Pratchett well knew.

Strength enough to build a home
Time enough to hold a child
Love enough to break a heart

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Wintersmith continues the themes of A Hat Full of Sky, as Tiffany has to teach one of her fellow apprentices about what it means to be a witch. Honestly, the ostensible central conflict of the novel—about the Wintersmith—comes across as almost ancillary, but I didn't mind, because there's a lot of good stuff along the way. The climax to this one, though, is again a bit disappointing. I mean, I love the Feegles journeying into the afterlife, but Tiffany gets sort of left out in favor of them and Roland. (Though I did like Roland too.) But those are quibbles: much as the City Watch books work their way through the details of the intersection of violence and politics and law, the Tiffany books spend their time working out something show more even more basic, what it means to be a person who helps. It's serious work... but that doesn't mean it can't also be funny. show less

The trouble is you can shut your eyes but you can’t shut your mind.

Tiffany returns, this time slightly older and in just a bit more trouble than before. This time around, she accidentally danced with the Wintersmith (the very embodiment of winter) and, as one thing leads to another, the Wintersmith beings to fall in love, trying to become human along the way.

Iron enough to make a nail
Lime enough to paint a wall
Water enough to drown a dog
Sulphur enough to stop the fleas
Potash enough to wash a shirt
Gold enough to buy a bean
Silver enough to coat a pin
Lead enough to blast a bird
Phosphor enough to light the town
Strength enough to build a home
Time enough to hold a child
Love enough to break a heart

Perhaps the best part of the book is show more how Tiffany owns up to what she's done and does her best to put everything back together. There are some wonderful scenes with the main Witches from other Discworld books (Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg in particular), but the focus remains on Tiffany.

As with the other Tiffany Aching books, it's a wonderful Discworld'y with a fairy tale feel. Well worth the read. Honestly, I liked this one more than A Hat Full of Stars, possibly even more than the Wee Free Men--although of course you'd want to start there when first reading the series.

Well worth the read once again.

Finally, because one must:

Because no man wants to be a coward in front of a cheese.

What? It makes sense in context. show less

At a certain point, it gets difficult to review books in a series because the things I do and don’t like about it are pretty set, and I end up repeating myself! I think I am at that point with Tiffany, so just know she continues to be a fantastic protagonist (now 13 in this one), and I love her. This one also had even more Granny Weatherwax in it, and even a bit of Nanny Ogg from _The Witches_ series!

> Child. That was a terrible thing to say to anyone who was almost thirteen.

This instalment sees Tiffany in a new position as a trainee witch with 113-year-old witch Miss Treason (so old she calls Granny ‘the girl Weatherwax’). I thought Miss Treason was fantastic. She really leans into the scary old witch trope, even going so far as show more painting the inside of her cottage black and covering it with cobwebs. Tiffany is able to learn a lot from her, not least the importance of stories as a way that people make sense of their world.

> “Living this long’s not as wonderful as people think. I mean, you get the same amount of youth as everyone else, but a great big extra helping of being very old and deaf and creaky.” (Miss Treason)

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous two because I struggled to make sense of the Wintersmith plot. _On reflection_, that is partly because I had expectations about how the story was going to play out, and actually, Pratchett is doing something more interesting and teaching us a more realistic lesson about consequences and responsibility. This isn’t Tiffany having a grand adventure to defeat a villain; this is Tiffany continuing to learn about the realities of life as a witch and what her own place within the community may look like (you’d think be book 3, my expectations would be with the programme!).

> A witch didn’t do things because they seemed a good idea at the time! That was practically cackling. You had to deal every day with people who were foolish and lazy and untruthful and downright unpleasant, and you could certainly end up thinking that the world would be considerably improved if you gave them a slap. But you didn’t because, as Miss Tick had once explained:
> a) it would make the world a better place for only a very short time;
> b) it would then make the world a slightly worse place; and
> c) you’re not supposed to be as stupid as they are.

Tiffany makes a mistake when she joins the dance and inadvertently attracts the attention of the Wintersmith, which throws off the balance of winter and summer. I will say I am still a bit confused about _why_ she joined the dance. I think it is something to do with her feet, and because she is a witch of the land, but I never got totally clear on that. I also felt quite uncomfortable with the Wintersmith plot, and weirdly, I’ve not seen many other reviewers mention this. I didn’t quite understand why Pratchett added romantic overtones. Tiffany is 13, she hasn’t yet had her first kiss and is still trying to make sense of her feelings towards Roland. The Wintnersmith is an immortal elemental who starts stalking her in a really intense way and showering her with gifts; it’s creepy, and none of the other characters sees it that way. They act like it is normal, or even funny, and nobody tries to help her make sense of what feelings she may be having about it.

> “Romancin’ is verrae important, ye ken. Basically it’s a way the boy can get close to the girl wi’oot her attackin’ him and scratchin’ his eyes oot.” (Rob Anybody)

I think in the universe, the explanation would be that this is a pseudo-medieval type setting, it’s normal for girls to marry very young, and the Wintersmith is not human, and as he tries to create a human form, he is quite childlike… but even so, the fact is that he is ageless and much more powerful than Tiffany. And the issues with how the story is structured do not make his relative innocence clear until far too late, so the whole time, I have a background feeling of ick whenever this comes up. For some reason, Pratchett wrote the climax of the book as the first chapter, which was confusing narratively and wrecked the pacing. I don’t think of any good reason to do this. I also remained confused about the role of the Summer Lady by the end of the book, and why the Nac Mac Feegle had to rescue her from hell.

> “No. The old gods ain’t big on ‘sorry,'” said Granny, pacing up and down again. “They know it’s just a word.”

Thankfully, the Wintersmith plot is not the sole focus of the book, and it hangs in the background as she deals with more immediate community issues. I am really enjoying the evolving relationship between Tiffany and Annagramma, and how the younger witches are finding their dynamics in the community. I love that Petunia is now a renowned Pig Witch after she won the Witch Trials with her pig trick! This book really shows the differences between the young witches and the older witches – like Miss Tick, Granny and Nanny – and the conflicts between Tiffany and Granny are the best parts. The teenage Tiffany is starting to understand Granny more, so she pushes back and tests her.

> “Look, just because a woman’s got no teeth doesn’t mean she’s wise. It might just mean she’s been stupid for a very long time.” (Tiffany to Annagramma)

So while this is my least favourite so far, it still has a lot to love. The best parts are when Tiffany is doing her everyday witch stuff and interacting with the community. I suspect if I reread this, I might like it more, having a better understanding of what I think Pratchett was trying to do without the structure getting in the way.

For Law of Fives, it was published in 2007, won a Locus award, it’s the 3rd in a 5 book series, and I can count Wintersmith as a fantastic creature (Elemental).

## REVIEW SUMMARY

### I LIKED

- I loved all the parts with Tiffany in the community.
- Relationship between Granny and Tiffany.
- Annagrammer’s growth.
- Focus on responsibility, not adventure.

### I DIDN’T LIKE

- Weird narrative structure destroyed pacing.
- Wintersmith gave me the ick. show less

I have finally read my first Pratchett. If reading it alone wasn't cause for celebration, how much I enjoyed it would be. I tried to join in Ekho’s Discworld readalong over the summer, but only managed this one of the four they had chosen. But that is not because of Pratchett. August was a difficult month.

(Ekho's links: instagram | wordpress)

In fact, Ekho thought long and hard and picked four very diverse stories from Discworld to introduce all the different strains of Pratchett, and felt this was the best introduction into the witches. I have to say, without knowing more about the witches yet, I whole-heartedly agree. Even after one book I know I already like Pratchett’s voice.

Tiffany Aching isn’t new to witching anymore, and the show more Feegles (aka the Wee Free Men) take a little getting used to, but this story is such a great one. It is indeed the oldest story out there: boy takes interest in girl, brings hell to earth because she isn’t interested, so she marches hell straight back at him.

Wintersmith carried with it some seasoned humor as well as some solemn and meaningful moments. As far as writers go, there’s a whole breadth of humor on display here that shows a well-honed craft and a great understanding of the genre. Something in this reminds me of both Diana Wynne Jones and Peter S. Beagle. Not to say that Pratchett is derivative, but there’s a sort of joke you can only make when you appreciate Fantasy the way these writers do.

Tiffany as well is enchanting, despite spending the majority of the novel trying to fix a foolish mistake she’s made. Being a witch is messy and she’s heavily put on by all the expectations that the pointy has given her.

The almost distracting, if they weren’t so essential, Nac Mac Feegle can only fully be understood once you’ve experienced them. I’m so glad there’s more of them in other books, they are ferocious, amazing and precious. In another blurb for this book they are described as “the fightin', thievin' pictsies who are prepared to lay down their lives for their ‘big wee hag.’”

If you are looking for a good place to start Discworld, I can recommend Wintersmith. If you need something a little more non-traditional to read while snow is piling up, I can recommend Wintersmith. If you love fantasy or witches but want something a little different, a little tongue-in-cheek, I can recommend Wintersmith.

Long story short, pick up this book! show less